One Pan Frozen Fish Dish

I read an article recently about how flash frozen fish is as fresh, if not more fresh, than what you buy in the fish department at even the best grocery stores.  Those fish too, although sold thawed and ready to cook, have previously been frozen.  Then you're obligated to purchase and cook them within a day or two.  I had tried frozen fish before, but wasn't happy with the outcome.

This time, I bought a Costco-size bag of frozen mahi mahi, individually wrapped, thinking that if it worked, it would save me a special trip to Whole Foods to prepare dinner.  And it worked!

Tonight I defrosted some fillets - as directed on the package.  I just soaked them in their packaging in water for 20 minutes or so.  Meanwhile, I chopped onion, shred a yellow squash, grated some ginger and covered it all with Rao's sauce.  I heated that in the oven while the mahi mahi defrosted.  Delicious dinner with little fuss, and no trips to the store.  Perfect!

Ingredients:
MahiMahi fillets - defrosted, sprinkled with salt and pepper
1/2 large Vidalia onion, chopped in large pieces
1 yellow squash shredded spaghetti style (I used a zester - you can use a vegetate)
2 Tbsp grated ginger
Rao's sauce to cover

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Bake the vegetables for about 15 minutes, until bubbly.

2) Turn heat down to 375 degrees.  Add the fillets to the casserole and cover with sauce.  Bake for about 5-6 minutes on each side, until cooked through.

That's it!
For more info and recipes for mahi mahi, check this out :
http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/mahi-mahi-healthy-5223.html

one pan fish dinner - 7/9/2018

Perfectly grilled chicken breasts

From:  https://www.onceuponachef.com/recipes/perfectly-grilled-chicken-breasts.html

Perfectly Grilled Chicken Breasts with Garlic, Lemon & Herbs
This has MANY 5star reviews.  I think it can use a little less salt and more lemon - maybe a squeeze after it's already cooked - to avoid the leathery texture that Jennifer mentions can occur with using vinegar or citrus in the marinade.  A bit of new info for me!

Servings: 4

Ingredients:
1-3/4 to 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 large garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1-1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1-1/2 teaspoons lemon zest, from one lemon

Directions:
Place chicken breasts between 2 pieces of wax paper and, using a meat mallet, pound to an even ½-inch thickness.
Mix all ingredients except chicken together in a 1 gallon zip-lock bag. Add chicken breasts and massage marinade into meat until evenly coated. Seal the bag and place in a bowl in the refrigerator (the bowl protects against leakage); let the chicken marinate at least 4 hours or up to 12 hours.
Clean grill and preheat to high. Lightly dip a wad of paper towels in vegetable oil and, using tongs, carefully rub over grates several times until glossy and coated. Place chicken breasts on the grill (make sure they are well-coated with the marinade; the more garlic, lemon zest and herbs on the chicken, the better!). Grill, covered, for 2-3 minutes per side.
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Nutrition Information

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Serving size:1 chicken breast (Note: Nutritional data includes marinade, so numbers are inflated)
Calories:413
Fat:25g
Saturated fat:4g
Carbohydrates:2g
Sugar:0g
Fiber:0g
Protein:42g
Sodium:958mg
Cholesterol:127mg

Peach or Nectarine Granita

From The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz

The fruits taste less sweet after they're frozen, so the sweeter they are from the beginning, the better.  Making a frozen dessert doesn't get any easier than this.  Serve  with vanilla ice cream or frozen soy milk, and it'll be like a creamsicle.  Otherwise, it's great surrounded by berries, perhaps sweetened by a drizzle of honey.  Allow a few hours to a day for proper freezing.

Ingredients:
6 ripe nectarines or peaches
1 1/3 cups water
1/2 cup sugar

Directions:
1) Slice the fruit in half and twist to remove the pits.  Cut into chunks and cook with 1 cup of the water in a medium, non-reactive saucepan over medium heat, covered, stirring occasionally, until they're soft and cooked through, about 10 minutes

2) Remove from the heat and stir in the sugar.  Let cool to room temperature.  When cool, puree the mixture in a blender with the remaining 1/3 cup of water, until smooth.  I don't recommend using a food processor for this, as the liquid can leak (at least in mine!).

3) Freeze according to the instructions for the Mojito Granita.

Mojito Granita

From The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz

Tis the season for mint growing out of control.  Make a granita - a frozen treat that can be served as a slushy, with berries or with ice cream or frozen yogurt, or served with a little rum as a drink.  It's  a refreshing treat for a hot summer's day.  And the perfect addition for a BBQ!

My husband thinks ice cream and chocolate chip cookies are their own food group.  So this year for his birthday, I got him an ice cream maker and have been trying recipes from The Perfect Scoop.  This one is mixed by hand - no ice cream maker needed!  But it does go well with vanilla ice cream or frozen Oatly or soy - as in So Delicious brand.  It takes some attention, but well worth it!

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup sugar
2 limes - Zested, trying to get only the green peel
1 cup lightly packed fresh mint leaves
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (from 3-6 limes, depending on size)
3 Tbsp white or light rum
Container for freezing - preferably plastic, or a Soma container, 8-12 inches across, and 2" high, with 2 quart capacity.

Directions:
1) Add the water and sugar to a small nonreactive saucepan, then grate the zest from the 2 limes directly into the saucepan.  Bring the mixture to a boil and cook, stirring occasionally until the sugar is dissolved.

2) Reserve 5 of the mint leaves and add the remaining mint to the saucepan and remove from the heat.  Cover and let stand for 8 minutes, then remove the cover and let cool to room temperature.

3) Once it's cool, strain the mixture in to the container you plan to freeze the granita in, pressing firmly on the leaves to extract all the flavorful liquid.  Discard the mint leaves.

4) Stir in the lime juice and rum, then finely chop the reserved 5 mint leaves and add them as well.

5) Place the mixture into the container and place in freezer.  After an hour, stir the mixture, stirring up the frozen parts near the edges with a fork.  Continue to check every 30 minutes or so and break up the chunks until you have fine crystals.  If it's too hard to be stirred, leave it at room temperature until it can be stirred again and then return it to the freezer.

Stove Top Brussels Sprouts

This is adapted from Jennifer Segal's recipe in Once Upon A Chef Cookbook -
  Butter-Braised Brussels Sprouts with Shallots

I was trying to use up scallions, red peppers and celery from my fridge, so I threw those in as well, and they took up the dressing well.  I needed to add more salt, pepper and vinegar, but that may well be because of the extra ingredients.  Here's the original:

Ingredients: 
3 Tbsp unsalted butter, divided
1 cup thinly sliced shallots
1 lb Brussels sprouts, trimmed but left whole
3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth (I always use vegetable broth)
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp white wine vinegar (or white balsamic)

extras -
2 stalks of celery, cut down the middle then sliced
1 small red pepper, but into chunks

Directions:
1) In a large skillet, melt 2 Tbsp of the butter over medium heat.  Add the shallots and sprouts and cook, stirring frequently, until the shallots are starting to brown and the sprouts are bright green, about 5 minutes.

2) Stir in the broth, salt, pepper and sugar; cover with a lid and lower the heat to medium-low.  Simmer for 5 minutes, then remove the lid and continue simmering for 7-10 minutes more, stirring occasionally until the sprouts are tender and the liquid is reduced to about 1/4 cup.

3) Stir in the remaining 1 Tbsp butter and the vinegar.  Taste an adjust the seasoning if necessary.

These can be prepared up to 2 days ahead, then reheated gently in the microwave or stovetop.

simple salmon

I wanted the quickest main dish possible so here it is:


Preheat oven to 385 degrees.
Spray baking dish with canola oil

1 lb salmon fillet
Brush with olive oil
Sprinkle with ginger powder and garlic powder
Drizzle teriyaki marinade over it lightly

Bake at 385 for about 18-20 minutes depending on the thickness of the fillet.

Done!