I'm back, with Salmon :)

Where in the world have I been?! That's a good question! You're probably thinking that I'm not the most reliable person in the world, that's alright, I look like a flake. Really it's just been a season of non-cooking. Dieting and hot weather definitely doesn't make me want to cook. So I got in a slump. But I'm here! Don't let me fail!! Hold me to it, I wanna be here!!! So on to the food. Considering it's blazing hot here in Albuquerque I absolutely don't want to turn on the stove or oven. This is the time of year I'll grill everything.... or get take out. Instead of take out I turned on the grill and made the EASIEST salmon I've ever made. You could do this with any fish really, but salmon is just so wonderful! And very very diet friendly. So if you managed to sit through that entirely too long blog post and are still interested here's the recipe!!

Salmon a La Easy

Ingredients:
1 large salmon fillet- cut into 4 steaks
1 lemon- sliced and seeded
Garlic- 2 Tbsp minced
Salt- to taste
Pepper- to taste
Olive Oil- 2-3 Tbsp
Fresh Basil- handful chiffonade (long strips)

Directions:
Season the salmon steaks with salt and pepper. Cover each steak with a generous amount of olive oil and rub them with garlic. Sprinkle the basil over each one and place a lemon slice on each steak. You can let this sit in the fridge all day or 1/2 an hour, your choice. If they look dry put more oil on, you can't hurt em! Make four foil packets. Fold three edges of a square piece of foil, leaving one end open. Pour a little oil in the packet so the fish won't stick. Place a piece of salmon in each packet and close it up! When your grill is hot and ready take each salmon packet and place them on the grill. I grilled mine on low for about 8-10 minutes. Close it up and leave it alone! Take them off the grill when the meat is still pink but firm. If you overcook them the meat will be dry and lacking in flavor. Take them out of the foil, pour the juices out of the foil onto the fish and ENJOY! I served mine with brown rice and green beans. I cooked the green beans in foil packets on the grill as well!!! Easy peasy!!!!

Marinate

Place salmon in packet

Close it up.

Put on the grill until cooked!

Easy easy easy!!

Ginger Glazed Mahi Mahi

We had this for dinner tonight and it was so good and so easy to make that I had to share it with you ASAP.

This fish was sweet, spicy, and even a little tangy, and would be great served over rice and with grilled or roasted veggies. My husband licked his plate and said he wants it again soon. We baked it in the oven, but it would be just as delicious—if not better—grilled.

Ginger Glazed Mahi Mahi

adapted from Sunny Side Up in San Diego

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons honey or agave nectar
3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons red or white wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon ginger
Pinch of red pepper flakes (kick it up a notch with 1/2 teaspoon!)
3 cloves garlic, crushed or to taste
1 teaspoons olive oil
4 mahi mahi fillets (tilapia would be great, too)
salt and pepper to taste
sliced scallions (optional for garnish)

Directions:
In a shallow glass dish, stir together first seven ingredients. (If the honey is too thick, heat mixture in microwave for about 20 seconds). Season fish fillets with salt and pepper, and place them into the dish. If the fillets have skin on them, place them skin side down. Cover, and refrigerate for 30 minutes to marinate. If fillets don't have skin, flip fillets and continue marinating after 15 minutes.

After marinating, pour the marinade into a small pot and bring to a boil on medium heat. (Keep an eye on it that it doesn't boil over quickly.) Turn down to a simmer and let it thicken while you grill/bake the fish.

Grill the Mahi Mahi for 4 minutes on each side or bake at 400 degrees for around 10 minutes are until flaky and done.

Serve by pouring the glaze over the fish and sprinkling with scallions. 

Fish "Tacos"

My husband and I have been on the South Beach diet for about 2 weeks now. The first 2 weeks eliminates all grains and fruit, needless to says it's been hard. Also the food has become rather monotonous. Most dinner's consist of a protein and a mound of veggies. Not that it's tasted bad but it's BORING. Which is where these fabulous fish "tacos" come into to play. I certainly can't have tortillas (corn or flour) so I substituted the tortilla with lettuce. I wasn't too optimistic about this but I couldn't stand one more night of grilled fish and a mound of green beans. To my surprise they turned out amazing! I would eat these even if I could eat carbs. SO GOOD! Give these messy (you'll need a few napkins) "tacos" a chance. You'll be a believer.

Fish "Tacos"

Ingredients:
5-8 Fillets white flaky fish (I used Dover)
Cilantro- 1/2 a bunch roughly chopped
Garlic- 2 Tbsp
Onion Powder- enough to season each fillet
Seasoned Salt- To taste
Tequila- 4 Tbsp
Lime juice (2-3 small limes)
Sugar 1 tsp or substitute (I used 1 pkg Truvia)
Olive Oil- Start with a 1/4 cup + more for fish
Diced Tomatoes- 1 15 oz can rinsed and drained
Black Beans- 1 15 oz can rinsed and drained

Directions:
Season each fillet with Olive oil, Onion powder, Seasoned salt, and lime juice. Grill or pan sear each fillet. Set aside. In a small bowl whisk together the juice of two limes, tequila, garlic, 1/2 of chopped cilantro, olive oil and sugar (add more oil and sugar to taste). Set aside. Add 1/4 cup of the vinegarette to a pan over medium heat. Once heated through add rinsed tomatoes and black beans. Once cooked through add another 1/4 cup of vinegarette and flake the fish into the pan. Cook for 5 minutes or until heated through. Spoon the mixture into rinsed romaine leaves and top with reserved cilantro. Enjoy!

Sweet Chili Tilapia

In our household, we enjoy eating fish at least twice a week for dinner. The problem with having it that often is that white fish can sometimes taste boring if it's not seasoned well. And we all know that boring food leads to dinner ruts, which leads to scrapping the fish idea and just eating out instead. So we have to get creative with what we put on our fish.

Enter Sweet Chile Sauce (found near the soy sauce in most supermarkets). We LOVE this stuff and put it on everything from fish and poultry, to rice and pasta, so expect to see more of it in the future. It has the perfect amount of zestiness to sweetness and enhances food so well. For this particular recipe, I use a 1-1-1/2 ratio. For every tablespoon of sweet chili sauce, add the same amount of soy sauce, and half the amount of Worcestershire.

Sweet Chili Tilapia

serves 4

Ingredients:
4 tilapia fillets, thawed (can use any white fish)
4 tablespoons sweet chili sauce
4 tablespoons soy sauce (low sodium, if possible)
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
garlic powder (to taste)

Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Mix wet ingredients together in a small bowl. In a shallow baking dish, lay fish out evenly, without touching. Sprinkle desired amount of garlic poweder over fish. Pour chili mixture over fish; marinate for about 10 minutes. Flip and marinate other side for another 10 minutes. Bake for 10-15 minutes until fish is white and flaky. Serve and pour excess sauce over fish. Enjoy!

Shrimp and Grits

I'll be the first one to admit that the very thought of eating shrimp and grits had me gritting my teeth. Not only does it not sound appetizing (grits reminded me of oatmeal or poridge, and why would I want to eat that as a savory meal?), but it sure doesn't look all that great when it's served to you. School cafeteria mush anyone? I had a teeny taste of grits for the first time at Cracker Barrel and vowed to never try them again. I swear it tasted like cardboard, even with two pads of butter melted in it. Simply put, it was bland, and I don't like bland.

But then I tried cheese grits and everything changed. I discovered there are grits (the kind that tastes like sand and cardboard) and then there are grits (the kind that is so savory and creamy you wish it was never ending). Shrimp and grits, however, is a whole other level of just deliciousness.

This summer, my best friend flew in from New Mexico to hang out in Georgia for a few days, and while she was here we hung out in Savannah. If you're ever in Savannah, there's this nifty kitchen store called Kitchens on the Square, and the best part is that they host cooking classes! We took a class and besides making the following recipe, we also made southern classics like Tomato Sandwiches, Buttermilk Dill Cole Slaw, and Stuffed Banana Cakes. The shrimp and grits were fantastic and I told myself I'd remake them someday for my husband. Well, that day was yesterday.

I served them along with these collard greens, and he loved it so much that he described the meal, through a mouth full of grits, as "so freaking good." Grits don't have to be boring and flavorless. Just make this recipe and see for yourself!

Shrimp and Grits

adapted from Kitchens on the Square

Ingredients:
1/2 cup diced bacon (about 5-7 slices)
2 tablspoons unsalted butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablspoons fresh chives, roughly minced
1 cup quick cooking grits *see notes for using stone-ground (not instant) grits
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup heavy cream (can use whatever type of milk you have on hand)
salt and pepper to taste
shrimp, peeled, and deveined (desired amount)
1 cup goat cheese (or whatever cheese you would like—we had cheddar, so that's what we used)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. In a medium sauce pot, cook bacon until crisp. Add butter, garlic, and chives; saute another 2-3 minutes. Add grits and stir to coat with bacon fat (should look like bread crumbs). Stir in chicken broth, wine, and cream.

3. **Bring mixture to a simmer, stirring constantly. Continue to stir until grits have thickened, 5-8 minutes.

4.Season with salt and pepper; transfer to baking dish.

5. Scatter shrimp evenly over grits; crumble/sprinkle cheese over shrimp. Bake in oven for about 10 minutes or until shrimp are pink and cheese is melted.

*When using stone-ground grits: increase the following: 2 1/2 cups chicken broth, 3/4 cup white wine, 3/4 cup cream
**When using stone-ground grits: Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat to medium, cover and cook for about 20-30 minutes, stirring often. Continue with step 4.

Fish in a Garden

Fish in a Garden doesn't sound like something anyone would want to eat. I know when I first heard of it I refused to go anywhere near it. It was a dish my dad always ordered at our favorite Chinese restaurant. When I realized it was basically a fish stir fry I wasn't freaked out anymore. I had a fridge stocked with veggies and figured this would be the best time to try out my version of Fish in a Garden. It's very easy and super good!

Fish in a Garden

Ingredients:
1/2 yellow onion- small diced
2 cups broccoli
1 bunch of spinach
1 1/2 cups sliced mushrooms
10-15 spears of asparagus
1 bag frozen stir fry vegetables
2 fillets of white fish (I used Basa)
2 tsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp oregano
1 tsp garlic
1 Tbsp sesame oil
Brown Rice

Directions:
Marinate fish in 1 tsp lemon juice, garlic salt, parsley, and 2 tsp sesame oil. Caramelize onion in 1/2 Tbsp butter and 1/2 Tbsp olive oil. While the onion is cooking blanch the vegetables, except spinach, and transfer them to an ice bath to stop the cooking. Add mushrooms to skillet and season with salt, oregano and garlic. Add in 1/4 cup of water. Add water or chicken stock throughout as needed. Reduce heat to low. Cook until mushrooms are soft. Add soy sauce and asparagus. Let cook for 2 minutes. Place fish with marinade in the middle of the pan in between the asparagus. When the fish is almost cooked cut into bite sized pieces. Add all the other veggies except the spinach. Stir in sesame oil. When the veggies are heated through add spinach and let cook until just wilted. Serve over cooked brown rice and top with pan sauce.

Mango Avocado Salsa

I made this recipe for the first time two weeks after I got married. I wanted tilapia for dinner (it's healthy) and my husband wanted something that didn't taste like tilapia, so he found this recipe and asked if I'd make it. Up until that point I had never tasted a "salsa" that included fruit as its main ingredient. Tomatoes, yes; mangos and avocados, heck no.

But let me tell you, it was love at first bite and we've made this countless times since. This salsa is creamy, crunch, spicy, sweet, and just a tad bit addicting—fair warning. Cook your tilpia with just a touch of seasoning (we like a dusting of lemon/garlic seasoning) and then pile the salsa on top. And if you have any salsa left over, just go ahead and eat it with a spoon! 

 Mango Avocado Salsa

Ingredients: 
1 cup avocado, cut in small chunks 
1 cup mango, cut in small chunks 
4 tablespoons chopped green onion
1 roma tomato
5 "deli" jalapenos diced (omit/tweak to taste)
2 tablespoon lemon juice
1 1/2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Pinch of Paprika
Pinch of salt and pepper

Directions:
In a small bowl, mix together all ingredients. Cover and leave in fridge for at least 30 minutes, so the flavors can all mingle together.

Sweet, Spicy, and Citrus Tilapia

I love tilipia. It's low in calories and fat and high in all of those good omega 3 fatty acids. But here's the thing with tilapia: it's boring if not properly seasoned. We're all for healthy eating over here, but it has to be flavorful. So when I saw this recipe in the August issue of Cooking Light I knew we had to try it. Well low and behold, it's now one of our favorite meals!

This is perfect for one of those nights when you really don't know what you want to have for dinner. As long as you have orange juice on hand you can whip this up in no time. Not a fan of spice? Cut back on the red pepper flakes just a bit. It's really the perfect combination of flavors. 

Sweet, Spicy, and Citrus Tilapia 

adapted from Cooking Light magazine

Ingredients

4  (6-ounce) tilapia fillets
Cooking spray
1/2  cup  fresh orange juice (about 1 orange)
3  tablespoons  fresh lime or lemon juice (I've used bottled juice before, too)
1  tablespoon  brown sugar
1/2  tablespoon  extra-virgin olive oil
2  teaspoons  lower-sodium soy sauce
1/2  teaspoon  salt
1/2  teaspoon  ground cumin
1/4  teaspoon  black pepper
1/4  teaspoon  ground red pepper
2  garlic cloves, crushed
1/2  teaspoon  paprika

Preparation

1. Arrange fish in a single layer in a shallow roasting pan coated with cooking spray. Combine orange juice and the next 9 ingredients (through garlic); pour over fish. Let stand 15 minutes.
2. Preheat broiler.
3. Sprinkle fish with paprika; broil 10-15 minutes or until desired degree of doneness. Drizzle sauce over fish.
Serve with rice or potatoes and a veggie! Enjoy. 

Citrus and Herb Salmon

I went back and forth all day trying to figure out what my first post should be. From muffins to soup to pasta. Then I decided I'll post whatever I decide to make for dinner. This just happens to be a household favorite and quite bold, a fantastic combination! I’m always looking for ways to change the “usual” way of cooking something. Most prefer Salmon grilled. And while I’m not against grilling I wanted a new spin. In this dish every bit gets used up, with the drippings reduced into a smooth rich sauce. It goes great with steamed broccoli, I wish I had some on hand tonight!

4 Tbsp Olive Oil

½ White Onion minced

5 cloves of garlic minced

2 salmon fillets

2 tsp dried parsley

3 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp dried rosemary

2 chopped green onions

1 medium lemon- thinly sliced and seeded

For Pan Sauce:

½ cup dry white wine (such as Pinot Grigio)

1 Tbsp olive oil

1/3 cup low fat sour cream

¼ cup Grated Parmesan Cheese

Salt and Pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over low to medium heat. Add onion and garlic, cook until translucent. Turn heat to medium and place salmon in skillet skin side down. The skin will easily peel off after the fish is cooked. Season fish with parsley, oregano, rosemary and green onions. Add salt, and pepper to taste. Place lemon slices on fillets and scatter the remaining in the skillet. Cook 4 minutes on each side, turning once. It should be firm with some give to it, not squishy. Once the salmon is cooked take out of the pan and place it in foil to keep warm. Turn heat to high and remove any really burnt bits and lemon slices. Pour in wine and scrape the bottom of the skillet. Bring to a boil. Stir in sour cream and parmesan. Once incorporated add 1 Tbsp olive oil and turn off heat. I like this Salmon served over rigatoni (I love Dreamfields) or with roasted new potatoes. Poor the sauce over the fish or the pasta or both! YUM!! And if you're like me you'll steam a couple pieces for the dog too :)