Creative outlets

Catching up on my daily blog here with a little pre-dawn action. My current job (or role as they call it in my company) has proven to be rather restrictive in terms of scope, influence, and creativity. So to balance the style I'm boxed in for about 10 hours each day, I've been trying to feed the creative side of me with music making and food making. Soon I should get into some craft projects and perhaps learn a new language. The possibilities are endless when you're interested in so many things.

Passion for good taste

Among my many passions is the desire to create good food. I naturally like Asian or Asian inspired tastes, but sometimes also like good old American, but always with a bit of a twist. For Memorial Day, I wanted to create a Surf and Turf meal, but with a bit of an Asian and Middle Eastern mixed in for a modern American taste. Here are my recipes for Broiled Steak and Fish and Tomato Chickpea Salad. If you work quickly, the salad can easily be completed while the steak and fish are under the broiler. Enjoy!

Memorial Day Surf and Turf

2 10 oz NY Strip Steak
4 TB olive oil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp fresh ground pepper
2 TB soy sauce

2 8 oz. Mahi Mahi filets
4 TB olive oil
2 TB lemon juice
1 tsp fresh ground pepper
1 TB soy sauce
1/4 tsp ground ginger

Brush each steak with 1 TB olive oil, then put ¼ tsp each salt and pepper on steak. Spread with brush or back of spoon to evenly coat. Then repeat seasoning in the same proportions on the other side. Place steaks on broiler pan.

Brush each filet with 1 TB olive oil followed by ½ TB lemon juice, then put ¼ tsp pepper on each filet, again be sure to coat evenly. Again repeat on the other side. Place filets on the same broiler pan with the steaks. Be sure to set the filets with skin side up.

Broil approximately 6 inches from flame for 7 minutes on the first side. Brush ½ TB soy sauce on each steak and place back under the broiler flame for 30 seconds. Take the pan out and turn steaks over. Turn the filets over as well. Brush ½ TB soy sauce on each steak. Shake 1/8 tsp ground ginger on each filet, just to give a hint of ginger flavor, and brush with ½ TB soy sauce on each filet. Broil for an additional 5 minutes.

Take broiler pan out of the oven and let stand for 1 minute before serving.

Tomato Chickpea Salad

1 15-oz can of chickpeas
1 small onion, chopped
2 green scallions, chopped
3 plum tomatoes , cut in large pieces
1 teaspoon cumin
3 TB balsamic vinegar

Put the cumin and chickpeas in saucepan. Simmer in just enough water to cover the chickpeas for approximately 3 minutes. Take out the chickpeas, draining the water and set aside. Cook chopped onion and scallions in 2 tsp oil for 30-45 seconds until just tender. Take out and add to chickpeas in bowl. Cool completely (I put the bowl in the fridge at this point while I cut the tomatoes up). When cool (about 3-5 minutes in fridge), toss tomato pieces, chickpeas, onions, and scallions in 3 TB balsamic vinegar and serve.