A happy accident for grilled salmon...

So...guess who was up all night with a sick baby? Yup, that was me. I'm not going to complain though. My little r is an amazing sleeper. She started sleeping through the night at 8 weeks, and now at almost 2 years I can count on one hand the number of times she's woken up during the night. She sleeps a solid 12 hours every night and takes long naps. Don't worry, I do realize that lightning rarely strikes the same place twice, so I'm mentally gearing up for baby #2's sleep habits not going as smoothly.

That being said...good sleeper or not, when mommy doesn't get any sleep at night, for what ever reason, the next day never goes well. Add to that, daddy's out of town on business so mommy's on 24/7 duty, and it equals one dead beat mommy, counting the hours until bed time.

Now that you know why my post is so late today, lets talk about this recipe. I came up with this to go on grilled salmon. I used to have a recipe for a cucumber sauce, but for the life of me can't find it. So I decided to just come up with a new one. To be honest, I like this one better than the one I had. A little happy accident I guess.

CRISP CUCUMBER HERB SAUCE
(Mindi Original)

½ C. mayo
½ C. sour cream
3 T. Dijon mustard
1 t. white balsamic vinegar (or plain white vinegar)
1 t. lemon juice
¼ C. fresh chopped dill
¼ C. fresh chopped Italian Parsley
¼ C. fresh chopped chives
1 t. sugar
1 t. salt
½ t. pepper
1 cucumber; peeled, seeds removed, small diced

1. Mix all ingredients together and chill for 30 minutes before serving with fish or chicken.

Fish...it's whats for dinner.

Several years ago I was at a ICSC (International Council of Shopping Centers...yes there is an International Council for Shopping Centers...crazy but true!) Marketing Conference in San Diego, CA. One night we had dinner at this fun little Seafood Restaurant, right on the water. I had the most amazing Mahi Mahi dish. When I got back to Utah I was determined to deconstruct and re-create it. I love doing that!

At the time, I was on a diet...so not only did I deconstruct it...I tried to make it much healthier than the restaurants. I really liked my version, it wasn't quite as rich, but I'm sure that had something to do with my "healthy" twists. I made it a few times and always enjoyed it, but I kind of forgot about it.

Last week when my husband agreed to eat fish...shocking...I started thinking about this dish again. I hadn't made it in years, so I thought I'd resurrect it and see if it was as good as I remember. I'm sure glad I did.

MAHI MAHI WITH LEMON GARLIC SAUCE
(Mindi Original)

4 Mahi Mahi fillets (4-6 oz. each)
3/4 C. Panko bread crumbs
zest of 1 lemon
1 T. dry parsley
1 t. garlic powder
1 t. Italian Seasoning
salt & pepper
cooking spray

2 large cloves garlic
1 T. butter
1 T. olive oil
2 T. flour
juice of one lemon (about 1/8 cup)
½ C. chicken stock
½ C. milk
salt & pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Dip each fillet in the bread crumb mixture. Make sure each fillet is well covered in bread crumb mixture. Place the fillets on the baking sheet and spray the top of each one with cooking spray.
3. Bake for about 10-15 minutes, depending on your oven. Make sure the fish is done, but not too dry.
4. While the fish is baking, melt the butter in a small sauce pan. Add the olive oil and allow to heat.
5. Add the garlic and sauté over medium heat.
6. Add the flour and stir to incorporate.
7. Add the lemon juice and chicken stock, cook for a minute then add the milk. Continue cooking until the sauce starts to thicken.
8. Season with salt & pepper.
9. Serve the sauce over top the baked fish fillets. Also serve with Seasoned Brown Rice (recipe below).
10. Serves 4.

*This dish can also be made with Talapi, or any other white fish. I’m sure Salmon would be good as well.


SEASONED BROWN RICE

1 ½ C. Chicken Stock
2 T. chives
1 t. salt
¾ C. brown rice

1. In a sauce pan over high heat, bring the chicken stock to a boil.
2. Add the chives, salt and brown rice.
3. Reduce heat to low and allow to cook for 50 minutes.
4. Fluff and serve.
5. Serves 4.

I've got Rachael Ray beat by 15 minutes...

These are classic French ingredients, combined to make an incredibly yummy and easy dinner. Start to finish, dinner was done in 15 minutes. This also received a huge thumbs up from hubby and little R. The flavor was tangy, yet silky smooth. And it's healthy too boot. You can't beat that.

(This sauce would also be perfect for fish. I would substitute the tarragon for dill and I bet this would be fabulous over salmon, trout, halibut or mahi mahi.)


CHICKEN WITH DIJON CREAM SAUCE
(Mindi Original)

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts butterflied and cut in half (This makes the chicken a lot thinner and it cooks really fast. Just be careful not to over cook the chicken or it could be too dry. If you prefer the chicken breasts whole, just increase the cooking time by a couple minutes per side.)
salt & pepper
2 T. olive oil
1/2 C. chicken broth
3/4 C. reduced fat sour cream
3 T. Dijon mustard
1 1/2 t. dried tarragon

1. Sprinkle chicken breasts with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat 2 T. olive oil over medium-high heat.
2. Add chicken; sauté until cooked through, 3-4 minutes per side.
3. Transfer chicken to a plate; keep warm.
4. Pour chicken broth into hot skillet; cook, stirring, until reduced by half, about 1 minute.
5. Whisk in sour cream, mustard, and tarragon. Cook, whisking, until thickened, about 2 minutes.
6. Pour any accumulated chicken juices into sauce. Add chicken back into the pan; coating with sauce.
7. Serve immediately.
8. Serves 4.

It's a miracle...

Last Saturday as I was figuring out our weekly meal plan I expressed frustration to my husband regarding the lack of fish in our diet. I love fish! I have always loved fish. Before I got married I ate fish or shell fish at least twice a week. My husband however, grew up in Kansas...land of meat and potatoes. He claims the only fish he was ever exposed to came off the menu of Long John Silvers or out of a can of Starkist. Obviously he never developed a taste for anything from the gilled culinary persuasion.

But...surprise, surprise...his response to my complaints..."Let's try some fish." He has never said that to me before, and this isn't the first time I've complained about my Omega 3 deficiency. He suggested that maybe he could develop a taste for it, with increased exposure and if it were cooked with yummy flavors he already liked.

So we tried it this week...the recipe below. I'm happy to report...He liked it, he liked it.

It's a miracle! I just may get fish back in my diet after all.


SWEET AND SPICY SALMON
(Mindi Original)

1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
6 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
6 tablespoons lemon juice
1 cup dill weed
3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 (2 pound) salmon fillet
Lemon-pepper seasoning
Salt

1. In a small bowl, combine the first five ingredients; mix well.
2. Remove 1/2 cup of the mixture to a saucepan; simmer until heated through.
3. Set aside remaining mixture for basting.
4. Sprinkle salmon with lemon-pepper and salt.
5. Place on a piece of tin foil, then on the grill.
6. Grill, covered, over medium heat for 5 minutes. Brush with the reserved brown sugar mixture.
7. Grill 10-15 minutes longer, basting occasionally, until fish flakes easily with a fork.
8. Serve with the warmed sauce.