As much as we love that can of Bumble Bee, our favorite tuna salad is New School, made with seared tuna.

You can use your favorite salad ingredients, but we prefer something a bit different. Adding a bit of the seaweed salad available at many markets is an inspired choice! Shredding the ingredients into a slaw style adds even more interest.

This recipe serves four. You can substitute salmon for the tuna. Either fish can be served warm, at room temperature or chilled.

SEARED TUNA SALAD

FOR THE SALAD Ingredients

Seared tuna loin with a big, healthy salad. Photo courtesy Arch Rock Fish Restaurant | Santa Barbara.

 
FOR THE DRESSING

Preparation

1. COMBINE salad ingredients.

2. WHISK together the dressing ingredients.
 
FOR THE TUNA

Ingredients

Preparation

1. MIX together the two types of sesame seeds. Take a few minutes to toast them—the flavor is worth it. Use a large dry frying pan over medium heat. Add the sesame seeds in a single layer. Toast, shaking the pan occasionally; remove the seeds when they grow darker and fragrant.

2. SEASON tuna with salt and pepper. Dredge in the sesame seeds, coating the tuna evenly.

3. WARM the oil until smoking, using a nonstick pan. Add tuna steaks and cook about a minute, until the white sesame seeds begin to turn golden. Turn the tuna and cook for another minute.

4. REMOVE tuna to a cutting board and cut as you prefer into salad-size slices.

5. TOSS salad ingredients with dressing right before serving. Plate with tuna, garnish as desired and serve.
 
We make this dish at least once a week, for lunch or dinner. It’s so good, and good for you!

But it tastes just as good as a Valentine treat (or a Christmas treat or a “because it’s Thursday” treat).

CHOCOLATE PEPPERMINT COOKIE COCKTAIL

Ingredients Per Cocktail

1. RIM a Martini glass with chocolate syrup and crushed candy canes.

2. COMBINE ingredients in a shaker with ice; shake and strain into glass.

4. SERVE with a kiss!
  

A tiny heart turns a simple cupcake into a
Valentine celebration. Photo courtesy
BellaBaker.com.

The flower design was added inspiration, but we actually prefer the minimalist approach—heart only—for its elegant simplicity.

Head to the bakery and buy some cupcakes. Head to the candy store and grab some themed candy. If you only have a supermarket at hand, decorate with red or pink sprinkles and top the sprinkles with a chocolate kiss.

You might not have time to bake these double lemon cupcakes today, but they are simply splendid: a lemon cupcake topped with lemon cream cheese frosting. Get the lemon cupcake recipe from BellaBaker.com, and put it on your “To Bake” list.

Because we’re crazy for lemon curd (and all things lemon), we turned the recipe into Triple Lemon Cupcakes:

THE REAL RED VELVET

And now for that all-American favorite, red velvet cupcakes.

Bella Baker herself, Lauryn Cohen, makes them as they should be: with beets, not red food color.

We find that most red velvet cake is bland: all color, no flavor. If you, too, don’t understand what all the fuss is about, bake a recipe that uses beets.

Here’s Bella Baker’s red velvet cupcake recipe.

THE NIBBLE wishes you a Valentine’s Day filled with love—and some great things to eat.

A delicious Valentine starter. Photo courtesy
CalvisiusCaviar.com.

Calvisius white sturgeon caviar, which is farmed in California, is deliciously creamy, smooth and succulent. The silver-gray roe is medium-large in size and exhibits an intense aroma, firm texture, and slightly nutty flavor.

It’s one of our favorite treats. Tonight we’ve re-creating this elegant yet simple starter course recipe idea from Calvisius Caviar.

Ingredients For 2 Servings

 
Preparation

1. SLICE beets into circles and steam until cooked.

2. FINISH quickly in a pan with hot melted butter.

3. SEAR scallops in the same pan.

4. ARRANGE 3 or 4 beet slices in a concentric “rose” design: larger slices on the bottom, smaller slices on top. If using canned beets, which are all the same size, make a “daisy circle.”

5. TOP beets with a scallop. Garnish with caviar. Add the green garnish to the plate and serve.

You might not think of Pork and Potato Stew as a Chinese dish—it sounds pretty European. But the recipe below is authentically Chinese, using the technique of red cooking—also called Chinese stewing, red stewing, red braising and flavor potting.

It can be made in a slow cooker (less to clean up!) and will likely become a popular dish at your table year-round.

Red cooking is a traditional, slow braising Chinese cooking technique. A homey stew is made with soy sauce, sherry, and stock, plus meat and vegetables. This satisfying comfort food brings warmth to a chilly evening.

Chinese comfort food: pork and potato stew. Photo courtesy PotatoGoodness.com.

Makes 8 portions.

Ingredients

Preparation

1. COMBINE the broth, soy sauce, ginger, sherry, orange zest, and honey in a large pot and stir until the honey dissolves. Add the pork, potatoes, scallions, chiles, garlic, star anise, and cinnamon sticks. Stir well and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat.

2. COVER, reduce heat to low and simmer slowly until the pork is meltingly tender, stirring occasionally, about 2 hours. (Alternatively, stir all these ingredients in a slow cooker, cover, and cook on low about 8 to 9 hours.) Meanwhile…

3. HEAT the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the greens and vinegar. Cover, reduce heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until wilted and tender, about 12 to 15 minutes. Cover and keep warm on the stove.

4. SERVE: Discard the star anise pods and cinnamon sticks. Divide the greens among serving bowls, then ladle the stew over the greens.

Per serving: calories 424, fat 10g, cholesterol 110mg, sodium 846mg, vitamin C 82mg, fiber 5g, protein 44g potassium 1239mg.