You all have my dear friend, Reson to thank for this healthy and absolutely delicious post! (THANKS, RESON! :)) I am a little scattered-brained and I almost forgot that I’d prepared this meal and neglected to put it on the site after I posted the pics on facebook. In addition to that, I wasn’t too pleased with the pics. I haven’t quite mastered the settings on my camera and of all places,  I can’t figure out outdoor lighting. I’m working on it though. Aside from the pics, you’re going to love it! It is the perfect break from the usual hamburgers, hot dogs and chicken this summer.   

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup sliced yellow onions
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons orange juice
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro
• 5 cloves garlic, smashed
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• Pinch cayenne
• 4 (6 to 8-ounce) troll-caught mahi mahi fillets, skin on
• Coconut Rice, recipe follows
• Tropical Salsa, recipe follows
• Toasted coconut flakes, garnish
• Chopped cilantro, garnish

Directions

In a bowl, combine the onions, oil, orange and lime juices, cilantro, garlic, salt, cumin, and cayenne. Place the fish in a large, non-reactive baking dish. Pour the marinade over the fish, cover and refrigerate for up to 1 hour.

Preheat a grill, and lightly oil the grill rack with vegetable oil. Remove the fish from the marinade. Place on the oiled grill and cook, skin side up, until marked, 45 seconds to 1 minute. Turn carefully with a spatula and cook, skin side down, until the fish is just cooked through, about 4 minutes, depending upon thickness. Remove from the grill.

Spoon the coconut rice into the center of 4 large plates. Arrange 1 fillet onto each serving of rice and top with the Tropical Salsa. Garnish with toasted coconut and cilantro, and serve.

Coconut Rice:

• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon sugar
• 1 cup long grain white rice
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

In a saucepan, combine the coconut milk, water, salt, and sugar. Bring to a boil. Add the rice, stir well, and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer undisturbed until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is fluffy, about 20 to 24 minutes. Remove from the heat and let sit without stirring for 10 minutes.

Fluff with a fork and add the cilantro. Adjust seasoning, to taste. Serve hot.

Yield: 4 servings

Tropical Salsa :

• 1 ripe mango, peeled, seeded, and diced
• 1 ripe avocado, peeled, seeded, and diced
• 1/2 cup diced fresh pineapple
• 1/4 cup minced red onions
• 1/4 cup minced red bell peppers
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 2 teaspoons minced jalapeno
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• Pinch salt

Combine the mango, avocado, pineapple, onions, bell peppers, cilantro, lime juice, jalapeno, garlic, and salt in a bowl and gently fold to combine. Adjust seasoning to taste. Let sit for 30 minutes before serving for the flavors to blend.

For my first day back, I decided to ABSOLUTELY WOW you with something understated and simple. Kinda like that DKNY black dress I LOVE with my triple stranded pearls. Anyway….Thanks to my good friend and fellow foodie, Stacey P. for pointing me to this ONE-DISH WONDER. IT IS A WINNER!

Pampered Chef Lemon GrΣΣk Chicken

Ingredients:

Zest of 2 lemons (Tip – Zest Lemons before juicing)
1 C. lemon juice (Pretty much 3 lemons)
4 T. Extra Virgin olive oil
1 Head of garlic (roughly chopped)
4 T. dried oregano leaves
3/4 T. salt
1/8 T. ground black pepper
8 Baby Idahoes (small red potatoes, no need to peel)
1 Medium red bell pepper, cut into thin slices

1 Medium orange pepper, cut into thin slices
1 large red onion, cut into wedges
Whole Chicken cut up (cleaned)

 Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°.

In 1 qt bowl, combine lemon zest, juice and oil.

Add garlic, oregano, salt and black pepper; set aside.

Cut each potato lengthwise place in 9 X 13 casserole dish.

Add bell pepper, onion, and half of the lemon juice mixture; toss to coat.

Season chicken pieces with salt and pepper.

Place chicken on top of vegetables; brush with the remaining lemon juice mixture.

Bake 60 to 70 mins. or until chicken is no longer pink in center and potatoes are fork tender, basting chicken and vegetables with pan juices after 30 minutes. (At the 30 minute mark, I brushed on a little more EVOO)

Serve over brown rice cooked entirely in chicken broth (no water…bleck) and 1 T. butter.  Plate rice, followed by chicken and veggies and last but definitely not least, spoon some of that great flavored broth and pan juices on top. SUPERB! AND ONE OF THE BEST PARTS…..IT FITS INTO MY NEW BETTER EATING PLAN…SPA FIERCE!! (Without the skin of course. My mom is visiting and she would’ve killed me had I removed it from her pieces as well. It was delish without! I promise.)

Yield: 4 servings

I usually make my salmon in the oven with mango chutney. It’s good because I LOVE the sweetness. However, last night, I wanted a little sweet and spicy so I tried a recipe that promised exactly that. I am NOT a fan of anything “orange”- cool-aid, Gatorade, pound cake, cookies etc. BUT I figured once it was baked into a glaze with the different flavors, it may be something I could appreciate. I was right. I’d never pan-fried (sautéed) salmon so I was a little hesitant. I found that I need more oil than the recipe called for. It may have been because I wasn’t using a non-stick pan, but I did need more oil.

ORANGE-GLAZED SALMON

Ingredients:

4 boneless salmon fillets (with or without skin side)

3 Tbs. Cajun Spice (McCormick $2.99)

1 Tsp. Brown sugar

½ Tsp. salt

½ c. Orange Marmalade (Seville Oranges)

juice of half of large lime

2 Tbs. olive oil

Directions:

Mix the Cajun spice, b. sugar and salt together in a small bowl. Press the mixture into the salmon, covering the entire surfaces of both the top and bottom of the pieces. Combine the jelly and juice together and have it on deck to spoon very quickly. Add the oil to your (non-stick) skillet. Once heated, add the pieces skin-side down first (just in case the pan is a little too hot and you won’t mess up the pretty face of the fish, lol). Quickly spread the jelly mixture over the pieces and cook about 3-4 minutes. Gently flip the fish, spread the sauce on the other side and flip back in 2 to 3 minutes. The sauce will now surround the pieces so take the time to spoon it over them and on the sides again. The fish is done when it flakes when tested with a fork. Serve with lime wedges.   

GREEN BEANS WITH CARMELIZED ONIONS

There was something personally satisfying about trimming my own beans although it got old very fast, lol. I felt like I was providing my household with good quality, “clean” food. And yes, I was tempted to start the party by sautéing a lil bit of bacon but I decided against it. (

Ingredients:

1 ½ lb. fresh green beans, trimmed of stems ($2.77 @ Publix)

1 large onion, thinly sliced

2/3 c. sliced almonds, with skin (in the produce section at Publix)

Kosher Salt

Black Pepper

2 Tbs. Butter

2 Tbs. Olive Oil

I used one skillet for the entire dish. Toast the almonds for 3 to 4 minutes on low heat. Be careful because I burned a few of mine. Set them aside for later. I’ve never boiled water in a skillet before so I was, for some odd reason, amazed when I noticed that I was,lol. Anyway, fill the skillet with water up until maybe 1 inch from the rim of the pot, bring to a boil. Salt water and add green beans. Boil for 6 minutes, drain in colander and run cold water over beans until they are no longer hot (to stop the cooking process). Using the same pot, heat the oil and butter and add the onions. Season with salt and pepper. Saute the onions for 25 mins. on medium low heat. THEY WILL SMELL AMAZING! Add the beans back into the pot and toss aound with the onions for 4-5 minutes (longer if you want them softer and devoid of nutrients, lol). Cut the heat off and add the toasted almonds to the pan and toss. That’s it!