If there’s one thing that I really love about the onset of warmer weather is the availability of some of my favorite herbs and vegetables and getting my own stuff right from our garden. While our little patch isn’t there just yet, we have been seeing some great ingredients in our local fruit and vegetable market.

This recipe is a flavor bomb of delicious green veggies and is incredibly quick. If you make the gazpacho ahead of time, you only need to season mahi-mahi fillets and give them a quick grill for 5 to 6 minutes per side and you’re at the table depending on what sides you’re looking to serve with it. Here’s how this one’s done.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped English hothouse cucumber (about 1/2 large)
• 3/4 cup coarsely chopped green onions
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 to 3 cloves of peeled and smashed garlic
• 5 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
• 2 chopped seeded serrano chiles (i remove the ribs as well before chopping)
• 2 7-to 8-ounce mahi-mahi fillets
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 3 ounces small red and yellow cherry, pear, or grape tomatoes, halved
• 1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
• Ground black pepper to taste

Preparation:

Combine cucumber, onions, cilantro, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, and chiles in processor. Use a combination of on off turns or grinds and chops, blending the mixture until finely chopped. The consistency should be a wet, loose paste that has the consistency of a thicker soup.

Transfer to bowl. Season with more vinegar, if desired, and salt and black pepper.

Sprinkle fish fillets on both sides with salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and cumin.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add fish and cook 5 minutes. Turn over, cover, and cook until fish is just opaque in center, about 5 minutes.

Use a serving spoon to create a pool of gazpacho on two plates. Top each with 1 fish fillet. Scatter tomatoes atop and around fish and serve.

And that’s all there is to it. This is a really refreshing, tasty dish that blends a good mix of heat and power punch of delcious green veggies. Let me know if you try it. If you use the amounts above, you’ll undoubtably have leftover Gazpacho sauce that will be a fantastic quick lunch or salad dressing. Enjoy!

If you’ve never made a Risotto before, it can be a little intimidating and leave you with lots of questions. Did the rice absorb enough stock? Is the cheese going to scald when it hits this pan? Is this texture ever going to be right? Risotto is really a waiting game, and it’s incredibly important to KEEP STIRRING! You have to beat that rice around the pan to be sure you give your infusion ingredients opportunity to work their way in. This is a marriage that takes a little time to make happy. But all that being said, it’s not the most difficult thing you could ever task yourself with making. Here’s how you make this slightly modified version of one of my favorite risottos from Tyler Florence.

Ingredients (2 big servings)

• Extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 pound sea scallops
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 onion, minced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 8 oz assorted mushrooms, such as portobello, crimini, and shiitake, stemmed
• 1 tespoon dried thyme
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 cups Arborio rice
• 1/4 cup dry white wine, such as Pinot Grigio
• 4 cups canned chicken stock, heated
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
• Fresh flat-leaf parsley, for garnish

Preparation:
1. Take a large deep skillet or saucepan and begin heating it over medium high heat. Be sure you pick one with some taller sides if you have one available, as you’ll make almost the entire meal in this single pan. As you heat the pan, put your quart of chicken stock into a sauce pan and begin heating it on your backburner. There’s no need to simmer it, just get it good and warm so that you can add it to your Risotto when the time is right.

2. Once your skillet is warm, give it two or three turns of olive oil. Salt and pepper your sea scallops and cook both sides until you start to see a nice golden brown color start to develop. It should take two to three minutes a side.

3. Remove the scallops from the pan to a plate or bowl and cover them with alumninum foil to keep warm while you make the risotto.

4. Reduce the heat to medium. Drizzle in another 2-count of olive oil. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes until soft.

5. Next, add the mushrooms thyme, and 2 tablespoons of parsley and cook until the mushrooms lose their liquid. This should take about 8 to 10 minutes. Season your pan contents with salt and pepper.

6. Add the rice and stir for about 2 minutes to coat with the oil. When the grains turn opaque it’s time to give them a drink. Stir in the wine and cook 1 minute to evaporate the alcohol.

7. Pour in 1 cup of the warm stock and stir with a wooden spoon until the rice has absorbed all of the liquid. It’s important to stir frequently and as much as possible.

8. Add another cup of stock. Continue this process until you’re done, stirring constantly and adding the stock 1 cup at a time, allowing the rice to absorb the liquid before adding more. (You may not need all of the stock; the risotto is done when it is slightly firm but creamy.)

9. Fold in the scallops with the last cup of stock to warm them up. When the risotto is cooked, fold in the butter and cheese (it won’t scald, I promise!). Serve hot. Garnish with parsley.

It’s very creamy, gluten free (if you’re not using enriched rice) and reheats well if you pan warm the scallops. This meal takes about an hour or so to bring to the table, so it’s one to plan for. If you make it, be sure to let me know how it comes out, as this one has become a favorite for Dr. Wife.

Grilled Chicken in Feta Cheese Sauce

Here’s how you do it.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 onion sliced thin
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 TBS olive oil
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 1 cup half-and-half
• 1/2 cup feta cheese
• 2 chicken breast
• 1 teaspoon of corn starch

Preparation:
1. Heat a large grill pan over medium high heat. Grill chicken breasts for 6 to 8 minutes per side.

2. As chicken grills, heat olive oil in medium saucepan over medium high heat, add onions, garlic and season with salt and pepper. Cook until softened and beginning to caramelized (about 6 minutes). Add garlic, cook for 1 minute.

3. Add half-and-half and feta cheese. Stir until thickened and cheese begins to melt. For a thicker sauce dilute corn starch in a 1/4 cup of water and add to sauce gradually. Stir constantly until desired thickness is reached.

We served ours with asparagus spears and some sliced cherry tomatoes. The feta sauce was great over the asparagus as well. Give her a go. Let me know how it turns out.

The real secret is good chicken breasts and the right blend of Greek spices. The best in my opinion is the blend my mother uses, which we buy at Rafal Spice Company in Detroit’s Eastern Market area. You can order it online here.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 Red onion – chopped
• 1 Red Bell Pepper – Diced
• 1 Yellow Bell Pepper – Diced
• Black Olives – Diced
• Cherry Tomatoes – Halved
• 2 medium sized chicken breasts
• 3 tablespoons of Greek Seasoning Mix
• 4 cups pre-packaged salad mix
• 2 tablespoons low-fat Greek Dressing
• 4 tablespoons Feta cheese

Preparation:
1. Preheat grill pan over medium high heat. As your pan is heating, coat both sides of chicken breasts with the Greek seasoning mix.

2. Dice vegetables and spray grill pan with non-stick spray. Grill chicken four minutes per side and grill veggies until tender. Turn chicken and remove from grill. Allow chicken to rest.

3. Slice chicken and add to salad. Distribute toppings and dress to your liking.

This is so simple and so good. Vita’s dinner is pictured below.

Not really a complex recipe, but it’s really, really tasty. It’s so much more fun to make your own grilled salads anyway.

According to Greek mythology the Olive tree was Athena’s gift to the people of Attica and it won her patronage of the city of Athens over Poseidon. And if it was, thanks be to Athena – because in my opinion, there is no more perfect food. I love the texture, the complexity, its versatility in a variety of cooking and packing styles, its saltiness, the variety of colors and its ability to totally transform a bland dish into a powerhouse of flavor.

My favorite kinds of Olives are Greek or or the young Italian variety. I find olives grown, cultivated and fermented in these climates to be the most flavorful and that they offer the best consistency for cooking in pastas and eating with antipasto.

I value Kalamata Olives for their saltiness and frequently add them to spicy pastas in lieu of salt or anchovy paste. I also tend to pop small handfuls into my mouth when i pass by the refrigerator (don’t tell Vita!).

Since Vita and I have been talking about one last really great trip before she starts her surgical residency, we’re leaning heavily towards Greece. I think with the availability of fantastic bread, tangy feta cheese, olives and a Mediterranean breeze, I may never come home.

So, with all those thoughts of olives and Greece running through my brain this morning, I made a very simple Greek salad for lunch. I won’t bother posting the recipe, as I’m sure my version is nothing to write home about. But I am curious my dear readers… what food items do you go absolutely crazy for? I plan on compiling some of your thoughts and doing a post at the beginning of October “foodie triggers,” which I’ll explain later. If you want to be included, post a comment and I’ll follow up with you through your blogs or e-mail and give you four or five quick interview questions. They’ll be painless and fun – I promise!

The best part about whitefish – it can be so easy to cook and picks up a lot of flavors. By some miracle, I happened to be home by 5:30 and we were prepped, cooking and done eating by 6:30. I even had time to take Rafiki for a walk, enjoy a cup of coffee and talk to my wife. All in all a great night with a great meal.

Ingredients :

• 2 orange roughy fillets
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons grated Romano cheese
• 1/4 cup Italian bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat a medium sized baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
2. In a shallow bowl, mix bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, Romano cheese and garlic powder.

3. Brush both sides of orange roughy fillets with butter, and dredge in the bread crumb mixture. Arrange fillets in a single layer in the prepared baking dish, and sprinkle with parsley.

4. Bake in preheated oven 10 to 15 minutes, or until the fish flakes easily with a fork.

Vita and I had ours with a slice of lemon and some green beans. The beans were blanched for 3 minutes, drizzled with sesame oil and tossed with toasted sesame seeds. The bean recipe came from Allen, who maintains the fantastic Eating Out Loud. Allen, hats off to you for the simple and yes, sexy, bean recipe. I enjoyed the fusion of the Asian-inspired beans and my no-nonsense Italian orange Roughy.

Oh, the bread you see on the plate was just some garlic sour dough that we buttered, topped with Parmesan and placed under a broiler for a few minutes. I NEVER get enough cheese. Happy eating!

First off, let me preface that my wife is a wonderful cook in her own right, and I was probably quick to call her a “snob” in the previous post on Chicken Marsala. She is developing an increasingly broad palate now that I have her eating chicken and turkey again (she was pretty much vegetarian when we first started dating two years ago). Nevertheless, it still sometimes surprises me when she grabs things at the grocery store and our local warehouse club that look a lot like red meat, as was the case with these pre-made Teriyaki Pineapple Chicken Meatballs.

We grabbed them because she started a new surgical rotation on Monday and we were unsure how much time we’d have to devote to our nightly cooking this week. And as we meal planned on Sunday, she thought it a good plan to make kabobs. The carnivore in me smiled so wide I think you could see rays of light emitting from my dimples that I hate to admit are there . Here’s what Vita skewered for me to grill up.

Ingredients:

• 1 package pre-made Teriyaki Pineapple Chicken Meatball Kabobs (we found some organinc pre-made meatballs at Sam’s Club
• 1 Yellow Bell Pepper (sliced into kabob-size pieces)
• 1 Orange Bell Pepper (sliced into kabob-size pieces)
• 1 small can Mandarin Oranges
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Preparation:
1. Pre-heat grill to 400 degrees
2. Skewer meatball onto wooden or metal skewer (pre-soak wooden skewers) and flank with bell peppers. Add oranges, and repeat process until skewer is filled. Repeat as needed.
3. Salt and pepper kabobs and brush with Teriyaki sauce.
4. Grill for 2 minutes a side, turning as needed.

The kabobs were really great. We really didn’t need to do anything drastic to the meatballs and Vita’s idea of using mandarin oranges gave a really nice sweetness that complimented the Teriyaki flavor of the meat to an absolute T. We paired our kabobs with a really great summer salad.

Watermelon and Tomato Salad with Feta and Kalamata Olives

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound watermelon, seeded – large dice (about 1.5 cups)
• 1 large beefsteak tomato, seeded – medium dice
• 1 small English cucumber, peeled, seeded – medium dice
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/4 cup pitted and halved kalamata olives
• 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
• 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon fresh mint leaves torn and bruised
• 1 ounce feta cheese (I’d suggest the crumbled, dried version, brined feta will add too much salt – if brined is all you have, omit the kosher salt mentioned above)
• 1 teaspoon of lime juice

Preparation:
1. Combine watermelon, tomato, and cucumber in a large bowl. Sprinkle with salt, and gently toss to combine. Transfer mixture to a colander and let drain. After 5 minutes, return mixture to bowl after wiping it down with a paper towel.

2. Combine vegetable mixture with olives, vinegar, olive oil, mint, and a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper. Sprinkle cheese over the top and serve. Can’t be less difficult and it’s VERY refreshing and matches perfectly with the meatballs and a nice glass of wine. As strange as the mint and lime juice might sound here, they’re key elements that gives the whole dish a special something. Kudos to Kate over at Chow for coming up with a real winner.

So, instead of laboring with pasta, or a long grilling process, I opted to go for a steak salad with a delicious balsamic reduction. Here’s the recipe I came up with.

Ingredients

• 6 oz skirt steak (cut thinly into strips)
• 2 cups organic baby greens
• 1 organic tomato cut into wedges
• 1/8 cup of Danish Blue Cheese
• 1/4 cup Balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon vegtable oil
• 1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
• 1 tablespoon Kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon dried basil
• 1 tablespoon butter (preferably unsalted, if salted, omit Kosher salt mentioned above)

Preparation
Coarsely grind peppercorns and basil with a mortar and pestle. Coat both sides of the skirt strips dry and coat with peppercorns, pressing to adhere. Season with salt.

Heat oil with 1 tablespoon butter in a heavy skillet or non stick pan over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking. Reduce heat to moderate and cook steaks to preferred temperature. I go about 1 to 1 and a half minutes on each side for medium-rare. (Admittedly, I got away from my pan for a minute prepping my plate and my meat came out medium well as you can see from the photos)

Transfer steak to a platter. Add balsamic vinegar to skillet and deglaze by boiling over high heat, scraping up brown bits. Simmer vinegar until reduced to about 1/8 cup. Remove from heat and whisk in remaining tablespoon butter until melted. Season sauce with salt and drizzle over salad once prepared.

To prep the salad itself, I simply wash and toss the greens, crumble my blue cheese and slice a small tomato into wedges. I salt and pepper my tomatoes and ring them around my greens. Add the steak and drizzle your balsamic reduction over everything. What you’re left with is a really flavorful, yet light meal that you’ll want to make again and again. The bold flavors of the Danish Blue Cheese are complimented by the reduction and the tomatoes make a lovely accompaniment. Happy cooking.

Don’t get me wrong, I love a good greasy slice of delivery, but most of the time, I enjoy making my own pizza, mostly because I can control the crispiness of the crust and the bite on the sauce. When I’m pressed for time and want to whip a pizza out quickly, I doctor up sauces and opt for a pre-made crust. Since my wife is a surgeon, we’re often pressed for time and opt for quicker meals that we can whip through quickly. It leaves more time for good conversation and catching up on one another’s work lives. On a good day, one of us will have pre-heated the oven and will be already at work on doctoring sauces and flavoring a crust before the other has hit the driveway.

On this particular evening, we opted for a Mediterranean-style pizza. My side was heavy on olives and feta, while hers tossed mushrooms into the mix.

Ingredients:

• 1 Boboli 12-inch pizza crust
• 1 packet of Boboli pre-made pizza sauce
• Garlic Salt, Basil, Olive Oil, Red Pepper Flakes, Oregano, Italian Parsley
• 6 to 8 jumbo Greek black olives
• 6 to 8 jumbo Green Sicilian Olives
• 6 to 8 chopped white mushrooms
• 4 to 6 sliced cherry or Roma tomatoes
• 2 cups Mozarella cheese (shredded)

Preparation:
1. Preheat your oven to 450, leaving a large seasoned pizza stone inside to warm. This is the key to a nice crispy crust.
2. Remove crust from packaging and dust with garlic salt and other herbs. Add pre-packaged sauce and spread evenly across crust. Dust with additional herbs and add crushed red pepper flakes to add a little heat.
3. Add cheese and toppings, spreading evenly.
4. Dust top of pizza with oregano and a splash of olive oil. Ring crust with Olive Oil laced with Garlic salt
5. Place pizza on stone and bake for 11 to 13 minutes.

It’s really simple, and really fast and tastes so much better than the delivery 90 percent of the time. The olives and simple herbs really make this baby sing.

Couldn’t be easier. Get cooking. Oh, and I promise to give you guys my homemade crust and sauce recipe next time. I’ve recently gotten into grilling my pizzas. Very cool technique. Happy eating.