Blackened Mahi Mahi, Couscous, and Asparagus

We don't eat much fish in this household, but after eating this one, the hubz and I decided that we should probably try to change that.

We have the in-laws over every so often, and every time they come, they bring a bunch of food with them. This time, they left behind two big mahi mahi steaks. Since mahi mahi is a very "meaty" fish, we thought they would go well with a nice bold flavor instead of the delicate flavors usually associated with fish, and decided on blackened mahi mahi.

This whole meal was shockingly quick and easy while being super tasty and healthy. I even cheated by using the microwave for the asparagus and was pleasantly surprised by the results. I'm definitely keeping that little trick in my repetoire from now on!


Anyway, if you'd like to give this meal a try, here's how...

Ingredients:
For the fish -
- Mahi Mahi or any other "meaty" fish
- Salt
- Pepper
- Paprika
- Oregano
- Onion powder
- Garlic powder
- Cayenne
- Cumin

For the asparagus -
- Asparagus spears
- Salt
- Pepper
- Lemon

For the couscous -
- Couscous
- Water or some sort of broth
- Salt

For garnish (optional) -
- Lemon
- Parsley

Directions:
For the fish -
- Mix the spices in a bowl and pat a nice generous layer on to both sides of the fish filet.
- Heat a nice heavy-bottomed pan (we used our castiron) until smoking hot.
- If desired, add a bit of oil to the pan, though we found it wasn't necessary.
- Put the fish in the pan and put the lid on. Don't touch it until a nice crust has formed (a few minutes, depending on how thick your fish is).
- Flip the fish and repeat the step above and leave it in the pan until the fish has cooked through.

For the asparagus -
- Rinse the asparagus and trim off the tough ends.
- Some of my asparagus were monstrously thick, so I split them down the middle length-wise to make them more uniform. This isn't necessary, but it's what I did.
- Lay the asparagus flat in a dish and sprinkle them with salt and pepper.
- Pop them in the microwave until they're cooked but still have a crunch to them (this took about 1.5 minutes for me, but it'll depend on your microwave and how thick your asparagus are).
- Squeeze some lemon juice over the asparagus and they're ready to serve!

For the Couscous -
- Follow the directions on the back of the box.
For me, I brought the chicken stock and a bit of salt to a boil on the stove top, added the couscous. Then I turned off the heat, put the lid on and let it sit for 5 minutes. I then fluffed it with a fork and served it with the fish and asparagus.

My hubz came up with both versions of the presentation. Pretty good, huh?

Asparagus and Mushroom Stirfry

I think of asparagus as being a "meaty" veggie, so to make a quick, easy, and healthy stirfry, I decided to pair it with mushrooms, which I also think of as being "meaty". While I think a king oyster mushroom would have been better, I always have dried shitake mushrooms in my pantry, so that's what I used. That's one of the best things about stir fries, you can just toss in whatever you have on hand! Though, next time I'll try to plan ahead and get some fresh king oyster mushrooms and try this again.

Ingredients:
- One bunch of asparagus
- 5 dried shitake mushrooms or king oyster mushrooms if you have them
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 3 tablespoons (to taste) of oyster sauce (soy sauce is fine if you don't have oyster sauce)

Directions:
- Wash and trim the asparagus by cutting off the tough end.
- Cut the asparagus on the bias into thin slices.
- Soak the shitake mushroom in water until they're soft. If you want to rush the process, put the mushrooms and water in the microwave for a minute.
- Slice the mushrooms into thin slices.
- Mince the garlic.
- Heat some a bit of oil in a pan or wok.
- Add the garlic and saute for just a few seconds.
- Add the asparagus, mushrooms, and the liquid the mushrooms were soaking in (minus the bit at the bottom with the dirty mushroom remnants).
- Add the oyster or soy sauce.
- Saute everything together until the asparagus is cooked through, but still has a nice crunch to it.

Shrimp and Asparagus Risotto

Mmmm...creamy risotto. It's surprisingly (at least my version) not too bad for you. It's also a lot easier to make than you would think. You can put almost anything in it after you make the base. Today, I decided to make shrimp and asparagus.

This recipe makes a lot - maybe 4 servings worth? I just made this much because that's how much rice I had left in the box. Feel free to adjust it accordingly.
Ingredients:
- 2.5 cups arborio rice
- 1 cup of white wine (I used sauvignon blanc)
- 4 cups of chicken broth
- additional water as needed
- 2 tbsp of butter or olive oil
- 1 onion diced
- 2 cloves of garlic minced
- 1 pound of shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1 bundle of asparagus
- 1/4 cup of grated parmesan cheese
- salt to taste
- Juice of half a lemon (optional - gives it a "fresh" taste)
- 2 tsp parsley (optional - makes it look prettier)
- 2 tbsp white pepper (optional - gives a little kick)

Directions:
- Prep the asparagus by snapping off the tough ends, drizzling with oil and placing it under the broiler for ~10 minutes or until tender. Then cut the asparagus into bite-size pieces. You can also steam, microwave, grill, etc. Just cook it somehow because it will be added to the risotto at the very end and won't have time to cook in the risotto.
- Prep the liquid by bringing the chicken broth and wine to a boil and keep it on a low simmer for the duration of cooking to keep warm. - Melt the butter in a large pan and soften the onions.
- Add the garlic.
- Add the rice and toast it until the edges are translucent but the middles are still white.
- Add two cups of the liquid and deglaze the pan. Stir the rice and liquid until you can drag your spatula across the bottom of the pan and the rice is slow to fill in the gap.
- Add another cup of liquid and stir until it reaches the same slow-to-fill-the-gap consistency again.
- Keep adding the liquid a cup at a time and stirring to reach the same thick consistency. If you're out of liquid but the rice is still not cooked enough (it should be al dente, but it's really up to your own personal tastes and preferences), keep adding warm water or chicken stock if you have enough.
- When the risotto is almost at the level of done-ness you want it at, add the shrimp (no need to precook, they cook quickly in the risotto), asparagus, lemon juice, white pepper, parsley and any other herbs you like.
- Add the cheese and stir to mix everything.
- Add some salt if necessary (or more cheese if you'd like)
- Enjoy!