Seared Tuna with Mango Salsa and Chiptole Aioli

Once again, I cannot take credit for this recipe, except for the mango salsa part (that was a Martha Stewart recipe we have had around for awhile). Tyler created this awesome meal one night for our family. Everything about this meal was entirely his idea, even the way it was plated. The tuna steaks came with the sesame seeds already on them. All he and my mom did was sear them for about 30 seconds on each side, in a preheated pan with olive oil. Then they sliced them up and served them with a scoop of the salsa and a drizzle of the chipotle aioli. It didn't make it in the picture, but Tyler also served it with sourdough bread and an Avocado Spinach salad with a citrus vinaigrette. I am just posting the recipes for the mango salsa and the chipotle aioli because those were the only real "recipes" he used. Also, he and my mom set the table with sort of a beachy theme in mind... Such a delicious and fresh summer meal! Great job Tyler!

Mango Salsa
(makes about 2 1/2 cups)

Ingredients:
2 ripe mangoes (peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/4 inch dice) ** Here is a little guide from one of my favorite cooking blogs about how to cut a mango... much harder than it sounds!
1 1/2 Tbsp. fresh Jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced (about 1 medium)
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 Tbsp. minced shallot

Directions:
In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients. Toss gently, and serve.

Chipotle Aioli

Ingredients:
3/4 cup mayonnaise
3 cloves minced garlic
2 1/2 T lemon juice
3/4 t salt
1/2 t pepper
1 1/2 t finely chopped chipotle in adobo sauce (you can adjust this amount depending on how spicy you want it)

Directions:
Stir together the mayo, garlic, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and chipotle pepper and chill until ready to serve.

Chipotle Cilantro Pesto

We made a batch of this pesto to use as a marinade for the Shrimp Tostada appetizer we made. This recipe makes about 2 cups of pesto, which is alot! A little bit of this stuff goes a long way! You can use it in so many ways though... as a spread on sandwiches, tossed with some pasta and veggies, as a marinade for meat, etc. I changed it a little bit (I left out the fresh parsley and used extra adobo to make it spicier). You can click on the link if you want the original recipe.

Ingredients:

2 c sliced fresh cilantro
1 chipotle chile in adobo, roughly sliced
3 garlic cloves
1/4 c shelled pumpkin seeds
2 c fresh spinach (leaves only)
1 tbsp sliced fresh oregano (I used a couple pinches of dried)
2 tbsps grated parmesan cheese
1 tbsp fresh lime juice
4 tsps olive oil

Directions:

Place cilantro, chile, garlic, pumpkin seeds, spinach, oregano, and parmesan cheese in a food processor or blender and pulse until mixed.

With the motor running, add oil and lime juice and process until smooth. You can adjust the heat by adding some of the adobo.

Scrape into a container, cover, & put in the fridge until ready to use. The pesto keeps for 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator.

Pesto

In an attempt to use the rest of our basil from our herb garden (which was growing out of control!) we decided to make pesto. I have always wanted to make it because it can be used in so many ways for a quick meal. I've heard you can also make a large batch and freeze it in ice cube trays so you can just use a small portion at a time. We used Ina Garten's recipe, which called for both pine nuts and walnuts. I'm not a big fan of pine nuts, so we ommitted these and just doubled the walnuts instead.

Ina's Pesto

Ingredients:

1/4 cup walnuts
1/4 cup pine nuts
3 Tbsp. chopped garlic (9 cloves)
5 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups olive oil
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Place the walnuts, pine nuts, and garlic in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Process for 15 seconds. Add the basil leaves, salt, and pepper. With the processor running, slowly pour the olive oil into the bowl through the feed tube and process until the pesto is thoroughly pureed. Add the Parmesan and puree for a minute. Use right away or store the pesto in the refrigerator or freezer with a thin film of olive oil on top.

Yield: 4 cups