Recipe: Easy Fish in Foil, No Fuss - No Mess

Wrap fish and veggies in foil

This is an easy go to method when I want to cook something easy on a hot Los Angeles afternoon. Taking off the French technique of 'en papillote' of cooking in parchment, I do the same with foil on the grill. It leaves your kitchen clean and cool with little mess. The other great thing is you can use about any kind of fish and veggies you have around.

After simmering in the foil all the flavor fuse together. Then you open up this packet to a beautifully cooked meal and it's already plated! You can eat right out of the foil.

You will need:
FOIL
FISH - any kind in small to medium fillet.
VEGGIES - what ever you have available or that you like
OLIVE OIL
LEMON JUICE
SALT
PEPPER

Throw on grill for 20 minutes or so

METHOD:

 FOIL - Pull out your foil off the roll until it's a square size.

CHOP VEGGIES into equal sizes so that they cook evenly together. I try to put 2-3 veggies and one is usually onions, leeks or garlic to get the aromatics. In this case I used brussel sprouts, leeks and fennel. You can make any combination you like.

MAKE A BED of veggies in the center of the foil. Drizzle with olive oil, lemon juice, add salt and pepper.

PLACE FISH ON BED of veggies. Also giving a good drizzle of olive oil, lemon juice, add salt and pepper. You can used any fish. I used Tilapia this time. Arrange thin slices of lemon across the top of the fish.

SPICE IT UP - You can also add fresh herbs like dill and thyme or dried spices for extra flavor.

COOK on grill over medium heat for 20-23 minutes. You can also cook in oven at 325ºF for about same amount of time. Don't over cook the fish!

Finished open fish in foil, ready to eat!

Recipe: Cilantro Cream Sauce

I love making sauces and salsas. I make this Cilantro Cream Sauce for my green goddess veggies tacos. It's simple and subtle, but refreshing. It's also great on fish and chicken tacos.

Ingredients:
1/2 Cup Cilantro (or more to taste)
3/4 Cup Mexican Creama (table cream)
Pinch of salt

Method:
Combine all ingredients in a bowl and use an immersion blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.

Recipe for Cilantro Cream by Xhico

Green Goddess Vegetarian Tacos with Cilantro Cream and Sarayo Sweet

Donut Friend, Donut Lover

Donuts at Donut Friend in Highland Park

Sometimes you want to make love to a donut. Sometimes the donut just wants to be friends. That donut would be found in Highland Park at Donut Friend. At Donut Friend you can build a donut any way you like it. They have a selection of cakes, glazes and a plethora of fillings and toppings to make either a sweet or savory treat with your own unique flavors.

I went there to pick up some donuts as a treat for my colleagues at work. It was early, I hadn't had my coffee yet and I had no patience to customize fifteen donuts for everyone. So, I took the easy road and got a box full of their signature donuts with unique flavors like nutella, maple-bacon and classics like chocolate with rainbow sprinkles. Oh, an their "minus the bear claw", actually looks like a claw with pecans for the nails on each toe!

The "Caramel Assault" is sweet and sticky with a bit of sea salt. Another and even better sweet and salty treat is "Bacon 182" with sweet maple glaze and topped with crunchy bacon. You can never go wrong with the "Nutellavision" filled with Nutella and a dash of olive oil. They also have gluten-free and vegan options for your donuts so don't be afraid to go get a bite.

Donut Friend also has some very cute murals along with a cute donut/apple logo. It's a great place to take kids or fun for a date night and build your own donuts together.

Xhico in the donut hole. Photo via @chasedesigngroup

Evan is happy for the donut surpirse! Photo via @paula112

Toppings for DIY Donuts at Donut Friend in Highland Park

DIY Donuts at Donut Friend in Highland Park

A dozen delicious "Donuts Done Differently"by Donut Friend

Cute Mural "Donuts Done Differently" at Donut Friend

Donut Friend
5107 York Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90042
Neighborhood: Highland Park
213-995-6191

Hours:
Monday: Closed
Tues-Thurs: 8am to 9pm
Friday & Saturday: 8am to Midnight
Sunday: 8am to 9pm

Recipe: Avocado Toast

Avocado Toast by Xhico

I've been seeing Avocado Toast popping up as a trend in Los Angeles restaurants lately. I have yet to try one, so I decide to make one today for lunch. Here's how it went:

This toast is basically like a California style bruschetta, using avocado as the base.

For each piece of toast you will need:

- 1 Slice Bread
- 1/2 Avocado (Sliced)
- 2 Tbsp Heirloom Tomato (Diced)
- 1 Tbsp Red Onion (Finely Diced)
- Cilantro (Few leaves or 1/2 tsp chopped)
- Lemon or Lime Juice (Squeeze)
- Olive Oil (Use a really tasty Extra Virgin Olive Oil)
- Sea Salt (to taste)
- Fresh cracked black pepper (to taste)
- Cumin (a pinch)

First toast a thinly sliced piece of bread. I use fresh French bread. I brush it with olive oil and toast it on the skillet. Get your toasts ready and set aside.

Next prepare your other ingredients: Tomato, Onion, Cilantro. Save your avocado for last so it is fresh and doesn't discolor. Dice your tomato to about 1/4" pieces. Give your red onion and fine dice. Pick several leaves off your cilantro. Cut your lemon in half and have your olive oil and seasonings on hand.

Avocados are delicate so take care and treat them with love. First you want to slice your avocado in half. First slide your knife into the avocado running from pole to pole cutting through the stem side. Gently let your knife go into the flesh until it hits the seed. Now slide your knife completely around the avocado keeping the knife touching the seed. After the knife has cut completely around the avocado, remove the knife. Grab the each half of the avocado with your hand and slowly and gently twist in opposite directions. One half of the avocado should then remove from the seed. If you can't get the seed out of the other half, take chef's knife and whack the seed. Be very careful! The knife should stick in the seed, then gently twist. The seed should pop right out.

Now you have two clean avocado halves. To get perfect slices, leave the avocado in the skin. Slice the flesh from tip to tip creating even slices. If the avocado is perfectly ripe, you may be able to slide the skin right off. Otherwise, use a spoon to nudge between the flesh and the skin. Gently remove your slices. The slices can now be fanned out to cover your toast beautifully.

If you're not into all the work, you can scoop the avocado out with a spoon and smear it across your toast.

After putting on the avocado, give it a sprinkle of salt and black pepper. Top with tomato, onion, a few cilantro leaves, a squeeze of lemon and drizzle with good olive oil. Finish with a sprinkle of cumin and a little more salt.

Lilac Time

Xhico's Dining Table

I love lilacs. My grandfather had a lilac tree in his backyard. I remember a place on the way from my grandfather's in Riverbank to my home town of Oakdale. There was this grand tree with lilac vines fiercely growing upon it and it would become engorged with purple.

Today I got some lilacs and tulips at Silver Lake Farmers' Market and made a little arrangement for my table. I buy flowers from this very nice man almost every week. Today I learned that his cousin actually grows the flowers on a farm in the Ventura area. I love that they keep it in the family. You can also see my wall of some art hanging salon style. These are pieces I've collected or that have been given to me over the years.