Valentine's Dinner - Part 2

Halibut with Capers, Olives and Tomatoes
This recipe is courtesy of Ellie Krieger's cookbook, The Food You Crave. Although, I've been making a similar sauce for years that I serve over pasta. See the picture below of the entire meal. Note to self: my red plates aren't very photogenic - does not do the food justice.

Ingredients:
12 ounces of fresh halibut, skin removed
2 tsp olive oil
1 small onion, diced
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup no salt added canned diced tomatoes, with juice
Salt and pepper
2 Tbsp capers
1/2 cup kalamata olives, chopped
2 cups baby spinach

In a nonstick skillet, heat the 2 tsp olive oil over medium-high heat. Season the halibut with some pepper. Place in the skillet. My halibut was about an inch think, so I cooked it for 4 minutes per side. The center should appear opaque. (Generally cook for 2 and 1/2 minutes per side per 1/2 inch thickness.)Remove the fish to a plate and loosely cover with foil.

Return the skillet to the heat, lower to medium, add a little more olive oil to the pan. Add the onion, cook until soft, about 2 minutes. Add the wine to the pan and allow to reduce by half, about 1-2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and allow to simmer for 5 minutes. Add the capers and olives. Stir in the spinach leaves, tossing until wilted. Pour the sauce over the fish. Serve with the bread and roasted garlic. Serves 2 lovebirds.

*Note: Using no salt-added tomatoes allows you to control the salt level. Besides, the capers and olives provide enough saltiness.

Caption: Top, the boccaccini and tomato salad; bottom-right, the halibut; bottom-left, the roasted garlic and whole-wheat rolls.

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Special Valentine's Dinner - Part 1

I made a fabulous dinner for Valentine's Day. I went to the Fresh Market and got some really great ingredients. My plan was to make Seabass, a flaky white fish, but they were already sold out. Instead, I chose halibut, another great white fish that is very mild in flavor. I had never made it before, but it came out really well. I will definitely cook more with it in the future.

The menu consisted of halibut with capers, tomatoes and olives - a recipe from my new Elie Krieger cookbook. I also made a caprese salad using fresh boccaccini mozzarella, grape tomatoes and fresh basil marinated in olive oil and balsamic vinegar. I served it with roasted garlic that I roasted myself and whole wheat rolls. Altogether this was still a healthy meal. I think the fattiest component was the mozzarella. I completed the meal with fresh strawberries dipped in dark chocolate. Also good for you. Dark chocolate has antioxidants!!

Roasted Garlic
1 whole head of garlic
1 Tbsp olive oil

Roasting the garlic this way mellows out the flavor and softens it, allowing you to spread it on bread as if it were butter. Delish! I had this years ago at an Italian restaurant, but this was the first time I tried to replicate it.

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Using a knife, cut off the top third of the garlic head. Do not peel the garlic. Place it in a small, oven-proof dish, cut side up. Drizzle with olive oil; and cover the dish with foil. Bake for 30 minutes covered. Remove the foil and bake for another 30-40 minutes. You should now be able to use a butter knife to scoop out the garlic cloves and spread on bread, or anything else you can think of.

Marinated mozzarella and tomatoes
Boccaccini mozzarella
grape tomatoes
basil
olive oil
balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper

Boccaccini mozzarella are little balls of fresh mozzarella. I picked up a little container from the Fresh Market. It was located on the olive bar, but I have seen these at the regular grocery story as well. You could as get a regular ball of fresh mozzarella and cut into 1-inch cubes. This dish wasn't an exact science. I just threw everything together. In a shallow dish, place the mozzarella and grape tomatoes. My tomatoes were a good size, so I sliced them in half. Season with a little Kosher salt and pepper. Take a couple leaves of fresh basil and slice; add to the dish.

In a small bowl, pour in some balsamic vinegar, maybe a 1/4 of a cup. Whisk in the olive oil, maybe a 1/4 of a cup. But really, I just eyeballed it. You can't screw it up. Whisk until the oil and vinegar combine. Pour the marinade over the mozzarella and tomatoes. Mix well. Place in the fridge for at least 3o minutes, or up to a couple of hours.

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Valentine's Day

What is everyone doing for Valentine's Day?

We don't usually do anything, but this year I am going to make a special dinner. I think I am going to hit up The Fresh Market for some goodies. My plan right now is to make Seabass with capers, tomatoes and olives. And for dessert, strawberries dipped in dark chocolate. It's perfect because it is the peak of Florida's strawberry season. Plus, it will satisfy my sweet tooth and it's romantic.

If you don't have a Valentine this year, grab a group of other single ladies and hit the town or have a dinner party at your house.

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A Big Salad for Dinner

I have gone two nights in a row without cooking. (Woo-hoo!) Last night I had a meeting after work and didn't get home until after 7:00, so my hubby cooked. (Double Woo-hoo!) He made a big Greek salad of romaine lettuce, feta cheese, kalamata olives, garbanzo beans, artichoke hearts, banana peppers, chicken and a great Greek dressing I bought at Land and Sea or my produce stand. I don't remember which one I got it from, but I know they both carry it. I will post the brand later. (I'm not home right now.) Anyway, my husband marinated the chicken in some mojo, olive oil and seasonings. It was delicious and totally satisfying. Sometimes all you need is a big salad with lots of yummy ingredients. It's as easy is that.

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A Peek Inside My Pantry

I don't have a recipe to post tonight because I didn't make dinner. I went out with some friends. However, I thought I would write a quick post about some of the staple items I always have in my pantry. With these items and a quick stop at the market, I can prepare a quick weeknight meal.

• Pasta - a variety of shapes and sizes: orzo, spaghetti, penne, ditalini
• Rice - brown, white, wild, and arborio for risotto
• Couscous
• Barley and lentils (Don't have these two now, but I plan to start cooking with them more.
• Breadcrumbs - Panko (japanese-style) and Italian seasoned
• Flour - all-purpose and whole wheat
• Vinegars - red wine, balsamic, white wine; I even have a white balsamic that is delicious
• Oils - extra-virgin olive, vegetable
• Nonstick cooking spray (a regular one and one with flour for baking)
• Beans - a variety of your favorites: I usually have garbanzo, white, kidney and/or black
• Kalamata olives
• Diced tomatoes - no salt added
• Tomato paste, sauce, crushed tomatoes
• Tahini pasta - an essential ingredient for making hummus
• Sundried tomatoes - love these!
• Capers
• Peppers - roasted red and banana
• Dried fruit - apricots, raisins, craisins
• Nuts - walnuts, cashews, almonds (You can make great trail mixes with nuts and dried fruits. Throw some sunflower seeds in there, too. Trail mix makes for a great snack.)
• Whole wheat crackers
• Tuna, clams (These last forever and when used with fresh ingredients like lemon juice and parsley, they really freshen up.)

I know this sounds like a lot, but accumulate the items over time, plus a lot of these you probably already have. Remember they last forever, so it's not like they'll go bad.

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Chicken with Red Wine Mushroom Sauce

I got some sauteed mushrooms from the Land and Sea Market by my house, so I thought it would be really good to make a sauce to serve over chicken. I made a rich, delicious sauce using red wine and chicken broth. Overall, it was pretty healthy as well. I didn't use any butter. I used a Chianti, but any light red wine like Pinot Noir or Merlot would work as well. When cooking, always use a wine you would drink. It doesn't have to be expensive. I think the bottle I bought was around $8. I already had sauteed mushrooms, but the recipe below is for if you need to sautee your own.

Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts, skinless and boneless
8 ounces of mushrooms, chopped (just use your favorite kind of mushroom)
1 clove of garlic, minced
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 cup red wine
1/2 cup chicken broth

Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. A dried spice like oregano or thyme would be good as well. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat with 2 Tbsp of olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add the chicken to the pan. Sear on both sides for 6-8 minutes per side, depending on the thickness. Remove the chicken from the pan, cover with foil to keep warm.

Reduce the heat to medium, add the other Tbsp of oil to the pan. Add the mushrooms and garlic, season with salt and pepper. Sautee until the mushrooms are tender, about 5 minutes. Add the flour and let cook for a minute. Add the wine, and reduce by half, about a minute. Add the broth and simmer for another 5 minutes. The sauce will thicken a bit.

Slice the chicken and top with the sauce. Serves 2. I served this dish with a side of orzo and peas. Orzo is a rice shaped pasta. One of my faves. For a side dish for two people, use about a 1/4 of the box, or 4 ounces, aka 1/2 cup. Cook according to package directions. Drain and return to the pot, but remove from the heat. Drizzle the orzo with olive oil, and stir in a little fresh parmesan cheese.

I just used frozen peas. The Steamfresh brand cooks in about 5 minutes in the microwave. I use fresh vegetables most of the time, but I always have frozen peas and corn in the freezer.

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Honey and Soy Glazed Salmon with Sauteed Spinach and Brown Rice

Here is another great salmon recipe. It is fast, easy and healthy.

Ingredients
4 (6-ounces each) Salmon fillets, skin removed
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup soy sauce (I use the low sodium kind)
1/4 honey
1 Tbsp dijon mustard
2 Tbsp water
the juice of half a lemon

1 bag of baby spinach
1 garlic clove, minced
nutmeg (either freshly grated or a couple of pinches of ground nutmeg)
1 Tbsp olive oil
the juice of half a lemon

In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, honey, dijon mustard, water and lemon juice. Set aside. In a nonstick skillet, heat 1 Tbsp of olive oil over medium-high heat. Salt and pepper the salmon fillets. Add the salmon to the pan and sear on both sides for 2-3 minutes per side. Transfer the salmon to a plate.

Lower the heat to medium-low, add the soy-honey mixture to the skillet. Let simmer until the sauce reduces and thickens; stir occasionally. After a few minutes the sauce should thicken to a glaze, pour over the salmon.

While the sauce is reducing, heat another skillet over medium heat. Add a Tbsp of olive oil; add the garlic. Let the garlic cook for a minute. Then add the spinach in batches. Once the spinach starts to wilt down, add more. Season with salt and pepper, the nutmeg and lemon juice. Continue to add the spinach until it has all wilted down.

I also made brown rice with this dish. It went well with salmon and the glaze. I just used instant brown rice from a box. Follow the directions according to the package.

This entire dish serves 4.

*Note: Whenever making dark greens, it is good to add a little nutmeg. It takes away a little of the bitterness away from the greens.

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