Food has always been a joyful part of my life. Some of my most vivid memories from growing up are moments at the family dinner table, gliding on the front porch swing enjoying pastries and coffee with my parents, and of course all of the holiday gatherings with grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. Food nourishes and brings us together. Of course, when you’re a kid your only responsibility is showing up to tuck in. And then before you know it the days of wondering what mom is cooking for dinner and when it will be ready are long gone and you’re spending Sunday afternoons meal planning and ordering groceries online. But I would be lying if I said I don’t totally love it.
Becoming a mom really reignited my passion for eating and creating good food. While I was pregnant I became enamored by French parenting, particularly the way they revel in the act of eating and the importance of cultivating this cultural appreciation in young children. French culture takes extreme pleasure and comfort in food, savoring both the food on the table and time spent together enjoying it. While I don’t serve multiple course meals on a regular basis, I take great joy in planning, preparing, and enjoying healthy and delicious meals for my family.
When I’m planning dinners for the week I always pick an assortment of low and high maintenance dishes with varying preparation times typically ranging from 30 minutes to an hour and a half. I plan meals for each day, but sometimes if it’s been a particularly hard day and I don’t have the energy to make coq au vin and whipped mashed potatoes I’ll simply look at the week’s menu and pick the quickest recipe from the list. Last week I found myself in this situation but having already used my whip-it-up-quick meal for the week I had to go off-recipe and get creative with what I had.
This ahi tuna dish actually turned out to be one of the most fresh and quick meals I had made in quite some time, making it a perfect dish for busy week nights. This is actually the first time I ever made ahi tuna so I didn’t really know what I was doing, but it’s incredibly easy. I had a couple of ahi tuna recipes saved to my Pinterest board, both of which recommended marinading in a soy sauce mixture. I was out of soy sauce so I went with sesame oil instead which ended up being a better pairing for the avocado salsa I topped the fish with last minute. Speaking of… I’m a guacamole fanatic and I’m endlessly searching for more ways to eat it. Suffice to say, when it’s avocado season I always, always have guac ingredients stocked in the kitchen, and now I know it’s the perfect topping for a simple seared fish.
For Christmas dinner I made this farro side dish topped with whole carrots roasted in cumin, salt, and pepper. While the entire dish was a home run, I loved the simplicity of the rustic cumin carrots and made a mental side note to serve them without the farro for a quick and delicious side dish. As I was in my cooking frenzy looking for a side for my ahi tuna, I grabbed some carrots from the fridge, slathered them in cumin, olive oil, salt and pepper, and roasted them to a smokey sweet oblivion. Cumin is used a lot in Mexican dishes, so it helped marry the carrots with the avocado salsa on the fish. To save on time, get the carrots in the oven first so they roast while you prepare the guac and fish. To save even more time, put a sheet of aluminum foil on the baking sheet to make for quick clean up.
While throwing this meal together I honestly thought it was going to be a disaster and even felt quite bad about serving it to my family. But sure enough, it totally rocked and my little boys loved it even more than I did. I actually made this dish again this week so that I could get some snaps for the post, but it’s definitely going to frequent our dinner rotation.
Life is always hectic, so it’s important to have a few recipes like this on hand for busy nights when you want to eat well without having to put in too much time or effort. Simple ingredients and simple steps for a beautiful and healthy meal. Enjoy!
Simple Seared Ahi Tuna
Ingredients:
- 3-4 Ahi tuna steaks (1 per person)
- 3 Tbsp. Sesame oil
- 1 Tbsp. Red wine vinegar
- 1 tsp. Coarse sea salt
- 1 tsp. Ground black pepper
Directions:
- Combine 2 Tbsp sesame oil, red wine vinegar, salt, and pepper in small bowl. Coat tuna steaks with marinade and set in refrigerator for 10 minutes.
- Heat remaining 1 Tbsp sesame oil in pan on medium-high heat. Sear each side of tuna steaks for 2-3 minutes each side. Watch carefully to make sure the steaks don’t cook all the way through.
- Remove steaks from pan, top with avocado salsa, and enjoy!
Avocado Salsa
Ingredients:
- 2 Ripe Avocados
- 2 Limes
- 2 Garlic cloves, minced
- 1 Tbsp. Coarse sea salt
- 1 tsp. Red chili pepper flakes
- 1 tsp. Red wine vinegar
Directions:
- Mash avocados in medium sized bowl.
- Add juice from both limes, garlic, salt, pepper flakes, and vinegar to avocados and mix until combined. For more acidity add more vinegar, for more spice add more pepper flakes.
Cumin Roasted Carrots
Ingredients:
- 1 lb. Whole carrots
- 3 Tbsp. Extra virgin olive oil
- 1 Tbsp. Cumin
- 1 tsp. Course sea salt
- 1 tsp. Ground black pepper
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Wash carrots and dry.
- Place carrots in a row on aluminum foil lined baking sheet. Drizzle EVOO over the carrots then add the cumin, salt, and pepper.
- Use your hands to rub the oil mixture over the carrots to make sure they are completely coated.
- Roast for 25-30 minutes until carrots are soft and slightly browned.
I love tuna but I’ve always been afraid to try cooking it myself. Maybe I’ll give it a go now!
x0x0 Caro http://thecarolove.com/