Is it fall yet???

So as much as I love the summer and hitting the beach, I am more than ready to feel the crisp chill in the air that only fall can bring. I know what your thinking, who doesn't love summer and all that it brings? The nice tans, the fresh produce readily available, the overall good mood that people seem to have when the sun is shining bright. But for me, there is nothing better than a cool autumn evening curled up next to a fire with a good book and a hot cup of cocoa and maybe a tiny bit of apple crisp. And the "back to school"  shopping that I partook in today did not help my incessant want for a change in seasons.  And yes, I still go back to school shopping even though I have not been in a classroom for almost 4 years. Therefore, I am counting down the days until the hot DC weather decides to call it a quits. For now though, my recipes are sticking with the hot weather trend.

Readily Available Fresh Produce :) 

 I tried this great seared tuna recipe last night and I was not disappointed. I found these frozen tuna steaks by Archer Farms in the freezer section of Target, and I thought I would give them a try. I realized that they wouldn't be the best quality so my expectations were pretty low. I will admit though I was seriously impressed. For $8.99 you get three nice sized tuna steaks individually vacuum sealed so that you can use one or all at once.  I used a simple marinade recipe that I adapted from Martha Stewart. Then I served them up with some delicious green beans I got at the farmer's market. 

Asian Seared Tuna Steaks

3 Tbsp. fresh ginger, minced

2 Tbsp. low sodium soy sauce

3 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar

2 Tbsp. sugar

1/4-1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil 

2- 4 oz. Tuna Steaks 

In a shallow bowl or pan whisk together the first 5 ingredients. Pat the tuna steaks dry with a paper towel. Salt and pepper the steaks on both sides. Place the steaks in the marinade and let sit for 10 minutes in the refrigerator. After 10 minutes, flip and let sit for an additional 5 minutes.  On a preheated grill pan sear the tuna steaks for approximately 2 minutes on each side. This will leave the middle nice and rare and in my opinion the only way tuna should be served. But if you like your tuna slightly more well done you can take it up to about 4 minutes on each side. 

I am always trying to think of different ways to serve vegetables as a side dish. I feel as if I get into these ruts of a baked sweet potato and steamed broccoli. I mean really?! I can't come up with anything better than that? So I fancied up my green beans just a bit. And what would you know it took little to no extra effort on my part. 

Lemony Green Beans with toasted Almonds

2 cups trimmed green beans

Zest of one lemon

1/4 cup toasted sliced almonds*

1 tsp. olive oil 

salt and pepper

In a large sauce pan bring about 2 quarts of water to a rolling boiling. Place the greens beans in the boiling water for about 3 minutes to begin the cooking process. Using a slotted spoon remove the green beans and place in a colander. Pat the green beans dry with a kitchen towel (careful they will be very hot!). Over medium high heat place the oil in a saute pan. Transfer the beans into saute pan and cook for about 5 minutes or until the beans are tender and slightly caramelized. Remove from the heat and zest the lemon over top, season with salt and pepper to taster, sprinkle with almonds and serve.

 * An easy way to toast nuts is on the stove top in a dry saute pan at high heat, toast the nuts for about 5 minutes or until nuts are slightly golden brown and fragrant. 

Enjoy! Let me know if you try out any of the recipes I posted and how they worked out for you. I'm also looking for suggestions for my next post so leave any you might have in the comments section! Thanks for reading :)