"30" Minute Meal

I finally dusted off a Christmas gift several years old - a recipe collection entitled "Meals Made Easy" from the publishers of Real Simple. I didn't have a lot of time to spend in the kitchen one Sunday evening, so I picked out a "30" minute meal: Poached Halibut with Green Beans and Red Potatoes.

While the section of the cookbook is mislabeled ("30" minutes turned into 60 for me), the meal was relatively easy, healthy and tasty. I don't recall having halibut previously. It was a nice light fish, but pretty expensive. When I make this again, I think I'll substitute the halibut with cod to reduce the cost.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound red potatoes
• 2 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 pound fresh green beans, cut in half (I used the thin, french style ones)
• 4, 6 ounce halibut fillets, skin removed
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 2 1/2 cups dry white wine
• 3 tbls butter
• 2 tbls fresh chives, chopped

Directions:

• Place the potatoes and 2 tsp salt in a large pot; add water to cover. Bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes.
• Add the green beans to the pot and simmer for 5 minutes more.
• Drain the potatoes and beans. In the same pot, add the butter, chives, salt and pepper. (I also added a splash of the white wine - why not?!?) Heat until the butter is melted.
• Quarter the potatoes. Return them to the pot along with the green beans and toss with the butter/wine mixture. Cover and keep warm while you cook the fish.
• Rinse the halibut fillets and dry with a paper towel. Season with salt and pepper. Place in a large skillet and add enough wine to reach halfway up the sides of the fillets. Bring to a simmer; cover and cook for 6-8 minutes.

~Jennifer

Brussel Sprouts a la Avalon Grille

On July 21st, Bill and I made the trek to Catalina Island. We lunched at Avalon Grille, which was absolutely fabulous. If you live in the area, I'd recommend you set aside an afternoon to give it a try. We had their "Crispy Brussel Sprouts" as our appetizer. I had eaten brussel sprouts before and absolutely despised them, but it had been many years and I felt they were worthy of another try. Boy, I'm glad I did! They were so good I searched for the recipe online and made them at home along side some salmon and cous cous. The result was as good as the original.

Ingredients (note: some quantities were not provided on the original recipe, so just add how much you'd prefer):

• 1 pound brussel sprouts
• 1 tbsp pancetta, diced
• 2 tbsp olive oil, divided
• raw almonds, roughly chopped
• dried cranberries
• 1 tbsp honey mustard dressing
• parmesan cheese

Directions:

• Cut the brussel sprouts in half; toss with 1 tbsp. olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast covered at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside while you continue to the next step.
• Heat 1 tbsp. olive oil in saute pan and cook the pancetta.
• Add the sprouts to the pan and saute until slightly crisp.
• Add the almonds and cranberries and saute for 1 minute.
• Remove from heat. Add the honey mustard dressing and toss.
• Top with parmesan cheese and enjoy!

~ Jennifer