Italian Style Perch

Summer is finally here!  After all of the travelling and family events, it's now back to basics and finding some new, fun ways to enjoy a delicious summer meal.  

I'm a big advocate of fish.  It's a great, affordable way to add protein and it's a lean meat, so even better.  And, you can add so many different kinds of spices and seasonings to it and that fish will still taste great.  Plus, it cooks fast meaning you can enjoy that delicious meal sooner!

I was browsing around on BuzzFeed and found this article for 23 Easy Tricks for a Healthier Barbecue.  It has some fantastic, colorful, and healthy recipe ideas for great summer cooking.  Since I love  all things Mediterranean, I decided to try the recipe posted for Moroccan Potato Salad (find it here; posted below).  And, continuing with the "fresh fish" theme, I found this recipe for an Italian-inspired grilled fish (find it here; posted below).  It was my first time cooking fish on the grill, but it was just as easy as the oven (but much more fun).  

Both dishes turned out great and went well paired together - a breezy Mediterranean way to bring in the summer!

Italian-Inspired Perch

Ingredients

1. Fish fillets!  I use perch because I love it and it's cheap at my local grocery store, but tilapia or probably most fish would also be great alternatives.
2. Olive Oil
3. Garlic, thinly sliced
4. Kalamata Olives, sliced
5. Cherry Tomatoes, sliced in half
6. Small Onion, diced
7. Fresh Lemon, sliced
8. Parsley 
9. Basil
10. Seasoning of your choice for the fish

Bake that fish!

First, thaw out the fish that you want to use (if frozen).  Take a grill-ready flat sheet (or, alternatively, take a metal cookie sheet and wrap it in tin foil) and lightly drizzle the bottom with some olive oil and place the thinly sliced garlic on the sheet where you will place your fish fillets.

Season up that fish!  I used some Nature Seasoning, Lemon juice, and a bit of paprika, but feel free to play around.  

Preheat that grill!  Like I said, it was my first time using the grill to cook fish.  But I know that these perch fillets cook at 425 (Fahrenheit) for 15 minutes, so I let the grill get to about that same oven temperature (we've got a gas grill with a gauge, but otherwise, I guess that would be about medium/medium-low heat for a covered grill?).

In a separate bowl, slice up kalamata olives, cherry tomatoes, onion, parsley, basil, and lemon.  Mix everything up together and then cover the fish on the tray with this aromatic mixture.  The combined smell of the tomato with the fresh basil and parsley alone already makes you wish the meal was ready.  Finish it off with drizzling some olive oil over everything again to keep that moisture and prevent burning.

Now, grill that fish!  You can just place the tray on the burners, cover the grill, and set your timer.  When the fish fillets are firm to the touch and the meat flakes with your fork, it's ready.  Again, about 13-16 minutes, probably.  Just as the original chef wrote, "the smell is intoxicating as the garlic starts cooking and infuses the fish...the flavors all blend together leaving an exceptional taste!"

Moroccan Potato Salad

Described by the original chef as "bright and aromatic with plenty of fresh parsley," this potato salad lives up to its hype.

Ingredients

1. Scrubbed Potatoes (about 1 pound)
2. 3/4 Cup minced Flat-Leaf Parsley (I purchased one bunch of fresh parsley from the grocery store, used about the 3/4 cup for the potato salad, and used the rest of the bunch for the fish above)
3. 1 Small Red Onion, peeled & minced
4. 1 Garlic Clove, peeled & minced
5. Olive Oil (recipe recommends 1 tbsp., but I'd add a bit more to keep the potatoes moist instead of dry once you cook and peel them).
6. Salt & Pepper to taste
7. A little bit of Lemon Juice

Mix it Up!

Instructions are pretty easy on this one.  Place the potatoes in a pot of cold water.  You can add a bit of salt to help the potatoes stay together when you boil them.  Do not peel them yet.  Cook over medium-high heat until tender, about 20-25 minutes.  Drain the potatoes and let them cool (that's the hardest part for me - I get too excited then end up burning my fingers; just wait it out though).

Next, the mixing part!  Combine the parsley, red onion, garlic, and olive oil into a medium bowl.  Season to taste with the salt & pepper (for a heart-healthy option, cut out salt completely).  Peel the potatoes, then coarsely chop them.  Add them to your bowl with the mixture.  I added a bit of lemon juice to the salad to complement the potato and parsley tastes.  Serve hot or cold, your preference (even though it's summer, I still prefer potatoes warm).  Enjoy!

Note: Everything was really easy to make and including prep time for each dish separately, took less than one hour total.  If you want to make the fish in non-grill-season (or you don't have a grill), no worries - using the regular conventional oven cooking instructions for your fish, you can do the exact same recipe with equally delicious results!

Additional Note: For some summer music, this song has been on the radio now that I'm back Stateside and it's pretty catchy.

For now, time to hit the beach!

For more Pure Michigan photos, click here.

For more Pure Michigan photos, click here.

Fall Fish

I don't usually cook fish just because I never really learned how to do it right, but I thought that on study breaks, it might be good to experiment and finally learn.  And I came up with something pretty tasty.  This is the lemon-dill perch with wild rice, a salad, and a lemon-pomegranate garnish.

For the fish, I just used frozen perch fillets, but any kind of whitefish would work (perch just happens to be my favorite).  Take the thawed fillet and put it in an oven-safe pan.  I then melted some margarine/butter in the microwave and put some Nature Seasoning, Garlic Power, Lemon Juice, Parsley Flakes, a touch of Oregano, and fresh Dill.  After stirring the mixture together, pour over the fish fillets.  I then baked the fish in the oven for about 12-15 minutes at 425 degrees.  After taking the fish out, I added some more fresh dill on top of the fish as a garnish and for extra taste.

The sides are pretty easy.  The wild rice is just Uncle Ben's Wild Rice.  It's cheap to buy, easy to make, and tastes fantastic.  Basically, pour everything (including spice pack) into a pot, add some water (olive oil optional), and then let it simmer for about 27 minutes.  And ta-da.

The salad was pretty easy to make too.  Just get a big bowl for mixing everything up and then get out a cutting board and knife for dicing up a bunch of vegetables.  I put in one large tomato, 2 red peppers, 1 leek, some artichoke hearts, black olives, fresh basil, about 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and seasoned with a little salt and pepper.  Mix everything together well and chill.  

 When the fish is done, serve together with the other sides.  I added some lemons with a few pomegranate seeds as a garnish (and because I always eat fish with fresh lemons).  

Martha Stewart's Mashed Potatoes for the "Athletically Built"

Since we love us some Paula Deen style cooking on this blog, I figured we ought to add this hilarious video of Martha Stewart making mashed potatoes with Snoop Dogg.  Needless to say, she adds lots of butter.  Snoop likes to add black pepper to his mashed potatoes, but I happen to be a fan of Morton's Nature's Seasoning.  In any case, enjoy.

Just in case you happened to be wondering what the Snoop Dogg rap-style Christmas music he talked about with Martha Stewart would sound like, see the video below.

Small Desserts

Spiced Pecans

Spiced Pecans

Ingredients
1 egg white
1 T water
3 cups pecan halves
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/8 tsp. ground cloves

Directions
Beat egg white till frothy.  Add water and beat until soft peaks form.
Combine sugar, salt, and spices in another bowl.
Stir pecans in egg whites until coated.
Pour sugar mixture over pecans and toss gently.
Spread pecans onto cookie sheet.
Bake at 300 degrees for 30 minutes stirring occasionally.
Remove immediately from cookie sheet to wax paper.
Let cool, then enjoy!

Oreo Truffles

Oreo Truffles

Ingredients

One package of Oreos

One package nonfat cream cheese

One package of bakers chocolate, brown

Some white bakers chocolate, shavings

Directions

Crush Oreos in blender or food processor.

Mix crushed Oreos with nonfat cream cheese.

Roll mixture into little balls and chill.

Melt brown baking chocolate, taking care not to burn it.

Using a toothpick, take one Oreo ball and cover it in chocolate, place it onto wax paper, and sprinkle white chocolate shavings on top for decoration.  

Let dry.  Enjoy!

Finished Product: Oreo Truffles

Winter Soups and Bread

It's now January and the snow has started to really fall down now.  In these cold winter months, there is nothing like a nice bowl of hot soup and some bread that makes for a great meal.  Here are two easy, quick soup recipes along with a new bread recipe for you to enjoy.  All are from Cooking Light so they're pretty healthy too.  Let it snow!

Vegetarian Chili

Ingredients:

                1 tablespoon olive oil

                2 cups chopped onions

                3 garlic cloves, minced

               

                4 cups water, divided

                2 tablespoons sugar

                2 tablespoons chili powder

                2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

                2 cans (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained

                1 can (15.5 oz) chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed & drained

                1 can (15 oz) black beans, rinsed & drained

                1 can (15 oz) kidney beans, rinsed & drained

                1 can (16 oz) cannellini beans or other white beans, rinsed & drained

                1 can (6 oz) tomato paste

                ½ cup (2 oz) reduced fat shredded cheddar cheese, optional

Directions

1.     Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat.  Add onion and garlic.  Sauté 3 minutes or until tender.  Add 3 cups water and next 8 ingredients (through cannellini beans), stirring to combine.

2.       Combine remaining cup of water and tomato paste in a bowl, stirring with a whisk until blended.  Stir tomato paste mixture into bean mixture.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat, simmer for 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated.  Ladle into soup bowls and top with cheese if desired. 

Yield: 8 servings (serving size is 1.5 cups soup)

Calories 276 (11% from fat), Fat 3.5 g (sat 0.3g, mono 1.3g, poly 1g), Carbs 49.7g, Fiber 14.7 g, Chol 0 mg, Iron 4.2 mg, Sodium 587 mg, Calc 107 mg.

Vegetarian Chili, served with Sangria

Southwestern Chicken Soup

Ingredients

                Cooking Spray

                1 cup chopped onions

                3 garlic cloves, minced

                6 cups fat free, less sodium chicken broth

                ¼ cup uncooked white rice

                1 teaspoon ground cumin

                1 can (16 oz) Great Northern beans, rinsed & drained

                3 cups chopped, skinless, boneless, rotisserie chicken breast

                ½ cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro

                ½ teaspoon black pepper

                ¼ teaspoon salt

                1 cup chopped seeded tomato

                ¾ cup diced peeled avocado (about 1 medium)

                1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

                6 lime wedges

Directions

1.       Heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat.  Coat pan with cooking spray.  Add onion and garlic, and sauté 3 minutes.  Add broth, rice, cumin, and beans, then bring to boil.  Reduce heat, simmer for 15 minutes.  Stir in chicken, cilantro, pepper, and salt, then simmer for 5 minutes or until chicken is thoroughly heated. 

2.       Remove from heat, stir in tomato, avocado, and juice.  Serve with lime wedges. 

Yield: 6 servings (serving size 1 2/3 cup soup and 1 lime wedge)

Calories 274 (25% from fat), Fat 7.7 g (sat 1.5g, mono 3.9g, poly 1.3), Protein 28.4 g, Carb 23.1 g, Fiber 6g, Chol 60mg, Iron 2.6mg, Sodium 516mg, Calc 65 mg

Onion and Fontina Beer Batter Bread

Ingredients

                1 tablespoon olive oil

                1 cup diced onion

                3 cups all-purpose flour (about 13.5 oz)

                3 tablespoons sugar

                2 teaspoons baking powder

                1 teaspoon salt

                1 cup (4 oz) grated fontina cheese

                1 bottle (12 oz) beer (such as an amber ale)

                Cooking Spray

                ¼ cup butter, melted & divided

Directions

1.       Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2.       Heat olive oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat.  Add onion, and sauté 6 minutes or until tender.  Cool to room temperature.

3.       Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups and level with a knife.  Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt into a bowl, making a well in the center of the mixture.  Add onion, cheese, and beer, then stir until just moist.

4.       Spoon batter into a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Drizzle evenly with 2 tablespoons butter.  Bake at 375 for 35 minutes, brush with remaining 2 tablespoons of butter.  Bake an additional 23 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Cool 5 minutes in a pan on a wire rack, remove from pan.  Cool completely on wire rack.

Yield: 16 servings (serving size 1 slice)

Calories 149 (30% from fat), Fat 5g (sat 2.3g, mono 2.1g, poly 0.3g), Protein 3.5g, Carb 22.2g, Fiber 0.8g, Chol 12mg, Iron 1.2 mg, Sodium 259mg, Calc 61 mg

Double Dessert

Since we haven't had many breakfast recipes on the blog so far, I thought that I'd start this post off with a delicious breakfast scone recipe. In addition to the scone recipe below, I found and made a great cake with a unique combination of flavors.

Cranberry-Almond Scones

Ingredients

2 cups Original Bisquick mix

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/3 cup heavy whipping cream (or milk)

3 tablespoons sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

Slivered almonds

Additional heavy whipping cream

Additional sugar

Instructions

• Heat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray.
• Stir Bisquick mix, cranberries, 1/3 cup whipping cream, 3 tablespoons sugar, the egg, and vanilla until soft dough forms.
• Pat into 8 inch circle on cookie sheet (if dough is sticky, dip fingers in Bisquick).
• Brush circle with additional whipping cream, sprinkle slivered almonds, then sprinkle with additional sugar.
• Cut into 8 wedges, but do not separate.
• Bake about 12 minutes or until golden brown; carefully separate. Serve warm and enjoy!

Rosemary Olive Oil Cake

(original recipe found here)

Dry Ingredients

3/4 cup spelt flour

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking power

3/4 teaspoon (kosher) salt

Wet Ingredients

3 eggs

1 cup olive oil

3/4 cup whole milk

Other Ingredients

1 1/2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, finely chopped

5 ounces (140 grams) dark chocolate (70 - 82 % cacao), irregularly chopped into 1/2 inch pieces

2 tablespoons sugar for top crunch

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350F. Rub a 9 1/2-inch fluted tart pan with olive oil.
• Sift the dry ingredients into a large bowl, pouring any bits of grain or other ingredients left in the sifter back into the bowl. Set aside.
• In another large bowl, whisk the eggs thoroughly.
• Add the olive oil, milk and rosemary and whisk again.
• Using a spatula, fold the wet ingredients into the dry, gently mixing just until combined. Stir in 2/3 of the chocolate.
• Pour the batter into the pan, spreading it evenly and smoothing the top. Sprinkle with the remaining chocolate and run a fork along the length of the chocolate so that the batter envelops it just a bit. Sprinkle with the second sugar.
• Bake for about 40 minutes (even a little less because cake can dry out easily), or until the top is domed, golden brown, and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
• The cake can be eaten warm or cool from the pan, and garnished with whipped cream, fruit (strawberries or raspberries), and some chocolate syrup. Enjoy!

A Mediterranean Meal

While browsing through my favorite bookstore, Schuler Books & Music, I found a great cookbook with recipes from some of my favorite countries' cuisines. The book, The Essential Mediterranean Cookbook, was on sale for a steal, so I bought it and decided to experiment. After the recipes turned out so well, I am excited to try more.

I selected Psari Plaki, a Greek fish recipe, for the main dish (found on page 38) and a North African cucumber, feta, mint, and dill salad to accompany it (found on page 251). Find the recipes retyped below and enjoy!

Psari Plaki - baked fish with tomato and onion

Ingredients

1/4 cup olive oil

2 onions, finely chopped

1 small stick of celery, finely chopped

1 small carrot, finely chopped

2 cloves of garlic, chopped

13 oz (400g) can of chopped tomatoes

2 tablespoons tomato passata (I couldn't find this, so I used tomato paste)

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon sugar

2 oz (50g) day-old white bread (I used packaged bread crumbs instead)

1 lb 2 oz (500g) white fish fillets, such as snapper or cod

3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius).
• Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in frying pan. Add onion, celery, and carrot. Cook over low heat for 10 minutes, or until soft.
• Add garlic, cook for 2 minutes, then add chopped tomato, passata, oregano, and sugar. Simmer for 10 minutes, occasionally stirring, until reduced & thickened.
• Stir chopped parsley and lemon juice into sauce. Season to taste.
• Arrange fish in single layer in baking dish. Pour sauce over fish. Scatter breadcrumbs all over the top, then drizzle remaining olive oil over fish.
• Bake for 20 minutes, or until fish is cooked.

Cucumber, Feta, Mint, and Dill Salad

Ingredients

4 oz (120g) feta cheese

4 cucumbers

1 small red onion, thinly sliced

1.5 tablespoons fresh dill, finely chopped

1 tablespoon dried mint

3 tablespoons olive oil

1.5 tablespoons lemon juice

Instructions

• Crumble feta and place in large bowl. Peel and seed the cucumbers, cut into 1/2 inch dice. Add cucumbers to bowl along with the onion and dill.
• Grind mint in a mortar and pestle. Combine with the oil and juice, then season with salt & black pepper. Pour over salad and toss.

Summertime Couscous

Last week, my family and cousins from out of state got together for a big summer cookout. Although we had only one committed vegetarian in our midst, the family chefs ended up selecting a vegetarian dish for our entrée. We copied the recipe from Food Network's website, and the dish was a hit with the whole crowd. Total preparation and cooking time was under a half hour, and since we doubled the recipe (and our grill died out), we sauteed some of the veggies. We also used 3 boxes of Near East couscous (2 boxes of Near East Parmesan couscous and 1 box of Near East Garlic & Olive Oil couscous).

I suggest a large fruit salad to accompany the couscous. I used half a watermelon (diced), one honeydew melon (diced), 2 mangoes (diced), 2 boxes of strawberries (sliced), 2 boxes of blueberries, and 2 boxes of raspberries.

Toasted Israeli Couscous with Grilled Summer Vegetables

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

• 2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped

• 1 cup olive oil

• Salt and freshly ground pepper

• 2 green zucchini, quartered lengthwise

• 2 yellow zucchini, quartered lengthwise

• 6 spears asparagus, trimmed

• 12 cherry tomatoes

• 1 red bell pepper, quartered and seeded

• 1 yellow bell pepper, quartered and seeded

• 1/4 cup basil chiffonade (stack leaves, roll in a cigar shape and cut crosswise into thin strips)

• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 pound Israeli couscous

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Instructions

• In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, mustard and garlic, slowly add the olive oil and whisk until combined. Season with salt and pepper.
• Cut the zucchini and peppers into 1/2-inch pieces, cut the tomatoes in half.
• Pour 1/2 the marinade over the vegetables and let sit at room temperature for 15 minutes. Preheat the grill.
• Remove the vegetables from the marinade and grill the vegetables until just cooked through.
• Follow the instructions on the Near East box for preparation of the couscous itself. Boil 1.25 cups of water (per box of couscous) with some olive oil (optional, but 1-2 tablespoons total recommended) and the contents of the spice packets. When boiling, remove from heat and add all couscous. Cover completely and leave sit (for about 5-10 minutes) until water is absorbed. Couscous is now ready.
• Place in a large serving bowl, add the grilled vegetables and herbs and toss with the remaining vinaigrette.

Ta-Da!

Homemade Pasta

Ingredients:

2 cups cake flower

1 cup all-purpose flower

4 egg yolks

1/4 cup of olive oil

good pinch of salt

water

Directions:

In a food processor combine the flower, egg yolks, olive oil and salt. Mix, breaking down the egg yolks. The reason I use cake flower instead of only using all-purpose flower is because it keeps the pasta lighter. Using only all-purpose flower is fine, but your pasta will be heavier and denser. The olive oil is going to keep the pasta moist and add depth to the flavor. Once combined you will begin to pour in the water while the processor mixes. Now, it's difficult to say how much water you will actually need because it depends on the consistency of the flower. You want enough water so that when you grab some dough out, if you press down on it you can form a ball that stays together, but you do not want it so wet that it gets goopy and sticky.

Remove the dough from the processor. Lightly flower a work service and using the palm of your hand kneed the dough until the dough is relatively smooth, finish by rolling into one big ball. When finished, wrap the dough and place it in the fridge for at least a half hour to allow the dough to rest.

After a half hour bring the dough out. I cut my dough into 4-6 parts so that it is easier to work with. Make sure to flower both your hands and the surface of your work space throughout. If you have a pasta machine you may go ahead and thin the pasta out and used the machine to form whatever type of pasta you wish. If you do not have a pasta machine you can also do it by hand.

Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough. I roll it out to be thin enough that I can just barely see through the dough to my work surface below. Fettuccine is one of the easiest pasta to make when making pasta by hand. Once you've rolled out the dough, roll it up (long-ways, as you would a towel or blanket) and slice across the roll of dough. Once you finish cutting, unroll the pieces you've cut up and lay flat on a baking sheet or counter. You can allow the pasta to dry for later use or use after you finish cutting the fettuccine. If you want to make ravioli, roll out a much larger piece of dough and use a cup or cookie cutter to cut out circles or whatever shape you wish. Place filling in the center of the circle. Now you can either do half circles, wetting one edge of the ravioli with water and then folding the other side to meet it and finishing by scoring it with a fork or you can use your finger to wet the edge of the entire circle, place another circle of dough over it and score with a fork. If you do raviolis, make sure to allow the dough to rest after filling them and sealing them in order to allow the seams to really stiffen up so that they do not open during the boiling process. Finish with your favorite sauce. Hope you have fun with this recipe and the process!