Donna's Moroccan Roasted Swordfish

Hello Everyone!  My head spins thinking about how fast the weeks are going by and that it is Sunday again!  I am on a mission to use up items in my pantry and freezer and came up with this recipe that uses items I have had hanging around for awhile.  One of the key ingredients was the phenomenal canned heirloom tomatoes that were made by my friend, Tami.  They made this dish extra delicious -and it is so easy to pull together!  If you happen to have these ingredients handy, take a chance at making this meal soon!  Bon Appetit, Donna:

Donna's Moroccan Roasted Swordfish

Ingredients:

Two 6-ounce swordfish steaks

Olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

1 pint Tami's stewed heirloom tomatoes or other high quality canned tomatoes

¼ cup medium salsa

¼ cup green salad olives

6 medjool dates, chopped

2 Tablespoons slivered almonds

Method:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Line a small baking pan with foil and spray with cooking oil.  Place fillets on top of foil.

Prepare fish by drizzling with a small amount of olive oil on top of each fillet and and sprinkling with salt and pepper.  Mix together remaining ingredients except almonds in medium sized bowl.

Pour on top of fish in pan and sprinkle each with half of almonds.  Bake for 15 – 20 minutes until fish is cooked through.  Serve with rice or pasta if desired.

Serves 2.

Copyright 2015.

Donna's Baby Shrimp, Gorgonzola and Pomegranate Pizza

Dear Friends, for those of you who have checked out my recipes, you may note that there are several that are variations on tortilla pizzas.  The reason for this is the basic simplicity and speed in making this dish and the unlimited variations you can create.  For example, tonight's version is based upon items I had in the freezer after determining that it would be too late to leave the house to catch dinner.  I hope you have a chance to experiment on your own!  Best, Donna:

Donna's Baby Shrimp, Gorgonzola and Pomegranate Pizza

Ingredients:

1 large gluten-free tortilla

½ cup La Mexicana Cantina Salsa, Medium

1 cup salad shrimp

½ cup 6 cheese Italian cheese, shredded

¼ cup Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled

¼ cup pomegranate seeds

Freshly ground pepper

Olive oil

Method:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Spray a pizza pan with cooking oil and top with tortilla.  Spoon on salsa sauce and add rest of ingredients in order given, drizzling olive oil on top.  Bake for 15 – 20 minutes until cheese is golden brown.  Remove from oven and serve immediately.

Serves 2.

Copyright 2015.

Donna's Scallops Scampi with Asian-Flavored 3-Grain Timbales and Banana-Pecan Tribute Salad

Culinary Friends, for Memorial Day, we spent the day at home in reflection of those who gave their lives so that we may live freely and enjoy so many blessings.  This menu was inspired by techniques I learned during a cooking class over five years ago, mainly to not overcook seafood!  Since I had quite a bit of leftover 3-grain mix, I decided to dress it up a bit and use it as the base for the scallops.  Lastly, in tribute to my Grandma Paquette, who was my cooking inspiration and mentor, I used the same or similar ingredients in her famous Bananas Topped with Walnuts and Dressing to make an easy version to accompany the main course.  Blessings to all, Donna:

Donna’s Scallops Scampi 

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 large sweet onion, chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

1 Tablespoon garlic, minced

1-1/2 pounds Patagonian scallops

2 Tablespoons fresh basil leaves, chopped

1-1/2 cups white Port wine

6 Tablespoons butter, unsalted

Method:

Heat oil in large frying pan over medium-high heat.  Add onions, salt and pepper and stir until onions have turned golden, then mix in garlic and basil.  If needed, add a bit more oil before adding scallops.  Gently cook scallops for a few minutes and remove pan from heat.

In a saucepan, bring wine and butter to boil and reduce liquid to about 1 cup.  Add the wine mixture to the frying pan and reheat the scallops just until cooked through.  Adjust seasonings if needed.  Serve over rice or gluten free pasta as desired.

Serves 4.

Donna's Asian-Flavored 3-Grain Timbales

 Ingredients:

1-1/2 cups Donna’s Gluten Free Millet, Quinoa and Rice (see 6 December 2014 blog entry for recipe)

2 teaspoons fresh ginger root, grated

1-1/2 teaspoons chives, chopped

2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

1 Tablespoon Mirin

Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Mix together all ingredients.  Spray two custard cups with cooking oil.  Evenly divide mixture into the cups.  Microwave on High for about 90 seconds or until heated through.  Carefully turn cups onto serving plates. 

Serves 2.

Donna’s Banana-Pecan Tribute Salad

 Ingredients:

2 bananas, sliced horizontally, then into coins

¼ cup mayonnaise

2 teaspoons whole grain Dijon mustard

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

2 Tablespoons pecans, finely chopped

One 6 ounce package Fresh Express Sweet Butter salad mix

Method:

Gently mix all ingredients but lettuce.  Refrigerate until ready to serve or spoon banana salad on top of lettuce and serve immediately.

Serves 4.

Copyright 2015.

Donna's Mexicali Turkey Burgers and Red, White and Bleu Salad

Dear Friends, this quick recipe turned out to be a winner:  It is fast, easy and mouth-watering!  Dare I say, healthy overall as well?  These turkey burgers are the lightest I've tasted yet are filling as a meal either with or without buns.  If you don't want to bother with the 3-grain mixture, rice on its own - or either quinoa or millet - will also work just fine.  For the salad, please see my 8 August 2014 post for the recipe.  Bon Appetit!  Best, Donna:

Donna's Mexicali Turkey Burgers

Ingredients:

One 20 ounce package ground turkey

1-1/4 cups Donna’s Gluten Free Millet, Quinoa and Rice (see 6 December 2014 blog entry for recipe)

½ cup fresh salsa (La Mexicana Cantina medium, if available)

Salt and pepper to taste

2/3 cup Four Cheese Mexican Blend shredded cheese

Sriracha sauce

Method:

Gently break apart ground turkey with fork, and carefully incorporate the 3 grain mixture.  Stir in the salsa and salt and pepper.  Using plastic gloves or sandwich bags, form the burger mix into 8 patties. Lightly spray each side with cooking spray.

Preheat grill to 400 degrees F.  Place burgers on grill and cook for about 5 minutes per side.  Top each with about 2 teaspoons grated cheese.  Decoratively squeeze Sriracha sauce on each one and serve immediately.

Serves 6 – 8.

Copyright 2015.

Donna's Salad Pizza

Dear Friends, today was one of those very busy days where you just wish you had someone in the kitchen to make you dinner so that you could sit down and relax.  Alas, I am the cook and did not have a chance to plan for the next meal so I pulled together the ingredients I had on hand and came up with this delicious salad pizza!  The cold salad nestled into the hot pizza is really a taste sensation.  I used blue cheese dressing but you may want to try a different flavor.  I hope you do try this one!  Best, Donna:

Donna's Salad Pizza

Ingredients:

1 large gluten-free tortilla

1 cup Donna’s Spicy Italian Pasta Sauce (see 10 May 2015 blog entry for recipe), slightly strained

½ cup six Italian cheeses blend, grated

2 Tablespoons Parmesan cheese, shredded

Olive oil

Freshly ground pepper

1 cup salad mix

½ cup cucumbers

~12 grape tomatoes

Gluten free croutons

Salad dressing of choice

Method:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Liberally spray a pizza pan with cooking oil and top with tortilla.  Spoon on pasta sauce and add cheeses, topping with oil and pepper.  Bake for 15 – 20 minutes until cheese is golden brown.  Remove from oven, top with salad mix and remaining ingredients, and serve immediately.

Serves 2.

Copyright 2015.

Donna's Spicy Italian Pasta Sauce with Turkey Sausage

To my Culinary Friends:  It has been a few weeks since my last post due to business travel and little time in the kitchen.  Fortunately, I was able to spend some time on Mother's Day Sunday making a comfort food dish - basically an updated version of my Spicy Italian Tomato Sauce (see 19 October 2014 blog entry for recipe) - with the addition of a few more ingredients, namely butter, celery, tomato paste and turkey sausage.  These items really kicked up the flavor even more and this sauce really is better the next day!  Enjoy!  Best, Donna:

Donna's Spicy Italian Pasta Sauce with Turkey Sausage

Ingredients:

1 medium sweet onion, chopped

1/2 cup celery, finely chopped

2 Tablespoons butter

1 - 2 Tablespoons olive oil

8 ounces fresh (or reconstituted) baby Portabella mushrooms, sliced

1 Tablespoon garlic, minced

1 pound turkey sausage

1 Tablespoon dried basil, crumbled

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon red pepper, ground

1/4 cup red or white Port wine

1/4 cup tomato paste

2 quarts stewed tomatoes, preferably homemade\

Parmesan cheese, grated

Method:

Heat butter and olive oil in bottom of medium-sized stockpot.  Add onion and celery and sauté until golden yellow and softened over medium-high heat.  Add the mushrooms and seasonings, and stir until mushrooms are cooked through.  Remove to slow cooker that has been sprayed with cooking oil.  Cook turkey sausage in same pan, add to slow cooker, and mix in the wine, stewed tomatoes and tomato paste.  Cook on High setting until serving time if 4 hours or less (or on Low setting for longer cooking times).  Serve over cooked spaghetti squash or gluten-free pasta and top with Parmesan cheese.

Serves 4-6.

Copyright 2015.