Orange Roughy with Mango Coconut Pepper Sauce

I ran across this sauce at The Fresh Market.....it's so easy and wonderful for grilling any kind of fish. This was wonderful on Orange Roughy, although O.R. is a pretty delicate fish to grill (it kinda fell apart!) I just brushed a bit on both sides of the fish, grilled for a few minutes on one side, turned it and brushed a tad bit more on the top. This is really a wonderful sauce and the O.R. (frozen from Publix) just melted in my mouth.

I served this with grilled asparagus and roasted red potatoes.

BBQ Chicken Salad w/Creamy BBQ Cilantro Lime Dressing

Looking for a recipe to use up more stuff in the frig, I ran across this one for which I had everything except a lime and some iceberg lettuce (and just using romaine would have been fine with me)! Imagine! Everything on hand and the most time-consuming preparation was the dressing....about 5 minutes! Plus, this is a pretty healthy, lower-fat salad as I used reduced-fat mayo which only accounts for about half of the ingredients in the dressing. I halved the dressing recipe and there's plenty left for other salads or it's a pretty good dip all by itself. Nice, interesting flavors.

I'm still working on using up the meat from the turkey I roasted last week and this was a good use. And I had some extra BBQ sauce from our favorite BBQ restaurant (BONES, in Chattanooga). Also, in place of the red onion and cilantro, I used the leftover pico de gallo I had from the quesadillas last week.

I'm going to list the recipe as I found it, but I did cut it down a bit, using about 1/3 of the salad recipe for the two of us. I cut the dressing recipe in half and this made about 1 1/2 cups, so plenty left for the future.

This will make a nice summertime salad, also.

BBQ CHICKEN SALAD (Serves 4-6)

3 cups cooked, shredded chicken
2 cups BBQ sauce (or to taste.....add a bit at a time until it suits you)
1/2 head iceberg lettuce, cored and chopped
2 romaine hearts, chopped
1/2 red onion, diced
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 1/2 cups frozen corn, thawed
1 can (15 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
4 oz sharp cheddar cheese, cubed small or shredded
4 oz Monterey jack cheese, cubed small or shredded
(I used a shredded Mexican Cheese package in lieu of the cheddar and Jack)

Combine the cooked chicken and BBQ sauce in a medium bowl. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

In a large bowl, toss together the iceberg lettuce, romaine lettuce, red onion, cilantro, corn, black beans, and cheese. Toss the mixed salad with about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of the dressing, if desired. Otherwise, you can serve the dressing on the side. Place salad on plates and top with the prepared BBQ chicken and additional dressing.

CREAMY BBQ CILANTRO LIME DRESSING

1 cup mayo, light or regular
1/3 cup milk
1/3 cup buttermilk
2 Tbsp fresh cilantro, finely chopped
1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
1 tsp white vinegar
1 tsp granulated sugar
1 garlic clove, finely minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 to 1/2 BBQ sauce

Combine all the ingredients together and whisk to combine. Keep refrigerated.

Julia Child's Basic Viniagrette Salad Dressing

Somehow I kinda got away from simple side salads. And I've made more vinaigrettes than I can count, but the other day I decided I needed a simple vinaigrette I could toss on some greens to complete a meal. Doing a quick search, up popped Julia Child's Basic Viniagrette. Well, it had to be good, right? Of course it is.

I can already tell this is going to be on our dinner table several nights a week. And what a lovely, delicious salad this was: half romaine, half spring mix tossed with JC's viniagrette, and topped with crumbled goat cheese and halved grape tomatoes. Simple, lovely, and absolutely delicious.

JULIA CHILD'S BASIC VINIAGRETTE

Whisk together:

1/2 Tbsp finely minced shallot

1/2 Tbsp Dijon mustard

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 Tbsp freshly-squeezed lemon juice

1/2 Tbsp wine vinegar

1/3-1/2 cup EVOO

freshly ground black pepper

Meatballs

OK, so once again, not the best photo. But if you are looking for a healthy, low-fat meatball, this is the best! I altered the recipe from one I got while working at Char's restaurant in Red Wing, MN. I simply took out the ground beef and pork and substituted ground turkey breast. And the surprising ingredient: raisins! I can count on one hand the foods I just won't go near and raisins had always been at the top of the list until I tried these meatballs. So many pluses to these meatballs: you can also make them in advance and freeze them. And just keep a jar of your favorite pasta sauce on hand and some spaghetti in the cupboard and you're set!

This recipe makes 18 meatballs (I weigh the meat out at 50 grams) which I freeze (after cooking) and then just take out how ever many we feel like eating (usually 2 each) and heat them in the pasta sauce. I served this with a basic Caesar's Salad, dressing recipe listed previously.

AMICI'S MEATBALLS

20 oz ground turkey breast
2 eggs (or 1/2 cup egg beaters)
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1 Tbsp fresh basil, chopped
1 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
1/4 cup Parmesan
2 large garlic cloves, chopped (2-3 tsp)
handful of raisins
1/2 cup milk (I used skim, you can use 2% or whole)
s&p

Mix together with your hands. Bake at 350 for 18 minutes (I like to undercook them about a minute or 2.....they will cook further when you put them in the sauce to heat up. Also, they will not be the dark brown meatballs you are used to, they will be a much lighter color.)

White Chicken Chili

OK, once again, let me apologize for the photo. I would have omitted this altogether if this chili weren't so good! But it was so good, even if the photo isn't. I took a few recipes and used what I like and added a few things that weren't in the ones I chose. The combination was just wondeful. I can't wait until fall so I can try it again!

WHITE CHICKEN CHILI

8 oz dried navy beans, soaked overnight
3 cups chicken or turkey broth
1/2 sweet onion, chopped
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1/2-1 jalapeno, seeded and minced (depending on size)
1 Tbsp chopped cilantro
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 lb diced cooked chicken or turkey
shredded Jack or Mexican-blend cheese, to taste

Bring navy beans and broth to a boil, then turn down to a simmer until beans are tender (mine took about an hour).

In the meantime, saute onion, garlic, cilantro, and jalapeno in canola cooking spray until tender. Add cumin and paprika, stir and saute a minute or two. Add to beans. Add meat.

In a bowl, sprinkle a bit of cheese on the bottom. Fill with chili. Sprinkle a bit more cheese on top. Enjoy!

Shrimp and Sausage w/Stewed Tomatoes and Okra

So, I was at Publix yesterday and just happened upon their demo-ing this dish. I had collected the recipe card and really hadn't even given it a second thought. And then I tasted it.

WOW! OK, I'm not sure which I liked better. The entree or the side dish. I love, love, love shrimp, but I also love, love, love okra. This idea was the best of two worlds. My version of Publix's recipe SERVES 2.

The okra dish is so very fast and easy. Put a can (14.5 oz) of Italian-style tomatoes in a pan with 1/2 cup chicken broth and some hot sauce to taste (we prefer Louisiana Hot Sauce). Bring to a boil and throw in about 3/4 lb of sliced fresh okra. Cook at a simmer, about 15 minutes, until okra is done.

Now, for the shrimp and sausage recipe. The Publix recipe called for threading the shrimp and sausage on skewers and grilling them. But I found a much easier way to prepare. First, get about 1/2 pound of medium-sized shrimp, shelled and deveined, and about 5 oz of smoked turkey sausage sliced into about 1/4-1/2" slices (Publix used beef sausage....you know the kind, like a rope, usually shaped into a ring. I went to the turkey sausage because it only contains about 1/3 of the fat that the beef version has and has all of the flavor).

In a small microwave-safe bowl, combine 1/4 cup of apple jelly (yes, jelly, NOT apple butter. You can find it in the jam/jelly section of your supermarket), 1 Tbsp brown sugar, and 1/8 tsp of liquid smoke. Cover and cook on high for about 60-90 seconds, or until liquified. Stir.

Coat hot skillet with canola cooking spray. Add shrimp and sausage. Cook until shrimp turn pink and sausage is warmed. Add jelly mixture and mix to coat.

Serve the shrimp/sausage on rice with the okra mixture on the side.

Oh my!!!! This is SO good!!!!!!

Pico de Gallo Chicken Quesadillas

Back to my mission of trying to use things I have on hand for dinner. I still have a stash of the most wonderful tortillas from Central Market in Texas in my freezer. And I roasted a turkey yesterday. So I thumbed through some recipes I'd been saving and found one which incorporated these two ingredients. Fast, easy, delicious. And just a smidge more space in my freezer!

This recipe made just enough for the two of us.

PICO de GALLO CHICKEN QUESADILLAS

1 large Roma tomato, diced
1/2 small sweet onion, chopped
1 Tbsp+ chopped cilantro
1 lime, juiced (mine was especially juicy, I should have only used half of it)
1/2 jalapeno, seeded and minced
S&P to taste

Canola oil cooking spray
Cooked chicken or turkey, amount to taste (I used one thick slice of turkey and it was just right)
1/2 small onion, thinly sliced
1/2 green bell pepper, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 (10" or 12") flour tortillas
About 1 cup shredded Mexican-blend cheese (I used the reduced fat version with great results)
Sour cream, if you like

In a small bowl, combine tomatoes, onion, lime juice, cilantro, jalapeno, S&P. Set aside.

Spray a hot pan with canola oil cooking spray and saute the sliced onion and green pepper until tender. Stir in the minced garlic and saute. Mix in half of the pico de gallo and cooked poultry. Set aside; keep warm.

In a heavy skillet or griddle which has been heated, spray with a bit of cooking spray. Put one tortilla on grill. Spread about 1/4 cup cheese on the tortilla and top with half of the chicken mixture. Sprinkle another 1/4 cup cheese over the chicken and top with another tortilla. When bottom tortilla is lightly brown and cheese has started to melt, flip quesadilla and cook on the opposite side. Remove from skillet and cut into quarters. Repeat with remaining ingredients. (I used one griddle and one large skillet so I could do two quesadillas at a time.)

Serve quesadillas with sour cream and remaining pico de gallo. I also served a green salad with it.