Blackened Fish with Garlic Lime Butter

You can use any fish with this recipe, but I used Mahi Mahi, and it was delicious. Tilapia would be a good, cost effective option as well.

Cheesy Factor (1 no cheese, 10 all cheese): 1
Time Factor (1 shortest, 10 longest): 3
Dummy Factor (1 easiest, 10 hardest): 3
Servings made: 2

Blackened Fish with Garlic Lime Butter
1 Tbsp paprika
1/2 Tbsp salt
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp cayenne
3/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp dried thyme or dried oregano
2 Tbsp butter, softened to room temperature
2 Tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 tsp lime zest
juice from 1 lime
1 Tbsp canola oil
2 Mahi Mahi/Tilapia/fish fillets

Combine paprika, salt, onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne, black pepper, and dried thyme in a small bowl and mix together. This is your blackening spice. In a separate small bowl, combine butter, cilantro, garlic, lime zest, lime juice and mix well until blended. Set aside. Rub fish fillets all over with the blackening spice. Heat canola oil in a large skillet or pan over high heat (yes, high). Wen the oil in the pan lightly smokes, add the fish to pan and do not move or touch for 4-5 minutes, until the spice rub on the cooked side becomes dark and crusty. Then, flip fish over and cook an additional 2-3 minutes, until fish flakes easily (or desired doneness). Remove from heat and transfer fish to serving plates and immediately top with a dollop of the garlic lime butter.

You obviously don't have to use the lime butter, but I highly recommend it. I actually want to eat it with a spoon. Or on everything I make. It's delicious. Oh, and it doesn't matter whether you have skin on your fish or not. If you do, just make sure you are cooking the flesh side first, then finish with the skin side down.

Roasted Brussel Sprouts

I remember thinking when I was little that brussel sprouts were gross. I don't even think that I had even tried them. Guess what? They aren't gross at all! They are delicious!

Cheesy Factor (1 no cheese, 10 all cheese): 1
Dummy Factor (1 easiest, 10 hardest): 1
Time Factor (1 shortest, 10 longest): 2
Servings made: 2-4

Roasted Brussel Sprouts
Olive oil
Salt and Pepper
12-14 small brussel sprouts, end cut off, and halved (quartered if using larger sprouts)

Preheat oven to 450 deg. In a mixing bowl, add sprouts (including any leaves that made have come unattached, but excluding stem ends cut off), drizzle with olive oil, and season heavily with salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Spread sprouts out in even layer on baking sheet and cook in oven for 12 minutes.


Yup, that's it. And the burnt crispy leaves that fall off? Those are the best part!!! Or at least my favorite part anyway.

Roasted Zucchini with Ricotta

Baby update: just started our third trimester! Woohoo! I'm feeling large and in-charge! Knock on wood, everything has been going great so far and let's hope that the next 3 months continue on that path. The little guy is stirring up a storm in my giant belly. I swear he's dancing or kick-boxing in there, but it doesn't hurt. Most of the time.

I have a new found love for food. Yes, I have always been a foodie and loved food more than anything, however, now I REALLY love food. My senses are heightened and everything sounds, smells, and tastes so good. It has definitely renewed my passion for cooking, which has been great!

This recipe is from Food and Wine. I have their 2011 cookbook, and this recipe has a picture (below), which is how it caught my eye. It's very simple, and the ricotta cheese is such a nice refreshing component to a veggie dish with a little heat to it! Enjoy!

Cheesy Factor (1 no cheese, 10 all cheese): 5
Dummy Factor (1 easiest, 10 hardest): 1
Time Factor (1 shortest, 10 longest): 3
Servings made: 4

Roasted Zucchini with Ricotta
4 medium zucchini, cut into 1/2 inch dice
1 Tbl olive oil (EVOO), plus a little for drizzling
Salt and Pepper
1 tsp crushed red pepper
1/2 tsp cumin seeds (or ground cumin if that's all you have)
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
Fresh ricotta cheese (non-fat, part skim, whole....your choice), for serving

Preheat oven to 450 deg. In a bowl, add zucchini, olive oil, and toss to coat. Spread out zucchini on a baking sheet, and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 18 minutes (should get slightly browned along the edges). After 18 minutes, pull-out of oven and sprinkle with red pepper, cumin, and fennel seeds (you may not need to use all the seasoning mix made, so eye-ball it). Put back into oven and roast until fragrant, about 2 more minutes. Remove from oven, toss with lemon juice, and season with salt. Drizzle with olive oil (if needed), and dollop with ricotta cheese to serve.


No real hints on this, as it's pretty straightforward. Other than, you more than likely will not use the entire seasoning mix that you made, and if you do, your mouth will be on fire.

Oh, in case you were curious, Food and Wine recommends pairing this with a "minerally complex Sauvignon Blanc".

Tzatziki Sauce

This is another easy condiment to make yourself. I think it has many other variations (yogurt sauce, cucumber sauce, etc.) And it's light and refreshing. I, of course, served it with chicken kabobs, but not before I was dipping carrots in it while cooking!

Cheesy Factor (1 no cheese, 10 all cheese): 0
Time Factor (1 shortest, 10 longest): 1
Dummy Factor (1 easiest, 10 hardest): 1
Servings: 10-12

Tzatziki Sauce
8 oz plain yogurt
2 Tbl olive oil
1 Tbl lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 Tbl fresh dill, chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, pressed

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and blend well. Voila!

Notes:
- I didn't have 8 oz of yogurt on hand, I only had one of those individual yogurt servings, which is 6 ounces, so I used that and just didn't quite add the full amount of everything else, and it was delicious.
- If you don't have a garlic press, simply mince garlic fine, then sprinkle with a little salt, and using the flat portion of your knife, grind and smear the the garlic into a paste on your cutting board. Works just as good.

Greek Dressing

I am always looking for a good Greek dressing recipe and I think I have found my favorite (and easiest, by the way). This is excellent on salads, or to use as a marinade or baste for chicken kabobs! I made chicken kabobs last night and simply brushed a little of this bad boy on before putting them on the grill and they were so succulent and delicious.

Cheesy Factor (1 no cheese, 10 all cheese): 0
Time Factor (1 shortest, 10 longest): 1
Dummy Factor (1 easiest, 10 hardest): 1- yes, even you can do it!
Servings: a lot. 10? 12?

Greek Dressing
1/3 cup and 1 Tbl olive oil
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
3/4 tsp pepper
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp onion powder
3/4 tsp dijon mustard
1/2 cup and 2 tsp red wine vinegar

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl except vinegar. Then slowly whisk in vinegar. Store in tightly covered container at room temperature.

So easy!

Eating Healthy for Two: Anytime Burritos

This burrito is a cross between a burrito I had at Sancho's Tacos and Las Barcas....

My most recent culinary adventures include taking classes at the Laguna Culinary Arts school. They were awesome! One of the many useful things I learned there was the term "mise en place", which means, "everything in place". This basically translates to a style of cooking where you prep everything before actually cooking (measure and chop all of your onions, garlic, etc.).

Because this burrito has so many cooked ingredients, we are going to do it mise en place.

Cheesy Factor (1 no cheese, 10 all cheese): cheese optional
Time Factor (1 shortest, 10 longest): 4-5
Dummy Factor (1 easiest, 10 hardest): 4

Anytime Healthy Burrito
(per burrito ingredients)
1 burrito tortilla (whole wheat or multi-grain if possible)
4-6 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breast
baby spinach leaves, 2 handfuls, sauteed
1 slice vidalia or sweet onion, quartered, sauteed
2-3 mushrooms, sliced, sauteed
1-2 egg whites, scrambled
wild or brown rice mixture, cooked per instructions
pepper jack cheese (optional)
pico de gallo
avocado, sliced
butter
cumin
salt and pepper
green enchilada sauce (optional)
EVOO

Season your chicken with salt, pepper, and cumin. Drizzle olive oil in pan (until barely coated), and heat to medium on stove. Add chicken breast. Allow chicken to cook in pan until about 70% cooked through before turning over. Once you turn over, cook second side until cooked through. Remove chicken from pan and allow to sit on cutting board for 1-2 minutes, then chop into small pieces.

In separate pan, melt butter and saute onions and mushrooms. When about 75% done, add spinach and saute in same pan.

Cook rice as directed. Scramble egg whites.

Heat tortilla in microwave or on stove. Arrange burrito as follows: cheese, rice, spinach/onions/mushrooms, egg whites, chicken, and pico de gallo. Smear avocado along one side of burrito, then wrap it all up and serve with green sauce for dipping.


Such a yummy burrito! And although it sounds kind of bland at first, its actually really flavorful. And it is full of protein. Great for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Random thoughts of food and baby M

I know this is a cooking blog, but sometimes I like to ramble my thoughts out:

I have had some new local foodie discoveries I want to share:

1) Sit Stay Cafe on 11th St. in Huntington Beach http://sitstaycafehb.com/
This place is awesome. My husband, as well as other friends, have been raving about it for years (I think it used to be called Enchanted? or something like it), but I had my first experience this weekend. It's a quaint coffee shop a few blocks from our house with a neat little patio/sitting area, wi-fi, dog bowl of water, and, most importantly..... dunh dunh dunh.....jalapeno cream cheese. OMG I had a breakfast bagel sandwich to die for (bacon, egg, and cheese, with jalapeno cream cheese, on a toasted everything bagel). YUM!

2) Breakfast burritos at Sancho's Tacos on 6th St. and PCH in HB
My most recent pregnancy craving has been breakfast burritos, so I am on a mission to find the best. And I think I may have done just that: the Flaco Burrito: egg whites, sauteed spinach, onions, and mushrooms, artichoke hearts, avocado... and I added chicken breast and pepper jack cheese. It was succulent. Very large, but so good, that I found it very hard to stop eating after one half, which was huge. I recommend it with the green salsa. As Victoria Beckham says, it was "major".

Pregnancy stuff:
1) I have to brag because I feel so lucky, but I am having the best pregnancy so far. It's been so great! I have been so so lucky not to be sick or nauseous at all! Worst symptom in the beginning was just being tired, but once you realize you are going to be tired for the rest of your life, it's not so bad. My other symptoms are the weird ones no one talks about (probably because I don't think they are quite as common): nose bleeds, bleeding gums, round ligament pains....but other than that, just feeling awesome.

2) I have never really liked going to the doctor, but now it's actually fun. Each month we get a nice little update on how our little one is doing. Baby is over 16 weeks and counting, and the size of an avocado, although it already feels like the size of a melon. Heartbeat is great, and no problems so far!

3) I like being a designated driver. It's fun. I hate feeling left out, and this way, I still get to be a part of the partying. I have this over whelming desire to go dancing. I made James promise to take me dancing soon, if we can find a place that is bumpin' at 9pm, when my night time energy is peaking. I am really happy that, for the most part, I feel like my normal, social, party self, just sober version. Ha!

4) The bump is fun to show off now. I know, I know, I need to take some pics to share, and promise to do soon.

Last but not least, I can't wait to go to Michigan this weekend and see the fam! So excited. Except for the fact that I have spent my last couple of days at the beach in 75 degree sun, and now I am traveling, on purpose, to 35 degree grey. Oh well, we will make the most of it!

xoxo