Pan-Seared Sturgeon with Chanterelles & Baby Yukons

In which Mr B and I attend a cooking demonstration class with Chef Andrew Garrison, get to be “beta-diners,” and learn how to make dinner-party-worthy Pan-seared Sturgeon.

Many thanks to the Headlands Coastal Lodge & Spa for hosting our stay and for providing our cooking class with Chef Andrew. This post may contain affiliate links, but don’t worry – they won’t bite.

One of the unique features of the new Headlands Coastal Lodge in Pacific City, Oregon is the culture of adventure they seek to offer guests. Erstwhile concierges, known as “Adventure Coaches,” organize and guide Lodge guests in a large number of activities, including dory boat tours, crabbing, kayaking, and cooking. The day Mr B and I spent with the Headlands Adventures Coaches was wet and blustery, so we chose a cooking class over kayaking. Our instructor for the day was none other than Meridian’s Executive Chef Andrew Garrison.

[Meridian is the Headlands Coastal Lodge in-house restaurant. Read our profile of Meridian here.]

Chef Andrew, until recently the executive chef of Salishan Lodge & Golf Resort, is a Minnesota native and a graduate of Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts of Minneapolis/St. Paul. He specializes in wine and food pairings, foraging, whole-beast butchery, charcuterie and gluten-free cooking, and developing seasonal menus; the latter a skill already clearly reflected in Meridian’s constantly changing seasonally-focused menu.

When we arrived for our class, held in one of the condos-cottages adjacent to Headland’s, Chef Andrew informed our group that he would be preparing a dish he was planning to add to the menu – “Pan-Seared Sturgeon with Sautéed Chanterelles and Baby Yukons” – and we were to be his guinea pigs. (Or, as one of our group quipped, “beta-diners.”)

Before he started the cooking demonstration, Chef Andrew shared with us a little about his cooking philosophy and approach.

“We don’t really work off any recipes [in our kitchen]. We try to do what we call “intuitive cooking,” where you understand the process and the method behind the recipes, and then expand them to other dishes. It teaches you how to actually cook instead of just following a recipe.”

It is in this spirit that this post is written.

🐟 Cook a man a fish: feed him for a day. Teach a man to cook a fish: he can cook himself fish any time he wants. 🐟 #cookingdemo #sturgeon #recipeby @plays_w_knives Click To Tweet

NOTE: What follows is not a traditional recipe, with weights and measures and exact cooking times. However, if you are a relatively experienced cook, the completed dish should be fairly easy to execute. The following instructions are transcribed almost verbatim from Chef Andrews remarks, and are presented as such.

Pan-Seared Sturgeon with Chanterelles and Baby Yukons

Sautéed Chanterelles

Add oil to pan and heat pan on stove to the smoke point. Add mushrooms and sear them. Once they are seared, finish by sautéing in a little butter with fresh garlic, thyme sprigs, and rosemary sprigs [GTR] thrown in. Set aside.

Always use a neutral oil like canola oil. It has a higher smoke point than olive oil and imparts less flavor.
You want the mushrooms to be dry, and you don’t want to move them much once they’re in the pan. You want them to sear.
Don’t add salt to the mushrooms until you are done cooking, or you will end up with a pan of soggy mushrooms.

Baby Yukon Gold Potatoes

Put the precooked baby potatoes in a pan and make a little hole in the middle. Throw in a couple knobs* of butter and few cloves of garlic. Bring the butter to a foaming point and then add some GTR. Glaze the potatoes with the garlic-herb-infused butter, then season with a little kosher salt. Set aside.

The potatoes were precooked: poached in duck fat. (If you are short on duck fat at home, you can simply parboil them.)
When you add the herbs to the foaming butter, you’ll hear the herbs frying and popping, and that’s the sound you want. Then you’re shallow frying, and the aromatic compounds in the herbs infuse into the butter a little better.

* A “knob” of butter is about 1 1/2 – 2 tablespoons – about the size of a knob on a kitchen drawer.

Pan-Seared Sturgeon

Optional step: Brine the sturgeon for ½ hour before cooking.

Just as you did with the mushrooms, add oil to an oven-safe frying pan and heat on stove to the smoke point. Lay the fish in the hot pan, presentation side down. Sear the fish on one side, and then put it in a preheated oven (425° F) until it is done medium well. [An internal temperature of 140°F in fish is medium well.] It will continue to cook after you remove it from the heat, and will be well done by the time you plate it up.

“Proteins, with the exception of steak, I always just cook it on one side. The idea is to keep as much of the flesh as tender as possible.”

Once the fish is done, take it out of the oven, flip it over, add some butter and GTR to the pan and baste it. You want the butter to be frothing when you do this to really get all those aromatics going well. If it’s just [non-frothing] melted butter, you’re just going to make the fish soggy. You want the basting to be a fairly quick process. You don’t want to cook the fish more; you just want to glaze it.

For this demonstration, Chef Andrew used cold-smoked white sturgeon, farmed out of Idaho.
Brining seasons the fish all the way through and actually firms the flesh a little bit. It also gets rid of that white albumen that often comes out when you cook it.
If you are using fish that has been brined and/or smoked for this dish, don’t salt it before you pan-fry it.
Each piece of fish has two sides: the presentation side and the other, non presentation, side. The bloodline side is always the side you want facing down on the plate. In a fillet, the “inside” is always the presentation side. The skin side always goes down. (Unless you are doing skin-on fish.)
Chef Andrew likes to cook sturgeon to about medium well and then let it carry over to well. It’s not really a fish you want to eat rare.

“Kosher salt is my primary seasoning. I don’t put pepper on proteins before I cook them. Especially fish, because at high heat, you end up burning the pepper. I’d rather just have a crack of pepper at the end.”

“My approach to cooking is based on magnifying natural flavors. I use vinegar or citrus in just about everything. Salt… seasoning is really important, but acidity is another thing that really opens up and magnifies the natural flavors.”

Green Garlic Soup [Sauce]

Pureed soups make good sauces, and the soup used for this dish is basically a variation on vichyssoise, or potato leek soup: Yukon Golds, yellow onion, garlic, leeks, and a bunch of green garlic. (Green garlic looks like a small leek, and appears in the spring, about the same time as garlic scapes.) Then finish the soup with some cream, a whole bunch of kosher salt, and a little bit of cider vinegar to adjust the acidity.

Always try to use Yukon Gold when you make a smooth pureed soup. Avoid using russet potatoes for smooth, pureed soups: the starch in them is far too grainy.

Pan Sauce

Warm up the potatoes up in the pan with a little chicken stock. Once the stock is warm and potatoes are warm, reduce the stock a bit and throw a couple of nobs of butter in the pan, along with some aromatics [GTR]. As the stock reduces, keep the pan moving; swirl it around for a bit to keep things emulsified and make a pan sauce. Baste the potatoes in the pan sauce just before plating.

Rewarm the sautéed chanterelles at this time, too.

Foraged greens

For this dish, Chef Andrew used miner’s lettuce, which is plentiful all over the Pacific Northwest throughout the spring. (If foraging isn’t your thing, you can usually find it at farmers’ markets this time of year as well.) Alternatively, a handful of any fresh, tender greens will work.

Before I wrap this up, let me just say, Chef Andrew is personable, dedicated to his craft, and he made our cooking class “adventure” a pleasure to attend. Oh, and he is also adorable – I mean, how cute is this:

Which all goes to show that even the pros get excited when they get it right – and that’s a lesson for us all: Take pride when you put something wonderful on the table!

Disclosure: Our thanks to the Headlands Coastal Lodge & Spa for hosting our stay and for providing our complimentary cooking class with Chef Andrew. This post may contain affiliate links, which means we may receive a commission if you click a link and purchase something that we have recommended. While clicking these links won’t cost you any extra money, they do help keep this site up and running. As always, all opinions and images are my own. Please check out our disclosure policy for more details. Thank you for your support!

Pacific Northwest Dungeness Crab Cakes {with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce}

May 10 By Renée ♥ 6 Comments

Perfect Dungeness crab cakes are not much more than a big pile of crab and a few cracker crumbs, with a kicky little sauce on the side. With crab cakes, less is more.

You can have your lobster and your snow blue king crabs: I’ll take the delicate sweetness of Dungeness crab every time. In fact, it may be regional bias, but if I had to choose one kind of seafood – and only one – for the rest of my life, it would be Dungeness crab.

Found all along the West Coast from Alaska to California, Dungeness is known in scientific circles as Metacarcinus magister, or the “master crab,” and it is a title well-earned. (Culinary nobility agree: Dungeness crab was the favorite of both Julia Child and James Beard.) One of the best meals you will ever experience consists simply of a fresh Dungeness crab, a container of fresh cocktail sauce, and a box of Ritz crackers – preferably eaten while sitting on the sand watching the Pacific tide roll in and out.

The perfect crab cake is not much more than that – a big pile of crab, few cracker crumbs, and a kicky little sauce on the side. With crab cakes, less is more.

Ironically, my crab cake recipe (as well as the accompanying Roasted Red Pepper Sauce) goes back to a time when I visited Maryland many years ago. Up until then, I’d only eaten “West Coast” crab cakes, which at the time were more cake than crab, so heavy with fillers that the flavor of the crab was nearly lost. (A lot has changed in the Left Coast food scene since the 80’s, thankfully.) Anyway, when I took my first bite of my first Maryland crab cake, I was blown away by the clean, clear crab flavor. Those East Coasters definitely know how to make an amazing crab cake! The only thing that could have possibly made it more delicious was better crab, and I knew just where to find that. (Sorry, Blue crab.) When we returned home from our trip, one of the first things I did was make a batch of Dungeness crab cakes to test my theory. Then I made another batch. And another.

Eureka! That last batch was so, so good that it is the recipe I’ve used ever since. I hope you enjoy these delicious little crabby patties as much as I do!

Pacific Northwest Dungeness Crab Cakes

Author Renée B. ♥ The Good Hearted Woman

Ingredients

2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 large egg beaten
1/2 teaspoon honey mustard
1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon hot sauce I use Sriracha these days
3/4 teaspoon seafood seasoning [i.e. Old Bay®]
1 pound fresh cleaned Dungeness crab meat
10 butter crackers [i.e. Ritz or Keebler Club], finely crushed
About a cup of fresh bread crumbs
About ¼ cup butter for frying
Lemon wedges for serving

Instructions

In a medium bowl, combine mayonnaise, egg, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, seasoning and cracker crumbs.
Very gently the crab meat into the wet ingredient mixture, taking care to not break up the crab meat too much.
Cover and chill for at least 1 hour in the refrigerator.
Using a 1/4 cup measuring cup, shape the crab mixture into 8 lightly packed patties, each about 3/4" thick.
Coat each crab cake lightly with fresh bread crumbs. [See Note]
In a heavy skillet, melt just enough butter to thoroughly coat the bottom of the pan. (Do not overheat the skillet or you run the risk of burning the butter.)
Gently place the crab cakes in the pan and cook over medium heat until golden brown and heated through, 3 - 4 minutes per side. (Do not crowd the pan! It is best to fry the crab cakes in batches, adding more butter to the pan as needed.)
Briefly transfer the crab cakes to a cooling rack to drain while you fry the next batch and/or prepare the plates.
Sauce plates and arrange crab cakes on top, or serve cakes on a bed of greens with the sauce on the side.

Recipe Notes

The patties will be very fragile. I find that, instead of putting the crab cakes into a plate or bowl of bread crumbs to coat them, it works better to hold a crab cake in your hand and pat the bread crumbs on top, then flip it over and do the same on the other side.

FRESH BREAD CRUMBS: I make these using the Chopper Attachment on my immersion blender.[affiliate link] It takes 2-3 slices of bread to make enough for one batch of crab cakes.

Dungeness crab… is sheer, unadulterated crab heaven.
The Theory and Practice of Cooking, James Beard

Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

Course Sauce

Cuisine Pacific Northwest

Author Renée B. ♥ The Good Hearted Woman

Ingredients

1 large red bell pepper
1/2 cup tomato sauce
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic
1/2 teaspoon Sriracha

Instructions

Cut the red pepper in half and remove seeds and stem. Brush both sides with olive oil. Place on a foil lined baking sheet.
Place oven rack 4-5" away from heating element. Place baking sheet in the oven and broil the pepper for 8-10 minutes, turning over about half way through. The pepper skin will char.
Remove broiled pepper from oven and let set for a few minutes until it is cool enough to handle.
Peel away as much of the pepper skin as possible. (Don't worry if some remains, It's all going to get pulverized anyway.)
Place pepper along with the remaining ingredients into a small blender cup and process until smooth.
Serve hot or cold. Keeps in fridge for about a week.

Crab Season

Crab season in Oregon runs December through August, during which time you can find fresh, whole crabs cooked and ready to go at just about any supermarket seafood counter or specialty seafood market throughout the Pacific Northwest. For additional information on Oregon crabbing, including more tasty recipes, visit the Oregon Dungeness Crab Commission.

Sugar & Spice Cranberries

December 2 By Renée ♥ 9 Comments

Sugar & Spice Cranberries are a tart, sweet treat – made with a deliciously spiced simple syrup.

The older I get, the more I come to appreciate the simple things, and at no time of the year do I feel this more intensely than during the holiday season. Call me boring (and some of you will!) but one of my favorite things to do this time of year is curl up with my sweetheart in our big, comfy chair and watch “It’s a Wonderful Life.” Not because I love the movie so much – honestly it isn’t my favorite. But it is his favorite. And let me tell you, to see the man that you fell in love with three decades and more ago still tear up when George Bailey stands on those stairs, the whole town gathered around, and that little bell on the Christmas tree rings – that moment is why I love it. In that moment when Jimmy Stewart, standing there holding Juju and her petals, smiles that magnificent whole body smile of his and somehow manages across seven decades to communicate to us on a level so deep that the first recognition comes not in cerebral cognizance, but through the base reactions of our own bodies – as our eyes well up and our cheeks flush and our hearts grow; in that moment we know – to our marrow – that life really is wonderful.

And then…that moment when the tensile strength of the water’s edge breaks and that single heavy tear falls down his face and he pulls me close and looks into me with wide-open eyes and wraps my soul in his smile. That. That right there. I would watch “It’s a Wonderful Life” a thousand times from beginning to end for that.

Believe me; I didn’t intend to go this direction at all when I started typing, but here I am. And now, here you are reading it. I guess that’s the thing about being your own editor: sometimes you keep the sentences [even the ridiculously long fragments] you love – not because they are particularly good, but simply because you love what they mean to you.

And now, back to our regularly scheduled program….

This post grew from the need to make a Spiced Simple Syrup for an amazing Spiced Cranberry Mule that Mr B will be sharing in an upcoming post. I started thinking about garnishes for his latest concoction and remembered seeing a recipe for Sugared Cranberries that I’d always wanted to try. Then, as usual, I decided to take it a step further, and Voilà! Sugar & Spice Cranberries!

Sugar & Spice Cranberries are a tart, sweet treat, made with a deliciously spiced simple syrup; perfect for holiday snacking, creating beautiful garnishes, or decking out everything from salads to desserts.

Sugar & Spice Cranberries

Prep Time 5 minutes

Total Time 5 minutes

Author Renée B. ♥ The Good Hearted Woman

Ingredients

1/4 cup Spiced Simple Syrup Recipe Below
1 cup fresh cranberries
1 cup granulated sugar

Instructions

Line a baking pan with a silicone mat, aluminum foil or plastic wrap and set a wire cooling rack on top.
In a small bowl, toss one cup of cranberries in ¼ cup of the spiced simple syrup. Remove with slotted spoon and place on wire rack. Let cranberries set on the wire rack for at least an hour.
Place the granulated sugar in a medium bowl or Ziploc bag, and toss the sticky cranberries until well coated. Refrigerate prepared cranberries for at least an hour before using. Cranberries can be refrigerated for up to a week.

Spiced Simple Syrup

Author Renée B. ♥ The Good Hearted Woman

Ingredients

2 cups water
2 cups granulated sugar
3-4 slices fresh ginger
4-5 cinnamon sticks
3 whole star anise
15 whole allspice

Instructions

In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, stir together water, sugar, cinnamon sticks, sliced ginger, star anise, and heat, stirring frequently, until the sugar has completely dissolved. Bring mixture to a boil and allow to simmer for 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat and allow mixture to cool completely.
Using a slotted spoon, remove spices from liquid and pour into bottle or jar. Mixture can be refrigerated for at least two weeks.

You should probably make a batch this weekend – you may be needing a little Spiced Simple Syrup and some Sugar & Spice Cranberries sooner than you think!

Potluck-Worthy Big {Cuban} Salad with Spicy Maple-Lemon Cashew Sauce

August 12 By Renée ♥ 6 Comments

Serve up this is crowd-pleasing Big Cuban Salad at home or at your next potluck!

Earlier this summer, while I was putting together my How to Build a Buddha Bowl post, I came across an amazing recipe for Cuban Quinoa Bowls on one of my favorite food blogs, HeatherChristo.com. It quickly became my go-to Bowl combo, and I’ve been making variations on it for a couple of months now.

Recently, I decided to go BIG and take a Buddha Bowl to a potluck. I wasn’t sure how it would be received, because I’ve observed that people at parties tend to stick with what they know; often leaving new, unfamiliar foods (particularity those that come with blatant hippy undertones) to wither like wallflowers at a sock hop. (No, I’m not really that old.)

As it turned out, my Big {Cuban} Salad was definitely not a wallflower. In fact, it was a surprisingly huge hit, and I left the party with a empty bowl and a feeling of accomplishment.

To make this big, beautiful salad, the first thing you need is a vessel to put it in. I use a pasta bowl that customarily serves as our everyday fruit bowl. It’s very large and shallow, with a flat bottom and lots of open space to showcase the color and beauty of all the ingredients.

Speaking of ingredients…

At first glance, the ingredient and instruction list below may appear a little daunting, but don’t let looks throw you. It’s actually very easy to put together, and the results will make you the belle of the ball at your next potluck.

Watch this → I made a cool little video to show you how it all goes together!

Note: I like to make all the ingredients the day before and chill them, then assemble everything the day I plan to serve it, but that’s just me. This salad is great whether you assemble it with warm ingredients or cold – it’s just a matter of personal preference.

Serve up this is crowd-pleasing Big Cuban Salad with Spicy Maple-Lemon Cashew Sauce at home or at your next potluck!

Potluck-Worthy Big {Cuban} Salad with Spicy Maple-Lemon Cashew Sauce

Author Renée ♥ The Good Hearted Woman

Ingredients

Quinoa

1/2 cup quinoa
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3 green onions minced

Roasted Sweet Potatoes

1 large sweet potato 10-12 ounces, peeled and cut 1/2 cubes
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon powdered ginger
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Black Beans

1 cup cooked black beans =1 can, rinsed & drained
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 large onion chopped fine
1/2 large red sweet pepper
1 clove garlic minced
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Cilantro-Avocado Dressing

1 large avocado
2-3 tablespoons vegan sour cream or regular if you don't care about it being vegan
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 teaspoon lime zest
Juice of one lime

Spicy Maple-Lemon Cashew Sauce

1/3 cup cashews
1 cup very hot water
2 clove garlic
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons maple syrup
Pinch kosher salt

Additional Ingredients

5-6 cups salad greens
2 cups Cherry Tomatoes halved

Instructions

Place 1/3 cup raw cashews in a small bowl and cover with very hot water. Set aside to soak while you make the sweet potatoes, quinoa, and black beans.

Seasoned Quinoa

Combine vegetable broth, cumin, minced garlic, and salt in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat.
Stir in quinoa and cover. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
Remove from heat. (Keep lid on.) Allow quinoa to sit for 15-20 minutes. Fluff with fork and stir in chopped green onions.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Preheat oven to 400°F.
In a gallon-sized Ziploc bag (or large bowl) toss the cubed sweet potatoes with the cinnamon, ginger, and olive oil until evenly covered.
Pour sweet potatoes onto an unlined heavy metal sheet pan. Lightly sprinkle evenly with kosher salt.
Put in oven and roast sweet potatoes for about 10 minutes, then toss gently and return to oven for another 8-10 minutes, until fork tender. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

Black Beans:

While Sweet potatoes are roasting and the quinoa is finishing up, sauté finely chopped 1/2 onion in olive oil until translucent. Add minced garlic clove and chopped red pepper and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until onion begins to turn brown.
Add black beans, cumin and salt and cook for 5 more minutes, until beans are tender.
Set aside and allow to cook completely.

Cilantro-Avocado Dressing

Combine all ingredients and blend with a small beverage or immersion blender until smooth. It should be about the same thickness and consistency as a good milkshake.
If mixture is too thick, add a little extra water.

Spicy Maple-Lemon Cashew Sauce

Remember those cashews you started soaking at the beginning of all this?!? Drain them, and throw them into a blender with the remaining Cashew Sauce ingredients. (i.e., garlic, red pepper flakes, olive oil, lemon juice and maple syrup.) Puree on high until smooth. Season to taste.

ASSEMBLY

Evenly distribute greens in the bottom of very large, flat-bottom bowl.
Mound Quinoa in the middle.
Arrange the following in concentric circles radiating from the middle; ½ black beans, roasted sweet potatoes, ½ black beans, tomato halves.
Drizzle liberally with Cilantro-Avocado Dressing, Spicy Maple-Lemon Cashew Sauce.
Garnish with chopped cilantro. Serve remaining Spicy Maple-Lemon Cashew Sauce on the side.

Disclosure: This ↑ ad bar contains affiliate links, which means we may receive a commission if you click a link and purchase something that we have recommended. While clicking these links won’t cost you any extra money, they will help us keep this site up and running – and (relatively) ad-free!! Please check out our disclosure policy for more details. Thank you for your support!

Sweet Potato Pad Thai with Shrimp {Recipe}

July 6 By Renée ♥ 7 Comments

In Sweet Potato Pad Thai with Pan-fried Shrimp, the natural sweetness and robust texture of spiralized sweet potato noodles perfectly complements the flavors and textures of traditional Pad Thai.

This post may contain affiliate links, but don’t worry – they won’t bite.

I’ll admit it – I am just now diving into the Spiralizer pool.

In case you’ve been living in a cave for the last few years, spiral vegetable cutters, or “spiralizers,” are kitchen gadgets that cut fruits and vegetables into long noodles and ribbons, which then can be then be used in place of pasta, and as additions in salads, side dishes, etc.

There is a good reason for my reticence to Spiralize: all of the hand-held and counter-top spiralizers I’ve previously tested/used/experimented with simply don’t deliver: they crack under the strain of hard, dense vegetables; they hurt my hand and wrist to operate; and some models are a huge pain when it comes to clean up.

Then KitchenAid® came to my rescue – with a carefully engineered, well-thought Spiralizer Attachment. I couldn’t wait to try it out! (Please note: this is not a sponsored post. I just really love this thing!}

One of the first things I tried was a combination of two of my favorite things – Thai food and sweet potatoes. The outcome – Sweet Potato Pad Thai with Pan-fried Shrimp – is a deliciously tasty dish that blends the natural sweetness and robust texture of spiralized sweet potato noodles with the traditional flavors and textures of Pad Thai.

Bonus: It’s loaded with super-healthy stuff, and takes just one pan and 30-minutes to create.

Extra Bonus: Everyone in my household loves it! (Which means that there is a good chance everyone in your house will love it too!!)

Sweet Potato Pad Thai with Shrimp is a pleasure for your senses, hitting all the taste points – sweet, salty, sour, bitter and umami; plus it’s gluten-free (just use gluten free soy sauce or tamari), dairy-free, and naturally high in fiber. Bottom line though – it tastes amazing!

Sweet Potato Shrimp Pad Thai

Course Main Dish

Prep Time 30 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Servings 4 -6 servings

Author Renée B. ♥ The Good Hearted Woman

Ingredients

Sauce

Zest & juice from one lime
1 clove garlic minced
3 tablespoons Sweet Chili Sauce
2 tablespoons Thai fish sauce
2 tablespoons light soy sauce or tamari
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons brown sugar

Shrimp

1 lb medium shrimp 70-80/lb, shelled and cleaned
2 tablespoons peanut oil or refined coconut oil
1 clove garlic minced

Sweet Potato Noodles

2 large orange-fleshed sweet potatoes aka yams Spiralized
2 tablespoons peanut oil or refined coconut oil
1 large onion peeled & sliced thinly root to end
2 cloves garlic minced
1 red bell pepper sliced in thin strips
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Garnish

Chopped cilantro
Chopped peanuts
Sliced green onions
Crushed red pepper flakes

Instructions

Sauce

Combine sauce ingredients in a medium bowl and whisk to combine. (You can also make the sauce in a small beverage blender.)

Shrimp

Pour 1/3 cup sauce in a large ziploc bag. Add cleaned shrimp to the bag and toss around a bit to combine. Set the rest of the sauce aside. Allow the shrimp marinate in the sauce for 15-30 minutes.
Heat 2 tablespoons peanut oil in a wok or large skillet over medium-high. When a drop of water sizzles in the pan, drop the shrimp in a few at a time.(I do this in 2 batches.) Let the shrimp stay where they are when they hit the hot pan so that they get a little bit browned on one side and then flip them over. This will take just a couple of minutes - don't overcook them! The shrimp are done when they are pinkish all the way through.
Immediately remove the cooked shrimp from pan with a spider or slotted spoon and set aside.

Sweet Potato Noodles

In a large wok or skillet over medium-high heat, saute the sliced onion in 2 tablespoons of peanut oil until translucent; about 3 minutes.
Add garlic and sliced bell pepper and saute about 4 more minutes; until the red pepper begins to soften.
Add spiralized sweet potato noodles and cook for 2-3 minutes, gently folding up from the bottom of the pan a few times. Add 1/4 cup water to the pan and cover immediately. Steam for 2 minutes. Check for doneness, and then cover again and cook 2 more minutes. Repeat until noodles are tender but not mushy. (You are not making mashed potatoes!)
Add remaining sauce, cooked shrimp, and chopped cilantro and toss gently to combine.

Garnish & Serve

Garnish with additional cilantro, chopped peanuts, chopped green onions, and crushed red pepper flakes. Serve warm (although it is delicious cold too!)

Recipe Notes

What the heck is a Spider? A “spider” is a type of skimmer used in Asian and Dutch cooking. It is a wide shallow wire-mesh basket with a long handle, used for removing hot food from a liquid or skimming foam off when making broths. The name is derived from the wire pattern, which looks like a spider’s web. I use mine all the time.
Why is there no tamarind paste in this Pad Thai? Pad Thai usually relies on tamarind paste for its unique flavor profile, but I think that the combination of lime and brown sugar accomplishes this well in this dish, without requiring that you search out and buy difficult-to-find ingredients. That said, if you have tamarind paste available to you, you can definitely use it here – simply reduce the brown sugar in the sauce by 1 tablespoon and use only 1/2 the lime juice. Dissolve 1 tablespoon tamarind paste in 1/4 cup warm water before adding it to the sauce. Do not add additional water.

Oh my gosh, I love those KitchenAid® people! They know how to do things right!! The KitchenAid Spiralizer lets your stand mixer motor do all the work. Once you figure out how to use the attachment (I found the instructions a little sub-par) it’s a breeze. Clean-up is super easy too. Waste is minimal, and what is made creates these cool little cores that can be sliced or used for garnishing.

For Lefties Only: Unlike almost every counter-top spiralizer out there, this one works equally well for lefties and non-lefties alike! (See, that’s me looking out for you.)

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, which means we may receive a commission if you click a link and purchase something that we have recommended.While clicking these links won’t cost you any extra money, they will help us keep this site up and running – and (relatively) ad-free!! Please check out our disclosure policy for more details. Thank you for your support!

How to Make a Buddha Bowl {+ 37 Delicious Bowls}

June 27 By Renée ♥ 17 Comments

The perfect Buddha Bowl {aka Bliss Bowl} made easy, plus 37 great ideas to get your creative juices flowing.

Buddha Bowl = Bliss Bowl = Glow Bowl = Hippie Bowl = Power Bowl = Glory Bowl = Nourish Bowl = Big Bowl of Awesome

By any name, a Buddha Bowl is basically a colorful, delicious meal served up in a big bowl of Awesome. Comprised of healthy, (usually) plant-based ingredients like grains, roasted vegetables, nuts, sometimes fruits, a handful of leafy greens, and a flourish of sweet, savory, or tangy sauce, Buddha Bowls offer infinite combinations of flavor and texture.

I have recently fallen in love with Buddha Bowls and plan to make them the cornerstone of our menu this summer. However, I have one little problem: when I’m thinking up a Bowl, I feel a lot like I did the first time I got a 64-color box of crayons – there are so MANY choices!! To aid in this dilemma, I created the following infographic to magnet to our fridge, and will be using it as a road-map to make the task of creating new combinations a bit easier. [If you want to print one out for your fridge, click here for a printable PDF.]

How to Make a Buddha Bowl

Beginning with a Base, layer at least one item from each list in the infographic below into your favorite bowl to create your own Buddha Bowl bliss.

Note: This infographic is provided as a jumping-off point, and is by no means an exhaustive list. 🙂

Need more inspiration? Check out this list, then grab your favorite bowl and have some fun!

Vegan & Vegetarian Bowls

Brown Rice Veggie Bowl [Eat.Thrive.Glow.]
Brown Rice Veggie Bowl [Eat.Thrive.Glow.]
Red Quinoa and Edamame Budha Bowl [Vegetarian Gourmet]
Miso Beet and Quinoa Budha Bowl [Vegetarian Gourmet]
Teriyaki Tofu Bowls with Cauliflower Rice [Jessica Gavin]
Teriyaki Tofu Bowl with Cauliflower Rice [Jessica Gavin]
Chili Roasted Sweet Potato + Black Bean Quinoa Salad [Simply Quinoa]
Hippie Macro Glow Bowl [The Glowing Fridge]
Cuban Quinoa Bowl with Spicy Lemon Cashew Dressing [Heather Christo]
Vegan Buddha Bowl with Spiced Chickpeas [Well & Full]
Peanut Tofu Buddha Bowl [Delish Knowledge]
Healthy Thai Coconut Quinoa Bowl [Get Healthy U]
Black Rice Bowl with Roasted Pumpkin, Harissa & Goat Cheese [Food Faith Fitness]
South of the Border Buddha Bowl with Velvety Southwestern Dressing [Yummy Beet]
Vegan Korean Bibimbap [Crazy Vegan Kitchen]
Roasted Garlic Buddha Bowl [A Virtual Vegan]
Roasted Garlic Buddha Bowl [A Virtual Vegan].
Mediterranean Quinoa Bowls with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce [Pinch of Yum]
Asian Pineapple Salad with Coconut Peanut Dressing [Carlsbad Cravings]
Thai Style Buddha Bowls [Leelaliscious]
Avocado Quinoa Harvest Bowl [In It 4 the Long Run]
Dragon Bowl [The Blenderist]
Spring Harvest Bowls with a Dill Shallot Vinaigrette [With Food & Love]
Moroccan Quinoa Salad [Green Kitchen Stories]
Grab-N-Go Sweet Potato, Cranberry & Quinoa Power Bowl [Blissful Basil]
The Ultimate Winter Bliss Bowl [Pinch of Yum]
Shaved Purple Asparagus & Asian Vegetable Soba Noodles [Strength & Sunshine]
Shaved Purple Asparagus & Asian Vegetable Soba Noodles [Strength & Sunshine]
Farmers Market Sesame Miso Noodle Bowls with Garlic Chips [Half-Baked Harvest]
Goddess Bowl [Sew French]
Soba Noodles with Vegetarbles & Peanut Sauce (Vegan) [Cookin Canuck]
Sriracha-Lime Shrimp and Soba Noodle Bowl [Fitness Magazine]
Bangkok Coconut Curry Noodles Bowl [Pinch of Yum]
Forbidden Rice Buddha Bowl with Crispy Tofu [Natural Girl, Modern World]
Berry-Almond Quinoa Salad [Two Peas & Their Pod]

The following bowls are not vegan or vegetarian, but provide delicious inspiration nevertheless. (Not to mention some amazing sauce options!)

Meaty Bowls

Copycat Chipotle Burrito Bowls [More Than Pancakes]
Grilled BBQ Chicken Quinoa Bowls [The Complete Savorist]
Grilled BBQ Chicken Quinoa Bowls [The Complete Savorist]
Southwestern Buddha Bowl [Simply Sissom]
Grilled Japanese Farm Style Teriyaki Bowl [Feasting at Home]
Fiesta Chicken + Cilantro Lime Rice Fajita Bowl with Avocado Chipotle Crema [Half-Baked Harvest]
California Chicken, Veggie & Avocado Rice Bowls [Half-Baked Harvest]

We’d love it if you’d share your favorite Bowl ideas in the comments below!

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Grilled Halibut over Greens with Verjus White Truffle Vinaigrette

May 6 By Renée ♥ 11 Comments

Chef Steve Debaste, of the New Leaf Café on Orcas Island, shares his recipe for “Grilled Halibut over Local Salad Greens with Verjus White Truffle Vinaigrette.“

Chef Steve Debaste, of the New Leaf Café on Orcas Island, generously shares his recipe for "Grilled Halibut and Local Salad Greens with Verjus and White Truffle Vinaigrette" | The Good Hearted Woman

{Images courtesy of Chef Steve Debaste}

In my last post, I share our experience and thoughts about our dining experience at the New Leaf Café on Orcas Island. Today, I’d like to tell you a little about the man behind the food.

When Seattle native Chef Steve Debaste was hired on in 2010 as Chef at the New Leaf Café, he already had quite an impressive resume. Chef Debaste began his career as the Chef at the Creperie de Touraine in Honolulu. After some years, he returned to Seattle, where his positions included Chef of the nationally recognized 1904 Restaurant and Wine Bar, District and Executive Chef at Microsoft, and Executive Chef for Guckenheimer. He was recognized as the Pacific Northwest Chef of the Year in 2006.

Since his arrival at the New Leaf Café, Chef Debaste has developed a creative menu, inspired by and designed around locally sourced ingredients and products. Today’s recipe – Grilled Halibut over Local Greens with Verjus White Truffle Vinaigrette – is no exception. (Don’t worry – it may sound fancy, but is in reality quite easy to prepare.)

Halibut season begins in early May in the Pacific Northwest. Not only is halibut a delicious fish to eat, but it provides many health benefits as well. A 6-ounce halibut fillet as a good source of omega-3 fatty acids, and is loaded with phosphorus, magnesium, niacin, selenium and vitamins B6 and B12.

Grilled Halibut over Greens with Verjus White Truffle Vinaigrette

Course Main Course

Cuisine Pacific Northwest

Servings 4 servings

Author Chef Steve Debaste ~ New Leaf Cafe, Orcas Island

Ingredients

4 6 oz. Fresh Halibut Filets
Salt & Pepper
8 oz local salad greens
Verjus vinaigrette (see recipe below)
2 tablespoons melted butter
2 tablespoons pine nuts
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
4 cups creamy mashed potatoes

Instructions

Season the Halibut with Salt and Pepper and Grill until your desired doneness.
Gently toss the salad greens in enough vinaigrette to coat the greens.
Plate 1 cup of mashed potatoes in the center of your dinner plate.
Place the dressed greens on the mashed potatoes.
Place the Grilled Halibut on the Salad greens and brush with melted butter.
Garnish the plate with a circle of vinaigrette around the potatoes. Garnish the Halibut with pine nuts and chopped parsley. Serve immediately.

What is Verjus?

(I have to admit that until Chef Debaste sent this recipe to me, I had never heard of verjus. In case it is new to you too, here’s what I learned.)

Verjus is a tart, fresh non-alcoholic juice pressed from unripe wine grapes – essentially a very young white wine without the alcohol. Verjus, which takes its name from the French term vert jus, which literally means “green juice,” is a culinary ingredient most often used in sauce making. Verjus is available in gourmet food stores, or directly from producers.

If you don’t happen to have any verjus sitting around your kitchen, try using a very astringent white wine.

Verjus White Truffle Vinaigrette

Author Chef Steve Debaste

Ingredients

3 shallots
2 cloves garlic
¾ cup Mt Baker Vineyards Verjus
4 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoons French Dijon mustard
1.5 cup Canola-Olive oil blend
.5 cups white truffle oil
1 bunch chopped flat leaf parsley

Instructions

Process in a blender until smooth
Salt and pepper to taste ( 1 tsp salt-1/2 tsp pepper)

You may be asking, is there a substitute for white truffle oil? Not really, but if you don’t have any and don’t want to pop for a bottle (its expensive!) you can use a fresh and flavorful extra virgin olive oil. To achieve the musty mushroom flavor that truffle oil imparts, you can also use a little truffle salt in place of regular salt when you season the dish. Truffle salt can be made at home by pulsing together a little porcini mushroom powder (or any dried mushroom from the store) and salt.

Planning a trip to Orcas Island? Be sure to check out my Orcas Island Vacation Guide!

Smoked Salmon Crustless Quiche

March 4 By Renée ♥ 11 Comments

If you like smoked salmon, you’ll love this Smoked Salmon Crustless Quiche!

Last week, I wrote about our Valentine’s weekend at The Lake House Bed & Breakfast. This is the recipe for the delicious Smoked Salmon Crustless Quiche that we were served for breakfast on our first morning there, generously shared by our hostess, Mary.

“Crustless” may be a slight misnomer: this quiche does have a crust of sorts, albeit quite soft. (If you are familiar with Bisquick’s Impossible Pies, you will know what I mean – this is simply a fancy variation on the old standby.) Whatever you want to call it, this quiche is perfect for any meal of the day. It goes together in less than 15 minutes, and is ready to serve – start to finish – in about an hour.

As with most quiches, I like a little fruit on the side, and blueberries are a beautiful contrast for this light, lovely meal.

Smoked Salmon Crustless Quiche

From The Lake House Bed & Breakfast in Lincoln City, Oregon.

Course Breakfast, Brunch

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Author Mary - The Lake House, Otis, Oregon

Ingredients

6 ounces smoked salmon chopped
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup chopped onion
3 ounces cream cheese cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 cup milk
1 cup Original Bisquick Try this homemade version!
4 eggs
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400° F.
Spray a 10" pie plate (or 8" square pan) with non-stick cooking spray.
Mix smoked salmon, chopped onion, and grated cheese together in prepared pie plate. Drop cream cream cubes on top of salmon mixture and set aside.
Beat eggs in a medium mixing bowl. Add milk, Bisquick, and seasonings and mix thoroughly. (I do this step in a my blender.)
Pour egg mixture into pie plate over smoked salmon mixture.
Bake 35-40 minutes, or until a knife inserted halfway between the center and the edge comes out clean. Allow to stand at least 10 minutes before serving.

NOTE: If you would prefer that your cream cheese not float to the surface when you bake your quiche, just layer half of the salmon mixture on the bottom of the pan, then add your cream cheese, and then spread the second half of the salmon mixture on top. Personally, I like the cream cheese on top, because I think it makes the quiche visually more interesting.

Smoked Salmon Pastry Cups

February 22 By Renée ♥ 6 Comments

These Smoked Salmon Pastry Cups {with marscarpone & fresh dill!} are deceptively easy to throw together, and perfect for any gathering.

Wild-caught Alaskan salmon is, by far, my favorite animal-based protein. Salmon is sustainable, delicious, and perfect for any occasion – from elegant wedding reception to late night pajama party.

Besides being a delicious and environmentally conscious choice, few foods contribute so much to your health as [wild caught] Pacific salmon. Salmon has a long list of proven health benefits:

Provides a good source of vitamins, proteins, and minerals
Helps maintain insulin levels in the body
Reduces your risk of cardiovascular disease
Improves memory and efficacy of brain functions
Helps prevent macular degeneration
Reduces risk of colon, prostate and kidney cancers
Aids in maintaining healthy skin and hair

Salmon can even help you sleep!

In the upcoming weeks, I’ll be featuring a number of delicious salmon recipes, and I thought I’d kick off the party with these luscious little easy-to-make salmon canapés.

Smoked Salmon Pastry Cups

Course Appetizer

Author Renée B. ♥ The Good Hearted Woman

Ingredients

Salmon Filling

8 ounces marscarpone cheese*
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
Dash Worcestershire sauce
Dash hot pepper sauce or Sriracha
6 ounces smoked salmon chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest

Pastry Cups

2 sheets puff pastry barely thawed
1 egg beaten

Instructions

Salmon Filling:

In a medium bowl, whip together marscarpone, whipping cream, Worchestershire sauce, and hot pepper sauce until smooth and light.
Fold in chopped salmon, dill, and lemon zest.
Put filling into a pastry bag and set aside. (A Ziploc bag will work too.)
Pastry Cups
Preheat oven to 400° F.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Lay puff pastry out on a floured surface. DO NOT ROLL OUT!
Cut one puff pastry sheet into small circles, about 1 1/2 - 2 inches across. Put these circles on the prepared baking sheet.
Cut the second puff pastry sheet into small circles (the same size). Cut a small circle out of the middle of each one of these circles. Save the small circles!
Brush each of the circles on the baking sheet with beaten egg.
Place one "donut" pastry circle on top of each of the egg-washed circles.
Brush the top of the donut circles with egg-wash.
cut small decorative shapes from remaining puff pastry, to be used as garnish.
Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from oven and place on cooling rack. Allow to cool completely.
Pipe each pastry cup full of filling. Garnish with fresh dill and small pastry shapes.

Recipe Notes

Yes, you can substitute cream cheese. 🙂

I use every bit of puff pastry dough that I can. You can use the extra dough to create lovely little garnishes and accents!

Spicy Pan-fried Blackened Rockfish

January 6 By Renée ♥ 25 Comments

Seasoned with smokey paprika and three kinds of dried peppers, this Spicy Pan-fried Blackened Rockfish has just the right amount of kick!

This post may contain affiliate links, but don’t worry – they won’t bite.

This savory Blackened Rockfish with Kale Caesar Salad from Skillet was my favorite bite at the 2015 IFBC Culinary Expo. The spicy dry rub, seasoned with paprika and three kinds of dried peppers, has just the kind of kick Mr. B and I love. In fact, I loved it so much that I contacted the nice folks at Skillet Street Food asked for permission to share their Dry Rub recipe here, which they very kindly granted.

A fresh Caesar salad on the side (traditional or kale) makes the perfect companion dish, quelling the dry rub’s heat without putting out the fire.

Once you mix up the dry rub, pan-frying the rockfish is a snap! You can literally have this made and on the table in 20 minutes; less if you have the dry rub already mixed up.

Pan-fried Blackened Rockfish

Seasoned with smokey paprika and three kinds of dried peppers, this Spicy Pan-fried Blackened Rockfish has just the right amount of kick!

Course Main Dish

Prep Time 15 minutes

Servings 4

Author Renée B. ♥ The Good Hearted Woman

Ingredients

1 lb. fresh rockfish fillets or Pacific cod, red snapper or striped bass 1/2'-3/4" thick
1/2 batch Rockfish Dry Rub Mix
2-4 tablespoons vegetable oil

Instructions

Heat cast iron or heavy skillet over medium heat until a water droplet sizzles on the surface, then add enough vegetable oil to lightly cover bottom of skillet.
Coat both sides of each fish fillet with the dry rub mix and place into the heated skillet.
Fry on first side for about 3 minutes, or until the bottom of the fish is nicely browned.
Turn over with tongs and brown the other side for 2 to 3 minutes more, until the flesh is firm and opaque.
Remove the fillets from the skillet with tongs and drain on paper towels.

Recipe Notes

This pairs well with a Caesar Salad.

Since first making this dry rub, I’ve tried the Spicy Skillet Dry Rub on Pacific Cod, red snapper and striped bass; as well as everything from everything from roasted vegetables to barbecued steak, and have never been disappointed.

Some of the ingredients for the dry rub were initially a little hard to locate, but once I figured out where to find them, it was a piece of cake.

Let me save you some time: you will find the ground pasilla pepper and ground New Mexico chili pepper in the Mexican/Hispanic foods aisle of most grocery stores (in my area, Winco, Freddy’s, and Safeway all stock them) or in your local Hispanic Mercado (i.e., Su Casa Imports, El Mercado, etc). I found the ground chipotle pepper in the bulk section at Winco. All of the dried ground peppers are very inexpensive and the recipe makes a lot of dry rub, so it will go a long way.

Spicy Skillet Dry Rub

Course Condiment

Prep Time 5 minutes

Total Time 5 minutes

Author Skillet, Seattle, WA [IFBC 2015]

Ingredients

5 tablespoons smoked paprika
1 tablespoons garlic salt
2 1/4 teaspoons ground ginger
1 tablespoons ground pasilla pepper
2 teaspoons ground chipotle pepper
1 tablespoons ground New Mexico chili pepper
1/2 tablespoon ground mustard powder
5 teaspoons white granulated sugar
2 tablespoons kosher salt

Instructions

Mix all ingredients. Store in an air-tight container.

Recipe Notes

Ingredient Substitution: If you don't have all the dried peppers on hand, just substitute 3 tablespoons of regular chili powder for the ground pasilla, chipotle, and New Mexico chili peppers.

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