Pan-seared Ahi Tuna with Chili-Garlic Brussels Sprouts

And here we go! My first actual post. I've been fighting off a cold all week so I wanted to prepare something healthy and high in protein for dinner last night. I ended up with what you see above: pan-seared ahi tuna and roasted Brussels sprouts with garlic and chili flakes. I also learned that I've been spelling Brussels sprouts wrong for about as long as I've been eating them.

The tuna steaks were frozen from Trader Joe's, about 4 oz each, and cooked up perfectly. No weird gristle to be found (do fish have gristle?).

Prep Time: 10-15 min.

Cook Time: ~40 min.

Ingredients:

Tuna:

• 2 ahi tuna steaks (frozen or fresh)
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp cumin powder
• 1/2 tsp ginger powder
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder (or more, I won't judge)
• canola oil for cooking
• lemon to taste

Brussel Sprouts:

• 1 lb. Brussels sprouts
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 5 cloves garlic, pressed
• 1 tbsp. chili flakes
• salt to taste

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Wash and pat down tuna steaks with paper towels.
3. Mix together the sesame oil, olive oil, soy sauce, cumin, ginger, and garlic powder in a bowl. Place tuna steaks in the mixture in the fridge for at least 30 min (or longer if you like).
4. Meanwhile, wash and cut the Brussels sprouts in half.
5. Mix together the olive oil, pressed garlic cloves, chili flakes, and salt in another bowl.
6. Toss the Brussels sprouts in the mixture then arrange on a baking sheet so that the flat, cut side is facing down and none of the veggies are touching. 
   
   
   
7. Roast for 30 minutes or until the topsides are partially browned.
8. Once your tuna has marinated, remove it from the mixture and season with salt and pepper. Be careful with the salt if you used full sodium soy sauce. You don't want it to overpower the other flavors.
9. Prepare a frying pan with a light coating of canola oil at medium-high heat.
10. Once hot, place the tuna steaks in the pan. Cook until a crust forms on the bottom then flip. You should cook each side about 1 minute if you like your fish rare, or 2-3 min if you prefer medium rare. Well-done tuna is a travesty and I will not give you advice on how to make it.
11. Serve immediately with Brussels sprouts and lemon.

And that's that! Pretty easy overall and great for a weeknight meal. If you try it out, let me know what you think in the comments section.

By the way, you can follow me on Twitter for all the latest updates from the kitchen (@cookingthumbs). My next recipe will be coming along this weekend.

And Here We Are

I know what you're thinking: Dear Lord Baby Jesus, not another cooking blog. Why in the world would I bother starting a cooking blog when there are already countless other blogs out there?

WELL, this blog is part of a personal challenge. I've always loved cooking. Last year, in a effort to branch out from the meals I had made to death, I made a resolution to make two new dishes a month. I'm proud to say I met that challenge and learned some useful techniques in the process.

This year, I've pledged to make three new recipes a year. To add to this challenge, these recipes must be self-created.

So what are you going to find here? Original recipes courtesy of yours truly mixed in with some technique tutorials, music to fuel your kitchen times, and most importantly, honesty about my progress. My successes will be right there along with the failures. I want everyone who reads this blog and tries out my recipes to know that I'm learning right alongside you.

I'm also going to do my best to provide you with nutrition information for all my recipes, because you should know what you're putting in your body.

What you won't find here? Recipes specific to any fad diet. Recipes without pictures (the worst). Anything involving sea urchin as an ingredient. Cupcakes.

Other than that, the only rules in my kitchen are always double the garlic and open the tonic water over the sink.

Buckle up. We're in this together.