Mahi-Mahi with Potatoes and Asparagus

I found this recipe on Eating Well. It looked decent but I thought it was missing something. I decided to try it and change it up just slightly but I still wasn't looking forward to it. I added asparagus. To the veggies I added lemon pepper instead of regular pepper. To the fish I added a little bit of garlic powder, lemon pepper instead of regular pepper, and then sliced lemons and placed them on top. After taking my first bite, I quickly changed my opinion on the meal. YUM!! It had so much flavor. I'm glad I added the asparagus. We'll definitely be making this again.

2 servings

Ingredients

• 4-6 red potatoes, scrubbed and thinly sliced
• 1/2 bunch of asparagus tops
• 1 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Salt to taste
• Lemon pepper, to taste
• 1 1/4 pounds mahi-mahi, or tilapia, cut into 4 portions
• 3 teaspoons lemon juice, plus slices
• Garlic powder to taste
• 1/2 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat a square baking dish with cooking spray.
2. Toss potatoes with garlic, oil, salt and lemon pepper in the prepared pan. Cover with foil and roast for about 15 minutes. Add asparagus and stir. Re-cover pan with foil and roast for 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are tender when pierced with a knife.
3. Place fish fillets on potatoes; sprinkle with salt, lemon pepper, lemon juice, garlic powder and parsley. Bake until the fish is opaque in the center, 10 to 15 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges.

Rice Krispy Treats

I know I know...everyone knows how to make Rice Krispy treats. But this has to be one of my favorite desserts. I could eat a whole plate of these. I like them really gooey. I found a pretty standard recipe and then looked online to see if anyone had any variations that made it even better. Someone adds a dash of milk to the marshmallows. Other people add chocolate or peanut butter. I make something similar but that's another day. I was craving a simple gooey Rice Krispy Treat.

Ingredients

• 11.5 cups Rice Krispies
• 1 whole stick of butter
• 1 16oz bag of mini marshmallows
• 3 teaspoons milk
• splash of vanilla

Directions

1. Melt margarine in large sauce pan over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until melted and well-blended. Add milk and vanilla. Cook 2 minutes longer, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.
2. Add cereal. Stir until well coated.
3. Using buttered spatula or waxed paper, press mixture evenly and firmly in buttered 13 x 9 inch pan. Cut into 2 x 2 inch squares when cool.

Pasta Primavera

I adapted this recipe from one on All Recipes. This dish seems to have a lot going on in it. However, I already happened to have many of these ingredients. Plus it had balsamic vinegar and seeing as how I currently am obsessing over balsamic vinegar, I thought this recipe would be perfect. I didn't use peppers or green beans but I did add a little extra asparagus than what the recipe called for. I love that the recipe tells you to roast the veggies because it's so easy and I love the flavor.

The dish turned out good but not amazing. I felt like it was missing something but Matt liked it. He said if I added anything to just add chicken. Maybe I'd add balsamic marinated chicken to bring out more of the balsamic flavor.

Ingredients

• 1 (12 ounce) package whole wheat penne pasta
• 1 yellow squash, chopped
• 1 zucchini, chopped
• 1 carrot, julienned
• 1/2 pint grape tomatoes
• 1/2 cup asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1/4 cup olive oil, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
• 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/4 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 cup grated Romano cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
2. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add penne pasta and cook for 10 to 12 minutes or until al dente; drain.
3. In a bowl, toss squash, zucchini, carrot, red bell pepper, tomatoes, green beans, and asparagus with 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt, pepper, lemon juice, and Italian seasoning. Arrange vegetables on the baking sheet, and roast 15 minutes in the preheated oven, until tender.
4. Heat remaining olive oil and butter in a large skillet. Stir in the onion and garlic, and cook until tender. 
5. Mix in cooked pasta, lemon zest, basil, parsley, and balsamic vinegar. Gently toss and cook until heated through. 
6. Remove from heat and transfer to a large bowl. Toss with roasted vegetables and sprinkle with Romano cheese to serve.

Chicken Fried Rice

We had leftover rice from this weekend's meal. While trying to figure out how to use it in a meal, I realized I've never actually made fried rice. It seems so easy. I can't believe I've never made it. I found a recipe on All Recipes for fried rice and also a teriyaki marinade for the chicken. It was good for sure, but nothing amazing. But then again, I haven't really found any fried rice to be amazing. Maybe I'm just not that big of a fried rice person!

Fried Rice
adapted from www.allrecipes.com

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2 cups cold, cooked brown rice
• 1-1/3 cups chopped marinated and cooked chicken
• 1/3 cup onion
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 1/3 cup shredded carrot
• 2/3 cup frozen green peas, thawed
• 2 green onions, sliced
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce

Directions

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of butter in a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Pour in the eggs; cook and stir until scrambled and firm. Remove from wok, and set aside.
2. Put 1 tablespoon of oil in the wok. Add onion and garlic and cook until onion is tender. 
3. Add rice and last 1 tablespoon of oil and turn heat up to high. Stir in rice until each grain is coated with oil. 
4. Stir in chicken, carrot, peas and green onions. Reduce heat to medium, cover and allow to steam for 5 minutes. 
5. Stir in scrambled eggs and soy sauce, and cook until eggs are heated through.

Teriyaki Sauce
from www.allrecipes.com

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup mirin (Japanese sweet rice wine)
• 1 cup soy sauce
• 4 1/2 teaspoons rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 7 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
• 1 dash red pepper flakes
• black pepper to taste

Directions

1. Bring mirin to a boil in a saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 10 minutes. 
2. Pour in soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and sugar. Season with garlic, ginger, pepper flakes, and black pepper; simmer an additional 5 minutes. 
3. Store in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator.

Beef Kabobs and the Best Ice Cream Ever!

We had friends over last night for dinner. Matt made beef and veggie kabobs. I made brown rice and ice cream. It all turned out really well and we were STUFFED afterwards (didn't stop us from demolishing the ice cream though!)

Marinated Kabobs
from www.allrecipes.com

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 pounds flank steak

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, mix the oil, soy sauce, vinegar, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, garlic, and ground black pepper. Place meat in a shallow glass dish. Pour marinade over the steak, turning meat to coat thoroughly. Cover, and refrigerate.

We used top sirloin, baby bellas, onion, red and orange bell peppers, red potatoes, and pineapple. Everything was marinated most of the day except the mushrooms. They were only marinated for a couple of hours. Then Matt grilled everything. When making kabobs, we have learned (thanks to Alton Brown) that they come out best when each ingredient is kept on seperate skewers. So do all the meat together, potatoes together, and so on. Each ingredient cooks differently and need to be on the grill different amounts of time. YUM!


Baked Brown Rice
from Alton Brown

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups brown rice, medium or short grain
• 2 1/2 cups water Chicken Broth
  
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Place the rice into an 8-inch square glass baking dish.
3. Bring the water broth, butter, and salt just to a boil in a kettle or covered saucepan. 
4. Once the water broth boils, pour it over the rice, stir to combine, and cover the dish tightly with heavy-duty aluminum foil. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 1 hour.
5. After 1 hour, remove cover and fluff the rice with a fork. Serve immediately.

Double Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream
from Annie Eats

Ingredients
For the cookie dough:

• 5 tbsp. salted butter, melted (or unsalted butter plus ¼ tsp. salt)
• 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
• ¼ cup flour*
• ½ tsp. vanilla extract
• ¾ cup chocolate chips (I used mini chips)

For the ice cream:

• 3 tbsp. unsalted butter
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 2/3 cup dark brown sugar
• 4 large egg yolks
• Pinch of coarse salt
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1½ cups whole milk
• 1 cup chocolate chips (semisweet or bittersweet)

Directions
To make the cookie dough:

1. Stir together the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl until smooth.  
2. Mix in the flour, then the vanilla and chocolate chips.  
3. Form the dough into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm.

To make the ice cream:

1. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat.  Continue heating, stirring often, until the butter is a deep golden brown color, being careful not to burn it.  Whisk in the heavy cream and heat until simmering.  
2. Meanwhile in a medium bowl, whisk together the brown sugar and the egg yolks until pale and fluffy.  
3. Once the cream mixture is warm, add a small amount to the bowl with the egg yolks, whisking constantly.  Slowly whisk in the rest of the cream.  Mix in the salt.  
4. Return the egg-cream mixture to the saucepan and heat until just slightly thickened, and the temperature reads 170-175˚ F on an instant-read thermometer.  Immediately remove the mixture from the heat and pour through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl.  
5. Stir in the vanilla extract and the whole milk.  
6. Cover and chill thoroughly in the refrigerator.
7. Once the mixture is chilled, freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. 
8. Chop the disk of cookie dough into small chunks.  
9. As soon as the mixture is done churning, transfer to a bowl or airtight container and stir in the chocolate chips and the chunks of cookie dough.  Store in the freezer until firm.

*1/4 cup flour for the cookie dough did not seem like much. I actually added slightly extra but didn't need to. Once it's refrigerated, it's fine. The flavor of this ice cream is absolutely amazing.

Seared Steak Salad with Edamame & Cilantro

This recipe also came from Eating Well. It called for shredded red cabbage and red pepper. I don't like peppers and wasn't in the mood for cabbage. So to add some color, I added a handful of shredded carrots. The original recipe didn't call for green onions or garlic powder. But I had some green onions and figured they'd go well. Also, for the meat, I wanted to add more flavor so I sprinkled the garlic powder on and it turned out well! This was SO good!!! It was really easy to make. The steak was yummy and the dressing was amazing. I'll definitely be making this again.

Ingredients

• 8 ounces top round steak, 3/4 inch thick, trimmed of fat
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 4 cups mixed greens
• 1 cup snow peas, sliced
• 1/2 cup shredded or thin carrots
• 1/2 cup cilantro leaves, chopped
• 1/3 cup shelled edamame, thawed
• 1/4 cup Sesame Tamari Vinaigrette (recipe follows)

Directions

1. Sprinkle steak with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Coat a small nonstick skillet with cooking spray; place over medium heat. Add the steak and cook about 4 minutes per side for medium-rare. Let rest for (at least 5) minutes before slicing.
2. Combine greens, snow peas, carrots, cilantro, edamame and vinaigrette in a large bowl. Toss to coat. Divide between 2 plates. Top with the steak. 

Chicken Variation Substitute 8 ounces chicken tenders for the steak. Cook through, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Shrimp Variation Substitute 8 ounces cooked, peeled shrimp for the steak (omit Step 1).

Per serving:  328 calories; 9 g fat (2 g sat, 3 g mono); 68 mg cholesterol; 19 g carbohydrates; 42 g protein; 7 g fiber; 679 mg sodium; 949 mg potassium.

Sesame Tamari Vinaigrette

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons reduced-sodium tamari, or reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, finely grated.

 Directions

1. Whisk orange juice, vinegar, tamari, oil, honey and ginger in a small bowl until the honey is incorporated. Transfer to a jar and refrigerate.

Per 2-tablespoon serving:  37 calories; 2 g fat (0 g sat, 1 g mono); 0 mg cholesterol; 4 g carbohydrates; 0 g protein; 0 g fiber; 303 mg sodium; 21 mg potassium.

My Apple Pie

By the way! My apple pie was served as a side for a local bakery yesterday! Fun! I hope people liked it.

Here's their post about it on Facebook.