Steamed Lamb Wontons

Steamed Lamb Wontons

The filling for these wontons can be made in advance and frozen, allowing for a quick dinner preparation.  Our local grocery started carrying lamb shoulder, which is much cheaper than other cuts and still tastes great.  Feel free to substitute the lamb for pork or chopped shrimp.  This also provides an opportunity to sneak in a lot of other vegetables. 

Ingredients

Serves 4; approximately 32 wontons

1 lb ground lamb (we use shoulder, and grind it at home)

2 tsp minced garlic

2 Tbsp canola or vegetable oil

4 carrots, grated

4 leaves Napa Cabbage, sliced thin 

1 jalapeno, finely chopped

½ C fish sauce

2T Maggi seasoning

4T sugar

½ tsp ground black pepper

Directions

Heat a large skillet on high heat, and add oil, garlic and lamb.  Sautee for 4-5 minutes, then reduce to medium heat.  Add carrots, cabbage, jalapeno, fish sauce, maggi seasoning, sugar and pepper.  Sautee until the carrots are soft. Remove from heat, and allow filling to cool to the touch. 

While filling is cooling, spread wonton wrappers out on a flat surface.  These are delicate, so take care not to tear any of them.  Place a heaping tablespoon of the filling into the center of the wrapper, and use some of the liquid from the filling to brush the edges. Bring the corners together and press together to seal.

Steam for 8 minutes.

Monica's Chicken Curry

Monica’s Chicken Curry

Indian food is not something we were very familiar with, but had always wanted to learn more about.  Luckily for us, Greer grew up with a family from India (and quite skilled at cooking).  After several scheduling attempts, we met with family and friends at Monica’s house for a demonstration.  Again, knowing very little about Indian food and flavors, we were surprised to find the basic ingredients were ones we were very familiar with and used regularly.  A flavor profile that had seemed exotic now seemed approachable as we could see and taste ties into Mexican, Mediterranean and Southeast Asian flavors.  We always enjoy cooking classes; add friends and family and you get a great night with a great memory to accompany future meals.

Ingredients

Serves: 4-6

¼ C Canola oil

1 tsp Cumin Seed

2 White onions, diced

4 Garlic cloves, minced

2 Tbsp ginger, finely chopped

2 Curry Leaves

½ tsp Tumeric

½ tsp Ground Coriander

½ tsp Cayenne

½ tsp Ground Cloves

½ tsp Cinnamon

½ tsp Ground Cardamom

3 Roma tomatoes, diced
1 Jalapeño, finely chopped

2 Chicken Breasts, cut into ~1” cubes

Salt and Pepper to taste

Cilantro for garnish

Directions

In a 5.5 quart French oven on medium heat add oil and cumin seed, cook until the seeds pop and you can smell the cumin (2-3 minutes).  Be careful not to burn the seeds.  Make the curry base by adding onion, garlic, ginger and curry leaves; sauté until the onions are well colored (12-15 minutes).

Add the spices, tomatoes and jalapeño to the base and stir until well mixed.  Add cubed chicken and water for desired thickness; cover and cook until chicken is cook through (~5-7 minutes).  Salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with basmati rice.

Cost

Onions $2.02

Garlic $0.15

Ginger $0.20

Spices $0.75

Tomatoes $2.54 

Chicken $4.97

Cilantro $0.25

Total: $10.88

Per serving: $2.72

This will keep in the fridge for 2-3 days and reheats well.

Roasted Butternut Squash Puree

Roasted Butternut Squash Puree

Versatile and delicious; this is a great recipe to have on hand.  You do need to set aside some time to roast the squash, but the puree will last for several days in the fridge.  It can be a lot of work to take the skin off an uncooked squash, so don’t bother.  Use a cleaver to split in in half and scoop it out after roasting.

Shown here, the puree is tossed with pappardelle noodles and topped with oyster mushrooms, bacon and shallots.  Cook down in a skillet to remove moisture and use it for ravioli filling.  Add chicken stock for a tasty soup.

 

Ingredients:

6-8 Servings

3 lbs butternut squash (2-3 individual squash)

1 lb white onion (1-2 onions)

6-8 garlic cloves

¼ cup finely chopped fresh sage

3 oz Chevre (goat cheese)

Up to ¼ c chicken stock

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 450F.

Split the butternut squash and scoop out the seeds.  Cut the onion in half.  Place squash and onion on a baking sheet and roast for 45 minutes.  Add the garlic cloves for the last 10 minutes.  Smaller garlic cloves will cook much quicker, watch to make sure they do not burn.

After the squash, onion and garlic have slightly cooled (~5 minutes), scoop out the squash into a food processor with the onion, garlic and sage.  Blend until smooth.  You may need to add chicken stock at this step for a smoother puree.

Transfer to a mixing bowl and fold in the Chevre.  Salt and pepper to taste.

Cost:

Butternut Squash $5.97

Onions $1.99

Garlic $0.25

Sage $0.75

Chevre $4.50

Total: $13.46

Per Serving: $1.69

Soft Shell Crab BLT

Soft Shell Crab BLT
Greer first tried this at The Grove in Houston before an Astros game.  After a few tries, we ended up with our own recipe.  If you like BLTs, you will surely enjoy these additions.  This does take a little bit of time, but worth it in the end.  This makes enough for two.

Ingredients

2 softshell crabs, cleaned

Milk (enough to cover crabs in a bowl)
1 egg, beaten
1 ½ c flour
Vegetable or Canola Oil for frying

2 teaspoons mayonnaise

2chipotles, finely chopped

½ bunch watercress

1 roma tomato, finely diced
4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
½ avocado, sliced

4 slices bread

Directions

Place the cleaned softshell crabs  in milk, and let soak for about an hour. 
While crabs are soaking, remove watercress from stems, combine with diced tomato and bacon, set aside.  Mix mayonnaise and chopped chipotle.  Spread mixture on bread, and toast. 
Coat crabs with beaten eggs, dredge through flour and repeat.  Fill wide pan with tall walls with about 1.5 inches of oil.  Place crabs in hot oil and fry until golden brown, flip once.  Remove from oil and place on rack and lightly pat dry.
On toasted bread, generously heap watercress, tomatoes and bacon.  Place one crab on top.  Finish with avocado slices.

Feel free to add some spices (like pepper, chili powder, paprika) to the flour to give a little kick.

Cost

Softshell crabs $13.98
Watercress $0.89
Tomato $0.31
Bacon $0.79
Bread $0.50
Avocado $0.99
On Hand $2.oo
Total: $19.46
Per Sandwich: $9.73

Crab Pepper and Mint Pasta

Crab, Pepper and Mint Pasta

We first saw this dish on television.  The combination of mint and pepper sounded appetizing and we both really wanted to try it.  It is a simple dish that we enjoy eating throughout the summer.  Even better this year was being able to pick the mint leaves and peppers from our garden.  Makes 3-4 servings.

Ingredients
½ lb spaghetti noodles
½ lb lump crab meat
2 Serrano (or jalapeno) peppers, chopped
5-6 mint leaves, chopped
2 medium garlic cloves
1 teaspoon olive oil
Salt to taste

Directions

Cook pasta per box directions
In large skillet, add olive oil.  When warm, add garlic and lightly toast.  Add crab meat and cook for 4-5 minutes.  Add peppers for last minute of cooking and salt to taste.  Remove from heat and add mint.  Toss with cooked pasta.  Serve immediately, garnish with parmesan cheese if desired.

Leftovers

This reheats really well the next day, turning an easy dinner into an even easier lunch.

Bratwurst

Bratwurst
 
One of our wedding gifts was a meat grinder and sausage stuffer.  Some people thought it was one of those gifts that would never be used.  Not true (we actually use everything we got).  Making sausage at home at first seemed like quite an undertaking.  After a little practice, we got the hang of it.  It takes a little time, but much more satisfying than just going to the store to buy premade.  If you’ve got about two hours, you can get start to finish in one night.  If not, grind and mix the meat ahead of time.  Brats are great on the grill, and with the weather warming up the meat grinder will get plenty more use. Makes 16 links
 
Ingredients
This recipe is based on the homemade bratwurst recipe found at: www.lets-make-sausage.com.  They’ve got a lot of other great styles of sausage as well.

5 lbs pork shoulder

2 tablespoons salt
1.5 tablespoons nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 cup cold milk
2 whole eggs, beaten
1 cup  bread crumbs (the recipe calls for dry milk powder for a binder, but we didn’t have any on hand)

Directions

Cut pork into 1-2 inch pieces and run through the fine plate in the meat grinder twice.
Mix milk, spices and eggs together.  Add to ground meat and use hands to mix well.
Add bread crumbs (or dry milk powder) to mixture and combine thoroughly.
At this point, the sausage stuffer attachment comes in really useful.  Use natural hog casings, and follow the instructions on the attachment.
As the casings are being filled, twist to forms individual links.
Cook or freeze immediately.

Be careful with the ratio of spices, it doesn’t take too much nutmeg to overpower everything.

Cost

Pork Shoulder: $14.95
Milk: $0.75
Eggs: $0.40
On hand: $0.75
Total: $16.85
Per Link: $1.05

Leftovers
Grilled bratwurst are still good the next day.  Frozen, uncooked links also hold together pretty well and can be made ahead of time.

Salmon Sliders

Salmon Sliders

At lunch on a business trip, conversation got around to what people like to cook.  One of the people Brandon works for mentioned salmon burgers were a big hit with his family.  We have salmon a couple times per month, but usually don’t get to creative with it.  This turned out to be a quick, inexpensive dinner and a nice change of pace.  Makes about 6 patties. 

Ingredients

1 lb salmon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
¼ teaspoon curry powder
1 egg
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon ground horseradish root
2 teaspoons sesame oil
¼ c chopped cilantro
½ c bread crumbs
Salt
Pepper
Vegetable oil (for cooking patties)

Directions

Remove any skin from the salmon.  Chop salmon into fine pieces.  In a large mixing bowl combine all ingredients together until well incorporated.  Once mixed, form into 3 inch patties. 
Add vegetable oil to a skillet on medium high heat.  Once hot, cook patties about 3 minutes per side.
Serve on buns with lettuce and tomatoes.  Greer preferred tartar sauce, Brandon preferred Dijon mustard.

Leftovers

We were able to enjoy these one day later for lunch.

Cost
Salmon: $7.99
Everything else on hand: $1.50
Total: $9.49

Per patty: $1.58

Bierox

Bierox

This recipe has one of the humblest beginnings, and is one of Brandon’s ultimate comfort foods.  The recipe was handed down from his mother, who first enjoyed it at an elementary school cafeteria in the panhandle of Oklahoma.  It’s easy to make, but does take a little bit of time to let the dough rise.  Makes about 12 buns, 2-3 per serving for dinner.






Ingredients
Filling
1 lb ground turkey
1 white onion, diced
1 medium head of cabbage, sliced
1 tablespoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
¼ teaspoon allspice

Dough

2 packages yeast
2 cups warm water
4 teaspoons shortening
1 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons sugar
6 cups flour

Directions

Filling
Brown turkey meat with onion and drain. Add rest of ingredients, cook on stove for about 20 minutes or until cabbage is soft.  Remove from heat and let cool.  Be careful not to add too much allspice. 
Dough
Mix yeast into flour and other dry ingredients. Add warm water, mix well.  Knead the dough and let rise twice. 

Divide dough into small balls, roll out onto floured board to approx 1/8 to ¼ inch thick, cut into squares.  Place filling in the middle, and pull the corners together to make bun.  Place on a cookie sheet, folded side down.  Brush top with melted butter and bake for 20 minutes at 375F. 

Cut the top open and serve with yellow mustard.  Surprisingly enough, this does not taste any better with spicy mustard.

We usually have some extra dough to make bread from.  Cook at 375F for around 25 minutes.

Cost

Ground Turkey $3.39
White onion $1.21
Cabbage: $1.57
Yeast: $0.61
On Hand (flour, sugar, salt, pepper, allspice, shortening): $1.00
Total:  $7.78
Per bun: $0.65

Leftovers

These freeze and reheat well.  It makes a very easy lunch for work.

Thai Mussels

Thai Mussels

We really like mussels and Thai flavors, so this seemed like a great combination.  Mussels are relatively inexpensive, and really quick to cook.  This makes a great dish during the week.  The broth can be served by itself, and makes a really good soup.  With no sides, the two of us can finish this (although we are both very, very full).  This should be enough to serve 3-4 people.

Ingredients

2 lbs mussels
2 cups coconut milk
1 tablespoon ginger, finely chopped
2 stalks lemongrass, lower 1/3 portion, crushed and finely chopped
5 fresh kaffir lime leaves
5 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons sugar
2 limes, juiced
1 teaspoon chili garlic sauce
¼ cup cilantro, rough chopped
2 jalapeno peppers, thinly sliced

Directions

Coconut soup:
Combine half the coconut milk, ginger, lemongrass and lime leaves in a saucepan and bring to a boil.  Add remaining ingredients, simmer for 4-5 minutes, reduce heat.
Mussels:
Steam mussels for 3-4 minutes, or until all shells have opened.
Combine cooked mussels (still in shells) and coconut soup in a large bowl and serve.

Cost:
2 lbs mussels: $6.99
2 cups coconut milk: $2.29
2 stalks lemongrass: $1.50
5 fresh kaffir lime leaves: $1.98
2 lime: $0.40
¼ cup cilantro, rough chopped: $0.35
2 jalapeno peppers, thinly sliced: $0.10
On hand (ginger, fish sauce, sugar, chili garlic sauce): $1.50
Total: $15.11

Per Serving: $5.04

Changes:

We’ve had trouble finding the kaffir lime leaves at times, and have left them out with still good results.  The pepper type or quantity can be changed depending on how much heat you prefer.

Pancetta and Mushroom Ravioli with White Wine Cream Sauce

Pancetta and Mushroom Ravioli with White Wine Cream Sauce

The first time making homemade ravioli was for Brandon’s mom, and was without a pasta roller.  It must have tasted good enough, because a pasta roller showed up as a well received Christmas gift that year.   Although the total time has been cut way down from the first attempt, it does take the better part of an evening to make.  With enough time to prepare and cook, the final result is well worth it.

This makes enough for 10 large ravioli. 

Ingredients:

Ravioli Filling:

2 ounces mushrooms, chopped
¼ lb pancetta, diced
3 oz Spinach
2 teaspoons tarragon, finely chopped
3 teaspoons sage, finely chopped
Salt
½ lb Ricotta

Sauce:

1 bottle Chardonnay
2 teaspoons fresh thyme
2 teaspoons fresh oregano
2 cups whipping cream
3 tablespoons yuzu
½ lemon, juiced
2 teaspoons dried basil

Pasta:
We followed the following recipe for pasta: http://www.ehow.com/how_2041354_pasta-scratch.html

Directions:

Ravioli Filling:
Cook mushrooms and pancetta in skillet on medium high heat until pancetta is crispy.  Reduce heat and add spinach, tarragon and sage, cook down spinach.  Remove from heat, let cool for 15-20 minutes.  Add ricotta.  Salt to taste.

Ravioli:

Roll pasta into sheets 4” wide.   Add filling.  Brush with milk, egg, or cream.  Cover with an additional sheet, making sure there are no air bubbles.  Press two sheets together to seal, and cut.  Cook in boiling, salted water for 3-4 minutes.  Add sauce and serve.

Sauce:
Combine wine, thyme and oregano in a sauce pot on medium heat and reduce by half.  Add remaining ingredients and stir.  Reduce to medium-low heat and let further reduce to half.

Cost:

2 ounces mushrooms, chopped - $0.63
¼ lb pancetta, diced - $3.24
 3 oz Spinach - $0.63
Fresh herbs - $1.50
½ lb Ricotta - $2.08
1 bottle Chardonnay - $10
2 cups whipping cream - $2.38
½ lemon, juiced - $0.33
On hand, and for pasta - $2.50
3 tablespoons yuzu – on hand
2 teaspoons dried basil - on hand
Total: $23.29
Per Serving: $5.82

Changes:
Marscapone cheese is a really good alternative for ricotta.  For a quicker, easier dinner, the filling (less the cheese) can be mixed with Alfredo or tomato sauce and served over cooked noodles.

Leftovers:

We ate 6 of the ravioli for dinner and both had enough for the next days lunch.  When reheated, the sauce separated, but the flavor was still pretty good.

Chicken Pesto Pizza

Chicken Pesto Pizza
Pizza is much more than tomato sauce and cheese.  There is a restaurant, Urban Eatz, we go to get a quick dinner occasionally.  This is loosely based on one of their pizzas.










Ingredients:
Dough (Mario Batali’s recipe - http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/mario-batali/pizza-dough-recipe/index.html):
¼ c white wine
¾ c warm water
1 ½ fresh yeast
1tbsp honey
1tsp salt
1 tablespoon plus 1 tablespoon olive oil
3 ½ c flour

Pesto paste:
Basil

2 Handfuls Spinach
¼ c pine nuts
1/3 c parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons olive oil

Toppings:

1 Chicken Breast, grilled and sliced, seasoned with salt, pepper, oregano, cayenne and red pepper flakes
1 Bunch Cilantro, rough chop
½ lb mozzarella cheese, sliced
½ large russet potato, mashed
Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Dough: We followed http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/mario-batali/pizza-dough-recipe/index.html.
Pesto:
Toast the pine nuts in olive oil.
Cook basil and spinach until slightly wilted
Add everything to food processor.
Pizza:
Roll out dough, approx 16”
Spread pesto paste over dough. Add toppings in the following order: half of cilantro, chicken, half of cilantro, mashed potatoes, mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese.  Cook at 400F for 20-25 minutes or until dough is golden brown. 

Cost:

1 ½ fresh yeast - $0.98
Basil - $1.89
2 Handfuls Spinach - $0.58
¼ c pine nuts - $1.32
Parmesan cheese - $2.00
1 Chicken Breast, grilled and sliced - $2.48
1 Bunch Cilantro, rough chop - $0.99
½ lb mozzarella cheese, sliced - $3.29
½ large russet potato, mashed - $0.47
On hand - $3.00
Total: $15.23
Per Slice (assuming 8 slices): $1.90

Changes:

Before cooking we discussed including tomatillos.  While eating, we talked about switching the pesto for a tomato sauce or alfredo sauce.

Pork Meatballs

Pork Meatballs

A commercial on TV was showing meatballs while we were putting together our weekly menu, and we realized we had never actually made meatballs from scratch.  The result was quite tasty, although we are far from perfecting a tomato sauce to go alongside.

Ingredients:

2 ¼  lbs pork shoulder, ground
1 cup ricotta cheese
2 large eggs
½ cup bread crumbs
1 large handful chopped parsley
1 tablespoon fresh oregano
2 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flake
¼ fennel bulb, finely chopped

Directions:

If you have a meat grinder, cut the pork shoulder into 2-3” pieces and grind (if not, start with pre-ground meat).  Place all ingredients in a large mixing bowl.  Mix until everything is well incorporated.  Form into 2” balls and place onto a lightly oiled, 9x13” baking dish.  Cook at 450F, or until cooked all the way through.
This made 20 meatballs.


Cost:
2 ¼  lbs pork shoulder - $6.42
1 cup ricotta cheese - $2.15
2 large eggs - $0.33
1 large handful chopped parsley - $0.50
¼ fennel bulb, finely chopped - $2.99/4 = $0.75
On Hand (bread crumbs, oregano, salt, red pepper flakes) - $1.00
Total: $11.15
Per Meatball: $0.56

Changes:

Next time we will add garlic, and it could easily take more red pepper flakes. 

Leftovers:

The flavor remained very similar after reheating.  The meatballs were very rich, 2 served with pasta and sauce was plenty for lunch.

Lemon-Spiced Chicken and Bulghur Wheat Pilaf

Lemon-Spiced Chicken and Bulghur Wheat Pilaf
One of our wedding gifts was "The Newlyweds Cookbook" and this was taken straight from there.  The first time we made it was Valentine's Day this year.  Greer first spotted the recipe, and it was certainly a good find.  As much as we like to mix up recipes, this one worked really well for us as is.  This made 3 full servings. 





Ingredients:

1.5  lbs of Chicken Thighs (with skin on)

1/6 cup extra virgin olive oil

Freshly squeezed juice of 1 lemon
1/2 tablespoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
A small bunch of thyme sprigs, fresh
1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

Trim any excess fat from the chicken pieces. Put the chicken in a large baking dish. Put the oil, lemon juice, cumin, paprika, red pepper flakes, oregano, thyme, salt and pepper in a bowl and mix well. Pour over the chicken and turn to coat well. Cover and set aside for atleast 30 minutes, or refrigerate for 6 to 8 hours.

Make sure all the chicken pieces are skin side up in the dish and roast in a preheated oven at 400 degrees F until browned and cooked through, 50 to 60 minutes. Serve immediately with juices.

Bulghur Wheat Pilaf:

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

A handful of cappellini, about 1 ½ oz.
2 garlic cloves
1 ¼ cups bulghur wheat
1 bell pepper, diced
1 roma tomato, diced 
2 ¾ cups unsalted fresh chicken broth
A few springs of thyme
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat the oil in a saucepan, break the cappellini into small pieces as you add them to the pan, add garlic and cook, stirring regularly until browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in bulghur wheat and a good pinch of salt and mix to coat the grains.

Add the stock and thyme, stir and bring to a boil. Cover over low heat and cook, undisturbed, until all liquid has been absorbed, 10 to 15 minutes.  Add diced bell pepper and tomato. Fluff up grains and serve.

Cost:

1.5 lbs of Chicken Thighs - $3.28
Garlic - $0.50
Bulghur Wheat - $1.06
Roma Tomato - $0.35
Thyme - $0.50
Bell Pepper - $2.49
Lemon - $0.20
Cappellini - $0.75
On Hand (spices, olive oil, chicken broth) - $3.00
Total: $12.13
Per Serving: $4.04
Changes:
We like the roma tomatoes and bell pepper mixed in with the pilaf, but there should be a lot of freedom to change that. 

Leftovers:
The skin isn't crispy the next day, and the chicken dries out slightly, but it makes a pretty good lunch.  Save some of the juice to store with the chicken and pilaf.

Pad Thai

Pad Thai

Pad Thai usually makes it into our menu a couple times a month.  It isn’t anything we grew up eating, but we have really come to enjoy the Thai flavors.  This is a pretty quick meal to make.  With two people working together, we can get everything ready to eat within 40 minutes.

Ingredients:

½ lb dry rice noodles
14 oz extra firm tofu, cubed
½ lb cleaned, peeled shrimp, cut in half lengthwise
7 fl oz coconut milk
3 large garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 lime juiced
1 lime cut into wedges
1/3 lb snap peas
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
¼ cup peanuts, chopped
2 eggs
5 green onions, cut into 2 inch pieces

Sauce:
¼ cup fish sauce

¼ cup rice vinegar
¼ cup water
2 tablespoons brown sugar
3 teaspoons paprika
3 teaspoons chili garlic sauce
1 stalk lemongrass

Directions:

Wisk all ingredients together to make sauce
Soak noodles per package instructions.
Place the oil in a wok and turn on medium high heat. 
Soak the tofu in coconut milk and half the lime juice for 10-15 minutes.
Put tofu and garlic in wok, cook for 10 minutes or until most all liquid has cooked off. Add noodles and shrimp. Add eggs, scramble and mix with noodles. Add sauce and mix together.  Turn off heat, mix in green onions, snap peas peanuts and remaining lime juice.  Serve and garnish with bell peppers and lime wedges.

Cost:

½ lb dry rice noodles - $2.50
14 oz extra firm tofu, cubed - $2.89
½ lb cleaned, peeled shrimp, cut in half lengthwise - $7.27
7 fl oz coconut milk - $1.15
3 large garlic cloves, minced - $0.50
2 limes - $0.40
1/3 lb snap peas - $1.25
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced - $2.49
5 green onions, cut into 2 inch pieces - $0.69
1 stalk lemongrass $0.50
On hand – approx $3.00
canola oil, peanuts, chopped, eggs, fish sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar, paprika, chili garlic sauce
Total: $22.64
Per Serving: $3.77

Changes:

We’ve experimented with this recipe a few times, and this has been the best result.  Although, we were hoping the lemongrass would have come through a little more.
  
Leftovers:

We think this reheats really well, and the flavors become more pronounced overnight.  This usually makes enough for 3-4 lunches.

Mahi Mahi with Cous Cous Piccata

Mahi Mahi with Cous Cous Piccata

We saw Mahi-mahi on sale for the week, and tried to work a meal around it.  The cous-cous turned out to be the best part of the dish.

Ingredients:

Fish:
1 lb Mahi Mahi

Salt
Pepper
Olive Oil

Topping:

2 Roma tomatoes, diced
Green Onions – ½ bunch, sliced
2 oz mushrooms, thinly sliced
¼ lemon, juiced

Cous-Cous:
2/3 cup cous cous

2 teaspoons olive oil
Chicken broth (per cous cous cooking instructions)
Salt
2 Teaspoons olive oil
½ cup white wine (we used Kung Fu Girl Reisling)
2 tablespoons capers
Green Onions – ½ bunch, diced
¾ lemon, juiced
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/3 cup Feta

Cooking Instructions:

Topping:

Add olive oil to pan, and sauté thinly sliced mushrooms and green onions (3-4 minutes).  Remove from heat.  Mix with diced tomatoes and add lemon juice.

                                                                           Fish:

Cut fish into individual servings. Lightly brush fish with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.  Cook fish 3-4 minutes/side in same pan as fish topping.  Keep warm.

Cous-cous:
Cook cous-cous per package instructions. Using the same pan fish was cooked in, add olive oil, white wine, green onions, capers, lemon juice and let simmer until reduced by half.  Add butter, let melt.  Add sauce and feta cheese to cooked cous-cous.

Cost (bought from Central Market):
Mahi-Mahi: $12.71

Green Onions: $0.69
Mushrooms: $0.63
Roma Tomatoes: $0.94
Lemon: $0.33
White wine: $12/bottle
All other ingredients we had on hand, approx $4.00
Total: $31.30
Per Meal: $7.83

Leftovers:
We ate about half for dinner, and had the remaining for lunch the next day.  It reheated well one day later.

Changes:

We intended to include dill with the fish topping, and chopped Italian parsley with the cous-cous piccata.