Grilled Mahi Mahi with Tomato and Bean Salsa

1 lb Mahi Mahi boneless fillets
1 recipe Tomato Bean Salsa
1 avocado, cut in half, pitted, peeled and sliced

Grill the fish for about 3-4 minutes per side, depending on the thickness. A 3/4-inch fillet should be cooked with 4 minutes grilling per side. Salt and pepper to taste.

Plate the fish and top decoratively with sliced avocado and salsa.

Tomato and Bean Salsa

You can substitute most any green veggie such as zucchini or asparagus for example, if don't have and green beans hanging around.

1 large ripe tomato, diced and allowed to drain a bit
1 can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup blanched green beans, sliced about 1/4 inch
1 clove garlic, pressed
2 fresh sage leaves, minced
1/2 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced
1/4 cup Lemon Herb Vinaigrette

Gently toss all ingredients together, and allow flavors to meld for 20 minutes.

Warm Potato Salad with Lemon Herb Vinaigrette

2 lb new red potatoes
2 Tbsp purple Bermuda onion, finely diced
½ cup finely diced crunchy veggies such as colored peppers, celery, fennel
1 Tbsp minced chives
½ cup Lemon Herb Vinaigrette

Cook the potatoes in salted water just until softened – test with a knife. Drain and allow to cool, just enough to handle. Dice and toss gently with remaining ingredients. Serve warm.


A richer, more mustardy alternative – mix one rounded tablespoon of whole-grain Dijon mustard with the vinaigrette.

Grilled Wild-caught Salmon with Dill on a bed of Lentils

1½ lb wild-caught salmon fillet, skinned, cut into 4 servings
1 recipe Lentil and Green Bean Salad
1 tsp dill weed

Heat the grill and oil the grate. Prepare lentil salad (or bring previously prepared, chilled salad to room temperature). Grill salmon, serving side down for 2-3 minutes, just until the fish releases from the grill grates (do not rush this – if the fish sticks, it is not done yet). Flip and continue grilling for a total of about 5 minutes for a ½-inch thick fillet. Sprinkle dill on top of fish and salt and pepper to taste.

Plate a serving of lentil salad and top with a serving of salmon. Serve with lemon.

Lentil and Green Bean Salad with Herbs and Feta

I used canned lentils and green beans for this preparation for speed, even though this dish is much better made from dried lentils and fresh green beans, without question. However, let's face it - sometimes time is just of the essence. Canned lentils can be hard to find outside an ethnic or specialty food store - or unless you are in Canada or Europe where canned lentils abound! If you cook the dried lentil, use Puy lentils because they hold their shape so much better than common brown lentils - look for them in the health food aisles or bulk bins. Use fresh herbs if at all possible. I used a mix of thyme, oregano, mint and parsley. This salad can be served warm or chilled.

2 cups cooked lentils
1/2 lb green beans (or 1 can, drained)
2 Tbsp purple Bermuda onion, finely diced
1 clove garlic, minced
Palmful of fresh herbs, such as sage, oregano and parsley, minced

1/2 cup Lemon Herb Vinaigrette

If you don’t have any made up, a quick alternative to Lemon Herb Vinaigrette for this salad:
Juice of 1/2 lemon
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook fresh green beans in some salted water only for about 3-5 minutes, just until they are just crisp-tender. Toss is a bowl of water and ice cubes to stop the cooking, then drain. Toss with all the remaining ingredients except the Feta. Turn into a serving bowl and top with the Feta.

Lemon Herb Vinaigrette

You can use whatever fresh herbs you have in your garden or otherwise have on hand.

juice of 1/2 lemon, about 2 Tbsp
1 Tbsp cider vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
about 2 tsp fresh sage leaves, minced
about 1 tsp fresh lavender or tarragon, minced
about 1 Tbsp fresh parsley, minced
1 rounded tsp Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp salt
fresh ground pepper

Whisk all ingredients together.

Broccoli Fifi

This is a quick broccoli prep that our daughter's good friend, Fifi really loves. Its faster than roasting broccoli - and another way to get a rich browned-flavor out of broccoli.
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp Balsamic vinegar
3 crowns broccoli, trimmed and chopped

In a large non-stick skillet or wok, add 1 Tbsp olive oil and garlic. Cook for about a minute, until fragrant. Add 1 Tbsp water, the Balsamic vinegar and the broccoli. Cook an fairly high heat, stirring often, until the broccoli browns at the edges and is just crisp-tender. Tip into a serving bowl.

Pasta Bastille

Whole Poached Salmon

1 5-6 lb salmon, cleaned and scaled

Court Bouillon:
About 8 cups water
1 cup dry white wine
1 leek, cleaned and chopped
2 large carrots, sliced
1 lemon, cleaned and sliced
Palmful parsley
Palmful other fresh herbs such as sage, oregano or thyme

Put water and wine in a fish poacher or other pot large enough to fit the whole fish, and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, add the vegetables and herbs to the water.

If you are using a pot you may want to wrap the fish in cheesecloth for easy removal after cooking. When the water comes to a boil, add the fish and return to a boil. Lower to a simmer and cook for about 30-40 minutes.

Carefully remove the fish - with the insert rack if you are using the poacher or by grabbing the ends of the cheesecloth if younger using a pot. Let the fish cool to room temperature. Serve with Aioli sauce or mayonaise.

Cool Herb Tsatsiki Aioli
Mayonaise
Sundried Tomato Pesto Aioli

Cool Herb Tsatsiki Aioli

If you don't have Greek yogurt you can strain regular yogurt through a coffee filter for about an hour to remove a lot of the whey and get the thick consistency of Greek yogurt - so good for sauces. You can use any fresh herbs you have around the garden.

½ cup good real mayonnaise
½ cup non-fat Greek Yogurt
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Tbsp fresh tarragon, minced
½ Tbsp fresh lavender, minced
½ Tbsp fresh mint, minced
Juice of ½ lemon
Dash salt and ground white pepper

Whisk all ingredients together and allow flavors to infuse for at least an hour.