ahi tuna with grilled pineapple salsa

This meal is a crowd pleaser! I have made this for friends who are picky about fish and for large groups -and everyone loves it. The best part is that it can almost completely be made in advance, from the orange juice glaze to the salsa. Just grill the fish right before serving. This is excellent with a simple salad and yellow rice with black beans. Super healthy and super filling.

Oh, and in case you were wondering, ahi is rich in Omega-3 fatty acids, B vitamins, folic acid and more. Your heart, body and mouth will be happy!

Ahi Tuna with Grilled Pineapple Salsa

• 1 cup fresh orange juice
• 2 tablespoons lower-sodium soy sauce
• 1/2 pineapple, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2-inch-thick rings
• 1 medium red onion, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
• 4 (6-ounce) very fresh, sushi-grade ahi tuna steaks
• Canola oil
• Salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
• Juice of one lime
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
• Extra basil or mint for garnish

1. Prepare grill to medium-high heat. On the stovetop, boil orange juice in a small saucepan 15 minutes or until reduced to 1/4 cup. Transfer to a small bowl; stir in soy sauce.
2. Place pineapple and onion on a grill rack coated with cooking spray.* Grill five minutes on each side or until the onion is tender and just starting to char. Remove from grill; let stand five minutes. Coarsely chop, and transfer to a bowl.
3. Brush both sides of fish evenly with 1 tbsp. oil; sprinkle evenly with desired salt and pepper. Place fish on a grill rack coated with cooking spray; brush with half of juice mixture. Grill three minutes; turn fish over. Brush fish with remaining juice mixture; grill three minutes or until desired degree of doneness (rare is recommended).
4. Add basil, and next three ingredients (through jalapeno) to pineapple mixture; toss. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with fish; garnish with mint sprigs, if desired.

*The pineapple and onion can be charred in a frying pan indoors, as well. (I did this when it was raining outside!) Start with the pineapple and grill in batches on a dry pan over medium-high heat, turning every few minutes when the exteriors are dark and the insides are juicy. When the pineapple is grilled (as shown below), add a drizzle of canola to the pan along with the red onion, in batches if needed. When the onion is beginning to char on the edges, it's done.

carrot cake muffins for breakfast (or anytime)

Ok, so with a name like Carrot Cake Muffins, I bet you're thinking that these are super unhealthy, right? Think again. These orange-crowned little beauties are stuffed with whole wheat flour, flax, walnuts, shredded carrots and crushed pineapple, cinnamon and heart-healthy canola oil. It really is a breakfast of champions, especially because it's not too sweet. A good source of fiber, healthy fats and antioxidants, I topped mine with a dollop of my sister-in-law's homemade fig jam. Delish.

Carrot Cake Muffins
Makes 12
I think I might have made these up ... or it's a recipe that I modified a long time ago.

Ingredients

• 3/4 c all-purpose flour
• 1/2 c whole-wheat pastry flour
• 2/3 c dark brown sugar
• 2-3 tbsp ground flax seed
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp fine salt
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 c canola oil
• 1 tbsp vanilla
• 4-5 medium carrots, shredded (2 cups)
• 8 oz can crushed pineapple in its own juice, drained

1. Preheat oven to 350*. Line 12 muffin tins with liners.
2. Whisk flours, brown sugar, flax, cinnamon, baking powder and soda, and salt in a large bowl. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, oil and vanilla. Quickly and lightly fold the wet ingredients into the dry with a rubber spatula. (The batter will be very thick and will seem dry at this point.) Fold in carrots, pineapple and walnuts. (The batter will become wetter at this point, but will still be thick.) Add to muffin tins.
3. Bake 25-30 minutes and remove from tin after 10 minutes out of the oven.

Need other healthy baked good ideas? Try these:

• Healthy, tasty banana bread
• Hearty cinnamon-raisin bread
• Whole-grain banana-coconut muffins that even coconut haters love
• The best zucchini bread in the world (seriously ... )
• Ugly little energy bars

the best zucchini bread in the world (seriously ... )

I have made this zucchini-pineapple quick bread at least 20 times. It's hands down my favorite healthy yet tender, sweet but not too sweet, filling breakfast – especially with a cup of hot coffee – or midday snack. The best part about it is that it keeps well in the fridge for about a week, and the second loaf freezes perfectly ... not that it ever lasts long there. The other good part about it is that it's a quick bread, which means there's no kneading, rolling, or general waiting/patience involved. My kind of bread.

This weekend my mom is coming in from out of town for a quick overnight trip and I wanted something yummy for breakfast while she's here. Zucchini bread to the rescue! I made it last weekend, and though it's only Tuesday, we've almost killed a whole loaf. We'll pull out the second loaf Friday night and have it ready for Saturday morning, lickity-split (just don't tell the hubs it's there ... ). Definitely mom-worthy. Here's how you make it:

Zucchini-pineapple Quick Bread (adapted from Cooking Light)

•  3 cups sifted all-purpose flour (I use 1 1/2c whole-wheat pastry flour)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 4  large eggs
• 2  cups sugar
• 2  cups grated zucchini (about 1 1/2 medium zucchini - yay, food processor play time!)
• 2/3  cup canola oil (heart healthy!)
• 2  teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2  (8-ounce) cans crushed pineapple in 100% juice, drained

1. Preheat oven to 325°.
2. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Combine flour, salt, and next three ingredients (through ground cinnamon) in a large bowl, stirring well with a whisk.
3. Beat eggs with a mixer at medium speed until foamy. Add sugar, zucchini, oil and vanilla, beating until well blended. Add zucchini mixture to flour mixture, stirring just until moist. Fold in pineapple. 
4. Spoon batter into two (9 x 5–inch) loaf pans coated with baking spray. Bake at 325° for one hour to one hour and 15 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pans on a wire rack; turn out from pans. Cool completely on wire rack.

Don't say I didn't warn you.

One last thing: here's a photo of this week's organic produce box. :)