Mojito Strip Steaks with Pico de Gallo

Serves 4

1 lime
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
2 tablespoons light rum
1 (1/2-inch thick) beef strip steaks, trimmed and cut in half crosswise (about 1 pound)
Pico de Gallo (recipe follows)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Cooking spray

1. Grate rind and squeeze juice from lime. Combine rind, juice, mint, and rum in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add steak to bag, and seal. Marinate in refrigerator 30 minutes, turning occasionally.

2. While steak marinates, prepare Pico de Gallo.

3. Preheat grill.

4. Remove the steaks from marinade, discarding marinade. Sprinkle steaks with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. lace the steaks on a grill rack coated with cooking spray. Grill for 2 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Let stand for 3 minutes. Cut steak into slices. Serve with Pico de Gallo.

Pico de Gallo:
2 cups chopped seeded tomatoes
1/3 cup chopped red onion
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (2 limes)
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped seeded jalapeno (about 1)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper.

1. Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl; toss well.

Served with roasted potatoes (but I think tortilla chips would have been better!)

Results: It took a bit of time to do all that chopping, but this was really easy and a different way to serve steak that didn't take away the flavor. The pico de gallo was really good. We had lots of it leftover, and it held up well for a few days.

Potato-Crusted Cod with Horseradish Sauce with Sauteed Zucchini & Tomatoes with Cardamom

Serves 4
Prep Time: 16 (14 for fish, 2 for veggies), Cooking Time: 16 minutes

Cod ingredients:
1/2 cup low-fat mayonnaise
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon prepared horseradish
1 tablespoon minced fresh chives
4 cod fillets
1 cup refrigerated shredded potatoes
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons canola oil

1. Preheat over to 400*. Spray a medium baking sheet with nonstick spray.

2. Stir together mayonnaise, mustard, horseradish, and chives in a small bowl. Transfer half of mayonnaise mixture to another small bowl and refrigerate, covered, until ready to serve.

3. Spread remaining mayonnaise mixture evenly on top of fillets. Top each fillet with 1/4 cup of the potatoes, pressing to form even layer. Sprinkle potatoes with salt and pepper.

4. Heat 1 teaspoon of the oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Carefully place 2 fillets, potato side down, in skillet and cook, WITHOUT MOVING, until potatoes are set and browned, 6-8 minutes. Transfer fillets, crust side up, to prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining oil and fillets. Bake, without turning, until fish is just opaque in center, 8-10 minutes.

While fish is cooking in the skillet, you can prep the veggies. Once the fish is in the oven, use the same skillet to cook the vegetables.

Sauteed Zucchini and Tomatoes with Cardamom
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
1/4 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 (14-ounce) can petite diced tomatoes, drained

1. Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add zucchini, water, salt, cardamom and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until zucchini is softened and most of liquid is evaporated, about 7 minutes.

2. Add tomatoes to skillet and cook, stirring constantly, until heated through, about 2 minutes.

Served cod with reserved mayonnaise mixture and vegetables.

Results: Looks good, doesn't it? It was! I love hash browns, and this was an interesting way to serve them. The mayonnaise mixture on the fish wasn't spicy, but the sauce on the side was very spicy! I guess cooking it took some of the bite out of it? Anyway, it was still delicious, and the vegetables were good too.

P.S. Attention candle making companies...cardamom scented candles should be next on your list of things to do!

Karate Night Pizzas (or Three-Cheese and Tomato Pizzas)

Serves 4 (Chris didn't think one pita was filling enough for him, so make an extra one if you have an appetite!)
Prep Time: 5 minutes, Cooking Time: 5 minutes

4 (6-inch) whole wheat pitas
1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese
1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
4 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano

optional: chopped fresh basil, pepperoni

1. Preheat oven to 425*.

2. Arrange pita breads on baking sheet. Bake until heated through, about 1 minute on each side.

3. Top pita breads evenly with goat cheese and mozzarella. Arrange tomatoes on top; sprinkle with Parmesan. Heat until cheese is melted, 2-3 minutes. Sprinkle with oregano.

Served with fresh strawberries.

Results: Thursday nights are crazy nights in our house, because Steven takes karate early in the evening. So I try to find something simple and quick that we can make between picking him up from school and getting him ready for karate. This meal is perfect for that! And even better, Steven LOVED them (and even requested one for lunch the next day!), so he has asked that we have them every Thursday night and they are now known as "Karate Night Pizzas". Shockingly, he said they were "even better than Dominos!"

These are super simple to make and you can customize everyone's pizza. (We left the tomatoes off the boys' pizzas and added pepperoni, added basil to ours, etc...) I thought these would be missing something (hellooooooo...pizza sauce!) but they weren't missing a thing. Delicious! Can't wait for Thursday nights!

Oh, and can I just point out that my boys love goat cheese? Weirdos! Steven won't eat a pot roast but give him some goat cheese and he's all set!