Recipe Review from 6/21/21

For Father's Day weekend the Husband and I took the Folks to Sapsucker Farms, Mora, MN. The Husband had been previously, the rest of us had not. The weather was perfect for sitting outside on the patio (puppy friendly), we enjoyed a flight of cider (Classic, Ginger, Lemon-Basil, Rhubarb, Barrel Aged, Cranberry, Cayanne, Wildflower, and Apple Pie). The group of us really liked the barrel aged and rhubarb. Though they were all good. We enjoyed some delicious BBQ from the food truck and then a lovely walk around the trails on the farm. A most excellent adventure!

Oregon, 2018

The Meal Plan:
Sat (L) Sapsucker Farms (S) Bread Salad
Sun (L) Salmon (S) Bread Salad
Mon (yoga/bkgrp) leftover salmon
Tues - leftover salmon
Wed (yoga) bread salad
Thurs - eggs in sauce
Fri - leftover eggs in sauce

Lunches - lentil and bulger salad (Moosewood cookbook) for me; sandwiches for the Husband


Sweet Heat Salmon (Eating Well, April 2021)
This is another easy to assemble dish that does give the option of grilling or broiling. As the broiler never really works for me, and it stinks up the house, I went with grilling. I did use red raspberry preserves, but unfortunately forgot to look at the label and found I had picked a jar predominantly "high fructose corn syrup". Argh. Oh well. No time to return, went with it anyway.

This was tasty, definitely more "sweet" than "heat", so I was glad for the extra sliced jalepenos. Don't skip the arugula salad - the tangy greens helped balanced out that sweetness and added a nice crisp crunch. There was plenty of sauce for 2lbs of salmon, so you could make more fish, or cut the jam concoction in half. If you do make more fish and plan on having as leftovers, don't dress with the glaze until serving.

Photo from eatingwell.com

Serves 6 (I got two meals for two, plus one meal for one)

¾ cup fruit preserves, such as blackberry or peach, pureed
6 tablespoons water
1 jalapeño pepper, thinly sliced, plus more for garnish
2 cloves garlic, chopped
¼ cup white-wine or cider vinegar
1 ½ tablespoons reduced-sodium tamari or soy sauce (see Tip)
2 tablespoons lemon or lime juice, divided
1 ½ pounds skin-on salmon fillet
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
3 cups packed arugula
1 cup thinly sliced radishes
¼ cup fresh mint or chervil leaves, torn
Lemon wedges for garnish

Combine pureed preserves, water, jalapeño and garlic in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced by half, 10 to 15 minutes. Add vinegar and tamari (or soy sauce) and cook until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, 4 to 8 minutes more. Remove from heat. Stir in 1 tablespoon lemon (or lime) juice.

Meanwhile, preheat grill to medium-high or broiler to high. Brush salmon with oil and sprinkle with salt.

Oil the grill rack or place the salmon on a rimmed baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Grill or broil the salmon, skin-side down, until it flakes easily with a fork, 10 to 15 minutes, depending on thickness. Using 2 large spatulas, carefully transfer the salmon to a platter. Top with the warm glaze.

Bread Salad with Kale, Beets and Blue Cheese (modified from Milk Street Tuesday Nights)
Kale! Beets! Bacon! Blue cheese! A delightful combination that is perfect for a light supper when it's 80* outside. This does have bacon in it, and the bacon could easily be omitted. There will be a bit of loss of flavor - maybe mushrooms would be a good umami substitute? Don't care for blue cheese? Substitute feta or even crumbled goat cheese. Either would be deliscious.

I did deviate from the original recipe a tich - I sauted the bread cubes in the bacon fat rather than the olive oil. Seemed a shame to waste that bacon-y flavor. And I served the blue cheese and bacon on top of the salads rather than tossing as those little crumbles just fall to the bottom of the bowl.

I really liked this, I liked the simplicity, I loved the flavors. Recommended!

Serves 4 (I got two meals for two out of this)
1 medium shallot, minced
2 tbsp sherry, cider or red wine vinegar
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
5 oz rustic bread (I used a ww sourdough) cut into 1" pieces (about 4 cups)
6 oz lacinato kale (I bought two bunches since you lose weight pulling the stems off)
coarse salt and fresh ground pepper
8-oz package cooked beets, cut into 6 or 8 wedges
1 tbsp honey
4 oz blue cheese, crumbled

Stir together the shallots and vinegar, set aside.

In a 12 inch non-stick skillet over medium heat, cook the bacon until browned and crisp. Transfer to a paper towel and set aside (reserving 1 tbsp of the bacon fat).

In the same skillet, add the bread and cook, tossing ferquently and lower the heat slightly if the pan begins to smoke. Cook until bread is golden brown, about 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside.

In a large bowl, toss the kale with 1/4 tsp salt and massage gently with your hands. Add the bread and beets, toss to combine.

To the shallot mixture, whisk in the 2 tbsp olive oil, salt and pepper to taste, and honey. Add to the kale mixture and toss. Divide salad amongst four bowls or plates, top with blue cheese and bacon. Serve.

Eggs with Sausage and Peas (modified from Milk Street Tuesday Nights)
PUT AN EGG ON IT!! And this simple dish does! A saucy tomato mixture, with a poached egg on top and sprinkled with feta. This diffrence between this and the Middle Eastern dish (whose name I'm completely blanking) is this isn't served over bread. Bread is along side for dipping. Yum yum yum.

Serves 4 (I got two meals for two out of this)

I'm going to have to point you in the direction of your library for this one - check out Milk Street Tuesday Nights.

An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green

An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green
My rating: 2 of 5 stars


Jacket Blurb: The Carls just appeared.

Roaming through New York City at three AM, twenty-three-year-old April May stumbles across a giant sculpture. Delighted by its appearance and craftsmanship—like a ten-foot-tall Transformer wearing a suit of samurai armor—April and her best friend, Andy, make a video with it, which Andy uploads to YouTube. The next day, April wakes up to a viral video and a new life. News quickly spreads that there are Carls in dozens of cities around the world—from Beijing to Buenos Aires—and April, as their first documentarian, finds herself at the center of an intense international media spotlight.

Seizing the opportunity to make her mark on the world, April now has to deal with the consequences her new particular brand of fame has on her relationships, her safety, and her own identity. And all eyes are on April to figure out not just what the Carls are, but what they want from us.

June 2021 book group selection.

I have very mixed thoughts on this book. On one hand, I quite enjoyed the cast of characters, the premise was interesting, and Carl was intriguing. The sub-text or sub-message of what social media can do to a person/society is both facinating and terrifying.

On the other hand, I did not enjoy April May and I somewhat bored with her plot line and found the pacing...slow. I thought more than once of setting the book aside but, (see first hand) there were a handful of items that kept me turning the page.

Mostly, I wanted to know more about Carl. And Andy. And Robin. And all the rest.

April, not so much.

Which I hear is the case in book two.

So I'll be reading book two because there is just enough curiosity to find out more.

This is one book you'll have to read and decide if it's worthwhile.

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Recipe Review from 6/14/2021

This week I picked out simple, quick and easy recipes that would provide at least two meals each which meant lots of variety - smoked brats, creamy fish, spicy burgers, and crisp greens. If you haven't already, pop over to your library and check out Milk Street Tuesday Nights.

Oregon, 2016

The Meal Plan:
Sat (L)leftovers (S)brats and leftover beans
Sun (L) brats and beans (S) cod
Mon (yoga)cod
Tues - Cuban burgers
Wed (yoga/Legion mtg)- burgers
Thurs - Greens with walnuts and Parmesan
Fri - Greens with walnuts and an Parmesan

Lunches - Salmon pasta salad


Pan-Seared Fish with Basil Oil & Cherry Tomato Vinaigrette (Eating Well, April 2021) gluten free I've been on a bit of a fish-kick lately and we try (and mostly don't succeed) to have fish once a week. I think I'm doing pretty good when its once a month. Part of the issue is, not the best selection of fish in my corner of the world. We do have whitefish and lake trout, and I enjoy a good whitefish. Lake trout can be very hit or miss - if it's out of Lake Superior, it can be too strongly flavored for my taste buds.

But I digress. I made a fish dish, I used cod (I LOVE cod), and managed to stink up the house. The dish was outstanding. It's easy, it comes together very quickly, and I love the combination of basil and tomatoes. In the recipe notes below it suggests to double the basil oil if you have extra basil. Do it! I've been enjoying the basil infused oil over lightly toasted sourdough bread. Highly recommend this dish!

Recipe as written serves 6, I used less fish (but not less tomatoes) for 4 servings.

Photo from eatingwell.com

¾ cup fresh basil stems and leaves, divided
2 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 pint cherry tomatoes
3 tablespoons sherry vinegar
2 tablespoons minced shallot
1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
½ teaspoon ground pepper, divided
2 pounds skin-on halibut or salmon, cut into 6 pieces
(I used 1 1/2 lbs cod)

Separate basil leaves from stems. Chop the leaves and set aside. Heat the stems, garlic and oil in a small saucepan over medium heat just until you start to see bubbles form around the stems and garlic. Remove from heat and let steep for 20 minutes. Strain into a small bowl (discard the stems and garlic).

Cut half the cherry tomatoes in half. Heat 1 tablespoon of the basil oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the halved and whole cherry tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until the skins blister and the tomatoes soften, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl and stir in 1/4 cup chopped basil, 1/4 cup basil oil, vinegar, shallot, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; gently stir to combine.

Wipe the pan clean. Gently pat fish dry and season with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons of the basil oil in the pan over medium heat. Add half the fish, skinned-side down. Cook until a little more than halfway cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes. Flip and cook until the flesh is opaque, 2 to 4 minutes more. Repeat with the remaining fish and 1 tablespoon basil oil. Serve the fish with the cherry tomato vinaigrette and sprinkled with the remaining chopped basil.

Recipe Note: If you have a lot of basil, double the oil for this pan-seared fish recipe. It doesn’t take any more time to make and it’s delicious whisked into dressings, drizzled over grilled vegetables and used to make garlic bread. The same technique works well for lots of other herbs, too—think: tarragon, parsley, chives.


Cuban Burgers (Milk Street Tuesday Nights) Regular burgers are kicked up a notch with the addition of smoked paprika, cumin, and a spicy mayo made from mayonnaise, hot sauce, mustard and cayenne pepper. Recipe was a tich putzy with some "hands off" burger care - freezing the meat for 20 minutes and folding in the spices before forming into patties. I was using bear meat and followed the directions out of curiosity. Mmm, putzy. I think if care is taken to not over squish the meat, burgers will be just fine.

I served these on large English muffins with a sprinkling of cotija Mexican cheese. Recipe made four patties, which was two meals for two of us without any sides I would make these again, except maybe skip the freezing bit.


Greens with Walnuts and Parmesan (Milk Street Tuesday Nights) vegetarian option
Tuesday Nights has been languishing on my shelf. With busy weekday schedules combined with overly warm temps, I decided I needed to pull out this under utilized resource.

This was the first one that caught my eye. I could use some local, hydroponically raised greens (Superior Fresh or Ravol), fried pancetta is delicious (and could be skipped for a vegetarian option), and I had everything else. Well, except for the sherry vinegar. It seems everything is calling for sherry vinegar these days and well, I just don't have it. I subbed either cider, red wine or white wine. I forget which.

Anyhow, since this was going to be two meals for us, I made half a recipe. I did learn that pancetta is really smokey when frying and I literally - smoked up the house. Thankfully it doesn't stink like fish does, but still, not desirable. You do need to have everything mise e place as assembly is very quick. I took the recipes suggestion and put a poached egg on top for a little extra protein. I prefer the clean taste of poaching over a fried egg. I used arugula the first supper, and a mixed spicy greens for the second supper. I also cooked the pancetta in a cast iron pan on the grill for the second round.

This was fantastic and I can see returning to this later this summer. Highly recommended.

Serves 6

12 oz mixed bitter greens (12 cups) torn, at room temp (I used 2 "clam shells")
2 tbsp cider, red wine, white wine or sherry vinegar
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
6 oz thinly sliced pancetta (chopped) (I skipped the chopping and left in strips)
1 medium shallot, finely chopped
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 cup walnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped
1 ounce Parmesan cheese, shaved (about 1/2 cup)
optional - fried or poached egg

Recipe Notes: Don't let the dressing cool before adding to the greens. It's consistency is best when warm and the heat slightly softens the sturdy greens. In addition, make sure the greens are not cold when adding the dressing or the dressing will firm up.
Place the greens in a large bowl and set aside. In a separate bowl, which together the vinegar, mustard and salt.

Prepare egg, if including.

In a medium skillet over medium heat, cook the pancetta, stirring occasionally, until crisp, about 7 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the pancetta to a paper towel lined plate. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the skillet, then return to medium heat. Add the shallot and cook, stirring, until light golden brown, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and add the oil and vinegar mixture, whisking to combine. Let sit 30 seconds to warm through.

Combine the warm dressing, walnuts, and greens. Season with pepper and toss. Divide amongst plates and top each portion with the crispy pancetta, Parmesan and egg (if adding.)

Mosquito Supper Club: Cajun Recipes from a Disappearing Bayou by Melissa M. Martin

Mosquito Supper Club: Cajun Recipes from a Disappearing Bayou by Melissa M. Martin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Jacket Blurb: Every hour of the day, Louisiana loses a football field’s worth of land to the Gulf. And so before her hometown disappears entirely, chef Melissa Martin wants to document the recipes, ingredients, and customs of the Cajun people. Cocoderie, Louisiana, may soon no longer be listed on maps, but the incredible traditions of the region should remain. In the same way Zora Neale Hurston documented and shared oral histories of the South before its keepers passed on, Martin will tell the stories of her people. She has organized the book into 12 chapters highlighting the key ingredients of this cuisine—from shrimp and oysters to poultry and sugarcane—and the recipe and customs that surround each. The 100 recipes are for accessible home-cooked meals that readers can make on a weeknight or for a celebration—with stories to be savored along with the food. Each chapter is punctuated with an essay explaining the context for the ingredient, whether it’s picking and putting up blackberries each February to shrimping every August or celebrating Fat Tuesday with a king cake. This is a cookbook, but the underlying messages of heeding environmental warnings and highlighting the Cajun woman’s authority in the kitchen showcase the book’s compelling media hooks. Martin also documents the region’s traditions, from the Blessing of the Boats at the beginning of every fishing season to Mardi Gras and the many dozens of ways to make a Cajun gumbo.

I can't recall the last time I posted about a cook book, and I've been "reading" quite a few lately. This was one I checked out from the library back in April? I think? Then I realized that hey, why not blog about a cook book! It'll fit right in.

This Northern Girl adores Southern food and this cookbook was quite enjoyable to read. Like many cookbooks today, there is a story behind the recipes. This one captures a slice of Southern history, life on the bayou, and touches on the fragile ecosystem and environmentalism of Coastal activities.

I thought *most* of the recipes were fairly approachable, well written and flexible with ingredients and "how to". If you live in a coastal area, you will have better access to seafood options than say, someone who lives near the Canadian border in the middle of the continent (like me). For the non-seafood recipes, I noticed could get the majority of the ingredients at my local grocery store (I don't live in a major metropolitan area) and substitute what I couldn't.

I also noted the chef used both volume and weights (ie, cups and ounces). I really like that approach to cooking these days.

I was able to make the poached fish dish before I had to return the book to the library (could only check it out for two weeks - new release). It was probably the best poached fish I have ever made. So simple, so flavorful, so easy.

Bottom line - I am still on the fence about purchasing a copy. I would LOVE to try several more recipes, it's a gorgeous book, but the inability to get the recommended seafood, or even a close substitute, has me holding off. Might be a good option for a Holiday gift or Birthday idea tho.

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Recipe Review from 6/7/2021

With temps hitting 95*F, I went simple and pulled out the instant pot. While the beans and meatballs were easy and relatively quick to make (each taking about an hour respectively), the house didn't stay as cool as I would have liked or hoped for. In hindsight, the IP puts out a fair amount of heat in the way of steam. And no, we don't have air conditioning. Usually we don't need AC and we don't need it in June. Toasty! Toasty!

San Miguel Mission, CA.  Artwork inside the church.

I'm going to refer you to the Milk Street cookbook for the two instant pot recipes below; unfortunately, they are a bit too long to type out here.   Sorry - no pictures. 


The Meal Plan:
Sat (L)Forestry project, lunch provided (S) pizza
Sun (L)leftover pizza (S) Grilled chicken and beans
Mon (yoga)leftover chicken
Tues - IP Meatball hoagies
Wed (yoga) leftover meatballs
Thurs (Husband out)- leftover meatballs
Fri - leftover chicken

Lunches - sandwiches, fruit, chips

Meatball Hoagies (Milk Street Fast and Slow) Instant Pot
Meat and sauce are cooked together in one pot for a nicely spicy saucy dish. While this was served over hoagies, I was thinking it would also be good over polenta, penne, spaghetti, on a pizza or even as a fun variation with garlic bread. I used 1 1/4 lb bear meat (recipe calls for 1 lb ground beef), and got about 15 golf ball sized meatballs with plenty of leftover sauce. I did freeze the sauce for a later date (thinking pizza or pasta). Recommended!

Recipe states serves 4, I got 2 1/2 meals plus sauce for later.


Beans with Quick Pickled Tomatoes (Milk Street Fast and Slow) Instant Pot
This is not your standard smokey baked beans. Using carrots, onion, and tomato paste to flavor the beans while they cook, the tomatoes are "quick pickled" (tossed with some vinegar and salt), and stirred in after everything is done cooking. If used to Bushes Baked Beans or VanCamps, this dish is going to be sweeter. I served it with grilled chicken and brats. Recommended!

Recipe states serves 4-6. I had it as a side for five meals (about 2/3 cup portions).


Pumpkin Waffles (AllRecipes) I had a partial leftover can of pumpkin from waffles I made the previous weekend. Not wanting to make waffles again, a Google search pulled up this recipe.

And this is a winner!

Thick, soft, fluffy pumpkin-y pancakes with the essence of cinnamon and spices. Served with a poached egg on top - this hit the spot for a weekend breakfast. I have two more cans of pumpkin in the pantry...I can see these happening again quite soon. Recommended!

Probably serves 4; 6 if serving with eggs and bacon or sausage.

1 ½ cups milk
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 egg
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons vinegar
2 cups all-purpose flour (I used 1 cup AP and 1 cup WW)
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon salt

In a bowl, mix together the milk, pumpkin, egg, oil and vinegar. Combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, allspice, cinnamon, ginger and salt in a separate bowl. Stir into the pumpkin mixture just enough to combine.

Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.

Paradox Bound by Peter Clines

Paradox Bound by Peter Clines
My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Jacket Blurb: Eli’s willing to admit it: he’s a little obsessed with the mysterious woman he met years ago. Okay, maybe a lot obsessed. But come on, how often do you meet someone who’s driving a hundred-year-old car, clad in Revolutionary-War era clothes, wielding an oddly modified flintlock rifle—someone who pauses just long enough to reveal strange things about you and your world before disappearing in a cloud of gunfire and a squeal of tires?

So when the traveler finally reappears in his life, Eli is determined that this time he’s not going to let her go without getting some answers. But his determination soon leads him into a strange, dangerous world and a chase not just across the country but through a hundred years of history—with nothing less than America’s past, present, and future at stake.

Read for May 2021 book group.

I honestly didn't know what to expect when I started this, but was pleasantly surprised and found myself enjoying it overall. As was discussed in book group, this isn't so much "time-travel" as "history-travel". I thought the book had interesting concepts, good characters, and even better cars and trains. There were a couple of plot hiccups, but nothing that pulled me completely out of the book.

My one tiny complaint with the over reaching plot was the faceless men. It felt like something missing, an aspect or component that would have helped to more fully conceptualize them beyond "the bad guys". I also found their method of recruitment a bit...unsettling, perhaps more so disturbing.

This made for a light, engaging read that was a perfect way to unwind at the end of the day. Recommended.

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Recipie Review from 5/24/2021

Another week of great recipes. I recommended them all.

Hilton Head, SC 2011

The Meal Plan:
Sat (L) egg bake (S) Grilled veggie tacos
Sun (L) leftover pizza (S) leftover tacos
Mon (L) pasty or salad (S) smoked bear ribs
Tues - ribs
Wed (yoga) - ribs
Thurs - fish
Fri - TBD

Lunches - Beans and greens wraps

Grilled Halloumi and Summer Vegetable Tacos (Eating Well, June 2021) gluten free, vegetarian
Some modification happened here, but the essence of the recipe stayed the same. I had leftover cotjia cheese from tacos the previous week, so I skipped the halloumi and sprinkled cotjia on at the end. "Fresh" corn on the cob hasn't arrived yet, and if it did it would be Florida corn, so I used 1 cup of frozen corn sauteed with half a diced jalapeno and seared in a skillet while everything else was on the grill. Advantage - you don't have to cut hot corn kernels off the cob.

Don't skip grilling the lemon. OMG - fantastic!

This was easy, very tasty, I loved the grilled flavors against the lemon with a splort of Mexican crema (Mexican sour cream). I would absolutely make these again. My only frustration is I can't find good corn tortilla's in my corner of the world, I'll be going back to the flour tortilla's from the co-op. These would also be great with some grilled chicken or shrimp.

Serves 4 (recommend a side)

1 lemon
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, grated
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh oregano
½ teaspoon ground pepper
⅛ teaspoon salt, divided
1 ear corn, husked
1 medium zucchini, trimmed and thickly sliced
½ small red onion, cut into 1/4-inch rings
1 medium red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch strips
8 ounces halloumi cheese, cut into 6 slices
8 corn tortillas
½ cup reduced-fat sour cream

Preheat grill to medium-high.

Zest half the lemon into a large bowl. Stir in oil, garlic, oregano, ground pepper and a pinch of salt. Add corn, zucchini, onion, bell pepper and halloumi and gently toss to coat. Cut the lemon in half.

Oil the grill rack. Reserving the marinade in the bowl for the sauce, transfer the vegetables and halloumi to the grill. Grill the corn, zucchini and onion, flipping frequently, until tender and charred in spots, 8 to 10 minutes. Grill the bell pepper, halloumi and lemon halves, flipping once halfway, until browned, 2 to 4 minutes. Grill tortillas, flipping once halfway, until lightly charred, about 1 minute.

Transfer the vegetables, halloumi and lemon to a cutting board. Cut the corn kernels off the cob. Coarsely chop the zucchini, onion, bell pepper and halloumi. Cut the lemon into wedges. Whisk sour cream and the remaining pinch of salt into the remaining marinade. Serve the vegetables and halloumi in the tortillas with the sauce and lemon wedges.


Mahi-Mahi with Spicy Tomato-Fennel Sauce (April 2021) gluten free
This is good, simple, and fresh. Perfect for a warm summer evening on the patio. A green salad or some crusty bread would be a lovely side. No mahi-mahi? Sub cod, halibut, or any lovely mild, flaky white fish you have access to. Best part? House doesn't smell like fish afterwards because it's poached moreso than fried. Recommended! 

Serves 4

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 large bulb fennel, cored and thinly sliced, plus 1/4 cup chopped fronds for garnish
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1/4-1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
⅛ teaspoon salt
⅓ cup dry white wine
½ cup seafood or fish stock
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
⅓ cup pitted Kalamata olives, halved
1 ¼ pounds mahi-mahi fillets, cut into 4 portions

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add fennel, garlic, crushed red pepper to taste and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and beginning to brown, about 4 minutes. Add wine and cook, stirring, until almost evaporated, about 1 minute. Add stock, tomatoes and olives.

Nestle mahi-mahi into the sauce. Adjust heat to maintain a lively simmer. Partially cover and cook for 4 minutes. Flip the fish and continue cooking until the tomatoes are softened and the fish is opaque in the center, 4 to 6 minutes more.

Drizzle with the remaining 2 tablespoons oil and sprinkle with the fennel fronds, if using.


Black Bean Wraps with Greens & Cilantro Vinaigrette (Eating Well, April 2021) vegetarian
I made these for lunches and can report back that they travel well when wrapped snuggly in wax paper (I tape the wrapping shut). I'm picky about my greens to dressing ratio, so I kept the dressing and greens separate and drizzed/dolluped the dressing on the wrap when I assembled. Recipe calls for radicchio, but I realized after making it I could have easily subbed red cabbage (which I had in the fridge).

One main modification - I used cranberry beans we had grown and cooked them up in the instant pot. So feel free to substitute your favorite beans and don't hesitate to get two cans and stretch lunches out for the full week. Recommended!

Serves 4 as written below, more if you increase the beans.

1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
3 tablespoons white-wine vinegar
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1 teaspoon ground cumin, divided
½ teaspoon salt, divided
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 cups chopped romaine lettuce
1 cup chopped radicchio
1 cup sliced radishes
1 (15 ounce) can no-salt-added black beans, rinsed
½ teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon garlic powder
1 ripe avocado
1 tablespoon lime juice
4 (8 inch) whole-wheat tortillas or wraps (I used 10" tortillas)

Combine cilantro, vinegar, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon cumin and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a mini food processor; pulse until finely chopped. With the motor running, slowly stream in oil. Transfer the vinaigrette to a large bowl. Add lettuce, radicchio and radishes and toss to coat.

Mash beans, chili powder, garlic powder, the remaining 1/2 teaspoon cumin and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl. Mash avocado with lime juice in a small bowl. Spread some of the mashed beans and avocado over each tortilla; top with the salad and roll up.