Soy glazed salmon

1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
4 salmon steaks or fillets (6 ounces each)

Directions
Heat broiler, with rack set 4 inches from heat. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil; set aside. In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, honey, and ginger.
Place salmon on prepared baking sheet; brush with soy mixture. Broil until browned on top and opaque throughout, 5 to 6 minutes.

Pork Picatta

4 thin boneless pork chops (about 1 lb.total)

3 Tb. olive oil

1/3 cup flour

salt and pepper

1 cup chicken broth

2 Tb. lemon juice

2 Tb butter, cut into small pieces

1 Tb. finely chopped, seeded pepperoncini

thin lemon slices for garnish

Pound individual pork chops so that they are 1/4 inch thick. Heat oil in large skillet over high heat until hot. Combine flour and salt and pepper in shallow dish. Lightly coat pork chops in flour. Reduce heat of skillet to medium and and add pork chops. Saute chops until golden, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and tent loosely with foil. In skillet, scrape up browned bits and add broth and lemon juice. Increase heat to high and let boil until slightly thickened. Return pork to skillet, turn often and let heat through, about 1 minute. Add butter and pepperoncinis. Once butter is melted, serve pork with sauce spooned over and lemon slices.

* Today's menu also calls for Greek Tossed Salad

Grilled skirt steak tacos with jicama tomatillo slaw

2 1/2 teaspoons whole black peppercorns

2 lb skirt steak (about three 1/2-inch-thick pieces)

1 tablespoon coarse sea salt

Prepare grill for cooking over direct heat with hot charcoal (high heat for gas) While grill is heating, coarsely crush peppercorns with a mortar and pestle or by wrapping them in a kitchen towel and pressing with bottom of a heavy skillet. Pat steaks dry and sprinkle both sides with salt and crushed pepper, pressing to help adhere. Grill steaks on lightly oiled grill rack (covered only if using a gas grill), turning over once and moving around to avoid flare-ups if necessary, 6 to 8 minutes total for medium-rare. Transfer steaks to a cutting board and let stand, loosely covered with foil, 5 minutes. Thinly slice steaks diagonally.

While steaks are on the grill prepare slaw:

2 cups matchstick jicama (use a mandoline or coarse cheese grater)

1/2 cup chili verde salsa (tomatillo salsa in a jar)

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

1 Tb. lime juice

salt and pepper to taste

Mix ingredients in a bowl.

Assembly: Fill warmed corn tortillas with grilled skirt steak topped with slaw and sour cream.

Pork roast with sage and pancetta

12 fresh sage leaves
1 boneless pork loin roast (about 3lbs.)
12 thin slices of pancetta (2oz)

Directions
Preheat oven to 450,with rack in the middle. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and set aside. Arrange sage leaves on top of pork loin. Lay pancetta over sage in 3 horizontal rows, slices overlapping slightly. Spacing evenly, secure pancetta with three 10" lengths of kitchen twine.
Place pork on prepared sheet and roast till pancetta is browned and crisp and an instant read thermometer inserted in thickest part of pork registers 145, 35-40 mins. Tent roast lightly with foil; let rest 5 mins. Snip twine with scissors and remove; thinly slice roast before serving.

Roasted red potatoes

1 1/2 pounds small new red potatoes (about 15), scrubbed and dried

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

4 to 6 cloves garlic, crushed

1 tablespoon fresh rosemary

1 tsp kosher salt

tsp. freshly cracked pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Pare a narrow strip of peel from the middle of each potato. In a large bowl mix the oil, salt, pepper and garlic. Add the potatoes and toss well. Transfer the potatoes to a shallow baking pan, sprinkle with rosemary sprigs and roast until potatoes are tender when tested with the tip of a knife, about 35 minutes. Discard rosemary and serve hot.

Secret to perfect bbq chicken

Bake or grill your chicken half way. Then, brush your chicken with a generous amount of mustard. While the mustard is still wet (it will tend to dry on the hot chicken) sprinkle brown sugar to completely cover any trace of mustard. Put the chicken back in the oven or on the grill and cook for the remaining time. Right before you serve the chicken, brush it with your favorite bbq sauce.

Summer Thai Salad

Salad:

1 head napa cabbage, chopped

1 cup cooked noodles (I like to use Japanese noodles)

1/2 cup blanched snow peas

1/2 cup red bell pepper, chopped

2 carrots, peeled and chopped

3-4 bunches of green onion, chopped

1 bunch cilantro, chopped

1/2 cup roasted peanuts

Dressing:

3 Tb. soy sauce

3 Tb. seasoned rice vinegar

3 Tb. canola oil

2 Tb. minced fresh ginger

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tb. lime juice

Combine ingredients of salad in a bowl and toss with well mixed dressing.

Chopped salad with spicy pork and buttermilk dressing

1/2 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 pork tenderloin (about 1 pound)
1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk
3 tablespoons light mayonnaise
2 scallions, whites minced and greens thinly sliced, separated
1 garlic clove, crushed through a press
1 head romaine lettuce (1 1/4 pounds), trimmed and chopped
1 pint cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 package (10 ounces) frozen corn kernels, thawed and patted dry
2 ounces pepper Jack cheese, cubed

Directions
Heat broiler, with rack set 4 inches from heat. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. In a small bowl, combine chile powder, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Place pork on prepared baking sheet; rub with spice mixture.
Broil pork until an instant-read thermometer inserted in thickest part registers 145 degrees, 14 to 16 minutes, turning twice during cooking. Let pork rest 10 minutes, then cut into bite-size chunks.
Make dressing: In a large bowl, whisk together buttermilk, mayonnaise, scallion whites, and garlic; season with salt and pepper.
Add romaine, tomatoes, corn, cheese, scallion greens, and pork to the bowl. Toss to combine, and serve immediately.