Seared Tuna Salad with Wasabi Vinaigrette

Dressing

1 Tbsp wasabi powder + 1 Tbsp and a bit water or 2 Tbsp prepared wasabi paste
1/4 cup olive oil

1-2 tsp rice vinegar

1 T honey

1/2 tsp garlic powder

pinch powdered ginger

pinch salt

Mix wasabi powder and water to form a paste. Slowly whisk in olive oil. When thoroughly combined, add vinegar, adjusting amount to taste. Whisk in remaining ingredients. Allow to sit at room temp for at least 1 hour for flavors to blend. Taste, adjust sweetness with additional honey and spiciness with a pinch of cayenne pepper if desired.

Salad

1 8 oz bag lettuce or greens, your choice.

1 dozen calamata olives

1 dozen grape tomatoes, halved

1 avocado, cubed

4 oz feta cheese, crumbled (optional: substitute 2 oz bleu cheese for half the feta)

handful sliced almonds

Toss together lettuce, olives, tomatoes, avocado, cheese. Sprinkle with almonds.

Tuna

1-12 oz or 2-6 oz tuna steaks

2 T toasted sesame oil

1 T chili oil (“Mongolian Fire Oil” is good)

corn or canola oil

sesame seeds

Buy only tuna steaks that are still cryo-sealed and frozen hard. Do NOT accept partially thawed steaks from the display case. Thaw in the refrigerator for 36 hours.

In a bowl whisk together the sesame and chili oils. Open the tuna and roll around the bowl to coat well; cover and marinate in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Get a cast-iron or nonstick skillet burning hot over highest heat. Put a little corn or canola oil in the pan. Sprinkle the tuna with sesame seeds, place seed-side down in the pan and sprinkle the top with sesame seeds. Cook for 90 seconds only - DO NOT MOVE the steaks until it’s time to flip them. Flip, sprinkle cooked side with sesame seeds, and cook for 60-90 more seconds. The sides should be just completely grey. Remove from pan and allow to cool.

Slice tuna thinly (about 1/8 inch) along the grain. It should be nicely pink in the center. Arrange atop the salad. Drizzle the dressing over. Serve.

Mock Tandoori Chicken

1 whole roasting chicken

8 oz. tofu-based sour cream substitute OR if kashrut/lactose is not important, 8 oz. plain yogurt

2 Tbsp honey

2 tsp chunky rooster sauce

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp ground cumin

1/8 tsp fresh ground nutmeg or ground allspice

1/2 tsp onion powder

generous pinch salt

juice of 1/2 to 1 lemon

1/4 cup chopped fresh mint (optional)

Tandoori is Indian-style chicken, roasted in an earthenware oven and marinated with yogurt and spices. This is a substitute for those of us with kosher or dairy-intolerance problems and/or without an earthenware oven that can get up to 650F.

Preheat the oven to 450F. Mix together sour cream substitute or yogurt, honey, chunky rooster sauce, garlic powder, ginger, cumin, nutmeg or allspice, onion powder, salt, mint (if desired and not outrageously expensive) and juice from 1/2 lemon. Set aside.

Put the chicken in a glass roasting pan or cast-iron skillet. When oven is up to temp put it in and set timer to 45 minutes. As the timer gets close to zero, check the sauce and adjust saltiness and tartness as desired.

Baste the chicken liberally with the sauce, put back in the oven and set the timer for 10 minutes. Repeat twice more (so the chicken is basted at 45, 55, and 65 minutes). Remove after 75 minutes (1-1/4 hour) and baste once more. Allow the bird to rest for at least 10 minutes before carving. Serve with the remaining sauce as a condiment.