Blackened Mahi Mahi with Mango Salsa

It's been a long time since we have posted to the blog - I guess we'll chalk that up to the busy days of summer....and the fact that we've been doing a long of grilling/salads to prevent heating up the house!  Although we have been using spices and lettuce from our garden for quite a while, we are eagerly awaiting the arrival of tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplants, and peppers....and can't wait to
use them in new recipes.

As with many recipes/foods....this recipe is more than just tasty...it has the ability to transport us to some of our happiest days....our honeymoon in Tortola (BVI).  While we were on Tortola, we ate LOTS of fresh fish, including Mahi with mango salsa.  We recently revisited these memories when we took our dad out to a Caribbean inspired fish restaurant for Father's Day, but, until now, had never tried to recreate the dish at home.  I'm happy to say it turned out wonderfully, and we will definitely be making it again!

Blackened Seasoning 

1 tablespoon paprika

4 teaspoons dried thyme

2 teaspoons onion powder

2 teaspoons garlic powder

1 tablespoon white sugar

2 teaspoons salt

1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

3/4 teaspoon ground cumin

In a small jar with a lid, combine the paprika, thyme, onion powder, garlic powder, sugar, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, oregano, and cumin. Seal securely and shake to blend. Store in a cool dry place. Shake jar before each use.

If you would rather, you can buy Blackened Seasoning - we recommend Zataran's.  We decided to make our own from some of our favorite McCormick spices.

Mango Salsa

1 1/2 mangoes, peeled and diced
1/2 cup peeled, diced cucumber
1 tablespoon finely chopped jalapeno
1/3 cup diced red onion

2 kiwis, peeled and diced

1/2 large red bell pepper diced
1 tablespoon lime juice
1/3 cup roughly chopped cilantro leaves
Salt and pepper to tastes

Combine all mangoes, cucumber, jalepeno, onion, kiwi, red bell pepper, and cilantro in a bowl.  Toss with lime juice and add salt and pepper to taste.

Blackened Mahi Mahi

Rub fish generously on all sides with the blackened seasoning.  Let sit for 10-15 minutes.  Fish can be grilled on the BBQ, cooked on a grill man inside, or cooked in a frying pan.  It really depends on your preference and whether you want the entire fish to get truly "blackened" or are content with "blackened grill marks"

It was super hot outside, so we decided to cook the fish in our grill pan.  Heat the grill pan to medium high.  Don't forget to oil the grates with canola or vegetable oil.  Grill the fish for 4 minutes on the first side, then flip and grill for another 3 minutes.  Our pieces were rather thick and we didn't want them to burn or get dry.  So, we finished them off in our toaster oven for 3-4 minutes on bake (350 degrees).

Serve mango salsa on top of mahi mahi.

Asian Grilled Salmon

Salmon is an easy, quick, and healthy weeknight go-to in our house.  It's one of our favorite things to make in our grill pan, and now that it's finally grilling season again, we will likely be moving this recipe outside next time!  

Because we both love salmon (and really pretty much all fish), we are always looking for new recipes.  This one came about because I really wanted to have salad with ginger dressing for dinner and needed something to go with it. We served our fish on some organic jasmine rice, with the salad on the side.

Salmon Marinade Ingredients

1/4 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

2 tablespoons sesame oil

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 cloves garlic, pressed

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger*

1 tablespoon sesame seeds

4 green onions, thinly sliced (reserve 1 green onion for topping)

4 salmon filets

Honey Glaze Ingredients

2 tablespoons honey

1 teaspoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1/2 teaspoon Sriracha, (optional - we didn't use it)

1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger* 

1/2 teaspoon sesame seeds

(*Note: much better with fresh ginger, but you can use powdered if you don't have access to fresh)

Instructions

• To make the glaze, whisk together honey, soy sauce, sesame oil, Sriracha, ginger and sesame seeds in a small bowl; set aside.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together olive oil, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, sesame seeds and green onions.
• In a large Ziploc bag combine marinade and salmon filets; marinate for at least 30 minutes to overnight, turning the bag occasionally We did about 30 minutes and it was great.
• Heat a grill pan on medium low.  Cook the Salmon about 3 minutes on either side, or until fish flakes easily (cooking time depends on the thickness of the piece....our cooked about 7 minutes total).  You can also use a BBQ grill.
• When fish is done, brush with honey glaze
• Sprinkle with sesame seeds and green onions.

 Adapted from Damn Delicious

Apple and Sage Pork Chops

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons rubbed sage
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon paprika
4 boneless pork chops, about 1 inch thick (1 1/4 lbs)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
2 apples, thinly sliced

1/2 cup apple juice or 1/2 cup cider  (more if you want more sauce)
1 tablespoon brown sugar

Directions:

Mix flour, all of the spices and salt (if using) in small bowl. Sprinkle both sides of pork chops with 1 tablespoon of the seasoned flour.

Cook pork chops in hot oil in large skillet on medium-high heat until browned on both sides. Remove from skillet.

Add onion to skillet; cook and stir 3 minutes or until tender.

Add apples; cook and stir 2 minutes.

Stir in juice or cider, sugar and remaining seasoned flour until well mixed.

Return pork chops to skillet.

Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 5 minutes or until desired doneness.

Source: McCormick and Company 
http://www.mccormick.com/Recipes/Main-Dishes/Recipe-Inspirations-Apple-and-Sage-Pork-Chops

Greek Orzo Salad with Red Wine Vinaigrette

We planted our garden several weeks ago, and this year we made an effort to include lots of herbs to use in our cooking.  When I was watering the garden yesterday, I noticed how amazing the purple basil and mint looked and tried to think up a way to use them in our dinner.  Fast forward a few minutes and, I had retrieved mint, purple basil, italian basil, swiss chard, and chives from our garden and was searching through the pantry and fridge to figure out what to do with them!   Once I found some orzo, it was a match made in tastebud heaven.

We served the orzo salad with grilled chicken tenders on top to add some protein and cut down on the amount of pasta we were eating.  Adding garbanzo beans to the salad is a vegetarian option for adding protein.
 

 Orzo Salad

• 1 cup orzo pasta (about 1/2 a box)
• 1 1/2 cups grape tomatoes or grape tomatoes, halved
• 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
• 1/2 cup chopped spinach (we used swiss chard)
• 1 Tbsp capers 
• 1 Tbsp of finely chopped chives
• 3 Tbsp crumbled feta cheese (optional)
• 3-4 Tbsp red wine vinaigrette (adjust the quantity to your taste; we used the recipe below)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper (to taste)

Red Wine Vinaigrette:
(makes about 1 cup)

• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 Tbs honey
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
 

 

Cook 1 cup orzo as directed on package (add orzo to 3qts water and 2 tsp salt; boil for 10 minutes). While orzo is cooking, chop tomatoes, spinach, and herbs, and place them in a bowl.   Make vinaigrette as directed (recipe above makes WAY more than you need for this salad).

Once orzo is done, drain and allow to cool to room temperature, toss in bowl with tomatoes, spinach, and herbs. Add dressing and toss until coated.

We served it with grilled lemon garlic chicken tenders with a little feta on top.   It's a perfect side dish for a BBQ....or even as a meal.

Recipe based on:  Giada De Laurentis' Orzo Salad recipe

Carnitas for Cinco de Mayo.....Better late then never!

Carnitas are by far one of our favorites to order in Mexican restaurants.  However, our tries at duplicating them at home have always been less than stellar....and not worth repeating.    When I came across this recipe from Cook's Country (the cousin show to America's Test Kitchen),  I thought we might as well give it a try.   So, I stocked it away until Cinco de Mayo came around.

I doubted whether the meat would be tender or flavorful, but it was both of those things, and much more.  Mr. S, commented that it was better than a restaurant!  I guess we have a new tried a true carnitas recipe.  It may be 10 days after Cinco de Mayo, but these carnitas are worth the weight!

Ingredients:

• 4 pounds boneless pork shoulder, cut into 2" cubes
• 1½ tsp. salt
• ¾ tsp. black pepper
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 1 onion, peeled and halved
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 2 tbsp. fresh lime juice
• 2 cups water
• 1 medium orange, juiced plus the juiced halves.

Directions:

1. Adjust oven rack to middle lower position and preheat oven to 300 degrees.
2. Combine all the ingredients in a large Dutch oven and bring mixture to a simmer over medium-high heat, uncovered.
3. Once the mixture has come to a simmer, cover and place in oven and cook for 2 hours, or until the pork falls apart when prodded with a fork.
4. Remove the pot from oven when done cooking, turn the oven to broil.
5. Line a jelly roll pan with aluminum foil. With a slotted spoon, scoop out the pork and place it on the foil lined pan. Discard everything in the Dutch oven except for the liquid.
6. Place the Dutch oven on the stove over high heat and boil until liquid is thick and syrupy, about 20 minutes. I noticed that it won't look thick and syrupy until you take it off the heat. So after 20 minutes, remove from heat, and you should see that your liquid has nicely thickened up.
7. While the mixture is thickening, use two forks to shred the pork. When the mixture has finished thickening, place pork back into pot and gently toss pork in the liquid trying not to break up the pork even more.
8. Place the pork back on the lined baking pan and place in the oven under the broiler for 5-8 minutes, then flip the pork and let brown on the other side for another 5-8 minutes. (Watch it carefully so it doesn't burn)
9. Serve immediately!  We served our in tortillas (corn and wheat are our favorite) with shredded lettuce, tomatoes, fresh corn, guacamole, salsa, queso fresco, and cilantro!  We made a black bean, corn, and avocado salad on the side.

1. 
   
   
   
    Don't forget your margaritas!

Source:  Cooks Country

Super Green and Hot Sausage Celletani

Everywhere you look, there is another article about the health benefits of the superfood KALE!  Lately, we've been trying to incorporate it into things we try in the kitchen.  We have bought super greens (that include kale, spinach, swiss chard) for salad, included tons of kale in beef stew, and last night, adapted a tasty pasta recipe (from Simply Scratch).  It was really tasty, and way healthier than a bowl of regular pasta and sauce.  This morning, Mr. S, who is not usually a fan of leftovers, requested a repeat for dinner.....that's definitely my gauge of this dish's tastiness :)

Ingredients:

8 ounces cavatappi, celletani, or other twisty pasta
salt for pasta water
1 cup of halved Grape Tomatoes (if desired)
Olive Oil
3 to 4 Hot Italian Turkey or Pork Sausage links
4 to 5 Garlic Cloves, minced
1 {14.5 ounce} can of diced Fire Roasted Tomatoes
1 14.5 ounce can of Don Pepino  (Or a second can of fire roasted tomatoes and fresh basil)
3/4 teaspoon of Kosher Salt, more or less to taste
1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper, more or less to taste
4 or 5 handfuls of Baby Kale or Baby Spinach  (more if you want!)
Parmesan Cheese Shavings, for garnish

Directions:

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil.

Pulse the can(s) of fire roasted diced tomatoes (or don Pepino's) and its juices in a food processor.

If you want to add "blistered" tomatoes:  Add a tablespoon of olive oil to a skillet, once hot add in the halved grape tomatoes and cook for two minutes. Flip and continue to cook for 2-3 more minutes until blistered and slightly caramelized. Put in a bowl and set aside

In the same skillet on medium-high add another splash of olive oil and sear the Italian Sausage on all sides. Remove and let cool a bit.  Slice the sausages into pieces (you will notice that the inside of the sausage is raw).

Reduce the heat to medium and minced garlic and sauté until the garlic is soft and fragrant. Add the pulsed tomatoes, 2 tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese, the sliced Italian sausages and cook for 10-15 minutes until the sauce thickens and the sausages are cooked through. Add water if necessary to get the sauce to your desired consistency.

At this time, season the boiling water with a half tablespoon of sea salt and then drop in the 8 ounces of fettuccine noodles, cook as the package directs. Drain the pasta.

Season with tomato sauce with kosher salt and black pepper, add the handfuls of kale and top that with the drained pasta noodles. Toss until the kale is slightly wilted (we used a combination of kale and super greens since I couldn't find baby kale).  Toss in the blistered tomatoes if desired.

Serve with shavings of Parmesan cheese.

Fantastic French Toast

I've tried a lot of french toast recipes over the years, but this one, adapted from the food network's Alton Brown (with a few tweaks), is by far the best I've ever had - and Mr. S agrees!

Although you can use any kind of bread, a loaf of Italian bread is my favorite (a couple days old!).  I think the other secret is the orange zest.  I decided out of the blue to put it in one day, and it makes all the difference.

French Toast

1 cup fat free half-and-half
3 large eggs
2 tablespoons honey, warmed in microwave for 20 seconds
1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon McCormick Saigon cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla

zest of 1/2 an orange

6-8 (3/4-inch) slices challah bread (or brioche, french, etc)

1 Tablespoon butter (for pan frying)

Preheat oven to 375.  Line a baking sheet with foil and place a backing rack on top. 

Whisk together the half-and-half, eggs, honey, cinnamon, salt, cinnamon, orange zest, and vanilla.  Put mixture in a deep baking dish.   Dip bread into mixture, allow to soak for 1-2 minutes on each side.  Then put them on the cooling rack and allow to sit for 1-2 minutes.

Over medium-low heat, melt one teaspoon (more if desired) of butter in a nonstick skillet. Place bread in pan and cook approximately 2 - 3 minutes per side (until lightly browned).   Repeat for all pieces of bread. (NOTE: french toast should still be wet and not fully cooked). Once all pieces have been browned in the skillet and removed to the rack, place on rack in oven for 5 minutes.  Serve immediately with maple syrup, whipped cream or fruit.