0 Herb-Rubbed Chicken

I threw all these ingredients together the other night because it's what I had on hand.  So super easy and good.  You could easily prepare this for marinating the night before, and you'll have dinner ready the next day in 10 minutes.

You'll need:

1 sprig fresh rosemary
8-10 leaves fresh sage
8-10 leaves fresh basil
3 cloves fresh garlic
1/2 tsp kosher sea salt
1/2 tsp cracked black pepper

Finely chop all the herbs and garlic and mix in a bowl with a fork.

Massage onto chicken (enough for 2 whole chicken breasts, each cut in half or 4 chicken thighs trimmed of all fat) and let marinate for at least 1 hour.

Cook in a non-stick pan until browned on both sides.  Remove to a plate, cover with foil and rest for at least 5 minutes.  Use the drippings, if desired, as dressing for salad.

0 Bento #189 - Rainbow Farfalle & Romanesco in Garlic Butter

Today we have some simple (but beautiful) all-natural rainbow farfalle which is tossed in some cauliflower, romanesco and garlic butter.  

I'm also using a new stainless steel container from Greentainer!  In fact, I will be doing a Greentainer giveaway in the next week or so.  They have some awesome and versatile lunch containers made of stainless steel that are really easy to use and care for.  I'm loving them so far!  The one I used above is a two-tier variety.

Bento #189 - Fresh frozen blackberries, organic cucumber slices, rainbow farfalle pasta, cauliflower & romanesco.

1 Ponzu-Cilantro Marinated Mahi Mahi

For some reason I haven't always had the best results when making mahi mahi.  The last time I made it (using a different recipe) it stuck to the pan and tasted... fishy.  Not good.  This time I stuck with some tried-and-true flavors that always work for me when I make tuna or swordfish steaks.  Ponzu, soy sauce and some exotic spices make this marinade perfect for this firm white fish.

You'll need:

1 mahi mahi filet per person (up to about 4, otherwise double the marinade recipe accordingly.)
1/4 cup Ponzu sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tbls rice wine vinegar
3 cloves minced garlic
1 tbls finely minced cilantro (or 1 frozen cube)
1-2 dashes Chinese Five Spice
fresh ground pepper to taste

Mix all the ingredients except the fish in a dish (or dump it all into a ziplock bag), and carefully place the filets in.  Marinate each side for about 15-20 minutes, but no more than about 30 minutes.

While the fish is marinating, heat up a skillet over medium heat, and prepare with your choice of oil or fat, I'd suggest either canola or bacon fat.  Guess which one I used?  Oink.  When the fish is finished soaking, let excess marinade drip off, and place into a hot pan, and don't touch it!  Touch it before the bottom is cooked and you will ruin it because it will stick and fall apart.  Cook about 4-5 minutes per side, and you can tell when it's time to flip when the fish is opaque half way up.

....aaaand flip!  Carefully!

As you know if you read the previous post, I served it with the bacon wrapped asparagus, which pairs really nicely with the marinated fish!  It was very, very good.

0 Steamed Artichokes with Garlic & Shallot Compound Butter

Artichokes might be one of my absolute favorite veggies of all time.

Ingredients:

artichokes
bay leaf
crushed garlic cloves (2-3)

First I start by snipping off the thorny ends.  You don't strictly have to, but it's the traditional way to prepare it.  They won't hurt you if you don't, because they soften after steaming.  But I do it anyway.  I also trim off the very end of the stem if it's a little stale/woody (I love to eat the stems too, by the way.)

Then rinse the 'chokes under some cold water, and place into a steaming basket in a large pot with a couple inches of water.  Throw in the bay leaf and garlic into the water.

Cover and bring to a full, rolling boil, and then turn flame down to simmer and steam for about 30-45 minutes.  They are done when the outer leaves peel off easily.

Now, for the compound butter.  Of course, do this while the 'chokes are steaming.

You'll need:

1 clove garlic, minced

1 small shallot, minced

6 tbs soft butter

pepper to taste

You basically throw everything in and mix it up well.

*Ding!*  It's time to eat your lovely artichokes!  

Peel off the outer leaves and dip the fleshier, whiter end (that was attached at the bottom) into the compound butter, one at a time (so that the entire thing stays warm.)  

Hold the end firmly, and scrape the petal (dip, and soft-side down) against your bottom teeth.  Sorry, I don't have any pictures of this, but trust me.  Continue until all the petals are mostly gone, until you get to the prickly ones.  Pull off those straight up and off, and you'll see the actual "choke" which looks like tiny fine hairs.  For God's sake, do not throw this away.  Gently scrape those off leaving the luscious and famed artichoke heart.  Dip that into your butter and enjooooy.  Oh, yummy, yummy, yum!