Homemade Tomato Soup is good.

tomatoe soup

Delicious winter favorite.

I found that creating this recipe and making this dish really made me feel like a kitchen artist.

In the summertime some friends and I had some ambitious plans to make an urban garden and planted some tomato plants. We thought we had green thumbs as the plants yielded an abundant supply of lovely red ornaments. We had so much harvest that we began to put tomatoes into plastic bags and freeze them. When winter came I pulled the bags of tomatoes out of the freezer and let them thaw so I could work some kitchen magic.

After the smoke cleared there was a delicious brew of home made tomato soup. This was the kind of thick and zesty home made tomato soup that warms your bones after a good winter surf and leaves you with that cozy love feeling.

Serve with crackers.

Thank you faithful eaters and readers. Since it is that time of year when all of the urban gardens around town are exploding with tomatoes, peppers, lettuce, corn, broccoli, squash and more it is time to explore this fun and delicious recipe among others.

Using fresh grown produce is satisfying and makes the gardening experience come full circle. The flavors are robust and the freshness is unbeatable even by your local farmers market. Also the nutrition factor is at a premium when your food is vine ripened at home. (My home grown white potatoes have great flavor.)

TIP: A cool thing I learned about the tomato soup was freezing the tomatoes and then peeling them easily as they thawed. Great time saving trick.

I’m a bit of a story teller, as I have had some great experiences, but as i sit in the kitchen with my beer in one hand and a wooden spoon in the other while telling stories of fighting off spiders and pulling weeds with 3 inch roots with just my left hand while the aroma of cooking goodness permeates the kitchen, I feel the joy Shakespeare must have experienced.

Live long and prosper.

Dude out.

Marinated Fish for Grilling

marinated fish

SIMPLY AWESOME TASTING !”

Halibut, Chilean sea bass or shrimp work well. In this photo you see thick fresh halibut fillets and fresh sea bass fillets after having been soaked overnight in a delicious marinade I found at a local Santa Monica market.

The marinade is an island blend sauce that was perfect. I then topped the mix with a pineapple ring, covered and let sit in the fridge. The ingredients pictured in the pan were thrown on a grill for a few minutes on the patio of a local architectural firm for a ‘Friday Fun Lunch’ organized by a cool office manager. The fish was served with potato salad, grilled shrimp, grilled salmon with a rosemary lemon sauce and a side of mixed fruit chutney and it was simply delicious.

Drunken Pork Loin

Rum garlic plantain pork loin.
Rum garlic pork loin.                                                             

Looking for a different way to enjoy pork?

Try pork loin marinated in smokey rum, molasses and garlic. I just threw this stuff together and baked it. When it came out of the oven, everything seemed to be good in the world. Served with rice and everything was good in the world as the flavors danced across my tongue.

Sushi night at your house.

sushi party
$150. Sushi party.
$150. Sushi party.

$150. is not out of the question to spend at the sushi bar when including drinks.

Well here I spent $150. and had a party.

It served 2 couples.

We had various salads, sushi, sake, plum wine, aloe water, miso soup and some good times.

Healthy dieters breakfast

Salmon broccoli eggs and oranges.
Salmon broccoli eggs and oranges.

This breakfast is easy and delicious. It may not cure a hangover, but it tastes way better than liver. Take some of last nights leftover salmon and reheat it in a pan. Take some broccoli chunks and lightly steam them. Asparagus and zucchini are easy to heat quickly also.

Next, whip a couple eggs in a bowl with a touch of milk, water works too, and scramble in a separate pan. Cut some fresh oranges and arrange.

Serve with an English muffin, coffee or another michelada.

Note:  A side of last nights rice warmed up can accompany this dish nicely also.

Spicy Tuna Tofushi

The Dude of Foods own creation, Spicy Tuna Tofushi.
The Dude of Food created, Spicy Tuna Tofushi.

This is an awesome Dude of Food original creation.

Take some tuna and spicy it up. The scoop some tofu cubes out and fill them with spicy tuna goodness. Then wrap the base of the tofu cube with seaweed, garnish and serve.

The cubes here are shown with the tuna mixed with rice, but i found this extra step is not needed. Just add the spicy tuna and you’ll be stoked. Rice can be served on the side with miso soup, kim chi or seaweed salad.

Sushi party at your house. Steamed rice not shown.

FISH TACOS

Fish tacos are easy and delicious. Crack open your favorite Mexican beer. Put the other 17 somewhere cold. At the cabin I like to stick them right into the snow outside the front door.

Next grate some cheese, chop onions, lettuce, tomato, avocado and a jalapeno and put the chopped piles in separate small bowls. Pan fry some red snapper, halibut, cod or shrimp in light oil.

Heat up some tortillas so they are warm and soft, but be mindful not to dry them out. I like them warm but not too steamy or sweaty.

Once all the ingredients are prepared and laid out, create a conga line along the taco prep area and enjoy creating your colorful meal. Add salsa and a squeeze of lime per taste if so desired. Be sure to say ‘gracias’ to your host and chef.

Fiesta y salud!

Fish tacos by p3