I’ll let the pictures do most of the talking on this one.  This weekend a group of friends got together to get their cars ready for the track in a few weeks.  Chris Wand and I decided we’d have a little surprise for everyone.  I give you the Bacon Explosion.

Stats on the bacon explosion:
- 2 lbs of Benton’s bacon (easily the best bacon in the entire world)
- 2 lbs of mild Italian sausage
- Rub of choice / BBQ sauce of choice

And how bad is it for you?  Well we each only had a small piece (some larger than others, Stevie…) but it racks up at:
- 4100 Calories
- 200g of fat
- 17,500mg of sodium
- 1200mg of cholesterol

And oh my gawd did it taste goooooood!

It’s been a while since I’ve posted a recipe so I figured I’d share this one with everyone. This is very easy to make and tastes fantastic, in fact it’s one of my all time favorite ways to prepare steak. So here goes:

What you need
1 lb flank steak
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup honey
2 tbsp vinegar
3-5 tbsp scallions

What you do
Combine all ingredients in either a seal able container or zip lock bag. Allow the steak to marinate for at least 4 hours, longer if possible (you can easily leave it over night). Turn it several times while marinating. Sear the steak on the grill over high heat for about 3 minutes per side (you want it medium-rare). Don’t over cook it, it can dry out pretty easily. After you take it off the grill let it sit for about 5 minutes then slice into strips – if you have extra slice that up too for left overs (if you don’t slice it up it’ll dry out pretty easily). Enjoy!

I’ve been wanting to do some healthier tomato based dishes so tonight I decided to try a seafood cioppino (a cioppino is a seafood stew).  I headed to Whole Foods to see what looked good in the seafood department and fortunately they had fresh muscles.  I also picked up some fresh shrimp and some more of the fresh hake fish that I made last night.  The only thing I would change was using a red wine instead of cooking sherry (I didn’t have anything that I was willing to open and cook with).  I didn’t want sherry to over power the flavor so I used just a little and it came out great.  I think it would definitely be better with red wine (like a syrah) so next time I’ll plan a bottle with the meal.  Be sure to serve it with a nice french baguette or a good sourdough roll.

What you need
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 medium onion, quartered
3 garlic cloves
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 California bay leaf
1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried hot red-pepper flakes
1 (14-ounce) can crushed roasted tomatoes
1/2 cups water
1/2 cup full-bodied red wine such as Zinfandel or Syrah
1/2 cup clam juice
1 1/2 pounds of fresh seafood (fish, shrimp, scallops, muscles, calamari, etc)

What you do
Coarsely chop the fennel, onion, and garlic in a food processor. Heat the oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat until it shimmers, then stir in chopped vegetables, bay leaves, thyme, red-pepper flakes, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Cook, covered, on medium heat, stirring a few times, about 4 minutes until the vegetables begin to soften. Add the tomatoes, water, wine, and clam juice and boil covered for 20 minutes. Stir in your seafood and add a pinch of salt then cook uncovered until the mussels open wide, 4 to 6 minutes (discard any that remain unopened after 6 minutes). Check your seafood frequently and serve as soon as the last pieces are cooked through (so you don’t over cook others).

Sunday night I made yet another fantastic dish (man I am really on a roll I must say). It is a very easy dish to make, just a bunch of chopping and then baking.  I did some wilted spinach with roasted garlic and mushrooms on the side and it came out great too (just be sure the spinach is as dry as you can get it before wilting it).  I’ll definitely make this one again, very easy and very healthy.  Next time I’ll probably use trout or a slightly meatier white fish, the hake was a tad mild for this recipe (I’d never had it and they didn’t have any fresh trout at Whole Foods)

What you need
2 fresh white fish filets (trout, cod, hake, etc)
1/2 cup chopped seeded cherry tomatoes
2 green onions, chopped
2 large, fresh shiitake mushrooms caps, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger
2 large garlic cloves, minced
4 teaspoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons Asian sesame oil
Fresh cilantro sprigs

What you do
Preheat oven to 400°. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil; coat with nonstick spray. Sprinkle fish with salt and pepper. Place fish skin side down on foil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Mix next 5 ingredients in bowl with a pinch of salt. Lump the mixture over fish, drizzle with soy sauce and sesame oil, then top with cilantro sprigs. Bake uncovered (pulling the foil up around the edges to save a mess) until fish is opaque in center, about 20 minutes.

Last night my streak of great dinners continued nicely.  I really enjoy anything that’s stuffed with cheese (well I am a guy after all), and since I also like sun dried tomatoes and artichoke hearts I knew this one couldn’t miss.  I was worried it would be a bit heavy and while it was a little on that side the roasted asparagus I made on the side balanced it out nicely.  Oh and did I mention each serving is under 500 calories?

What you need
12-ounce jar marinated artichokes, drained, chopped coarsely
1 cup grated Fontina cheese (or other semi-rich cheese)
1/2 cup (packed) drained, coarsely chopped oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
2 tablespoons fresh chopped basil
4 5-ounce skinless boneless chicken breast halves
2 tablespoons olive oil

What you do
Preheat the oven to 375. Mix the artichokes, cheese, tomatoes and basil with a liberal amount of salt and pepper.  Cut a slit running down the side of each chicken breast to fold them open.  Stuff as much of the mixture into each as you can, leaving enough space so you can close them up.  Place them in a very hot cast iron skillet (with the oil) for about 2 minutes a side (turning carefully).  Using the rest of the mixture top each as best you can and move the skillet into the oven for about 15 minutes.

I’ve had this recipe on my list to try for a while and have twice put it off, making something else instead. Well finally last night I got around to making it and wow, it was amazing. Amazing. Not only one of the best dishes I’ve ever made (if not the best) it’s up there with the best dishes I’ve ever eaten. Highly recommended, oh and it’s easy and healthy too!

What you need
1/2 cup canola oil
1/3 cup finely chopped green onions
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
3 garlic cloves, pressed
1 tablespoon seasoned rice vinegar
1 tablespoon grated peeled fresh ginger
2 teaspoons Asian sesame oil
12 uncooked deveined large shrimp, shells left intact

What you do
Mix all above ingredients in a small mixing bowl and add a liberal amount of salt and pepper. Be sure to really chop the onions and cilantro very fine, this should make a very thick sauce (almost like a thin salsa). Place the shrimp in 3 rows of 4 each into a 8×8 baking dish and cover with remaining mixture, spreading it out as much as possible. Bake at 500 for 15 minutes. I served it with roasted asparagus (lightly drizzled with olive oil and salt/pepper) – roast for the same 15 minutes.