Baked Mahi-Mahi with a Ginger, Garlic & Lemon Reduction

I made mahi-mahi last Friday (Lent) and wanted something to dress it up a bit.  I found a sauce online that called for cream, etc... and decided to use the basics of that but lighten it up considerably. B and I threw this together and it actually turned out really good.  The measurements are all estimates because we literally were throwing a dash of this or a pinch of that in...but hopefully if you try it, you'll be able to replicate it.

Ingredients:

Mahi-Mahi fillet - we had about 3/4 - 1 lb

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 shallot, minced

1-2 tsp fresh ginger, grated

Lemon rind, grated

 1-2 tsp Fresh lemon juice

1/4 c chicken stock (low sodium)

Salt & Pepper, to taste

1 tbsp Olive Oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

Salt & Pepper the top of the Mahi fillet

Add olive oil to medium size pan over high heat..  Once the oil is hot, place the mahi, skin side up, in the pan and sear for 30-45 seconds.  Remove from pan & place in baking dish (with some baking spray).  

Bake in oven for about 6-8 minutes, until fish flakes

Meanwhile, add garlic, shallot, ginger, lemon rind, lemon juice & stock to a small sauce pan.  Warm the sauce, stirring frequently.

When fish is done, remove from oven and place on plate.  Tent with foil for about 3-4 minutes to rest

Place 1 fillet on fresh plate and drizzle with the sauce.  

Enjoy!

Lamb Chops with Rosemary, Thyme and Garlic

I wanted to make a nice dinner for M's birthday this week.  He chose lamb chops so I went to a new butcher in town and purchased kidney chops.  I found this recipe and thought it sounded like something he'd love.  The only change we had to make (from the original recipe) was to cook the chops in an oven after searing them to even get them to rare.  They had nice flavor and were tender.  The house smelled amazing while they were cooking too!  I served them with balsamic brussel spouts and oven roasted dill potatoes.  Delish!

Ingredients: 
Serves 3-4 people
2 large garlic cloves, crushed
1 tbsp fresh rosemary
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
1 pinch cayenne pepper
Course sea salt
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
6-7 kidney lamb chops

Directions:
In a food processor, add garlic, rosemary, thyme, cayenne and salt.  Pulse until combined.

Add olive oil and pulse into a paste

Rub the paste on both sides of the chops.  Return to refrigerator for about an hour or more.  Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking to get to room temperature.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees

Heat grill pan over high heat until almost smoking.  Add the chops and sear for 2 minutes.  Flip the chops and sear another 3 minutes.

Put pan and chops into oven.  Cook for another 10 minutes.  Remove pan (be careful to use a hot pad) and place on plate.  Tent for about 5 more minutes to allow the chops to rest.

Enjoy!

Salmon with Garlic and Dijon

M always cooks any fish that we get, mainly because I'm afraid I'll dry it out!  He bought some salmon for dinner but we ended up going out that night and then he went to work for the week.  Since I didn't want to waste the fish, I was determined to find a recipe I could make.  I found this one and thought it would be easy enough for me and B would like it.  Wow - this was a hit!!  B not only loved it, she devoured it and asked for more!  This is a winner and will be made again!

Instructions: 
1.5 lbs salmon 
2 Tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped - I didn't have any so I just used some dry parsley
2 large OR 3 small cloves of garlic, pressed
1.5 tsp Dijon mustard 
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/8 cup mild olive oil
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
Lemon slices (mostly for effect)

Directions: 
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
Line a rimmed baking dish with foil. (you will regret it if you skip this step...clean up will be messy)In a small bowl, combine 2 Tbsp freshly chopped parsley, 2-3 cloves pressed garlic, 1.5 tsp dijon, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/8 tsp pepper, 1/8 cup olive oil and 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice. Mix well. 
Cut salmon into even portions: Lay them onto your lined baking dish skin side down. 
Generously brush all sides of your salmon with the sauce and top with fresh lemon slices
Bake at 450 °F for 12-15 minutes or until just cooked through.  I had thicker slices of fish so mine took the full 15 minutes.  

Enjoy!

Hasselback Potatoes with Garlic, Lemon & Rosemary

We were invited to dinner at a friend's house and I offered to bring a side dish.  I have wanted to make these for a while so this was a perfect opportunity to try.  They are a little labor intensive (not as bad as I would have thought though) to cut them without slicing right through the potato.  A trick that's mentioned on the original site was to cut a small slice off the bottom of the potato so it would sit still on the cutting board and pan...worked like a charm!  These were really good but next time I want to try a little Parmesan cheese on them.

Ingredients: 

4 medium russet potatoes2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil2 tablespoons butter2 cloves garlic, halved

1 teaspoon rosemary leaves, do not chop leaves
zest of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon melted butter
sea salt
1 teaspoon rosemary leaves , finely chopped for garnish

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 450˚F. Line a baking pan with foil. While oven is heating, prepare potatoes. Cut a small thin slice off one long side of each potato. This will give a flat surface so potatoes will not roll around.Place a potato on a work surface with the cut side down. With a sharp knife cut thin vertical slices from one end to the other, cutting almost all the way through, but being careful not to cut all the way through. You can place small wooden dowels, or chopsticks on either side of the potato to keep your knife from slicing through. For me, it works better to just take a bit of care with each cut and to use a very sharp knife.Combine olive oil, butter, rosemary leaves and garlic in a small microwave safe bowl. Cook on high for 30 seconds, stir and cook another 30 seconds. Remove from microwave, add lemon zest and set aside.With your hands, rub potatoes all over with a bit of olive oil. Arrange potatoes on prepared pan. Place in preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and brush all over with about half of the olive oil/butter mixture, separating the slices slightly with a knife to get some of the oil mixture between the slices. Return to oven for another 15 minutes and repeat brushing with oil.Return potatoes to oven for 15 minutes. At this point you should have used up most of the oil/butter mixture and should have just the rosemary and garlic left in the bowl. Add one tablespoon of butter to bowl and microwave on high for 30 seconds.After the 3rd 15-minute stint in the oven, remove potatoes, brush with the melted butter and sprinkle generously with sea salt. Bake for another 10-20* minutes or until crisp and golden on the exterior and soft of the inside. Remove from oven, sprinkle with chopped rosemary and serve.

Note:* ~ Total baking time is approximate. It will depend on the size and density of your potatoes along with your oven. Total baking time is 55-65 minutes.

Caesar Salad Dressing

We were invited to a friend's house for a BBQ and I offered to bring the salad.  I wanted to try making a homemade Caesar dressing and found one here.  I had high hopes of making my own croutons too but that will have to wait for a non-work night!  The recipe is delicious but way too creamy / thick!  We ended up thinning it with milk and that worked well.  I made it again last night and think I've perfected the right amount of milk.  I make it with low fat mayo and 1% milk which is a plus for a few less calories!

Ingredients:
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp anchovy paste (found near tuna fish in your grocery store)
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 cup Mayo (I use low fat Hellmans)
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan Cheese
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
(I added about 1/2 cup of 1% milk)

Directions:
In a medium bowl, whisk together first 5 ingredients
Add the Mayo, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper and whisk until blended
Add milk, a little at a time, to get to a consistency of your liking
I chill mine for about an hour then add to the salad
I put fresh slices of Parmesan cheese on top of the salad to garnish