Ja cię kocham…

Trader Joe’s is by far my favorite grocery store.  Besides the local produce stands, which I LOVE, Trader Joe’s is the best!  They have the best selection of wild fish that I have ever seen.  I prefer wild fish because there aren’t color injections (C’mon, is the salmon in the grocery store naturally THAT pink??), the fish get to swim in wide open spaces preventing disgusting stuff from infiltrating the flesh, and there is less fat.   The more I think about it, the more grossed out I am with farm-raised fish.

I have never had red snapper before, and I have never cooked it before.  That being said, I am not sure how I feel about it.  It tasted wonderful, but the consistency was a little off to me.  The meat didn’t flake off of the skin like other fish usually does.  I cooked it for well over the time that the package called for, and it still was gummy.  Maybe that’s how the fish is.  I don’t know.

Regardless of the consistency of the fish, the sauce I made to go with it was awesome!!  It could easily be used on salmon, mahi mahi, catfish, flounder, crab, shrimp…etc. etc.  (All the fish that I have cooked and have enjoyed thoroughly.)

If you are familiar with red snapper and enjoy it, then by all means make this recipe verbatim.  If you’re a little unsure because of my testimony, then by all means substitute the snapper for another type of fish.  Just TRY to use wild fish if you can. 

Red Snapper with Orange Chipotle Butter Sauce

Serves 2

Ingredients:

2 red snapper fillets
4-5 Tbs. unbleached all-purpose flour
2 Tbs. chipotle pepper seasoning, divided
1-2 Tbs. orange juice (I like mine freshly squeezed)
3 Tbs. butter
3 Tbs. olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
cilantro for garnish

Directions:

Add flour and half of the chipotle pepper to a large plate.  Mix well.

Preheat medium-sized skillet to medium-high.  Add olive oil.

Pat fillets dry with paper towel.  Dunk both sides with flour mixture and place in skillet skin side up first.  Cook 4-6 minutes on each side.  Place on platter.  Salt and pepper to taste.

Mash butter, orange juice and remainder of chipotle pepper together.  Gently place a generous amount on each fillet.  Garnish with cilantro.

Tis the season for glorious tomatoes!   Driving to work I pass lovely produce stands filled with freshly picked tomatoes.  How could I not indulge?   For the fantastic price of $5.50 I got myself 11 beefsteak tomatoes just waiting to be used for a homemade sauce.

Given the fact that I am not a fan of jarred spaghetti sauce, I’ve made plenty of my own but never with fresh garden tomatoes.  I typically use canned crushed tomatoes and go from there.  It is by no means as wonderful as making a sauce from scratch, but it does save time.  This recipe is a little more time consuming that a typical Ja cie kocham post, but it is well worth the wait.

My only advice is this – if you are going to invest the time to make homemade sauce, you might as well make a lot so you have some for later.  Being a novice spaghetti sauce maker, I failed in this regard.  I made just enough sauce for one box of spaghetti.  Keep that in mind.

I have a few reasons for making this spaghetti sauce – 1.  I’ve always wanted to make it from scratch.  2.  I’ve made a pledge to Buy Fresh and Buy Local as much as I can for the months of July and August.  3.  My parents 30-year anniversary was on Monday, and as a gift I made them dinner.

This sauce was a huge hit with my parents!  I also sauteed some fresh zucchini, onion, and eggplant in olive oil and placed it on top of the sauce to give it some color.  I WISH that I took a picture of the final pasta dish that I made for my parents.  Looks like I’m going to have to make it all again just for you!

Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

Source: Loosely Adapted from Allrecipes

Time: Prep: 45 minutes  Cook: 2hr 15min

Serves 6-8 (makes enough for one box of spaghetti)

Ingredients:

**feel free to double or triple the batch for leftovers!!**

10 beefsteak tomatoes
2 Tbs. olive oil
2 Tbs. butter
1 white or sweet onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 vegetable bouillon cubes
generous handful of fresh basil, torn (or 1 tsp. dried)
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
2 bay leaves
salt and pepper to taste
2 Tbs. corn starch
fresh lemon zest

Directions:

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Have ready a large bowl of iced water. Plunge whole tomatoes in boiling water until skin starts to peel, 1 minute. Remove with slotted spoon and place in ice bath. Let rest until cool enough to handle, then remove peel and squeeze out seeds. Chop tomatoes and puree in blender or food processor.

In a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, cook onion and garlic in oil and butter until onion starts to soften, 5 minutes. Pour in pureed tomatoes. Stir in bouillon cubes, basil, Italian seasoning salt and pepper. Place bay leaves in pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 2 hours.   Every 30 minutes, drain the excess liquid from the pot.  With a 30 minutes left or so, stir in the corn starch.  This will help the sauce thicken faster. When at desired thickness, discard bay leaf, add lemon zest and serve.

I bought all of this at a local Amish produce stand on my way home from work for $6!

For the next 21 days, I am participating in the Buy Fresh, Buy Local 21-day challenge.  Basically you just alter your lifestyle for 21 days to support local business.  The change can be as minimal or as large as you want it to be.  Buying local is good for the environment because excess fuel isn’t wasted on transporting foods from one country to another, it’s good for YOU because the ingredients are much fresher than they would be in a grocery store (do you really know how old that watermelon is in the grocery store?????), and it’s good for local business because they are getting your business!

I’m lucky because I live in an area surrounded by the Amish who are known for their local produce stands with fresh breads, homemade butters and jellies, and homegrown fruits and vegetables.  I pass a stand everyday to and from work, so it’s really easy for me to make the effort to buy fresh and local.

Needless to say, I purchased zucchini from the “bargain bin”.  It was $1.25 for 3 enormous zucchini because they were picked yesterday rather than today.  As if that really matters to me!   I also picked up some purple and white eggplants and a few tomatoes.  And yes, they were all organic.  I know, I know.  It was a sweet deal!

Then to make matters more convenient for me, Cindy, my husband’s mommy dearest, sent us home a huge bag filled with fresh herbs from her garden.  I was set!  Dinner is served!

I made baked eggplant wraps with zucchini, tomatoes, basil and mozzarella.   In the past, I have used roasted red peppers instead of tomatoes.   Mushrooms would also be good in this.  Whatever works for you!

Stuffed Eggplants

Serves 4 as side dish

Ingredients:

2 Tbs. olive oil
2 small eggplants, thinly sliced lengthwise
1 small zucchini, thinly sliced lengthwise
1 tomato, thinly sliced
handful of fresh basil
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese (I used shredded this time, but I normally buy the ball of mozzarella and slice it.)
salt and pepper
toothpicks

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

On a large baking sheet, sprinkle olive oil.  Place eggplant and zucchini slice on sheet.  Bake for 5-7 minutes or until slightly tender.  Allow to cool.

Place eggplant back on oiled baking sheet.  Place a zucchini slice on top of each eggplant, followed by a slice of tomato, some mozzarella, and a few basil leaves.  Salt and pepper to taste.

Tightly roll eggplant, placing a toothpick in them to secure.  Have patience with them as they may be challenging to roll.  Place seams face down on baking sheet.  Bake until cheese is melted (about 3-4 minutes).

I’m not going to lie.  I completely made this recipe up.  Now I’m sure that somewhere out in cyberspace there is a recipe similar to this, but for me, this was totally original.  The only inspiration that I had was my craving for Mexican food and steak.

I knew that I didn’t want nachos.  As delicious as they are, I have no control over how many I eat.  My family is known for ordering nachos as our main meal when we go out to eat.  Forget nachos as an appetizer to nibble, I want the whole plate!  Because of this obnoxious need I have to eat all of the nachos, I steered clear from them for this meal.  I wanted the flavor without the tortilla chips.

What I really liked about this recipe is how versatile it is.  It’s great on steak, chicken, and fish, and then make great wraps the next day for lunch.  When I made this recipe, I also snuck a piece of chicken in the mix, and I think that it turned out better than the steak.  The chicken was soooo moist from marinating in the fresh lime juice.  It was super tender and juicy even after microwaving it the next day at work for my wrap.  Fan-flipping-tastic!

I had every intention of making my own salsa for this recipe, but I didn’t want to spend $6 or$7 on tomatoes when I was already buying avocados at $1.50 each.  Instead I bought a much cheaper, fresh pico de gallo.  Just in case you don’t know what pico de gallo is, it’s a Mexican condiment very similar to salsa.  The only difference is that pico de gallo isn’t nearly as watery as salsa.  It’s pretty much just coarsely chopped tomatoes, onions, and jalapenos.  It’s very fresh and very good.

Lime Chili Steaks with Pico de Gallo and Homemade Guacamole

Serves 4

Ingredients:

4 steaks or chicken breasts with all fat removed
3-4 limes
3 avocados  (Make sure that when you squeeze them, the flesh gives just a little.  That’s how you know they are ripe.)
1/4 of a red onion, coarsely chopped
1-2 jalapeno, seeds removed and thinly sliced
a handful of cilantro
salt and pepper
4 Tbs. chile powder (I used a blend of ancho, chipotle, and Mexican chile powder)
1 Tbs. olive oil**  (Only if you are using an indoor grill or skillet.)
1 container pico de gallo
1 small container sour cream
handful of scallions, chopped, for garnish

Directions:

If you are using an outdoor grill, preheat it to medium-high.  If you are cooking it indoors, skip this step.  You will preheat your grill pan later.

Roll all of the limes on your cutting board, placing an ample amount of pressure on them while you roll them.  This helps them to get ‘juicier’.   Juice all but one lime into a medium-sized bowl.  Place meat in with the lime juice.  Let marinate for at least 10 minutes.

While meat is marinating, juice your final lime into another medium-sized bowl.   Peel the avocados and cut the flesh into large chunks, placing them into the second bowl of lime juice.  For instructions on how to cut an avocado, click here.  Add onion, jalapeno, cilantro to lime/avocado mixture.  Toss gently.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Set aside.

If you are using an indoor grill pan or large skillet, preheat it with 1 Tbs. olive oil to medium-high for steak and medium for chicken.

On a large plate, rub steaks/chicken with chile powder.

Regardless of which grill you are using (indoor or outdoor)…

Steak:  Cook for 2 minutes on each side or until at desired cooking temperature.
Chicken:  Cook for 3 minutes on each side or until no longer pink.

Let meat sit for 10 minutes, covered with aluminum foil.

Then place on serving plate.  Top with pico de gallo, guacamole (avocado mixture), and sour cream.  Garnish with scallions.

This recipe has typical North African flare because it incorporates the subtle heat with the sweet and savory flavors.  What makes this meal most impressive is the use of pantry ingredients.  I was ready to go to the store to get what I needed for the dish when I realized I had everything already.  That gets an “A” in my book.

This dish looks slightly similar to my Florida Keys-Style Citrus Chicken and my Moroccan Chicken with Lentils found in my Eat-Clean Anniversary post.  Despite appearances, they all have their unique flavor that sets the apart from one another.

Paillards are simply cuts of meat (poultry, beef, pork) that are flattened so they cook quickly.  If you have a meat mallet, go wild, but I’m always a fan of the skillet.  A few whacks with the skillet and the chicken is evenly flattened.  Make sure to place plastic wrap on top of and below the chicken first so you don’t spray your kitchen with chicken juice.  You’ll end up having to disinfect your entire kitchen.   And that’s no fun.

Upon my first bite, the orange and honey flavor immediately popped while the paprika, cumin, and red pepper flakes gave it even more personality.  This isn’t your typical chicken dish.  Although it’s simple to prepare, your mouth is going to burst with flavor.  If you’re not too crazy about the heat, avoid the red pepper flakes.  If you LOVE heat, throw in some more.  The recipe didn’t call for a garnish, but I added some dill to give it some color.  I then served the chicken with my all-time favorite Trader Joe’s Grains Harvest Blend (Israeli-style couscous, orzo, red quinoa and baby garbanzo beans).

Be ready to get whisked away to Northern Africa in minutes!

North African Grilled Chicken Paillards

Source: Mildly adapted from Blue Kitchen

Serves 4

For sauce:
1/4 cup orange juice (fresh is best!)
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1  cinnamon stick
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

For paillards:
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil  (If you do not have an outdoor grill, you will need 3 Tbs. but keep 1 Tbs. separated.)
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
salt to taste

Preheat your grill.  If you don’t have a grill, ignore this step, duh.

Chicken: Make sure that your chicken is rid of any fat.  Then place each chicken breast between two pieces of plastic wrap and on top of a cutting board.  Pound with meat mallet or skillet until 1/4 inch thick.

Sauce: Simmer all of the sauce ingredients except for the butter in a small saucepan, uncovered for 2 minutes.  Stir occasionally.  Set aside.

Spiced Oil: Cook cumin, paprika and pepper in oil in a small skillet over moderately low heat, stirring, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Transfer spiced oil to a small bowl, reserving skillet for sauce.  Do not wash the skillet.

If you are using an indoor grill pan, preheat it to medium high and add 1 Tbs. olive oil.

Brush the cumin-spiced oil on each side of the chicken.  Season with salt and place on grill.  Grill 2 minutes, then turn over and cook until it is cooked through, about 3-4 minutes more.

Pour sauce through a mesh sieve into reserved small skillet, discarding solids.  Bring to a boil.  Add butter and gently stir until butter is just incorporated. Season sauce with salt and spoon over chicken. Serve.

I tend to go to restaurants, order a beautiful salad, and try to replicate it at home.  Typically, I fail.  For me, I feel as if everyone BUT me makes delicious salads.  For instance, my mom always makes these gorgeous rustic salads with dried blueberries, fresh asparagus, and more!   She sprinkles it with Parmesan cheese and a homemade lemon vinaigrette.  Yum!  My other mother (Jay’s momma) puts out a fantastic display of freshly cut vegetables like avocado, cherry tomatoes, and broccoli sprouts and makes a salad bar.

How can I possibly compare??

Wellllll…. I’ve been practicing.  Yeah, I know… it sounds really silly to practice making salads, but when I mean “practice” I really mean testing out different combinations of lettuces, bean sprouts, dried fruits, fresh fruits and vegetables, and fresh herbs.

Let me tell you something.  Adding TONS of fresh herbs to your salads is the most incredible thing you can ever do.  I’m serious.  It’s THAT good.  For those of you out there that have already done this, you know what I’m talking about.  It adds a depth and a freshness to your salad that cannot be matched.

So this is one of my no-brainer recipes.  But it’s too good to not share with those that haven’t tried it before.

Fresh Herb Salad

Serves: 6-8 as a side dish

Ingredients:

16 oz. organic spring mix
3 oz. shitake, crimini, and oyster mushrooms (I got a package of them at Trader Joes, but any mushroom works)
a bunch of cherry or baby heirloom tomatoes, sliced
handful of chopped scallions
handful of fresh dill, chopped (reserve some for garnish)
handful of fresh basil, chopped (reserve some for garnish)
salt and pepper to taste
favorite salad dressing (I used a red wine vinaigrette)

Directions:

Toss all ingredients (except for some of the chopped herbs) into a large salad bowl.  Top with leftover herbs.

Oh, and look at my homegrown cherry tomatoes (well, tomato)!  I planted yellow cherry tomatoes, but I guess they decided to be orange.  They are so fresh and sweet.  It’s like eating a piece of candy.

This salad is so incredibly refreshing on a hot summer day.  You may be put off by the ingredients initially, but trust me, it is sooo good.  It’s savory and it’s sweet all in one.  I’ve had this thing lately for mint.  I just crave it.  Through this craving of mine I’ve discovered how amazing mint is with vegetables.  Try my Marinated Zucchini with Mint.  It’s awesome.  You’ll have to scroll down to the bottom of the page because this posting has a slue of recipes on it.   But while you’re on there, check out my herbed rubbed pitas.  Again, I use mint.  I’m telling ya, mint is incredible!

Watermelon and Feta Salad with Mint

Source: Smitten Kitchen

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

1 pound Campari or plum tomatoes, diced, drained
1 1/2 cups diced seeded watermelon
1 large green bell pepper, seeded, cut into 1/3-inch cubes
1/2 large English hothouse cucumber, seeded, cut into 1/3-inch cubes
1/2 cup very thinly sliced radishes
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
10 ounces feta cheese, cut into small cubes (about 2 1/2 cups),
2 divided green onions, chopped, divided
1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh mint leaves, divided
1/2 cup plain Greek-style yogurt
1 teaspoon dried oregano

Directions:

Toss first five ingredients and two tablespoons oil in large bowl. Add half each of cheese, green onions, and mint. Mix remaining cheese, green onions, mint, and oil in processor; add yogurt and oregano. Process just to blend (do not over-mix or dressing will get thin). Season dressing with salt and pepper; mix into salad.

This meal is the perfect cozy comfort food during the hot summer months.   It’s warm and cheesy but with lots of fresh vegetables and lean turkey.

Simplicity is the key here.  Pantry staples are used for this dish, and it is so easy to just throw together.  The original recipe called for lean ground beef, but I only had ground turkey so I substituted.  Feel free to throw in any vegetable that you want.  I used three different types of squash – yellow, zucchini, and the chayote.

I had never tried a chayote before.  Quite frankly, I have never heard of it before, but I’m always game to try different fruits and vegetables.  When I cut it open, it reminded me of a granny smith apple in texture.  It’s known as a “vegetable pear”.

(Photo courtesy of Wikipedia)

I found the chayote at my local grocery store next to the zucchini so it’s not like I traveled far and wide to find it.  It was just there, and I grabbed it.  It wasn’t in the original recipe, but I was curious about its flavor and wanted to use it.   It turned out really well.  Believe it or not, this squash can be eaten raw.  You can chop it up and throw it in a salad or cook it and mash it with butter and salt.  Apparently the chayote can be found in the form of tea to help with hypertension and dissolving kidney stones.

I can’t help but be amazed at the healing and health properties of food.  Yes, I have always known that they have vitamins that are good for us.  But think how tremendously beneficial fruits and vegetables are to our health, how can we not eat them all the time?   I have been drinking fresh fruit juice from my juicer every day, and I have so much more energy than I normally do.  It’s fantastic!!

Anyway, this recipe is quick, light, and healthy (as most of my recipes are).  You can easily double it to feed a large family or cut it in half for smaller portions.   And it’s a casserole that’s cooked in a skillet!  There is no waiting.  It’s done as soon as your rice is cooked.

You can use instant rice to cut the cooking time, but just note that instant rice does not have all of the nourishment that old fashioned rice has.  I will be honest, I get impatient with the long cooking rice so I turn up the heat on my stove a little to cut the cooking time.  I just can’t wait 45 minutes for my rice!  I can handle 20 minutes, though.

Cheesy Turkey and Summer Squash Casserole

Source: Adapted from CleanEatingOnline.com

Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 1/2 c. water
2 c. brown rice
1 tsp. olive oil
1 zucchini, halved and cut into 1/4 inch slices
1 yellow squash, halved and cut into 1/4 inch slices
1 chayote, halved and cut into 1/4 inch slices
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. basil
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 lb. organic lean ground beef, turkey or chicken
3/4 c. shredded reduced fat Monterey Jack cheese

Directions:

In a medium saucepan, bring water to a boil. Add rice, cover and simmer about 25 minutes.

Cook 1 lb. ground beef/turkey in a nonstick skillet over medium heat until no longer pink.

During the last 5 minutes of cooking time, pour olive oil into a nonstick skillet and place over medium heat.

Add zucchini, yellow squash, chayote and garlic to the pan. Sprinkle with basil, salt and pepper and saute for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add cooked rice and ground beef/turkey to vegetables, cover with lid and cook for 5 minutes. Stir vegetables and rice together and top with cheese. Place lid on top for 1 minute.

Place in your favorite serving bowl, add fresh basil for garnish.  Enjoy!