Lobster Salad Sandwich

After spending several weekends in Montauk how can one not order some fresh lobster and try creating a sandwich like this on your own? I “tried” to keep it healthy by using light mayonnaise as a coating, but hey… when you’re at the beach who is paying attention anyway?

Recipe
1-2, 1.5 pound lobsters (2 lobsters got us two sandwiches with an extra serving left over)
Remove meat from lobster and chop roughly – I decided to leave the claws mostly intact

Chopped scallions, parsley, celery, and dill to taste

1 lemon
Salt to taste
Enough mayonnaise of choice to coat the lobster
Melted Butter
Rolls

Combine lobster, chopped herbs and celery to taste, and salt in a bowl and mix until combined. Add enough mayonnaise and gently coat the mixture. Squeeze lemon juice on lobster salad to taste.

Apply melted butter to rolls and toast. Add lobster salad to rolls and enjoy with a cold brew!

BAE Sandwich. (bacon, egg, avocado)

This may not be the most healthy thing I have posted as a recipe, but hey.. we are all human and we all indulge a little. It was so good so it was hard for me not to let this SIMPLE recipe out. I was at the beach three weekends in a row and woke up one day realizing we did not have much for breakfast after scoping out the fridge/pantry. I then realized I had these three ingredients and thought, why not!?

Please note: new section entitled guilty pleasures. Why? I mean… let’s be realistic, it’s ok to eat healthy most of the time and indulge once in a while!

Ingredients
1 egg
Sliced Avocado
1-2 slices bacon
Salt to taste
1 slice Whole wheat/whole grain or multi-grain bread of your choice
Butter
Hot sauce to taste (optional)

Recipe
Toast slice of bread and add some butter to one side
Cook the egg a few minutes one each side but not overdone enough that the yolk is cooked
Add 1-2 slices of bacon to pain and cook until crisp
Add salt to taste on sliced avocado then lay the avocado on the piece of toasted bread
Add 1-2 slices of bacon
Add egg on top
Drizzle with hot sauce of choice

Enjoy!

Saag Paneer – Spinach with Cheese

This is a great spinach recipe packed full of flavor. I get tired of traditional ways of cooking with olive oil and garlic and needed to mix it up. If you are vegan and do not want to do cheese you can substitute the cheese with tofu.

Recipe
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
Kosher salt
Vegetable oil or oil of choice
12 ounces paneer, cut into 1-inch cubes, or 12 ounces tofu cut into 1-inch cubes
1-2 (16-ounce package) frozen chopped spinach
1 medium white onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon ginger paste
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 serrano chile, finely chopped (seeds removed if you don’t like it spicy!)
1/2 teaspoon store-bought or homemade garam masala
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 cup plain yogurt

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the turmeric, cayenne, 1 teaspoon salt and 3 tablespoons oil. Gently, drop in the cubes of paneer or tofu and gently toss. Let the cubes marinate while you get the rest of your ingredients together and prepped.

2. Place a large non-stick skillet over medium heat with oil add the paneer and cook until browned on one side. Flip the paneer over and cook until other side if brown. Once finished, move onto a plate.

3. Add additional oil to the pan if needed. Add the onions, ginger, garlic and chile. Saute the mixture until golden brown; about 10-15 minutes. Don’t skip this step – this is the foundation of the dish! If you feel like the mixture is drying out and burning, add a couple of tablespoons of water.

4. Add the garam masala, coriander and cumin. If you haven’t already, sprinkle a little water to keep the spices from burning. Cook, stirring often, scent of the spices cook out, about 3 to 5 minutes.

5. Add the spinach and stir well, making sure spiced onion mixture is well incorporated into the spinach. Add a little salt and 1/2 cup of water, stir, and cook about 5 minutes.

5. Turn the heat off. Add the yogurt slowly to keep it from curdling. Once the yogurt is well mixed into the spinach, add the paneer turn the heat back on until warmed through.

Enjoy!

Aloo Gobi – Cauliflower and Potatoes

Want to add more spice to your cauliflower and potatoes as a tasty side dish? Try this delicious recipe packed with flavor!

Recipe
Vegetable oil
1 large onion, peeled and cut into small pieces
1 bunch fresh coriander, separated into stalks and leaves and roughly chopped
1 serrano pepper
1 large cauliflower, leaves removed and cut evenly
1-2 large potatoes, peeled and cut into even pieces
2 (8 ounce) cans diced tomatoes
fresh ginger, peeled and grated or 1-2 teaspoon ginger paste
fresh garlic, chopped, about 4-5 cloves
1 teaspoon cumin seed
2 teaspoons turmeric
2 teaspoons garam masala
1 teaspoon salt

1. Heat vegetable oil in a large saucepan.
2. Add the chopped onion and one teaspoon of cumin seeds to the oil.
3. Stir together and cook until onions become golden and translucent.
4. Add chopped coriander stalks, two teaspoons of turmeric, and one teaspoon of salt.
5. Add chopped chili and stir tomatoes into onion mixture.
6. Add ginger and garlic and mix thoroughly.
7. Add potatoes and cauliflower to the sauce plus a few tablespoons of water (ensuring that the mixture doesn’t stick to the saucepan).
8. Make sure that the potatoes and cauliflower are coated with the curry sauce.
9. Cover and allow to simmer for twenty minutes (or until potatoes are cooked).
10. Add two teaspoons of garam masala and stir.
11. Sprinkle chopped coriander leaves on top of the curry.
12. Turn off the heat, cover, and leave for as long as possible before serving.

This recipe tastes best if left alone for a few hours to let the spices mesh together.

Enjoy!

Chole Masala – Chickpeas in tomato sauce

If you love chick peas like I do and are not sure how to use them here is a tasty recipe full of flavor! You will probably need an international grocery store to buy the garam masala.

Recipe
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 medium onion, small dice
2 teaspoons ginger paste
4 medium garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 serrano chile, stemmed and finely chopped
1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes and their juices
2 teaspoons garam masala
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
Chopped cilantro to taste for garnish (optional)
1/2 cup water

1. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the cumin seeds and cook, until fragrant, about 1 minute.

2. Add the onion, ginger, garlic, and chiles and season with kosher salt. Cook until the onions have softened.

2. Meanwhile, set a fine-mesh strainer over a medium bowl. Strain the tomatoes and reserve the juices. Coarsely chop the tomatoes into 1-inch pieces and set aside.

3. When the onions have softened, add the garam masala, coriander, measured salt, and turmeric to the frying pan and stir to coat the onion mixture. Cook, until fragrant, about 1 minute.

4. Add the chopped tomatoes, their reserved juices, the chickpeas, and the water. Stir to combine. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the flavors have melded and the sauce has thickened slightly, about 20 minutes. Garnish with chopped cilantro.

ENJOY!