Catching up!

Okay, I did follow the menu, but I fell off the blogging wagon this week.  I dont really have a good reason or excuse, but I am going to catch up starting with steamed mahi mahi and mango raspberry salsa and steamed rice.    Then throughout the week I will have the other recipes posted so you can try them all out.  Here we go with the mahi mahi....

Steamed Mahi Mahi with Mango Raspberry Salsa

4 fillets of mahi mahi
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp honey
2 tbsp soy sauce
2-3 drops of sesame oil
1/2 c water

Salsa

3 mangoes
1 box of fresh raspberries
1/2 a red onion, finely diced
1/2 a bunch of cilantro, chopped finely
lemon juice

In a 9x13 inch pan, place a large piece of aluminum foil.  Place the fish in the middle of the foil and then add the soy sauce, lemon juice, sesame oil and honey.  Raise the sides of the foil and then add the water and then fold and crimp the foil to make a packet.  Place in a 375 degree oven for 25 minutes.

Cut the mango sides away from the pit, then score it with a paring knife vertically, and then again horizontally to create 1/2 inch cubes.  It's sort of like cutting an avacado, but instead of cutting around the pit, you just slice it off the side away from the pit.  Then once you have scored it with the knife, turn mango inside out so you can cut the flesh from the peel.  Do this with all of your mangoes, and you will end up with a bowl of diced mango.

Saute your onion in a bit of olive oil just until its soft, and then add that to the mango, and add the raspberries and cilantro and lemon juice too.  Stir til combined, set aside til ready to serve.

Serve the fish along side steamed rice and topped with the salsa.

Oven Steamed Salmon, Steamed Green Beans, and Mashed Potatoes

According to the planned menu for the week, I made salmon tonight.  Thanks to a neighbor who ended up not liking the frozen salmon she bought at the store, I ended up with a couple of fillets in my freezer.  I have done salmon a few different ways in the past but this time I tried something slightly different and a little bit healthier.  I paired it with still crisp steamed green beans and some mashed potatoes to use up the potatoes in the pantry.  I hope you like it as much as we did!

Oven Steamed Salmon

1 large salmon fillet (about a foot long)
1 lemon
1/2 tsp dried dill weed
1/4 tsp each: seasoning salt, black pepper, onion powder
1 tbsp butter, cut in half
1/4 c water
aluminum foil, for cooking
baking dish (keeps your oven clean--catches any leaky juices)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place a large sheet of aluminum foil inside your baking dish (needs to be at least 6 inches longer than the fish) Place salmon in the middle of the foil, and then sliced the lemon into rounds.  Place lemon rounds on top of the fish.  Top with seasonings and dill weed.  Top all of that with dots of the butter.  Pull up the sides of the foil to make a pouch and then add your water.  Pinch together the tops and sides of the foil to close the packet, and bake for 25 minutes.  Serve hot.

Mashed Potatoes (simple recipe, but everyone has a different one, right?)

6 medium potatoes
water
1 tsp salt
1/4 c butter
1/4 -1/2 c milk

Peel and cut potatoes into wedges.  (You don't have to peel them, sometimes I don't.  Potato peels are actually really good for you--full of vitamins.)  Put potatoes into a large pot, and cover with water.  Add salt, and bring to a boil.  Cook for approximately 25 to 30 minutes, until potatoes are tender and break when poked with a fork.  Drain, and then place them back in the same pot.  Add butter and milk, and mash til you get the consistency you want.

Green Beans-- so simple you'll laugh at how easy it is.

1 lb green beans
1/4 to 1/2 c water

Snap the ends off the green beans.  Place into a steamer basket inside a pot on the stove.  Add your water, which should be below the level of the basket, and cover with lid.  Bring the water to a boil, creating steam for the beans to cook.  Steam beans for 3-5 minutes.  Not long at all, just til they turn bright green.  You want them to still have their snap/crispness.  Steaming keeps as many nutrients in the beans as possible while giving you optimum flavor.  My favorite way to eat them.  Yum!

Grilled Tuna Steaks

Okay, so I made this for dinner last night and never got around to posting it til now.  Sorry about that.   This recipe actually came out of my in-law's barbecue book--the one that came with the grill-- and it has been a hit with Jeff's family for awhile.  I tried it for the first time last year and loved it, and now I am sharing it with all of you.  I strongly suggest using fresh ginger and garlic, it really makes a difference.  I have done it both ways and it was way better the second time through with the fresh ginger--dried ginger just isn't as flavorful.  I served this with couscous, which I will also include the recipe for, after the tuna marinade.

Grilled Tuna

1/4 c soy sauce
2 tbsp dark sesame seed oil
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp minced or grated fresh ginger (or the stuff you can get in the tube at the grocery store in the refrigerated section near the produce)
1 tbsp minced or grated garlic
1 scallion sliced thin
4 tuna steaks, about half an inch to an inch thick

Mix marinade together, pour over steaks.  You can also do this in a ziplock bag, but I did it in a corningware dish so I could flip the tuna and get both sides well coated and soaked.  Be careful with the tuna, it can come apart if you press or pinch it too hard.  After half an hour at minimum, 1-2 hours maximum, grill tuna over medium heat for about 5 minutes per side.  If you like just seared tuna, then just a couple minutes per side.  My family prefers all meat and fish besides beef steaks to be fully cooked, but tuna can get kind of dry if you cook it too long...I liked mine about medium rare, same as I like my steak.

Cous Cous

2 c water
2 c cous cous
1/2 c celery, finely chopped
1/2 bell pepper (I used red), finely chopped
3 scallions, sliced thin
1/2 tsp ginger, minced
1/2 tsp garlic, minced
2-3 tbsp soy sauce
1-2 tbsp olive oil
couple drops sesame oil

In a medium saucepan, heat water, soy sauce, olive oil, and sesame oil to boiling.  While waiting for water to boil, quickly saute the vegetables in a bit of olive oil and soy sauce til they are tender.  Once water boils, add veggies and cous cous, stiring well to keep from clumping; cover and remove from heat.  Wait 5 minutes for cous cous to steam, then fluff with a fork and serve.

Enjoy!

Guest Blogger: Amie

A great friend of mine from high school offered to be a guest blogger this time!  Thanks Amie, you're awesome!

This recipe is from my new cookbook, Rocco's Real Life Recipes - fast flavor for every day. I initially picked it up because of the cute picture of him on the front, I've since come to find out he's 44 and I still don't believe it! When I saw it was only $6.99 I thought what the heck, he's cute, there are some yummy pictures, and what a bargain! I made a variation of his Spaghetti and Shrimp with Spring Vegetables, using Spaghetti squash and loved it!
Carmel mentioned to me this morning that she was looking for a new quiche recipe and I remembered this one! I hope it's as tasty as it looks! Enjoy!

~ Amie


Shrimp and Red Onion Pie

1 unbaked 9-inch piecrust
salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 eggs, well beaten
1 cup half-and-half
1/4 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper
8 slices bacon, sliced into 1/2 inch pieces
1 red onion, thinly sliced
1 pound fresh small shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails removed

1. Preheat oven to 450F.

2. Prick the surface of the piecrust with a fork and back for 5 mintues. Remove from oven and turn the temperature down to 375F.

3. Mix the eggs with the half-and-half. Season with the salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

4. In a large saute pan cook the bacon over medium heat until almost crisp, about 3 minutes. Drain the bacon on a paper towel-lined plate and set aside. Add the onion to bacon fat, season with salt and pepper, and cook over medium heat until tender and slightly caramelized, about 6 to 8 minutes. Turn the heat up to high and add the shrimp to the pan. Cover and steam shrimp about 2 mintues. Toss the bacon back in with the onion and shrimp.

5. Arrange the shrimp mixture evenly in the bottom of the pastry shell. Pour the egg mixture into the shell and bake for about 30 to 35 minutes, or until the center is set.

6. Allow pie to cool slightly before cutting and serving.

Cod Parmesan

Okay, I know it sounds weird, because usually its chicken parmesan or eggplant parmesan.  Jeff and I have been trying to incorporate fish into our diet so we get the good fats and fish oil.  So I am finding new ways to serve it besides frying it--thus undoing the healthiness of it.  Today I had an idea to cook it like chicken parm and the way I did it didn't work out the way I planned.  Tasted good, but needed to be more crispy.  I served it with gnocci, and it was good, but definitely would be better if done slightly differently.  The ingredients are the same, but rather than baking it, I would "saute" it in a bit of olive oil.

Cod Parmesan

2 cod fillets (medium size)
2/3 c breadcrumb
1/3 c parmesan cheese
1 egg, beaten
2-3 tbsp olive oil

Mix breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese together.  Dip cod fillets into egg, and then dredge cod in breadcrumbs til evenly coated.  If you like extra crispy, you can double dredge.  Fry/saute in the oil over medium heat til crispy and cooked through.  You'll need to flip over half way through the cooking process.  Should only take about 4 minutes per side.  Serve with your choice of pasta, or with rice and any kind of veggie you like.

Sorry I don't have a picture this time, It looked ugly because I baked it and the crust came off the fish.  Definitely cook it in a skillet--the oven didn't work.

Cod Fish Cakes

So I was chatting it up with my fantastic friend Amie, trying to decide what to do for dinner tonight.  Jeff wanted fish, so I had pulled out a couple of the cod fillets we had in the freezer.  She had said that recently she made fish cakes with some cod, using cod and mashed potatoes and spices.  I decided to give them a try.  I hope you enjoy, Jeff and I really liked them.

Cod Fish Cakes

2-3 c milk
2 medium cod fillets
1/2 c mashed potato
garlic powder
cayenne pepper
dill
lemon juice
seasoning salt
breadcrumb or panko
2 eggs

In medium saucepan, cook milk and cod together, and bring to low boil, stirring so it doesn't burn.  I seasoned the milk a bit with a shake of cayenne and some seasoning salt.  While fish was cooking, I boiled the potatoes and then drained and mashed them.   When cod starts to fall apart, drain over a large bowl.  Set milk aside, and in a different bowl, break fish into flakes.  Add lemon juice, dill, cayenne, and garlic powder, stir to combine.   Once potato is mashed, mix 1/2 a cup of it with the fish mixture, along with one of the eggs (this helps bind everything together without using mayo).   In a small bowl, beat the other egg well, and place breadcrumb in a different bowl.  Shape the fish mixture into cakes, and dip in egg, then dredge in breadcrumb.  Fry in a couple tbsp of olive oil.

Now, you may remember the reserved milk...I turned this into a sauce, not wanting to waste it by dumping it down the drain!  It had all of that fish flavor and the seasoning I had added, so all I had to do was thicken it.  I just melted some butter down in a small saucepan (not much, just a tbsp or 2), and then added a couple tbsp of flour and then added the milk.  Whisk it all together and let it cook over medium high heat til thickened, and if you like, add more spices to kick it up a bit.

Serve cakes with a squeeze of lemon and some of the sauce on top, and with your favorite veggie or salad.  Enjoy!

And for good measure...

My sisters are coming tomorrow, and I am making up for lost time. So here is another today. Jeff and I like to try and experiment with different recipes and make them better. One of those recipes is french fries, and another example is fried fish. Put the two together and you get: Fish and Chips! I LOVE fish and chips! So here are the recipes for that.

Fried Fish

4 cod fillets
1 c instant biscuit mix like Bisquick
1/2 c water, plus more
1 tsp cajun seasoning
1 tbsp cornstarch
vegetable oil for frying
salt
malt vinegar (optional)

Much like fried chicken. Preheat deep fryer to 375 degrees. Whisk together biscuit mix, water, cornstarch and cajun seasoning. Should be pretty thin batter (like tempura or crepe batter), so add more if not quite thin enough (you dont want pancake batter for sure). Add fish to batter, coat well. Fry in deep fryer for 3 minutes. Should be golden on the inside and heated through. Serve with french fries, recipe below.

French Fries

4 large russet baking potatoes
salt, pepper to taste, or seasoning salt
frying oil

The night before you want to make these, bake potatoes at 400 degrees for one hour. Chill overnight in refrigerator. The next day, preheat fryer to 375 degrees. Cut baked and chilled potatoes into strips for french fries. Fry in batches in deep fryer for 2 minutes. Salt and pepper as you like.

**Note** This is one twist we have found that has worked. I asked Jeff if it would be a good idea to make french fries out of our leftover baked potatoes and one night he tried it (while I was out of town, darn it) and said it worked beautifully. The reason we liked the baking of the potatoes first is because it cooks the inside completely, so all you are doing when you fry them is crisping the outside, and heating it through. So you're not under or over cooking them--the texture turns out fantastic! As if you fried them twice like restaurants do, but instead its a bit healthier beause they were baked first. Instead of expressly baking the potatoes for this recipe though, when we bake potatoes we generally make a couple extra for hashbrowns or something for another day. Try it out, we're pretty sure you'll like them.

Baked Salmon

Jeff and I have made a rule recently that we need to eat salad and fish at least once a week. Not necessarily both at the same time, but each of them need to be presented at least once a week. I try to make dinner pretty healthy on a regular basis, but we don't really have the cash to eat salad more often than once a week, and there's nutrients in fish that we don't get from other foods. We both enjoy salmon, and we found it in a "bulk" pkg one day for a decent price, so we have been eating salmon recently. Here is how I normally prepare it.

Baked Salmon

1 fillet of salmon, about 4 oz
1 tsp honey mustard
1/4 c soy sauce
2 tbsp honey
1/2 tsp ground ginger
2 drops sesame oil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp lemon juice, or a few lemon slices

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place salmon in center of a large piece of heavy duty aluminum foil, fold up edges slightly so liquid doesn't escape. Carefully add wet ingredients, then fold foil into pkt and place in oven for 35 minutes. Salmon should bake and steam in oven. Remove from oven, and let rest for a few minutes, it will continue to steam as long as the pkt is closed. After 5 minutes, serve.

I like to serve this over a salad, or sometimes with rice and veggies.

**Note** If you dont have heavy duty foil, you might want to place your packet on a baking sheet so it doesnt leak in your oven. I usually use "reynolds" wrap, so its heavy duty enough to just sit in the oven by itself, though to be careful I sometimes double it under the fish to make sure.