The Hungry Apple

(I need this umbrella)

So I just got back from a fabulous long weekend at this beach town.

The weather really couldn’t have been any better and the company was fantastic. 85 degree days with an awesome 20 degree drop for the evening.

We stuffed our faces as usual.Some of the places were really dark, so excuse the pictures. It isn’t The Hungry Apple’s  fault (the iphone) . I prefer no flash 🙂

We ate here. Which happens to be my favorite restaurant on earth. I think.  It just has a great vibe and only 5 menu items which says to me “these guys know their stuff”.

They also have a pretty good bar/wine list.

We also ate here.

here

and here.

When we got home, I decided to replicate what I felt like was the best dish at this restaurant. Fish Tacos. I think that considering a few factors (the fact that they were seasoned well and the fact that mine are not fried) mine might just be better. Score.

Slaw gives them crunch and the remoulade adds creaminess, which let’s face it, everyone loves

the homemade seasoning adds a kick

and makes the fish fantastic

they are really fast and when the fish is done, you just top it all on a tortilla with red onion and avocado

I’ll be eating these all summer long

FISH TACOS WITH CABBAGE SLAW AND REMOULADE

ingredients: 

4 filets of tilapia (about a pound) or fish of your choice

8 small wheat flour tortillas

1 red onion, sliced thin

1 ripe avocado, sliced thin

olive oil

slaw: 

2 cups green cabbage, finely shredded

1 teaspoon honey

the juice of 1/2 a lime

1 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro

salt and pepper

seasoning rub for fish:

salt to taste (i use 1-2 tsp, but some find that to be too much)

20 grinds of fresh pepper

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon cumin powder

remoulade: 

1/2 cup olive oil mayo

1/2 cup sour cream

2 small garlic cloves, minced

1/4 teaspoon cumin powder

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

salt, to taste

pepper, to taste

the juice of one lime

instructions and directions: 

Start out by combining all the remoulade ingredients in a small bowl. Mix well, season with salt and fresh pepper and set aside in the fridge.

In another small bowl for the slaw, whisk together: honey, salt, cilantro and lime juice. Toss with the cabbage and set in fridge with the remoulade.

Get another small bowl! Combine seasonings for fish rub. Lay fillets on a plate and drizzle both sides with olive oil. Apply rub to both sides of fish. This should use up all the rub.

Heat a large skillet with 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Cook fish until white and flaky, about 3 minutes per side. Gently pull fish apart into bite size pieces.

Fill tortillas, that have been warmed, with fish. Layer with slaw, red onion and remoulade. Makes 8.

This has got to be one of the most interesting meals I have made in a while and just really delicious. I want to call it strange, but I mean it, in a good way. It has so many fun flavors going on and they all stand out, without competing too much with each other.

The ingredient list is simple for a stir fry but includes fun ingredients like lime, jalapeno and brown sugar. Yes, those are fun ingredients.

I took out most of the seeds from the jalapeno and left much of the veins. It was still pretty spicy so if you aren’t into hot, make sure to remove all the veins with yours.

I used sirloin filet, because it is so lean. As I have mentioned before, we have the best butcher and he slices it up for us so that it is extremely thin. You could certainly use top sirloin or flank steak if you prefer, but it might not be as tender.

Sauteing Brussels Sprouts is new for me, but I must say that they were just as delicious as roasting them and were still not at all bitter.

This concoction  added a ton of flavor too.

It was pretty to look at too. It tasted “Earthy-Asian”.

I feel like you can just see all the flavor. Except the lime. You can’t see the lime and it was the most unique part. You got a little burst of lime, each time you ate a sprout.

I put it over a little whole wheat angel hair. It sort of gave it a lo mein feel and the pasta cut the spiciness a little.

While we were cooking, we munched on Trader Joe’s frozen edamame. These couldn’t be easier to make.

Next time I have a craving for stir fry, I will definitely be making this!

STEAK STIR FRY WITH BRUSSELS SPROUTS

ingredients: 

1/2 pound of sirloin filet, very thinly sliced

sea salt

freshly ground pepper

2 tablespoons oil, divided (i used canola)

1/2 cup beef broth

1 tablespoon light brown sugar

2 tablespoons soy sauce

the juice of 1/2  a lime

1/2 teaspoon cornstarch

12 ounces fresh Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved

1  jalapeno pepper, sliced

1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

2 garlic cloves, minced

instructions and directions:

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium heat. Add sirloin, season with salt and pepper and cook until meat is no longer pink. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.

In the same pan, reduce heat to medium low. Heat oil and saute Brussels sprouts 4 minutes.

While Brussels are cooking, whisk together: broth, sugar, soy sauce, lime juice and cornstarch in a small bowl and set aside.

Add ginger, garlic and jalapenos and saute one more minute.

Add broth mixture and cook for another couple of minutes. Add steak back to pan an heat through.

Serve over rice, angel hair noodles or hey (!) rice noodles would work too 🙂

adapted from southern living

We took a recent trip to Charleston and here is what we did/saw/ate (minus the wedding we went to-forgot to take pictures of that 🙂 )………

drinks on one of  these planes

mussels covered in french fries here (an eight)

beers there too

beach lunch

pretty door

dinner here (a six) included these favorites….

alligator salad

and this

paths like this one, everywhere

chandelier here

cooking class here (bravo!)

bloody mary here (another 6)

this place

I love a good Thai dish, don’t you?

Get those red peppers ready

Coconut milk makes this dish feel rich and a little sweet

I made this recently on a rainy Tuesday and it was just the thing to brighten my day.

It tasted light with a kick from the red pepper flakes. It also made the house smell great, which I love.

I didn’t change a thing about the recipe, which doesn’t happen very often.

For the recipe, follow this link!

Longer days and the hope of warmer temperatures have set in and grilling season has begun! I could think of a new burger every week. Gone are the days of burgers with lettuce and tomato. Thank goodness.

This is a big title for a burger that is big on taste!

Monterrey Jack cheese, crispy pancetta, jalapenos, cool avocado and spicy  Yazoo beer mustard make this burger just as unique as it is delicious.

After the burgers are mixed up and while the pancetta is cooking, make the beer mustard.

I used Hop Project this time but you could use any beer you like, just make sure it is a beer you like because you are going to need to drink it.

The toppings

I suggest first layering the pancetta and then mustard (so the mustard doesn’t slide off the cheese)

Then layer avocado and jalapeno. I used pickled jalapenos because I like them but you could use fresh if you prefer.

BURGERS WITH PANCETTA, AVOCADO, JALAPENOS and SPICY YAZOO BEER MUSTARD

ingredients: 

1 pound ground meat, seasoned as you normally would and split into 4 patties (i used 1 TBSP olive oil, 1 tsp salt, 15 twists of pepper, 1 tablespoon of onion soup mix, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder)

1 avocado, halved and sliced

8 slices of pancetta, sliced very thin

1/2 cup jalapenos, fresh or pickled

4 slices Monterrey Jack cheese

1/8 cup yellow mustard

1/8 cup spicy brown mustard (or dijon)

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon Yazoo beer, i used hop project (or your favorite beer)

4 hamburger buns

instructions and directions:

heat oven to 400 degrees. line pancetta on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for around 6 minutes, depending on thickness. pancetta should be crisp like bacon. be careful not to burn. remove from oven and drain on a paper towel.

in a small bowl, combine yellow mustard, brown mustard, honey and beer. season with salt and pepper to taste. set aside.

grill hamburgers to desired “doneness”.  5-7 minutes per side, preferably.  turn off grill and top with cheese, closing grill for one minute so cheese will melt.

Assemble burgers. I think the magic order is pancetta mustard mixture, avocado, jalapeno. but that’s just me 🙂

a hungry apple original

As I am sure you can imagine, Cinco de Mayo is one of my favorite holidays, in the food department, because I LOVE Mexican food.

Mexican restaurants tend to be crowded on May 5th so we usually stay at home to celebrate.

If you want the great food without the crowd, try one of these recipes!

Cheesy Mexican Rice

Chicken Chilaquiles 

Creamy Taco Pasta

Cilantro Dressing

Slow Cooker Tortilla Soup

5 Ingredient Guacamole 

Mexican Pizza

Steak Fajitas 

House Made Taco Seasoning 

Turkey Taco Soup