grilled whole fish with herbs

I saw this recipe recently in Mark Bittman's column in the Times. Actually, after searching for a while online, I found that its a very popular recipe and really a quite easy way to have a good meal and impress your friends as well! This is another situation where cooking with fresh herbs really makes food shine.

1 or 2 whole fishes cleaned, with or without the head on. Ideal fish are Branzina, sea bass or rainbow trout

a few lemon slices seeded
large garlic clove sliced
about 5 sprigs of fresh thyme per fish
olive oil
salt and pepper

Heat grill or broiler
Open the fish and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place about 4 slices garlic spread out in each fish. Place 2-3 lemon slices in fish along with 4-5 sprigs of thyme, drizzle generously with olive oil inside and outside the fish. Grill fish until done. Branzina takes about 7-8 minutes per side, smaller fish like rainbow trout really only need 4 minutes per side.

Crunchy Quinoa Salad

Made this yesterday and cannot stop eating it. For those not aware of quinoa, its a wonderful low fat, low carb source of protein. Most grocery stores carry it in the bulk section. Its becoming easier to find every day. To cook quinoa, first you need to rinse it in cold water to remove the outer covering which otherwise gives it a bitter taste. Then basically boil one cup of quinoa to 2 cups of water and 1/2 tsp kosher salt for about 20 minutes in a covered saucepan. Remove from the heat and let stand for 5 minutes, you're done!

Always toast almonds before using in a salad(or any nuts for that matter, brings out the flavor and aroma). Also in this recipe use pecorino romano cheese. It has a higher salt content and more of a bite than parmesan which this salad needs to make it pop! Enjoy!

Recipe:

Cook 1 cup of quinoa as above

Salad:

1 cucumber chopped
1/2 fennell bulb chopped fine
1 small shallot chopped
1 bunch parsley chopped
2 celery stalks chopped
handful of toasted almonds
handful of grated pecorino cheese
drizzle with extra virgin olive oil
a few splashes of sherry or champagne vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

Mix quinoa with salad and you're done.

Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

This recipe is from Kate Sherwood. Its healthy, unique and when ingredients are in season, quite economical!

4 sweet bell peppers, halved lengthwise

3/4 cup quinoa, well rinsed

1 cup low sodium vegetable broth

1 15 oz. can no salt added diced tomatoes

10 oz. baby spinach

1 small clove garlic

1 oz. (6 tbs) grated Parmesan

1 large bunch basil(4 cups)

ground black pepper

1/4 tsp kosher salt

3 tbs boiling water

1/4 cup unsalted pistachios

Put the peppers skin side up on a lightly oiled baking sheet and broil on high until slightly charred and starting to soften, about 10 minutes. Remove the peppers from the oven and set them aside.

While the peppers are roasting, simmer the quinoa with the vegetable broth and tomatoes in a medium pot for 10 minutes. stir in the spinach in batches. Spoon the quinoa-spinach mixture into the roasted peppers.

To make the pesto, combine the garlic, Parmesan, basil, olive oil, pepper, and up to 1/4 tsp. salt in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped but not smooth. Stir in the boiling water. Top the filled peppers with the pesto and garnish with the pistachios. Serves 4.

Tabouleh with chick peas and cucumbers

I'm always looking for new ways to get whole grains into my diet along with some protein. I'm talking about something that tastes good and qualifies as an easy filling meal that I can eat at home or easily take to work. This recipe qualifies. The bulgur is a nutritious, nutty whole grain that's really easy to make. The chick peas add some protein and texture, and of course the tomatoes and cucumbers give flavor and crunch. Making this when tomatoes are in season is always a plus. Here's the recipe:

1 cup bulgur wheat(soaked 1 hr with 1 cup hot or cold salted water)
3 medium tomatoes
1 cucumber
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1/2 cup chopped mint(or more if you like)
1 can chick peas washed and drained
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
juice of 1 1/2 to 2 lemons
salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl and let stand for about 1/2 hr.