Ginger Glazed Mahi Mahi

tonight was supposed to be leftover night. then i saw the mahi mahi that i had defrosted and not used on sunday. so, i knew i needed to use that tonight. i went to allrecipes and i think this was one of the first results of my search for mahi mahi. and i had everything i needed on hand, so it was perfect.

so SIMPLE. and the girls loved it. i served it with oven roasted butternut squash and a salad.

Ginger Glazed Mahi Mahi
serves 4

3 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger root
1 clove garlic, crushed or to taste
2 teaspoons olive oil
4 (6 ounce) mahi mahi fillets
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon vegetable oil


1. In a shallow glass dish, stir together the honey, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, ginger, garlic and olive oil. Season fish fillets with salt and pepper, and place them into the dish. If the fillets have skin on them, place them skin side down. Cover, and refrigerate for 20 minutes to marinate.
2. Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Remove fish from the dish, and reserve marinade. Fry fish for 4 to 6 minutes on each side, turning only once, until fish flakes easily with a fork. Remove fillets to a serving platter and keep warm.
3. Pour reserved marinade into the skillet, and heat over medium heat until the mixture reduces to a glaze consistently. Spoon glaze over fish, and serve immediately.

*i'm actually out of balsamic vinegar, but used cider vinegar instead

Southeast Asian Grilled Flank Steak

tonight's meal comes to us courtesy of Cooking Light. i love Cooking Light! it was super simple (hm, common theme?) and totally tasty! i was completely convinced that my girls would not eat it. i knew they would eat the rice and the broccoli, but the flank steak marinade was pretty spicy! kaia loved it? toddlers are SO unpredictable. layla ate one bite of the steak and started screaming. i guess it WAS too spicy for her. but this is the girl who ate a mango habanero hot wing when she was 9 months old. she may be traumatizzed :).

a couple of things to keep in mind with this recipe: flank steak is not the best cut of meat, so a few things are critical:
1. marinade at LEAST 24 hours. mine marinated more like 36 hours and it was super tender.
2. do not overcook
3. cut it against the grain

Southeast Asian Grilled Flank Steak
Cooking Light July 2008

1 T sugar
3 T fresh lime juice
1 T fish sauce
2 tsp Sriracha (hot chili sauce)
1/2 tsp ground coriander
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound flank steak, trimmed
cooking spray
1/4 tsp salt

1. Combine first six ingredients in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add steak; seal and marinate in refrigerator 24 hours, turning occasionally.
2. Prepare grill to medium-high heat.
3. Remove steak from marinade; discard marinade.
4. Place steak on grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 4 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Remove steak from grill; sprinkle with salt. Let stand 5 minutes. Cut across grain into thin slices.

Yeild: 4 servings

served with: brown rice with sauteed zucchini and green onions and also steamed broccoli

my notes:
*i did not have enough limes, so i used half lemon juice, it was still good!
*i didn't grill the steak on the outside grill, but used my grill pan on the stove
*i did not use the salt it calls for at the end. the meat has so much flavor! i can't really see why this would be necessary?

anyway, i'd totally make it again.

Chicken Carribean

tonight's meal was a repeat.  we love it and it is in my regular rotation.  super easy.  it comes from the Better Homes and Gardens Biggest Book of Grilling.

Chicken Carribean
makes 4 servings

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (about 1 1/2 pounds total)
1/2 teaspoon Jamaican Jerk seasoning
1/2 cup purchased unsweetened coconut milk
1/4 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons snipped fresh basil
1 teaspoon finely shredded orange peel (optional)
2 cups hot cooked rice

1. Rub both sides of chicken with Jerk seasoning.  Grill chicken.
2. Meanwhile, for sauce, in a small saucepan combine coconut milk, orange juice and 1 tablespoon of the basil.  Bring to boiling; reduce heat.  Simmer, uncovered, about 5 minutes or until reduced to 1/2 cup.
3.  If desired, stir the orange peel into cooked rice.  Serve chicken and sauce over rice.  Sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon of basil.

my notes:
double the sauce
drizzle chicken with olive oil and extra jerk seasoning before grilling
slice the chicken breasts after grilling and serve on top of the rice