Innie or Outie

We finally had a few good days of weather and a break in our schedules. So we decided to give a try to a new outdoor dish, Papa’s Grilled Almost-Seafoodless Paella:

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For this version Hubby used rice, olive oil, Italian sausage, cherry tomatoes, bell pepper, clams, onion, chicken, garlic slices, oregano, parsley, white pepper, saffron, chicken broth, thyme, bay leaves, and lemon slices.

This is a scrumptous fish dinner hubby came up with, Papa’s Sautéed Inubaa with Bleu Cheese Sauce Dinner:

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For the meal hubby sautéed the inubaa fillet (a local fish usually reserved for sashimi) in olive oil and fresh rosemary. The asparugus was steamed and then quickly sautéed in olive oil. Both were plated with rice topped with cracked toasted sesame seeds; the fish fillet was topped with fresh basil and then covered with a milk-bleu cheese sauce. To accompany the meal, he added a simple salad of iceberg lettuce, cucumber, red bell pepper, bacon bits, and cherry tomatoes with a creamy cheese dressing.

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Sometimes springtime can get humid enough to make it a little uncomfortable in the kitchen. Here’s a simple solution that requires very little heat, Papa’s Spring Salad:

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Hubby used iceberg lettuce, arugula, bacon, shrimp, red onion, avocado, and cherry tomatoes topped with a creamy cheese dressing. To accompany the salad, he made garlic toast strips.

Here is a quickie dish I came-up with that makes use of hubby’s leftover sauce, Shrimp and Mushrooms in Tuna-Lemon Sauce Pasta:

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Bow-tie pasta
1 tablespoon olive oil
25 frozen shrimp (partially defrosted)
1/4 medium red onion (diced)
1 teaspoon minced garlic paste
1 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon minced ginger paste
1 samll can sliced button mushrooms (drained)
1 cup Tuna-Lemon sauce
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Grated parmesan cheese
Fresh parsley sprigs

Prepare pasta according to directions on package.

Meanwhile, cook shrimp in olive oil in skillet on medium heat. Once slightly pink, stir in onion, garlic, pepper, soy sauce, ginger, and mushrooms to the shrimp and liquid from remaining from defrosting. Continue to cook until most of the liquid has boiled down. Add tuna-lemon sauce to the mixture and bring to a light boil. Stir in cornstarch to thicken.

Once cooked, strain pasta and return to pot. Add shrimp mixture and chopped parsley to the pasta and toss lightly. Place in serving dishes, sprinkle with parmesan, and garnish with parsley sprigs.

Since we were having a busy day, hubby threw together a quick salad – Papa’s Okinawan Spinach Salad:

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For this salad, he used iceberg lettuce, handama (Okinawan spinach), spring onions, cherry tomatoes, and bacon bits topping it all with a bottled Japanese creamy cheese dressing.

In the late Spring, sometimes a light but filling quickie meal is all one really needs to calm those hunger pangs. This is a sandwich I came-up with to meet those needs. Toasted Tomato-Tuna-Avocado Sandwich:

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Mix together some Sea Chicken Spread (or you own favorite tuna salad spread). Quickly saut̩ some tomato slices in olive oil, minced garlic, and chopped fresh basil. Remove the tomatoes and toast bread slices in the remaining oil. Place lettuce, avocado slices, and the saut̩ed tomatoes to one slice of toasted bread. And tuna spread to the other slice of toasted bread. I chose New England clam chowder (shame on me Рcanned) as the accompaniment for the sandwich.

Hubby’s back in the kitchen and this is what he came up with for a birthday surprise for our two year old dog (Jaco), Papa’s Rosemary Pork with Tuna-Lemon Sauce Dinner:

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The Rosemary Pork recipe came from this Japanese foodie site. (Our dog really got down on a little of this as a special birthday treat.) For the side dish, Hubby blanched the veggies. Then he sautéed the veggies in sesame oil and topped with warm sesame thousand island dressing.

A simple spring meal hubby came up with, Papa’s Tuna Salad with Bleu Cheese-Basil Wraps:

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Hubby used arugula, iceberg lettuce, fresh rosemary, fresh parsley, black olives, white onion, avocado, and cherry tomatoes for the salad. The dressing of choice was sesame thousand island. He added bleu cheese-basil tortilla wraps to complete the meal.

If you’ve been keeping up with the latest posts, than you are aware that we haven’t had time to do much cooking this week. Sometimes large quantities of bentos are acquired for group events, and occasionally we end up with leftovers. Here is a recreation hubby came up with for the onigiri bento, Papa’s Onigiri Fried Rice:

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Hubby chopped-up the various meats; divided the onigiri; added some curry powder; and quick fried all the ingredients in a wok.

Here is one use for the Crockpot Paella leftovers, Crockpot Paella Croquette Dinner:

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Simply form the paella into balls, roll in flour, dip in raw beaten egg, cover with panko, and freeze until needed. Partially defrost prior to deep frying.

Placed on a bed of blanched cabbage and apple strips with crushed walnuts added and tossed in a cinnamon-orange sauce, the croquettes are topped with a honey/mustard-toasted almond/mint sauce then garnished with fresh parsley. To complete the meal, I served a Japanese style clear broth with leeks, seaweed, shrimp, and scallions.

Here's another leftover idea for the Couscous Skillet Paella with beans, 3 Sauce Couscous Paella Wraps:

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The mini-wraps consisted of blanched cabbage leaves or halved tortillas, filled with paella, and topped with one of the three sauces: creamy guacamole, honey-mustard, or creamy lemon with mint and toasted almonds. I served this with bacon-potato soup garnished with freshly snipped parsley.