fish tacos with mango-avocado salsa and goat cheese

This is such a simple, beautiful and delicious meal. The fresh avocado, mango and lime brighten up the sweet, mild roasted red pepper with a shock of rainbow color. The spicy sriracha is cooled by the creamy goat cheese and clean-tasting cilantro. This took less than 20 minutes to throw together and is true health food. Make this on a busy weeknight and skip the delivery pizza!

Fish Tacos with Mango-Avocado Salsa and Goat Cheese

Salsa

Makes enough for four to six tacos

• Two mangoes, chopped
• Two avocados, chopped
• 1/4 c red onion, finely chopped
• 1/4 c roasted red pepper, chopped
• Juice of one lime
• Handful fresh cilantro, chopped
• Salt and pepper

Fish tacos
Makes enough for about four tacos

• 1 lb. fresh fish, such as tuna
• Small corn tortillas
• Sriracha
• Fresh goat cheese, crumbled
• Salt and pepper

Cook the fish in a little olive oil over medium heat. Sprinkle with sriracha sauce, salt and pepper. While the fish cooks, stir together salsa. Remove fish from heat, slice it into strips, and distribute evenly in the tortillas. Top with salsa, goat cheese and more sriracha. Serve immediately.

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.

roast beef sandwiches with rosemary-garlic aioli

Just because something is simple doesn't mean it has to be boring. This is an easy dinner idea punched up with a flavorful condiment -  a rosemary-garlic aioli, which is just a mixture of mayonnaise and other flavors. Pair it with something green (we had a salad) and you have a dinner in under 10 minutes.

Sounds fancy, super easy. My kind of cooking.

Start with a really great bread (see whole-grain ciabatta, courtesy the Fresh Market bakery) and high-quality sliced meat and cheeses. We chose Italian roast beef (deli sliced) and creamy Havarti cheese.

Make the aioli: Mix a few dollops of mayonnaise with about a teaspoon of fresh-chopped rosemary, a turn of fresh-cracked pepper and one small garlic clove. If desired, you can also sprinkle in a little onion powder.

Assemble the sandwich with the meat and cheese and pop it under the broiler until toasty and bubbly. Smear with desired amount of aioli.

Top with lettuce, tomato slices and red onion. Enjoy.

garlic-ginger marinated chicken thighs

This super-fast recipe is a great tailgate food if you have a grill available. Start marinating the chicken in a zip-top bag the night before the game and throw the whole thing in a cooler on the way out the door. Practically instant lunch! Great with just about anything, this is a yummy and versatile marinade.

Also, for the record: the jury is still out on whether white meat is better for you than dark meat. The former has slightly less calories and fat (an ounce of boneless, skinless breast meat contains about 46 calories and one gram of fat, compared with roughly 50 calories and two grams of fat for an ounce of boneless, skinless thigh), but dark meat has more iron, zinc, riboflavin, thiamine, and B vitamins. No wonder I always reached for the drumsticks!

Garlic-Ginger Marinated Chicken Thighs

• 2 lbs bone-in chicken thighs, trimmed (or any dark-meat cut of chicken)
• 1 cup red onion, sliced
• 2 tbsp, minced garlic
• 2 tbsp, fresh chopped ginger
• 1/4 c soy sauce
• 1/4 orange juice
• Black pepper

Combine the above ingredients in a small bowl and then pour over chicken in a zip-top bag. Squish around to ensure even distribution and place in the fridge for one hour, or as long as overnight. Grill and serve!

basil chicken in coconut curry sauce

So, I believe I have mentioned several times (like here) how much my husband loves "spicy flakes" (the affectionate term we have given to crushed red pepper) and flaming-hot foods in general. This means that he loves nuclear Asian foods, like fresh Japanese wasabi (his soy sauce mixture is a deep green color and nearly smoking when he's done concocting his ratio) and stir fries, and Indian cuisine. When we visit our local Thai restaurant, he orders a seven on a scale of one to five and then he asks for red-hot chilies packed in oil on the side. We've even had the chef come out and check on him half way through the meal - partly out of sick curiosity and partly to make sure he was still breathing. For Christmas, we got three separate spice packs of all sizzling seasonings.

And then he married me. The medium salsa, the oh-my-lips-are-burning from mild wings, the level-two-Thai-food girl.

Now, don't get me wrong, I like the flavor that comes with warmish foods, but I also I like to  be able to taste other things going on in a dish. To me, heat should add a little something in the background, not overwhelm food. Which is exactly what this dish did. It was flavorful and interesting, while still providing a noticeable heat. Good stuff. And, it gave him the chance to use his spicy seasonings from Christmas. No matter what your preferred heat level, this one's a win.

Basil Chicken in Coconut Curry Sauce
(from Epicurious)

• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom (buyer beware: this bottle was almost $8 at Publix!)
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric (a kick-ass superfood!)
• 1 lb skinless, boneless chicken thighs (you can use breasts, but the thighs are more flavorful)
• 1 red onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1-2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and minced
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 14-oz can coconut milk
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 3 tbsp fresh basil leaves, chopped
• 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh ginger
• Lime wedges
• Hot cooked Jasmine rice
• Red pepper flakes

1. In a small bowl, mix together the salt, ground coriander, cumin, ground cloves, cinnamon, ground cardamom, black pepper, chili powder and turmeric. Set aside.
2. Rinse chicken, pat dry. Cut into one-inch pieces. Put into a bowl and sprinkle the spice mix over all the pieces. Coat well and let sit for two hours in the refrigerator.
3.  In a large skillet heat 1 tbsp oil on medium high heat. Add the onions and jalapeños and cook for three minutes. Add the garlic and cook for one minute more. Remove the onions, peppers and garlic from the pan and put into a medium sized bowl. Set aside. Use the same pan for the next step.
4. Add 1 tbsp oil to the skillet and heat on medium high heat. Add one half of the chicken pieces, spreading them out on the pan so they are not crowded. Brown for a few minutes on each side. When the chicken pieces are cooked through, and no pink remains, remove from pan, add to the bowl with the onions. Cook the second batch of chicken pieces the same way. Remove from pan, add to bowl with onions.
5. Add the coconut milk, minus a couple tablespoons, to the skillet and whisk to incorporate the bits left on the bottom of the pan. In a small bowl, mix the remaining coconut with the corn starch to help it dissolve. Add the dissolved corn starch mixture back to the skillet with the coconut milk. Cook on medium heat and stir till thick and bubbly. Mix in the Worcestershire sauce. Add chicken mixture and ginger. Cook two to four minutes more to cook through.   
6. Serve over rice with lime wedges and top with basil.

summer salads, part three: spinach and bacon salad with grilled peaches and homemade bleu cheese dressing

Bacon lovers, unite! Here's a salad that anyone will like (unless you're a bacon hater ... but I don't believe in those people). Salty from the bacon, sweet from the peaches, spicy from the red onion, creamy and tangy from the dressing - your whole mouth will be happy. And so will your belly.

The other neat part? Spinach is a true super food. It has twice the amount of iron as other leafy greens and it's a really great source of fiber, folate and a myriad of Vitamins, like A and K. But its superpowers really get amped up by the Vitamin C in the peaches which help the otherwise poorly absorbed iron absorb. And the fat in the bacon helps your body take in the vitamins.

Yep, you have the green light to eat bacon. And all is right with the world again ...

Spinach and Bacon Salad with Grilled Peaches and Homemade Bleu-Cheese Dressing

Ingredients

For the salad:

• 1/2 cup pecans
• 4 ripe peaches, pitted and quartered
• 2 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil
• 1/2 pound hickory-smoked bacon, roughly chopped
• 8 cups baby spinach
• 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced

For the dressing:

• 1/2 cup (4 ounces) crumbled Danish blue cheese
• 1/4 cup buttermilk
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1/4 teaspoon sugar
• Salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the pecans on a baking sheet and toast in the oven until golden and fragrant, 6 minutes; roughly chop.
2. Preheat a grill to medium-high heat on one side and medium heat on the other. Lightly brush the peaches with oil and grill over medium until nicely marked, about 4 minutes per side. Meanwhile, place a flat cast-iron skillet on the grill over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook until crisp; transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate.
3. Combine the spinach, red onion, grilled peaches, pecans and bacon in a large bowl.
4. Make the dressing: Mash the blue cheese with a fork in a bowl. Mix in the buttermilk, sour cream, sugar, and salt and pepper to taste. Toss with the salad just before serving.

Also check out: 

• Summer salads, part one: smoked turkey salad with cranberries and bleu cheese
• Summer salads, part two: grilled shrimp salads with basil-garlic dressing
• Summer salads, part four: loaded lentil salad with feta, walnuts and raspberry vinaigrette
• Summer salads, part five: thai chicken salad with peanut dressing
• Thai ginger-honey beef salad

carolina-style bbq and grilled romaine with blue cheese-bacon vinaigrette

 
I love BBQ sauce. Like for real love. But I like the mustardy, vinegar sauces. A little bit spicy, with the bold taste of the yellow mustard, the sharp tang of vinegar, and only a touch of sweetness. Finger-licking perfection. For this dinner, I needed to use up some Romaine from my organic produce box and found a Guy Fieri recipe that grilled it and topped it with a little bacon, red onion, and bleu cheese. Yes, please. So, that's what we had. Here's how you can make it, too.

Carolina-style BBQ Sauce

• 1/2 c yellow mustard
• 1/4 c apple-cider vinegar
• 1/4 c light brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tbsp. mustard powder (I skipped this because it's a little like horseradish, which I don't care for)
• 2 tsp. hot sauce
• 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• Kosher salt and pepper
• 2 tbsp. melted butter

Whisk above ingredients together. Season chicken (~8 chicken thighs or legs is a good number for this amount of sauce) with salt and pepper before slathering with sauce and cooking. Make sure to wrap the meat in foil for five to ten minutes before eating.

Grilled Romaine with Blue Cheese-bacon Vinaigrette (courtesy Guy Fieri, serves 6)

• 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 3/4 cup chopped red onion
• 1/2 pound bacon, chopped
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 3 heads romaine lettuce, cut in 1/2 lengthwise
• 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
• 2-3 tomatoes, diced
• Freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat the grill to high heat.
2. Heat one tablespoon of the olive oil in a saute pan over high heat. Add the onions and bacon and cook until the bacon is crispy. To the same pan add the balsamic vinegar and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and stir to combine. Remove from heat and set aside.
3. Brush the romaine lettuce with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil, place on the grill cut side down, and quickly sear.
4. Serve the lettuce, cut side up, and drizzle the balsamic dressing over the lettuce. Sprinkle with blue cheese and garnish with cracked black pepper.

cornmeal-fried fish with curry and veggies

My husband digs fishing – especially deep-sea fishing. And thanks to him (and our friends and family with boats who are kind enough to include him in their trips, for which he gladly repays them with gas money and beer), our freezer is stocked with fresh-caught, minimally processed, white, flaky fish. It doesn't get better than that.

Tonight was a fish night. Said hubs was craving sushi from our local joint, and in an effort to save money and to one-up dinner from a nutrition standpoint, I made another Mark Bittman recipe, slightly modified to save time since it is a weeknight. Let's just say we weren't thinking about sushi after one bite.

Dredged in flour, cornmeal and curry, this pan-fried sheepshead was paired with sauteed snow peas and red onion, and a simple steamed side of zucchini and squash. Quite the tasty and healthy meal. Give it a whirl with any white fish or seasoning you like; you won't be disappointed.

Cornmeal-fried Fish with Curry and Veggies

• 1 lb. white fish fillets, cleaned and deboned (we used sheepshead, which is a crustacean-eating fish that in turn tastes a lot like shrimp or lobster)
• 1/4 c flour
• 1/4 cornmeal (do not skip this!)
• 1 tbsp curry or any other seasoning, such as Italian herbs or Old Bay
• Salt and pepper
• Olive oil

1. In a shallow dish, stir the flour, cornmeal and seasonings. Dredge the fish fillets through it, pressing lightly to help the mixture stick.
2. Heat a pan with olive oil over medium heat. When the oil shimmers, add a couple of fillets at a time, turning after about 4-5 minutes, or the breading is just starting to brown. Remove from pan and place on a plate lined with paper towels. Repeat until all fish is pan fried and serve immediately.

Serve with sauteed snow peas and sliced red onion, seasoned with salt and pepper, and a pinch of crushed red pepper. Enjoy!