Tuna and Fennel

The warm weather lends itself to lighter meals and less time in the kitchen. I especially love grilling because I don't have to do any of the work. It's just a matter of getting together the ingredients and letting Los know when dinner is ready to be cooked. I've come to realize how essential marinades are for grilling and I've definitely begun to experiment more with them. I have a few recipes that I use on a regular basis, but I am always looking for new combinations. 

These are two of the tried and true recipes. Los is not a huge fan of fish, but he loved the tuna steaks from first bite. The fennel salad was the same way, it is one of his absolute favorite side dishes (and he can make it all by himself!). 

Marinating

Fennel Salad

Vegetable Kebabs

Tuna Steaks

Tuna Steaks

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon dried oregano, divided

1 teaspoon dried thyme, divided

Salt

Black pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

4 tuna steaks (about 3/4 inch thick)

4 lemon wedges

Directions:

1. Season one side of the steaks with half of the herbs, salt, pepper and olive oil. 

2. Turn steaks over and season second side of steaks with remaining herbs, salt, pepper and olive oil.

3. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. 

4. Grill or pan sear tuna until desired temperature. 

Fennel Salad

Ingredients:

1 to 2 fennel bulbs

Olive oil

1 to 2 Lemons

Salt

Pepper

Directions:

1. Clean and halve fennel bulbs; slice or mandolin fennel to desired thickness.

2. Drizzle with olive oil until the fennel is coated and then juice lemons to cover. 

3. Season with salt and pepper, mix and let marinate for at least 30 minutes. 

Banana-Pecan Waffles

I had promised Los that I would make French Toast this weekend, but I never got bread. I was able to convince him that waffles would be just as good and I must admit I had ulterior motives: I did not want to go to the store before breakfast and I had a whole bunch of bananas that were ripe. The waffles I made last weekend were good, but a bit dry. I ventured into the blogosphere to find a new recipe. I used one from The Joyful Abode (grain, dairy and sugar-free) and made a few modifications (recipe below); they came out great: super moist, light and the crunch from the pecans is genius. The recipe made way more than we needed for breakfast which was fine, I froze the extra for breakfast next weekend or a snack during the week (they would be delicious with almond butter on top). 

The sun is already out and it's going to be another beautiful day. The grocery shopping is done, the kitchen and bathroom are clean, and the laundry is started. Now we just have to decide how we want to spend the rest of the day. I have to check my kombucha later today and decide if it's time to begin the second fermentation, I bought some extra mangoes to juice and add. I also want to make a batch of deodorant, but have to stop by the store to get some essential oil. We'll do a little bit of cooking later today, but since it's supposed to be such a nice week I think we'll also do some grilling. I picked up some ribs and have ground beef to make burgers; salmon might also make an appearance this week.  

Banana-Pecan Waffles (grain, dairy and sugar-free)

Makes 16 4” waffles

Ingredients:

6 eggs

3 ripe bananas, mashed

2 cups almond flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Melted coconut oil

1/2 cup chopped pecans

Directions:

1. Beat eggs, then add mashed banana. Mix until smooth.

2. Add almond flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and vanilla extract. Mix until smooth.

3. Chop pecans and heat waffle iron. Melt coconut oil.

4. When the iron is ready, spread coconut oil and spread 1/4 cup of the batter onto the iron. Sprinkle chopped pecans on top of the batter before closing to cook.

5. Cook according to the waffle iron, repeat until the batter is gone.