The World is My Oyster

So my dinner tonight was inspired by an impulse buy. I was checking out the fish selection at QFC and saw this little jar of oysters. Now I don't know if it's because my name is pearl and perhaps I was destined to love oysters but whatever the reason I do. This is an incredibly quick, easy, and delicious dinner. Just what I need after a day of classes and work.

See only four ingredients! Plus a lemon, five. I forgot about the lemon until later because I was hungry.

Oyster Recipe:

2 cloves garlic finely chopped (sometimes I'm lazy and buy the pre-minced kind)

Oysters (as many or few as you like)

Parmesan Cheese 

White wine 

Juice of one lemon half

Easy peasy lemon squeezy instructions,

(Don't forget the lemon like I did! Though you can squeeze it on at the end it will be more flavorful if you bake the oysters in the juice.)

Dispose of half of the oyster juice then dump the rest including the oysters into an oven safe dish. Add a splash of white wine and lemon juice. You don't want the oysters to think they're back in the ocean, just add enough liquid so they don't get totally dried out but enough that all the flavors are still there. Cover the oysters in garlic and a light sprinkling of Parmesan cheese. Bake at 450 degrees for 20 minutes (I have a not so great oven where I'm currently living so this can vary based on how effective your oven is). Be sure to keep an eye on them, you'll know they're done when they look a little more dried out and less like big goobers. The Parmesan should also start to brown slightly. 

To be completely honest I was slightly disappointed with the oysters. Normally I go on a grand oyster adventure to the Ballard Farmers Market (I say grand because it's at least a 45 minute bus ride away). Anyways at the Ballard Market you can get the most fabulous and LOCAL Hama Hama Oysters for about the same price if not cheaper than the grocery store. You may be thinking "big whoop no way I'd go all that way for some shell fish". Well, I will go to great lengths for good food. You also get WAY more oysters in about the same size jar instead of these four monstrosities.

This is the real deal Hama Hama from last summer. Just so you have an idea of what I was anticipating when I dumped out the jar of oysters. I even found a pearl!

Ok enough of my detour of better oyster days.

 While my oysters were bubbling away in the oven I made a salad. Annndd I'd already opened the bottle of wine for the oysters so I had a glass, or two to help the artistic cooking process along.

I don't know how you feel about beets but I feel great about them! They will keep basically forever in your crisper too which is fantastic. This particular beet is from my moms garden and I'm pretty sure it's been hanging out in the fridge since well probably before November. Just make sure your beets aren't wet when they go into the refrigerator otherwise they can get moldy.

 I like to eat mine raw and grated on my salads. Best to do this on a plate too since they will stain everything including your hands. 

 Underneath all those great veggies is an organic spring salad mix. The cucumbers alas are not organic. But the tomatoes and beets are!

 This salad dressing is absolutely fantastic. The recipe is actually my parents so thanks mom and dad! The first time my boyfriend tried it I think he ate four bowls of salad. No joke.

Salad Dressing Recipe:

 Pepper to taste
1 tsp Soy sauce
1 tbsp Oregano
1 tsp Basil
2 cloves Garlic
Flax Oil
Balsamic vinegar

So again really sorry that I don't measure things. But you want the base of your salad dressing to be the flax oil (only $7 for a bottle of organic flax oil at Trader Joe's, it's over by all of the vitamins because apparently it's a dietary supplement.) I fill about half of my re-usable salad dressing bottle with the flax oil then add about half as much balsamic. You can't really screw this up it will taste great no matter what. Just be sure not to overdo it on the soy sauce since it's so salty.

 There you have it folks! My Monday night dinner. Only five dirty dishes and a glass and fork. Quick to make quick to clean up. Tasty and nutritious!

 Shameless plug for my moms business Too Hot to Handle (second vender from the right on the bottom of the page). She makes fantastic pot holders and aprons which she sells at the Port Townsend Farmers Market on Saturdays.