Green Bean Salad with Tangerine Vinaigrette

Ingredients:
2 lb "French" green beans (the skinny kind, AKA haricot verts), steamed
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
1/4 cup dried cranberries or cherries or a mixture of the two
2-3 strips thick cut bacon, cooked and crumbled (optional)

dressing:
1 large shallot, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon pepper sherry
1 tablespoon tangerine zest
2 tablespoons tangerine juice
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
salt
pepper

Directions:
Whisk together all of the dressing ingredients or shake it in a dressing shaker until smooth and emulsified. Set aside. Toss together the other ingredients in a large bowl. Drizzle with dressing. Toss again. Serve hot, warm or cold.

My thoughts:

Green beans are one of the few vegetables I don't mind buying or eaten after being frozen. I also don't mind peas, spinach and home-frozen corn. Like the other, green beans, if frozen properly, retain much if not all of their texture and flavor. Squash is wonderful of course but they about this time of year, I am already hoping for something different. I created this dish to bring to dinner because it is equally good hot, cold or warm. I hate having to go to someone's house and have to cook a dish from the beginning and in the winter, it is tricky to keep a vegetable dish warm for a trip over a few minute drive. Frankly, I prefer to bring a potato dish or dessert or even rolls/bread but it was my mother doing the asking and I was tasked with vegetables. And rolls, but that was easy. My family is full of pickier eaters than I am so I wanted to make something that was a little different that what they might not normally eat but not anything intimidating. Yet another reason the humble green bean was a perfect choice. Pretty much anyone will eat a green bean. They rest of the ingredients weren't anything to be scared of either but come together in such away that it is anything but boring.

Smoked Salmon Spinach Labne Dip

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lb labne (Kefir cheese)
1/2 lb smoked salmon (not lox), flaked
3/4 cup squeezed dry, defrosted frozen chopped spinach
1 shallot, minced
2 tablespoons herbs de Provence
1 1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon pepper sherry
1 tablespoon minced chives
1 teaspoon dry mustard
zest of one lemon
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper


Directions:
Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl until well combined and distributed.

My thoughts:

I'd never really had labne, a type of yogurt cheese, much but the tub I had recently made me a instant convert. I had heard it was a great sub for cream cheese or sour cream which I thought was just hyperbole but it really was. It was kind of tart fresh from the tub but once mixed with the other dip ingredients it really tasted like and had the consistency of cream cheese. So good but much less fat. Awesome. For this dip I combined elements of several of my favorite dips into one. It was so good!

Hot Pepper Butternut Squash

Ingredients:
1 medium butternut squash, peeled and cubed
2 jalapenos, minced
1 shallot, minced
3 tablespoons minced fresh thyme
1 tablespoon yellow mustard seed
1 teaspoon pepper sherry
1 teaspoon minced ginger
1/2 cup chicken stock or water
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

for the seeds:
seeds from the squash
1/4 cup sea salt
1 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
olive oil


Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Saute the shallot, peppers and squash until the shallot is translucent. Add the remaining ingredients. Cover and simmer until the squash is fork tender.

Meanwhile: Place the butternut seeds in a large pot. Fill halfway with water. Add salt. Bring to a boil. Boil for 10 minutes. Drain. Sprinkle lightly with olive oil, then the spices. Stir to evenly distribute spice. Place in a single layer on a parchment lined cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Stir the seeds then bake for an additional 5 minutes or until they no longer look wet are instead toasted and crunchy looking.

Sprinkle the seeds over the squash and serve.

My thoughts:

Butternut squash is perhaps the most popular of the winter squashes to make at home. It is easy to make it the same way over and over again but I wanted to try something completely different than the usual. Rather than giving into the natural sweetness, I went with contrasting flavors that were inspired by Caribbean cuisine. It was a big hit with everyone.

I love roasted butternut squash seeds (possibly even more than pumpkin!) because they puff up a bit and have a great "pop" when you bite down on them. They make a great garnish.

Tips: Make it easy on yourself and cube and peel the butternut squash the day before you want to use it. You can roast the seeds ahead of time too.

Keep an eye on the squash as it cooks and add more water if needed, the sugars in the squash can caramelize quickly which can turn into the cubes sticking to the pan.

Seven Spice Mahi-Mahi

Ingredients:
4 mahi-mahi fillets
2 1/2 tablespoons Japanese 7 spice powder
2 tablespoons sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
zest of one lemon

olive oil
lemon juice
pepper sherry

Directions:
Prepare your grill according to manufacturer's instructions. Meanwhile, stir together the salt, pepper, seven spice and zest. Pat into all four sides of the fish. Brush with olive oil. Grill, for about 5 minutes on each side, until fully cooked. Sprinkle with lemon juice and pepper sherry prior to serving.

My thoughts:

When I asked people what type of grilling recipes they would most like to see this year, the response was overwhelmingly in favor of fish/seafood recipes. The trick with grilling fish is not to over cook it and if you would like to place the fish directly on the grill, make sure it is a firm, meaty variety. That's why I like Mahi-Mahi, I've never had a problem with it overcooking or breaking up on the grill. It can be on the bland side though so I dressed it up with some seven spice powder, lemon juice and my new favorite condiments, pepper sherry. Simple, slightly spicy and super tasty.

Summer Vegetable Green Salad with a Dill Vinagrette, Feta and Grilled Tuna

Ingredients:

for the vinaigrette:
1/4 cup minced dill
3 oz white wine vinegar
2 1/2 oz olive oil
1 teaspoon pepper sherry
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
salt
pepper

for the fish:
2 tuna steaks
zest of one lemon
2 tablespoons minced oregano
2 tablespoons fresh or freeze dried chives
salt
pepper
olive oil

for the corn:
1 or 2 ears of corn
olive oil
salt
pepper
celery seed

for the salad:
1 head romaine lettuce, chopped
4 radishes, sliced
4 button or crimini mushrooms, sliced
2 hard boiled eggs, sliced
2 tomatoes, cut into wedges
1/2 English cucumber, sliced
3 oz crumbled feta
1/2 red onion, sliced very thin

Directions:
Place the vinaigrette ingredients in a jar or salad dressing shaker. Shake until emulsified. Set aside.

Prep the grill according to manufactures' instructions. Prep the cedar plank according the package instructions. Meanwhile, rub the tuna with oil then pat on the zest and spices onto both sides. Place the tuna on the grill. Follow the instructions for grilling corn. Grill until the tuna is medium rare and the corn is done, covering briefly if needed, about 10 minutes. Strip the corn from the cob.

Meanwhile, toss the salad ingredients in a large bowl. Divide among two dishes. Top with tuna and the corn. Drizzle with dressing.

My thoughts:

I know this salad looks complicated with the long list of ingredients but it really isn't, I promise! The salad dressing is super easy, there is nothing fancy about the salad itself and the tuna and corn require pretty much the same prep and cooking time. I have been eating a tons of salads lately because of my feta challenge and I have found that my favorite salads with feta are the ones that have a lot of different ingredients and flavors. Feta is so robust tasting it can stand up to pretty much anything, even very herbal dressings and heartier ingredients like fish or meat so I've been experimenting. I wanted to make this salad my complete meal so I added tuna and a hard boiled egg to make it more substantial without feeling heavy.

I had room on the grill (even though I was making extra tuna for another recipe) so I tossed some corn on. It added a smoky-sweet flavor that was a wonderful contrast with the feta and all of the crisp vegetables I used. All in all, a very tasty, vegetable packed salad. Perfect for a hot July day!

Mango Ketchup

Ingredients:
3 cloves garlic
1 shallot, chopped
1 inch knob ginger, chopped
1 scotch bonnet pepper, chopped
2 cups cubed mango (I used Alfonso mango)
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons avocado oil
1 tablespoon pepper sherry
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1/8 teaspoon allspice
1/8 teaspoon cloves


Directions:
Add all ingredients to a blender. Blend until really, really smooth. Pour into a small sauce pan and cook over very low heat, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 15 minutes.

My thoughts:

As anyone who knows me (or is a long time reader) knows ketchup, traditional, tomato ketchup is one of three foods (along with pumpkin pie and cantaloupe) I absolutely will not eat. It is so cloying and sweet it hides that flavor of whatever you put it on. Not my style. I prefer sauces that accent flavor, not obscure it.

I dip my fries in frites sauce (homemade or the ones I brought back from Belgium) or spread my burgers with blue cheese dressing, a variety of mustard or mashed up avocados and my seafood with r�moulade, cocktail or tarter sauce. But no ketchup. Although ketchup is most commonly tomato, it doesn't have to be. When I was in Miami for the mango festival a few years ago I tried mango ketchup for the first time. Not too sweet and no tomatoes. This isn't an exact replica, I can't quite remember what was in it but I've had the kept the idea of making a mango ketchup of my own in the back of my mind every since. I finally had the opprotunity to do it and I am glad I did! My mango ketchup is spicy, gingery and full of bright mango flavor. Perfect for your tropical influenced sandwiches.

Cara Cara Mango Shrimp

Ingredients:
2 lb peeled shrimp
2-3 mangos, cubed (try Tommy Atkins or Francis)

marinade:
1 shallot, minced
2/3 cup cara cara (or regular navel) orange juice
3 tablespoons mango juice (homemade*)
3 tablespoons tequila
2 tablespoons oranges
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Directions:
Prepare grill to manufacture's recommendations. Brush the grill rack with oil. Whisk together the marinade in a large bowl. Add the shrimp. Marinate the shrimp for 10 minutes. Reserve the marinade. Thread on bamboo skewers alternating with mango. Grill, flipping once and brushing occasionally with reserved marinade, until the shrimp is fully cooked.


*I just squeezed juice out of some mango scraps into a measuring cup.

My thoughts:

I am excited to finally start posting grilling recipes again! I've been grilling like crazy (even in drizzling rain) for the past few months developing new recipes to post here this summer. I have a lot of great recipes lined up. As I have done the last couple of years, I plan on posting a new grilling recipe every Friday from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Last year I was so busy writing my cookbook and posting twice weekly new recipes on C&L (I developed 300 recipes between May and October last year for the book) that I dropped it down to a new grill recipe every other week. I am happy to say that despite some other big projects in the works, I am going to return to the weekly posts.

For my first recipe of the unofficial summer season, I had to share this shrimp dish. It is so good. I love grilling with mango, during the caramelizing process it get so sweet and juicy. Cara cara oranges are a new favorite. Giant sized, they are more floral tasting and less acidic than other oranges. Their juice paired wonderfully with the mango. I had asked for requests over at the Coconut & Lime Facebook page when I announced the return of my grill Fridays and someone wanted a good grilled shrimp recipe. I think this fits the bill! Shrimp can be tricky to grill because they cook so quickly but in this case that is not a problem because the mango also cooks quickly. I served them with a side of rice which was merrily being made in our rice cooker while we grilled. No muss, no fuss!

Shrimp & Salmon Cakes with a Spicy Dipping Sauce

Ingredients:

6 oz salmon fillet, boned and skinned
6 oz raw shrimp, shelled
7 dried shiitake mushrooms
2 eggs
1 slice cooked bacon, crumbled
1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine or sherry
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1/4 cup cabbage shredded
1/4 cup green onions, minced
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
4 tablespoons oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons corn starch
cornstarch for dredging
panko

Directions:

In a small bowl, soak shiitake mushrooms in warm water for 20 minutes and slice thinly. Meanwhile, roughly chop raw shrimp and salmon together. In a large bowl, mix the salmon and shrimp with the shiitake mushrooms, soy sauce, oyster sauce, rice wine, cabbage, green onions, salt, white and black pepper, ginger, bacon, and 1 1/2 tablespoons of cornstarch. Separate one of the eggs, reserve the egg yolk, and stir the egg whites into the fish mixture. Stir well and refrigerate for 20 minutes. Heat the oil in a large (nonstick, if possible) saute pan. Put some corn starch on a plate and some panko on another plate. Beat the egg yolk with the remaining egg in a small wide bowl. Form the shrimp mixture into about five 3 to 4 oz flattened patties. Dredge each patty in the cornstarch on both sides, dip into the beaten egg, and then pat into the panko. Fry each patty for 3-4 minutes on each side until golden brown. Drain on paper towel lines plates and serve with the optional dipping sauce, recipe below:

Dipping Sauce:
Ingredients:
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 tablespoon horseradish

Directions:
Mix well and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes to let flavors mingle.

My thoughts:

The photograph doesn't do these wonderful little cakes justice. Eating one is like having the best eggroll filling imaginable in a crispy, crunchy, grease-less pocket. My husband made these and for a second we held our breath, worrying that they would fall apart in the pan, the mixture is a bit floppy, but they held together perfectly and they taste divine.