one fish, two fish, red fish, green fish . . .

I still have quite a bit of fish left in my freezer at the moment and it is literally packed to the gills!  (no pun intended haha)  I have to open the freezer door slowly for fear of sheer collapse of our perfectly orchestrated freezer stack.  Do any of you guys have this problem too? . . . Oh the day when I can have a sub zero with a plethora of fridge and freezer space . . . uh-em back to reality!

Fridays are the days when Chris and I try make dinner and enjoy a little vino since we usually don’t get a chance to eat together much during the week.  It seems like whenever he’s coming home, I’m leaving or when I’m leaving he’s coming home!  We also found out recently that our offer on a foreclosure here has been accepted and we have opened escrow!  Boy has it been a long process looking and dealing with short-sales.  We started looking the end of January and we are just getting the ball rolling on one of our offers.  I will have to post pictures of it because we are going to look again this weekend, just for fun!  I am both excited and nervous for this new investment in our lives and hope everything works out.

On to the recipe . . .

 

Pesto Crusted Halibut

with Roasted Veggie Cous Cous

 

For the Pesto Paste:

• 3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
• Large bunches of fresh basil leaves (about 4 oz by weight)
• 1/4 cup roasty toasty pine nuts
• 1/4-1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
• zest and juice of 1 1/2 medium lemons
• 2 tbsp of olive oil
• 1/4 cup dry breadcrumbs
• salt and pepper
• 4 large halibut fillets (or you could use your favorite white fish)

For the cous cous:

• couple glugs of olive oil (2 tbsp)
• 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp honey
• garlic powder and herbes de provence (italian seasoning)
• salt and pepper
• 1 lb. finely chopped carrots (about 2 1/4 cups)
• 1 lb. finely chopped zucchini (about 4 medium)
• 1 cup grapes, halved
• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat cous cous (you could certainly make quinoa too)
• 1 1/2 cups low-sodium veggie broth
• 1 roasted bell pepper, drained and chopped
• 1/3 cup goat cheese, crumbled

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

Place the olive oil, balsamic, honey, garlic and spices into a zippy bag.  Place the carrots, zucchini and grapes inside and let sit for about 5 minutes.  Strain the veggies, reserving the marinade, and place on a foil-lined baking sheet.

Bake for about 30-45 minutes, turning and tossing halfway through and basting with reserved marinade if they look dry.  Just make sure the sugars don’t get too burned.

To make the pesto pulse everything, except the fish, in a food processor until a paste consistency forms.  Slather this mixture on each fish fillet and place on a foil-lined baking sheet.  Turn the oven down to 350 and bake fish for 8-10 minutes, or until it flakes easily with a fork.  Be careful not to over cook!  Then you can broil for a few minutes to get it crusty.  Alternatively, I’m sure you could grill it really quickly while slathering on the pesto. 

While the veggies and fish are baking, boil the veggie broth; remove from heat, add cous cous, cover and let sit for about 5 minutes.  Fluff with a fork and place in a large serving bowl.

When the veggies are done add them, along with the roasted bell pepper and goat cheese, to the cous cous and toss all together. 

Serve the pesto-crusted halibut atop a nice scoop of the roasted veggie cous cous!

I had a bit of pesto paste leftover which I will use in a pasta dish, or as a slather for a roasted veggie sandwich, yum!

I also like to make a balsamic reduction to drizzle on pretty much anything:  Just boil down about 2 cups of balsamic and a little honey gently, stirring frequently, until it gets thick and syrupy.  It makes such a great accompaniment and presentation.  Sorry, I’m in dire need of a better camera!

 

 

And for the vino spotlight . . .

Elderton’s 2007 Unoaked Chardonnay 

First I have to tell you my beginnings with wine . . . When I first tasted wine (it was a red, bad idea), I couldn’t believe that people would actually drink this stuff!  It was dry, pungent and burned my throat.  I could hardly stand it.  But, it’s funny, our palettes are very adaptable (as in the case with lower sodium) and can adjust to many different flavors, and like many things, wine can be an acquired taste for some.   Chris and I have a lot of fun trying new wines and even went to Napa a few spring breaks ago to visit my aunt who works at some of the wineries there.  Here is a picture of us touring Pride Winery – breathtaking views!  Good memories!

 

When you first start out drinking wine, you have to start easy, and that means white.  Rieslings were my absolute favorite starting out.  Light, refreshing, sweet and easy to drink.  Chardonnays are a more advanced white, usually heavier, and most have a bit of oak.  I’m not a fan of oaky chards, I would much rather have butter (a fuller mouthfeel sensation created from using Malolactic fermentation).  Now I really prefer red wines like red Zinfandel, and am currently trying to get more educated about different Italian varietals. 

A great buttery chard for a great price would have to be Ravenswood (the winery in the first picture), although the one we tried at the winery is the best, but I can’t find it anywhere!  This one doesn’t age too well, so I would get the youngest year you can find.

Unoaked chards are in a class by themselves.  They are aged in steel rather than oak, so all you get is fresh, bright fruit essence that is not overpowered by heavy oak.  The Elderton chard is a wonderful example of this.  Bright, fruity and a little bit of mineral.  It has a fresh pear taste; crisp with hints of peach and melon.

  

But, really the most important part about drinking any wine is that YOU like the flavor!  And most great wines you can get for $15 and under.

What’s your favorite type of wine?  I’d love to hear all about them!

get stuffed

Stuffed Squash that is!  Many vegetables can be the perfect vehicle for stuffing practically any kind of filling you can imagine inside.  I use lean ground beef in this recipe, but there is also quinoa, brown rice, cous cous, oatmeal, barley, lentils, and the list goes on and on.  Grains and such have such a wonderful natural binding ability that using them as stuffing can be the perfect compliment to something as neutral and naturally sweet as summer squash.  Plus summer squash cooks relatively quickly which is always a plus.

Another great vehicle for stuffage is bell peppers.  Check out my bell peppers stuffed with quinoa, chicken sausage, walnuts and fontina on this post.  These are a yummy package.  Gotta love that ooey-gooey cheese!

Tex Mex Stuffed Squash

(adapted from Everyday FOOD)

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 4 yellow summer squashes (try to look for ones more conducive to stuffing)
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 red bell pepper (ribs and seeds removed), diced
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced, white and green parts separated
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon mild chili powder
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 1 tsp dried oregano 
• 1/2 pound extra lean ground beef (96% lean)
• 1 cup canned corn (no salt/sugar added)
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese plus more for sprinkling 

Directions

Heat oven to 400 degrees.

Halve each squash lengthwise; slice a sliver from the rounded part of each half so it sits flat. Leaving a 1/4-inch border, scoop out halves with a small spoon; roughly chop flesh, and reserve. Place squash halves, skin side down, in a shallow baking dish. Season with salt and pepper, and set aside.

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Add reserved chopped squash, bell pepper, scallion whites, and garlic; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until bell pepper begins to soften, about 5 minutes. Add spices.  Add tomato paste to the center of the pan; cook for at least 5 minutes to intensify the tomato flavor. Add beef; cook until no longer pink, breaking up meat with a spoon.  Cook everything together for about 15-20 minutes so the flavors really develop and deepen.  Remove from heat. Stir in corn and 1/4 cup Parmesan; season with salt and pepper.

Dividing evenly, spoon mixture into squash halves. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan. Place a little bit of water in the bottom of the pan to help steam the squash.  Cover with aluminum foil, and bake until squash is tender, 30 minutes. Uncover, and bake until top is browned, 10 minutes more. Garnish with scallion greens, a dollop of non-fat greek yogurt and a side salad.

If you have any of the filling left over, use it for a quesadilla/tostada, in an omelet, as a layered casserole or in a taco salad.  Lots of possibilities with this easy filling!

 

 

Stuffed squash = stuffed tummy :)

so good to be back!

I am so glad to finally have my computer back and running smoothly.  I’ve really missed the blog world!  The HP service was actually very timely and I got my laptop back within 4 days.  Wow!  Talk about quick customer service.  I also got a laptop surge protector for added protection.

While I don’t have a brand new website (still in the works!), I have much to make up for my absence and several yummy recipes to post ASAP!  Well, both of my midterms are finally over with and I’m glad to get started a new.  The first one for my adv exercise physiology class was quite the challenge, but the human physiology one was not as bad as I had anticipated.

Rotisserie chicken can be a great asset to quick and delicious meals because it’s always tender, juicy and already all cooked!  Sometimes it is even cheaper than the un-cooked bird.  While it’s not the leanest choice, it’s nice to mix up the white with the dark meat sometimes.  For this post, I feature rotisserie chicken in two really great recipes:  Chicken Enchiladas Verde and Chinese Chicken Salad.

 

Chicken Enchiladas Verde

Ingredients

• 4 oz. low-fat cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup non-fat Greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup green salsa (I use Trader Joe’s brand)
• 1 large can (28 oz) Green Enchilada Sauce (I like the Macayos brand)
• 2 cups grated 2% Cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese
• 2 cups shredded cooked chicken
• 1 cup canned no-salt/no-sugar corn kernels
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
• Salt and pepper
• 4 scallions, thinly sliced
• handful of cilantro chopped plus more for topping
• 12 to 14 soft round 6 to 8-inch flour or corn tortillas

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

In a medium bowl cream together the cream cheese and the Greek yogurt. Stir in 1/2 cup of the salsa. Stir in 1 cup of the grated cheese. In a second bowl toss together the chicken, the corn, cumin, cayenne, salt, pepper, cilantro and 1/2 of the scallions. Add the chicken mixture to the cheese mixture and stir to combine.

In a large baking dish spread about a 1/2 cup of the enchilada sauce over the bottom. Place the rest of the enchilada sauce in another wide, flat bowl.  Dip a tortilla in the sauce to coat and shake off excess.  Place about a 1/3 cup of the filling on a tortilla, tuck the sides in, roll up and transfer to the baking dish with the seam side down. Repeat process for remaining tortillas. Pour remaining enchilada sauce over enchiladas, spreading to coat all of them. Sprinkle remaining grated cheese over the top.  Transfer to preheated oven and bake for about 30 minutes until hot and bubbly; increase oven to 400 for about 5-10 minutes until nice and golden.  Sprinkle with remaining cilantro and serve with Greek yogurt (I like to add lime zest/juice) and non-fat refried beans!

These are delicious for leftovers too!

 

Chinese Chicken Salad

Ingredients

(I don’t have exact measurements, because I just threw things in!)

• 2 heads Napa Cabbage, finely sliced
• bell pepper, diced – You could use all kinds of veggies
• small can mandarin oranges
• slivered almonds, toasted
• corn (leftover from the enchiladas)
• rotisserie chicken (leftover from the enchiladas – about 1 1/2-2 cups)

For the Dressing:

• 1/2 cup Non-fat Greek yogurt
• couple splashes rice wine vinegar
• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 1 tbsp honey
• small handful chopped cilantro
• salt and pepper to taste

Simply mix everything together!  This is really refreshing, especially with the warm weather approaching.  Yea, for sunshine!  If it ends up being a little more ‘wet’ than you would like, it’s great as a topping for salad greens like romaine too. 

 

Do you miss it when you can’t blog, or if you aren’t by a computer to peruse your favorite blogs?