Donna's Grilled BBQ Mahi Mahi and Bean & Vegetable Salad

Hello fellow culinary adventurers!  Yesterday's simple Saturday menu consisted of BBQ'd mahi mahi fillets topped with a quick and delicious bean and vegetable salad that I developed 20 years ago and which won a $100 cooking contest prize :).  If you add Basmati rice on the side, you have a complete meal in less than 30 minutes especially if you make the salad in advance to marinate.  (I also serve corn tortilla chips on the side since they are excellent dippers for the salad).  With a healthy meal like this, you may even be able to justify dessert or a snack later!  Best, Donna:

Donna's Grilled BBQ Mahi Mahi

Ingredients:

Two 6 ounce mahi mahi fillets

1 cup Sweet Baby Ray’s Sweet & Spicy BBQ Sauce (or other desired brand)

Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Place fillets in shallow dish and cover with BBQ sauce, salt and pepper, turning to coat all sides.  Cover and let marinate for about 4 hours in refrigerator.  Preheat grill to 350 degrees F.  Grill fillets about 4 minutes per side, adding more sauce with each turn.  Fish is done when it flakes and is white in color.  Serve with Donna’s Black Bean Vegetable Salad and Basmati Rice if desired.

Serves 2.

Donna’s Bean & Vegetable Salad

Salad Ingredients:

2 cans (15 ounces) black beans, drained and rinsed

1 can (15 ounces) red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 can (15 ounces) garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

1 medium red onion, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

20 cherry tomatoes, chopped

2 corn cobs, microwaved for 4 minutes, kernels then removed with knife (or one 14 3/4 ounce can corn, drained); if desired, lightly char cooked cobs over grill or gas stove burner before removing kernels

1 teaspoon garlic, minced

Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Tortilla chips, if desired

Dressing Ingredients:

2/3 cup raspberry vinegar

¾ cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon salt

½ cup canola or other vegetable oil

Method:

Mix all salad ingredients in large bowl.  Mix together first 3 dressing ingredients in 2 cup measuring cup and microwave for 3 minutes and then cool. Add oil and stir into salad ingredients and refrigerate about 4 hours before serving.  If desired, this salad may also be served as an appetizer with tortilla chips.

Serves 12 – 16.

Copyright 2014.  Updated: 17July2017.

Donna's Spicy Italian Tomato Sauce, Slow Cooked Spaghetti Squash, Grilled Meatballs, and Maple-Mustard Roasted Brussel Sprouts

Dear Readers, I feel like I was just composing last week's blog posting and cannot believe that it has been an entire week already flown by!  I am still in a comfort food mood, probably due to the autumn season, so tonight's menu embraces the taste of spaghetti and meatballs with a healthy twist by grilling the meatballs and using spaghetti squash in place of pasta.  The maple-mustard roasted brussel sprouts also adds a delicious side note to the meal. Bon Appetit!  Best, Donna:

Donna's Spicy Italian Tomato Sauce

Ingredients:

1 medium sweet onion, chopped

2-3 Tablespoons olive oil

8 ounces baby Portabella mushrooms, sliced

1 Tablespoon garlic, minced

1 Tablespoon dried basil, crumbled

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon red pepper, ground

1/4 cup Pinot Grigio or other white wine

1 quart stewed tomatoes, preferably homemade
One 28 ounce can chunky tomato sauce, preferably organic

Method:

Heat olive oil in bottom of medium-sized stockpot.  Add onion and sauté until golden yellow and softened over medium-high heat.  Add the mushrooms and seasonings, and stir until mushrooms are cooked through.  Mix in the wine, stewed tomatoes and sauce.  Bring to boil and then reduce heat, cooking for about 15 minutes more.  Alternatively, place in slow cooker that has been sprayed with cooking oil, and cook on Low setting until serving time.  Serve over cooked spaghetti squash or gluten-free pasta with Grilled Meatballs and top with Parmesan cheese.

Serves 4-6.

Donna's Slow Cooked Spaghetti Squash 

Ingredients:

1 medium-sized spaghetti squash, rinsed

Method:

Place whole squash in slow cooker sprayed with cooking oil and add about 2 Tablespoons of water.  Cook on Low setting about 8 to 10 hours.  (Alternatively, squash may be cut in half, placed cut-side down on cookie sheet sprayed with cooking oil and baked at 375° F for 45 minutes or until tender).

Remove from slow cooker or oven and let cool about 10 minutes before cutting in half.  Spoon out seeds and remove squash with fork to break into strands.  Serve with Spicy Italian Tomato Sauce, Grilled Meatballs, and top with Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Serves 4.

Donna's Grilled Meatballs

Ingredients:

2 pounds ground chuck (or 1 pound mild Italian pork sausage +1 pound ground

turkey)

1/2 cup dried oregano leaves (or half oregano and half basil leaves)

1 teaspoon garlic salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Method:

Mix spices together in shallow bowl and set aside.  Break up meat with fork and gently mix. 

Form meat into 30 meatballs and roll each in spice blend.  Flatten each meatball slightly, and grill at 375 degrees F over indirect heat, about 15 minutes, until cooked through.  Serves with Spicy Italian Tomato Sauce and cooked spaghetti squash; then top with Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Serves 4.

Donna's Maple-Mustard Roasted Brussel Sprouts

Ingredients:

One 12 ounce package brussel sprouts, washed, then cut into halves or quarters, depending on size

2 Tablespoons maple syrup

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard, if desired

Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Preheat oven to 400° F.  Mix all ingredients in bowl and place on foil-lined cookie sheet sprayed with cooking oil.  Bake for 10 minutes, turn; bake 10 - 15 more minutes until browned and serve immediately.

Serves 3-4.

Copyright 2014.

Donna's Turkey-Butternut Squash-Spinach Lasagna with Gorgonzola Sauce

Dear Friends, although we are blessed to live in a warm climate, I still long for comfort foods when autumn arrives.  I have been thinking about how to put together some foods indigenous to North America to make a delicious yet substantial entree.  This Sunday dinner experiment resulted in a gluten-free lasagna casserole with a luscious Gorgonzola cheese sauce and filled with layers of butternut squash, spinach, turkey and onion.  The cheese sauce also nicely complements the sweetness of the squash.  Although you may think that the preparation seems lengthy, there are shortcuts that you can do such as roasting and freezing the squash in advance (as I had done), and cooking the ground turkey mixture in advance.  Round out the menu with a simple, fresh garden salad and your meal is complete.  Here's hoping that your autumn is filled with lots of comfort foods!  Best, Donna:

Donna's Turkey-Butternut Squash-Spinach Lasagna with Gorgonzola Sauce

Ingredients:

1 box Tinkyada Brown Rice Lasagna noodles (12 noodles per package)

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 Tablespoon salt

One 8 ounce package mixed Italian cheeses, finely shredded

For Bottom Layer:

1 butternut squash, peeled, cubed and roasted to equal 3 cups

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 Tablespoon maple syrup

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

For Middle Layer:

One 10 ounce package frozen chopped spinach, heated in microwave for 3 minutes and drained well

1 1/2 cups cottage (or ricotta) cheese

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

For Top Layer:

1 1/4 pound ground turkey

1 - 2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 Tablespoon garlic, minced

For Sauce:

1 cup milk

1/2 cup Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled

One 16 ounce jar Cheesy Ragu Light Alfredo Sauce or homemade

Method:

Cook noodles in boiling water containing oil and salt for 10 minutes.  Drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside.

For Bottom Layer:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Mix olive oil, maple syrup, salt and pepper with butternut squash cubes in large bowl and transfer to cookie sheet sprayed with cooking oil.  Roast for 15 minutes, turn cubes with spatula, and roast for another 10 minutes.  Set aside to cool.

For Middle Layer:

Mix spinach, cottage cheese and nutmeg in bowl and set aside.

For Top Layer:

Sauté onion in olive oil in large frying pan until softened and golden.  Add ground turkey and garlic, and stir until no pink color remains in meat.  Set aside.

For Gorgonzola Sauce:

Place milk in a 1 quart measuring cup and heat for 1 minute in microwave.  Add cheese and microwave 30 seconds to 1 minute longer, then mix well until cheese has melted.  Add Alfredo sauce and mix again.  Set aside.

To Assemble and Bake:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.  Spray a 10 x 10" or equivalent sized casserole dish with cooking oil. 

Pour 1/2 cup sauce into bottom of casserole.  Top with 3 lasagna noodles.  Spoon butternut squash mixture on top of noodles to form bottom layer.  Pour 1/2 cup sauce on top.  Cover with 3 more noodles, then the spinach-ricotta middle layer mixture and another 1/2 cup sauce.  Again top with 3 more noodles, then meat mixture and 1/2 cup sauce.  Add the last 3 noodles, topping with all of the remaining sauce, and sprinkle with the shredded cheese.  Sprinkle lightly with additional nutmeg.

Cover with glass lid or foil and bake for 1 hour.  Remove cover and bake for 15 more minutes until hot, bubbly and cheese is golden brown.  Let cool for 10 minutes before cutting.

Serves 8.

Copyright 2014.

Donna's Pastitsio-Stuffed Roasted Peppers, Almond and Jalapeno Jam Glazed Tilapia, and Jill's Baked Peaches (Donna's Version with Nectarines)

Dear Friends, one of my all-time favorite comfort foods is Pastitsio, and this menu features this delicious entree but stuffed into roasted peppers.  I came up with a lighter, quicker version that is gluten free and can be made ahead for company or is an easily reheated dinner for the busy week ahead.  Since tilapia was fresh at the supermarket, a simple jalapeno jam glaze topped with slivered almonds rounded out this healthy meal.  A wonderful final course was the baked nectarines adapted from my daughter-in-law, Jill's delicious baked peaches recipe.  Bon Appetit everyone!  Best, Donna:

Donna's Pastitsio-Stuffed Roasted Peppers

Ingredients:

6 green, yellow and/or orange peppers; washed, seeded and cut in half from top to bottom

2 Tablespoons olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

3 cups gluten-free small shell pasta, cooked

1 small sweet onion, chopped

1-1/4 lean ground beef

One 15 ounce can diced fire-roasted tomatoes

1 Tablespoon garlic, minced

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

One 16 ounce jar Light Alfredo Sauce (or homemade)

3/4 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded

Method:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Mix pepper halves in bowl with olive oil, salt and pepper.  Place peppers halves cut side down on cookie sheet sprayed with cooking oil.  Bake for 15 minutes until slightly charred.

Cook onion in small amount of olive oil until softened in fry pan, about 5 minutes.  Add meat and stir until cooked through.  Add tomatoes, garlic and spices, then mix with Alfredo sauce and cooked pasta. 

Line a 11 x 17" roasting pan with aluminum foil  and spray with cooking oil.

Place pepper halves cut side up in pan and stuff each shell with pastitsio mixture.  Sprinkle about 1 Tablespoon of Parmesan cheese on each stuffed pepper half.  Bake for 30 minutes.

Serves 6.

Donna's Almond and Jalapeño Jam Glazed Tilapia

Ingredients:

2 pounds tilapia fillets

Salt and pepper to taste

One cup jalapeno jam (preferably homemade), microwaved about 30 seconds to soften, if necessary

1/4 cup almonds, sliced

Method:

Preheat oven to 375° F.  Place fillets on cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil and sprayed with cooking oil.  Season fillets with salt and pepper.  Top with jalapeno jam and sprinkle with sliced almonds.  Bake for 15 minutes until almonds are golden brown.

Serves 4.

Jill's Baked Peaches – Donna’s Version with Nectarines

Ingredients:

Three ripe nectarines, halved and seeded

Honey

Cinnamon

Salt

1 Tablespoon almonds, slivered

Method:

Preheat oven to 375° F.  Place peach halves in 6 cup muffin pan, drizzle with honey and sprinkle with cinnamon, salt and almonds.  Bake about 40 - 45 minutes until softened. Spoon into small bowls and drizzle with extra sauce from bottom of each muffin cup.  Serve immediately.

Serves 3-4.

Copyright 2014.