Grilled Summer Squash

any summer squash - yellow, crookneck, pattypan, zucchini, etc.
olive oil-flavored nonstick cooking spray (I use Pure)
garlic salt

Cut squash so that there are some flat surfaces --if you’re using pattypan, cut it horizontally. If you’re using the other kinds, cut them lengthwise in half. Spray the cut surfaces with the cooking spray, and sprinkle with garlic salt. Grill until browned on both sides and beginning to soften.

Korean Barbecued Fish

1 T olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons minced serrano chilies
1/3 c soy sauce
1/4 c packed brown sugar
2 T water
3 T unseasoned rice vinegar
1 T sesame oil
3-8 fresh fish fillets (tilapia, flounder, sole, mahi mahi, etc.)
olive oil-flavored cooking spray or olive oil for brushing
salt and pepper

Heat olive oil in a small saucepan. Add garlic and chilies, and sauté about 3 minutes over medium heat. Add soy sauce, brown sugar, water, and rice vinegar, and bring to a boil, stirring. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in the sesame oil. Spray fish fillets with olive oil spray or brush with olive oil. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Baste with sauce and put on heated grill. Baste with more sauce during cooking.

Roasted Corn and Black Bean Salad

corn from two ears
1 16-oz. can black beans, drained
1 small purple onion, chopped
1 t cumin
1/4 c vinegar
2 T water
2 T vegetable oil
1 t salt
1/4 t black pepper

Place corn, beans, and onion in a medium bowl. Combine cumin, vinegar, water, oil, salt, and pepper, and pour over vegetables. Let sit in refrigerator overnight for flavors to blend and onions to soften.

Stuffed Bell Peppers

6 small bell peppers
1 batch Meat Sauce Mix
1 c cooked rice (brown or white)
1 8-oz. can tomato sauce
1 c shredded Mozarella cheese

Preheat oven to 375˚. Remove the tops from the bell peppers, and then scrape out the seeds and mebranes. A teaspoon is good for this. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, then cook the peppers for 6 minutes. Drain and place in a baking dish. In a medium bowl, combine the Meat Sauce Mix and rice. Spoon into peppers. Pour tomato sauce evenly over tops of stuffed peppers. Cover pan with foil and bake 30 minutes. Remove foil, and divide cheese among peppers. Return to oven and cook another 5 minutes.

Meat Sauce Mix

1/4 c olive oil
4 medium onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced or smashed
2 c finely chopped celery
2 lbs. lean ground beef
2 lb. ground turkey
4 t salt
1 t pepper
3 T Worcestershire sauce
3 T Tabasco sauce
1 28-oz bottle ketchup

Heat olive oil in large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onions, garlic, and celery. Sauté until onions are golden. Add ground beef and turkey. Stir and cook until meat is browned. Add remaining ingredients. Cover and simmer 20 minutes. Drain excess fat. Put into 6 1-pint freezer bags or containers. Seal and label; freeze. Use within 3 months. Makes 6 meals’ worth.
Use for: sloppy joes, stuffed hard rolls, stuffed green peppers (with 1 cup cooked rice), hamburger-noodle skillet.

Curried Orange Rice

1/4 c olive oil
1 med. onion, chopped
2 t curry powder
1 c uncooked brown rice
1 c orange juice
1 1/2 - 2 1/2 c chicken broth
1/2 t salt
1/2 c seedless raisins
1 bay leaf
3 T toasted sliced or slivered almonds

Melt butter in heavy saucepan. Sauté onion until soft and golden but not brown. Stir in curry powder and rice. Cook 2 minutes longer, stirring constantly. Add remaining ingredients; stir with fork. Bring to boiling; lower heat; cover and simmer 15 to 20 minutes, or until rice is tender and liquid has been absorbed. You will probably have to add more broth periodically. Remove bay leaf before serving, and stir in the almonds. Serves 6.

Chicken Mia

Original recipe from Mia of Nosh

2 T olive oil
1 small red onion, chopped
1 med. yellow onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
Salt
3 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
freshly ground pepper
1 large tomato, chopped
1 T butter
2 T capers
1 T dried basil
1/2 cup white wine
 
Preheat the oven to 425˚ In a medium skille over medium-high heat, warm the 2 Tbs. olive oil. Add the red and yellow onions and sauté, stirring occasionally, until tender and golden, 7 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté, stirring occasionally, until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes more. Add the vinegar and cook, stirring often, until the liquid is nearly evaporated, 3 to 5 minutes more. Season with salt.

Use the Jamie Oliver method for creating an "oven bag": "Using wide tin foil, make your bag by placing 2 pieces on top of each other (about as big as 2 shoeboxes in length), folding 3 sides in and leaving 1 side open."

Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper, and place them side-by-side in the foil bag. Sprinkle in the tomato, butter, capers, basil, and carmelized onions. Carefully pour in the wine and seal the foil bag tightly. Slide the foil package onto a roasting tray. Jamie recommends placing the tray on a burner on your stove over high heat for a minute to get the package going. Then put the tray in the oven and bake for 25 minutes.

When it comes out of the oven, open the foil bag, place one chicken breast for each person (use the third to make a great sandwich the next day!) on a plate and spoon over the juices.

Rigatoni with Roasted Garlic, Mushrooms, and Chili Pepper

from Ivonne of Cream Puffs in Venice

2 heads of garlic, with tops trimmed off
3-4 T extra virgin olive oil
1 t crushed red pepper flakes
10 oz. mushrooms, roughly chopped
8 oz. penne rigate or rigatoni
salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 c heavy cream
1/3 c freshly grated Parmesan

Preheat oven to 375˚. Place each head of garlic on a square of foil. Drizzle each with a tablespoon of olive oil, then wrap loosely in the foil. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 40-45 minutes, or until the garlic is golden and soft. Let cool for 20 minutes. Grasp each head of garlic at the base and squeeze out all of the roasted garlic. Set aside.
Bring a pot of water to boil for the pasta.
Heat the remaining olive oil in a large skillet. Add the mushrooms and sauté over medium heat for about 10 minutes. Add the red pepper flakes and continue cooking another couple of minutes. Add the roasted garlic, and cook another couple of minutes. Reduce heat and add cream. Season with salt and pepper. Keep warm on low heat while pasta cooks.
When pasta is finished cooking, drain it and add it to the cream-mushroom mixture. Add Parmesan, stir, and serve immediately with additional Parmesan.

Parmesan-Red Pepper Mahi Mahi

1/2 c all-purpose flour
1/2 c milk
1/3 c panko bread crumbs
1/3 c grated Parmesan cheese
1 t crushed red pepper
1/4 t pepper
1/4 t salt
2-3 mahi mahi (or other white fish) fillets
3 T butter

Prepare three shallow bowls: in the first, put the flour. In the second, the milk. Combine the bread crumbs, Parmesan, crushed red pepper, pepper, and salt in the third bowl. Coat the fillets with the flour, then the milk, and then the bread crumb-Parmesan mixture. Press the mixture into the fish. Melt the butter in a skillet, and sauté fillets until golden brown and flesh flakes easily. (I had to cover mine for a while to get them done, and then uncover to finish crisping up.)