Dishes with Dee: Sesame-Crusted Tuna with Wasabi Ponzu Sauce

So y'all heard I like seafood right?

And Asian is my fave cuisine persuasion? 

Well.  Enter sesame-crusted tuna with wasabi ponzu sauce.

Tuna tataki at home.

Word.

Okay, friends.

First of all:

You are on the lookout for sushi grade tuna here.

Just tell your fish monger (the dude behind the counter) what you are up to and he'll be able to point you in the right direction.

My beautiful fishies. 

Then:

Go around and gather the 100 ingredients that go in the ponzu sauce.

Don't be alarmed, its easy to make.  But you need a lot of stuffs in there!

So here's what ya need:

1 tablespoon of chopped green onions (Plus some to make it pretty)

2 tablespoons of low-sodium soy sauce

2 tablespoons of fresh orange juice

1 tablespoon of rice vinegar

1 teaspoon of brown sugar

1 teaspoon of grated lemon rind

2 teaspoons of fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoons of honey

1 1/4 teaspoons of prepared wasabi sauce (find it in your ethnic foods isle)

1 teaspoon of peeled, grated fresh ginger (smells so good)

2 teaspoons of vegetable oil

6 oz. tuna steaks (I buy 2 and it is way enough for Jeff and I)

1/4 teaspoon of salt

2 tablespoons of black sesame seeds

3 tablespoons of white sesame seeds

*Addition*

A dash of sesame oil. (I love sesame oil, but it can really take over a meal, so you only need about a teaspoon mixed into the vegetable oil)

And here's what ya do:

For the sauce:

Combine your first 10 ingredients and stir with a whisk.

(Told ya it was easy)

For the fish:

Heat oil over med-high heat.

Non-stick skillet yo.

Sprinkle fish with salt.

Combine both sesame seeds.

Dredge your fishies.

I mean, really roll it all around.

Cook it!

Literally, 2 1/2- 3 minutes on each side will do the trick.

This stuff is supposed to be pretty raw

That's the point.

Once you take them off the heat, let them set.

Then slice 'em up!

Garnish with those extra green onions.

Finite!

Now, you know with 12HH you have to get your veggies in.

So I served this with a side of spicy garlic broccoli.

Just steam your broccoli until al dente.

Dump water.

Add about a tablespoon of sesame oil, some sliced garlic, and crushed red pepper flakes

Transfer broccoli from colander and stir fry about 2 minutes.

This is easy to make, fancy, and indulgent.

Also:

Having a dinner party a need an easy app?

Slice your tuna to about 2 inches and roll in sesame seeds individually.

Cook the same way for about a minute and a half on all 4 sides.

Let cool and slice the same.

Lovely.

Now go be impressive.

Peace, love and chopsticks.

Recipe:

Sesame-Crusted Tuna with Wasabi Ponzu Sauce

Let's talk about Saturday..

Sup y'all.

There is a place I love.

And it is called Findlay Market on a Saturday.

I got the Ray's Kansas City Steak Seasoning.  It is literally good on everything.

(just wait)

Beautiful produce.

Best shirt ever.

Look at all my loot!  We totes ate like kings.

Hello bacon wrapped fillets.

Lob.

Literally everything went on the grill.

This was my first time grilling lobster.  I'm very proud.

'Shrooming.

Saturday was one of those days that nothing especially fantastic happened, and yet it was an amazing day.

How was your weekend?

Pure Barre: Lift. Tone. Burn.

Hey ya'll.

Remember when I posted about how I've been working out?

Still true!

Ladies (and gents), please let me introduce you to:

Pure Barre

I am so freaking obsessed with this class.

Basically:

It is a low-impact, high results, self esteem boosting, body changing hour of awesomeness.

The whole concept is a workout designed to change your body and reshape a woman's trouble areas:

Abs.

Seat (butt, yo)

Thighs.

Pure Barre is relatively new, but it is catching on quickly!  In just the last few months I've been doing it, I've seen an increase in how much people are talking about " Lift. Tone. Burn."

Here is a lovely quote from my friend Rachel.  She has been doing PB for a while, but took a few weeks off:

When I said after class:

"My body is dead.  Do it again Saturday?"

She replied:

"I feel like a person who has never walked in their life and decided to run 10 miles...count me in."

That sums it up.  PB is the most personally challenging workout I have ever done, and as a result, it is also the most rewarding-- and addicting.

I am telling you what, friend.

It will kick your ass.

And then you will thank it.

Because the ass it just kicked is so hawt now.

Since now you is in shape, girl.

The hour long class is broken down so that different areas of your body get isolated attention

Warm up

Arms

Thighs

Seat

Abs

Cool Down.

Here is my general experience:

I went to my first class with my sister at the end of January.

10 minutes in I am thinking: Why the hell am I here?  This sucks!  I am never doing this again!

20 minutes in I'm thinking: I didn't even freaking know there was a muscle there!

30 minutes in I'm thinking: MY LEGS ARE ON FIRE

40 minutes in I'm thinking: Oh, but its quite nice.

By the end:  Where do I sign?  I need to come back tomorrow.

The workout is amazing because it allows you to challenge yourself.

Each move has different levels of difficulty, so as you gain experience, you know how to push your body further into that "shake zone" you will learn to love.

I've been to the Hyde Park location and the Ft. Wright location in Kentucky and both are fantastic. 

The instructors are freakin' awesome and the level of focus from the other girls in the class is contagious.

You don't even have time to talk because everyone is so into their own workout.

Go once and you'll never want to quit.

The folks at PB recommend you attend 3-4 times a week to get the max results, and trust me, once you get hooked, that will seem like nothing.

I promise.

Your first class is free, so you have no excuse not to get off your butt and try it out.

Be prepared to work hard, and take note to listen to instruction.  All of the work happens in a super tiny movement, so you'll want to be sure you're doing it right.

Go.

Get hot.

Report back.

Or, do you already go?  What location?  Who is your fave instructor? What is your fave move?

And remember:

"The higher the heels the thinner the thighs"

Meows: Cat naps x2

This is such a cop-out post.

It shouldn't even count.

Here is my sleeping cat.

Obviously, I seriously need to get my act together.

Peace, love, and laziness.

12 Healthy Habits: March and April

Hi nuggets.

I hope you have been keeping up with your 12HH better than I have been updating you!

So far you are now:

 Eating 3 servings of fruits and veggies each day
(I've been churning through apples like whoa.  Since they count as 2 servings, they're my go-to when I'm in a pinch)

Exercising for 30 minutes- 3 times a week.
I've actually really stepped up my game here.
I started going to Pure Barre in Hyde Park and now I go at least 4 times a week.
It's an hour long class, so I get 4 hours as opposed to the goal of 1.5.
I promise, I'll post about Pure Barre asap.
It is AMAZING.

So now, you need the deets on March and April.
I'm late on March, but I've been doing it so its kewl.
Right?

Here goes:


March:
Get Cooking!
You should cook 3 more meals a week than you do now.
Example:
Breakfast:  Ditch McD's and make your own breakfast sammie.

Easy one:
Keep tortillas on hand.
Scramble an egg.
Put it on the tortilla with some salsa, (a little) cheese, and a touch of fresh cilantro.
Wrap it up and go!  Boom, you cooked!

Another idea:
Instead of lounging around watching reruns of project runway on Sundays (and don't even try to lie!  I know you do!), get into your kitchen a make a huge batch of soup.

Eat some, freeze the rest for a day when you're feeling lazy.
Bonus: Make a veggie soup and you will have a quick way to get a serving of veggies down the road.
(I'll post my veggie soup recipe soon.  I'll make some tonight, okay?)

April:
Go for Whole Grains
Eat 3 more servings of whole grains a day.

I'll be honest.
I'm struggling.

When I get into a groove I'll let you know my tips.

Any of you eat a ton of whole grains and have some suggestions?

Are you keeping up with your 12HH??  It's tough, but worth it in the end!

Remember:
You can find all the info and tips on the website:
12HH Guide

Here's to our healthiest year ever.

Go get 'em, Tiger.

Knocked Up: DIY Baby Shower Gift

Shit.

I am old enough that people I know are doing something cray:

They are having babies.

On purpose.

They are getting married and just popping out kids.

On purpose!

I still feel like a kid more often than not, so I can't even imagine having one of my own.  But, I am still very excited for all the people in my life who are ready to be parents.

Here's to ya, friends.

Particularly, my friend Katie just had a baby 2 weeks ago.

In February, we had her shower.

It was adorable.

Because I did the decorations.

(toots horn)

One of my favorite things I made for the shower was a piece of art for Zoe's (baby) room.

Super easy and very cute:

Here's what ya need:

8 x 8 or 10 x 10 canvas

Paint

Assorted Buttons

Hot Glue Gun

Pretty ribbon.

Here's what ya do:

(Try to keep up, its complicated)

Paint the canvas.

I painted the whole face of the canvas green and did a trim on the sides in pink.

Let it dry.

Draw your letter in pencil.

I happened to be using big "Z"s as part of my centerpieces, so I just traced one of those.  The sell the letters at Jo-Ann's.  

Bonus: If you buy the $2 letter, paint it too.  Very cute on a shelf.

Lay out buttons.

Glue buttons.

Let dry.

Glue ribbon on the back of the top of the frame for hanging.

DONE!

Bonus:  This doubled as baby shower decor and a gift.  I love things that know how to multitask.

Dishes with Dee: Gotta Use It- Quick and Easy Pasta

The absolute worst thing about cooking for 2 people is that not everything comes in a suitable container for 2.

(Find me a couple that needs 5 pounds of potatoes)

Here's the problem:

What the hell do you do with all the extra stuff?

I had this situation come up recently.

The stuffs I had to use:

Mushrooms (Baby Bellas and Shitake)

Spinach

Heavy Cream

Chicken broth.

WTF?!

It was a random Thursday and Jeff and I don't usually do a ton of cooking on Friday and Saturday, and I knew that spinach would wilt by Sunday.

It gots ta be used.

The end result was a creamy spinach and mushroom pasta that was the bomb considering it was made with a bunch of neglected ingredients.

Here's what I used:

Garlic

Shallot

Mushrooms- Bella and Shitake- sliced

About 4 c. spinach

perhaps 1/2 a c. of cream

a few "glugs" of white wine

about a 1 c of chicken broth

a bit of EVOO

whole wheat pasta

shredded Parmesan for topping

salt and pepper

And here's what I did:

Cook the pasta to al dente, rinse, and set aside.

Finely chop ya shallots and garlic (I probs use 2 cloves)

EVOO to the pan.

Get it hot.

Add shallot and garlic and sweat it out about 3 minutes.

Add both kinds of mushrooms and cook for about 5 minutes.

Add the chicken stock and keep it cookin'

I let that simmer for about 4 minutes or so and then I added the wine and cream, stirred it up, and let it cook until the liquid reduced by about half.

Its safe to season it now.

Then add the spinach and continue cooking about 1 minute, the spinach will shrink up.

Then add the pasta to the pan and toss to coat.

Serve yo self.