Sauteed Sole with Almonds and Lemon

This fish came out so good my husband said it didn't even taste like fish!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup flour
1 tsp coarse salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
2 sole fillets
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp sliced almonds
1 1/2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley or 1/2 tsp dried parsley
Finely chopped zest and juice from 1 lemon, plus wedges for garnish

Combine flour, salt and pepper in a shallow bowl. Dredge fish fillets in flour mixture, coating both sides, and shake off excess.

Melt butter with oil in a saute pan over medium-high heat. When butter begins to foam, add fillets. Cook until golden brown, 2-3 minutes per side. Transfer each fillet to a serving place.

Add almonds, parsley, zest and 2 Tbsp juice to pan. Spoon over fillets, and serve with lemon wedges. ( I serve over white rice)

Golden Pan-Fried Fish with Roasted Chips

This is so yummy! And its very light- the chips are roasted and the fish is only lightly pan-fried.

Ingredients
2 lbs large unpeeled Yukon Gold potatoes, each cut into 6 to 8 wedges
2-3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
sea salt
2 lb 1 1/2" thick halibut fillets
1 1/2 cup panko crumbs
1 T chopped fresh parsley
2 tsp finely grated lemon peel
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, optional
3 large egg whites
3 Tbsp olive oil
tartar sauce

For potatoes: Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Toss potatoes, olive oil and salt in medium bown. Arrange potatoes, points facing up, on rimmed baking sheet. Roast 20 minutes, then reduce oven temperature to 400 degrees. Continue to roast until potato wedges are tender and golden, about 30 minutes longer.

For fish: Cut fish into rectangular sticks and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Combine panko, parsley, salt, lemon peel and cayenne pepper. Dip fish into egg whites then turn fish in panko mixture to coat all sides. Heat 3 tablespoons oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-heat. Add half of fish sticks. Cook until golden and just opaque in center, about 2 minutes per side. Repeat with remaining fish sticks, adding more oil to skillet as necessary. Transfer fish to paper towels; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Serve with tartar sauce and chips.

Spinach Cheese Calzones

If you don't want to take the time, you can use store-bought pizza dough instead of making your own.

For Dough:
1½ cup warm water
1 Tbsp active dry yeast
1 tsp honey
4 cups flour
½ tsp salt

For Spinach Ricotta Filling:
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 lb baby spinach
salt and pepper
15 oz ricotta
1 cup parmesan
½ c shredded cheese
1 egg
½ tsp red pepper flakes

Combine water, yeast, honey and 4 tsp flour. Stir gently to combine. Cover bowl with damp towel. Let stand for 30 minutes. In warm place till foamy add remaining flour and salt, knead for about 10 minutes until dough is smooth. Add flour if sticky. Cover with wet towel and let rise for 45 minutes. Punch dough down and form a ball.

To make calzone: Heat oil in pan and cook garlic 2 minutes. Add spinach. Season and cook 5 minutes. Combine spinach, cheese, egg and pepper in bowl. Fill pizza dough with filling and fold over. Press to make sure calzone is sealed. Brush with egg and bake at 350 till golden brown. Serve with warm tomato sauce.

Garlic Ribs and Rice with Carmelized Vegetables

Ingredients:
8 spare ribs
Mikee Garlic Stir-Fry & Marinade
1 T olive oil, plus more for vegetables
1 tsp salt
1 cup short-grain white rice
2 medium onions, sliced
6 oz shiitake mushrooms, sliced
2 carrots, thinly sliced
kosher salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place ribs in pan and brush with sauce. Leave at room temperature for at least half an hour to marinade. Cover tightly and bake in oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour 15 minutes until soft and tender.

Meanwhile, bring water, 1 T oil and salt to a boil. Add rice, stir and cover. Lower heat to very low flame and simmer for 20 minutes. When rice is cooked fluff with a fork. Cover to keep warm.

Drizzle olive oil in non-stick pan. Heat over medium flame and saute onions, mushrooms and carrots until onions are translucent and mushrooms and carrots are fully cooked.

To serve: place a heaping spoon of rice on place and top with caramelized vegetables. Place 2 ribs on the plate and drizzle ribs and rice with sauce from the pan.

Thyme Baked Sole with Shittake Mushroms and Cherry Tomatoes

Ingredients:
½ lb shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced into ½" slices
4 T extra virgin olive oil, divided
2 T shoyu (soy sauce)
1 pint whole cherry tomatoes
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
5 fresh thyme sprigs
2 T balsamic vinegar
½ tsp salt Fresh ground black pepper
4 5-oz sole, flounder or other thin fillets

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a medium bowl, toss the shiitake mushrooms with 2 T of the oil and the shoyu. Transfer the mushrooms to a 9 x 12" baking dish and bake uncovered for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and add the tomatoes, garlic, thyme, remaining 2 T of oil, the balsamic vinegar, the salt and a sprinkling of black pepper. Bake uncovered for 15 minutes. Add the fish, sprinkle the top with salt and pepper. Spoon some mushroom and tomatoes over the top. Bake uncovered until the fish is cooked through, 10-15 minutes depending on thickness.

Parsley Pesto Pasta

Ingredients:
1 lb penne pasta
salt
2 cups flat-leaf parsley
1/4 cup pignoli/pine nuts
1 clove garlic, cracked away from skin
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1/2 tsp coarse black pepper
1 cup grated parmigian cheese

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add salt and pasta and cook till al dente. In food processor combine parsley, pine nuts, and garlic.Process and stream in about 1/4 cup oil. Remove parsley paste to a large serving bowl. Stir in pepper and grated cheese. Add remaining oil and stir to combine. Add pasta and stir till well mixed.

Lollipop Chicken

You can use any drumstick recipe you prefer and make lollipops out of the drumsticks for an interesting twist- they look really cute!

Ingredients:
chicken drumsticks
honey
lime juice
soy sauce

Push the skin and flesh of each drumstick up to the tip, so the bone becomes a natural handle. Let sit overnight in marinade of a little honey, a little more lime juice and a lot of soy sauce. Grill, with the drumstick sticking straight up, for about 20 minutes.
(You can also broil the chicken or use a grill pan)