Grilled Swordfish with Lemon, Mint & Basil

Adapted from Giada de Laurentiis

(I apologize for the lighting in the picture. I took this late in the day and was in a hurry to eat! I didn't feel like messing with too many settings.)
Per usual, I was stalking the seafood counter at the grocery store and came across some really good looking swordfish. I figured it would be a nice, healthy meal (with a boring salad). I also picked my first fresh herbs from my herb garden :) which made me happy! I love fresh herbs, especially the smell of basil and mint. This is a simple, quick, healthy recipe - enjoy! NOTE: This is based off of one serving of fish, so feel free to scale the recipe up!

Ingredients:

• 2-3 tb olive oil
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint leaves
• juice of half a lemon, with the zest as well
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil leaves
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 swordfish steak

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Whisk the oil, mint, lemon juice, basil, and garlic in a medium bowl to blend. Season the lemon and olive oil mixture with salt and pepper, to taste. Brush the swordfish steaks with  the lemon and olive oil mixture. Bake for approximately 10-15 minutes.Transfer the steak to a plate. Spoon the remaining sauce over and serve.

 

Chicken Pesto Burgers with Roasted Tomatoes

Roasted Tomatoes Courtesy of Epicurious
Chicken Pesto Burgers Courtesy of Plated Perfection

Tomatoes, pesto sauce, fresh mozzarella? Yes, please! I have been wanting to make these for quite some time and finally got my chance tonight! My wonderful friend, Rebecca, made this fresh bruschetta the other weekend when she had Nick and I over for dinner, and I just couldn't get these roasted tomatoes out of my mind! They were just so delicious...I keep thinking of the multiple ways I can use them! However, for now, I decided to top my burgers with them :) Yum. Nick and I are trying to be healthy, so I made a few of these without the cheese and a couple with the cheese, just because I can't help myself. We decided to go bun-less, you know, to cancel out the cheese I had on mine!

Chicken Pesto Burgers:

1 package ground chicken (approximately 1 pound)
3-4 tb pesto sauce
1 tb Italian seasoning
salt and pepper, 1 tsp each
1 clove garlic, minced
Olive oil, for the pan
Approx. 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated or shredded
3-4 basil leaves, chiffonade (for topping)
Romaine lettuce (in place of buns)
Fresh mozzarella, sliced (I used 1 piece per burger)
Pizza sauce, for topping (optional)
2 quartered plum or Roma tomatoes, roasted (recipe below)

Mix the ground chicken, pesto sauce, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, garlic, and parmesan cheese together. Score the mixture to form 4 even patties. Shape into patties. Add a swirl of olive oil to a skillet and cook the patties about 5-6 minutes per side. Place the mozzarella on the burgers and place in the oven under a high broiler for a couple of minutes, until the cheese melts to your desire. The chicken patty should reach 165 degrees and no longer be pink. Place the burger on a leaf of lettuce and top the burger with heated pizza sauce, roasted tomatoes, and basil. (Feel free to serve without the cheese.)

Roasted Tomatoes:
3 plum or Roma tomatoes, quartered
3 tb olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1-2 tsp finely chopped fresh rosemary
dash coarse kosher salt
dash ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 425°F. Stir oil, garlic, rosemary, salt, and pepper in bowl to blend. Add tomato quarters and stir to coat. Let stand 5 minutes. Line rimmed baking sheet with foil. Lift tomatoes from marinade and arrange, cut side down, on prepared baking sheet (reserve marinade for later). Roast tomatoes until skin is browned and blistered and tomatoes are very tender, about 15-20 minutes.

Mustard Herb Panko Crusted Chicken

Adapted from For the Love of Cooking Blog

I have been MIA from blogging and cooking, my apologies! Nick and I have been on the go with random weekend trips, celebrating our birthdays, etc. but now we are back...for a few weeks anyway :) That being said, last night we only had time to grab a couple of things and I only had the energy to make something simple. So, this recipe caught my eye. I've had it in my arsenal for a while, but figured this was the perfect time! This came out moist and full of flavor. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1/4 cup panko crumbs
1-2 tb dried Italian seasoning
1-2 tb grated Parmesan cheese
2 chicken boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut in half
Sea salt and freshly cracked, pepper, to taste
3 tb Dijon mustard
1 clove of garlic, minced
Cooking spray 

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Coat a baking sheet with tin foil and spray it with cooking spray.
Pour the panko crumbs, parsley, cheese, and Italian seasoning onto a plate, mix until well combined. Season both sides of the chicken breasts with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper. Mix the mustard and garlic together and then rub evenly all over each chicken breast. Roll each chicken breast in the panko mixture until coated really well. Place the chicken on the baking sheet. Place into the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 170 degrees. Let the meat rest for 7-10 minutes before slicing and serving. Enjoy!