Grapefruit, Avocado and Arugula Salad

Originally this recipe is supposed to be made with arugula and Fennel, however I didn't have any fennel so I just mixed 2 bunches of arugula with 1/2 a head of green leaf lettuce (red would have been better). I initially made this recipe to go with some fish I had, but I once the whole thing was ready I took one bite of the fish and decided it wasn't worth a night of puking. I tossed the fish and just ate the salad. I had some left over and had it with boneless/skinless chicken breast, that I heated separately, the next day. It was super tasty.

The dressing was really yummy, a tiny bit Asian tasting (ginger and sesame oil). The only thing I would change is to increase the amount of dry mustard or use actual mustard, good dijon if possible. The components of the salad interacted really nicely: the sweetness of the grapefruit, the spiciness of the arugula and the creaminess of the avocado.

I think the original recipe with the fennel would be amazing and I would SERIOUSLY like to try it next time I have some fennel.

Bottom Line: I give this recipe 4.5 Stars

Dressing Ingredients
1/3 cup fresh orange juice
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon minced shallot
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1 teaspoon grated orange peel
1 teaspoon minced peeled fresh ginger
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon sesame oil

Method
Whisk first 10 ingredients in large bowl to blend. Season with salt and pepper.
Using sharp knife, cut between membranes of grapefruits to release segments.
Toss chopped/torn arugula and green leaf lettuce. Arrange grapefruit segments and avocado slices on top. Drizzle dressing over salad.

Cod with Mango Salsa and Black Bean & Corn Tortilla Cakes

I love fish with fruit salsa. When I was little I didn't like mangos, I think they just got lumped in with Papaya as some disgusting tropical fruit. I still think papaya is gross and smells like vomit and butt, however I have very seriously changed my mind about mangoes. 

I thought the mango salsa could have been more mango-y, maybe next time I'll chop it a little finer so that it distributes more evenly. In addition I added 1 tbs of minced jalapeno to the salsa. My biggest issue was that I really wanted a firmer fish, like halibut rather than cod, but cod is so much cheaper it was hard to justify to myself, or Chris, spending 4x as much money on the Halibut. Swordfish or Mahi Mahi would make this dish AMAZING.

The corn cakes were awesome, and really easy to make. I shortened them down to 2 layers (3 tortillas) rather than 3 layers because that seemed ridiculous given the height of the things as it was, and I also didn't have quite enough tortillas to make it that way. There was a TON of cheese in these, so if you are dieting I would suggest cutting the amount of cheese down to 1 cup of each, it would probably still be plenty.This would be an awesome meal to cook for a gluten free family member or friend!

UPDATE: I made this with prawns and thought it was better than cod, but I still think a good firm fish would be preferable.

Bottom Line: 4.6 Stars (I'll probably up it to a 5 when I figure out the right fish!)

Lunch! Blood Orange, red onion and cucumber salad

Lunch today was pretty simple. Tuna and egg salad open face on a whole grain english muffin and a green salad. I packed the tuna and egg on because it was going to be a long day with no snacks, so no judgement please!

The salad was made with stuff from my box: I used red and green leaf lettuce, cucumber red onion and segments from 2 small blood oranges. I used a modified version of the dressing from the Grapefruit, Avocado and Arugula salad. The only modifications I made were that I used just lemon juice, more dry mustard and white wine vinegar. I substituted garlic for shallots. It turned out pretty well and didn't overpower the blood oranges which I segmented and added to the salad.

Grapefruit, Arugula and Avocado Salad with Citrus Dressing

Originally this recipe is supposed to be made with arugula and Fennel, however I didn't have any fennel so I just mixed 2 bunches of arugula with 1/2 a head of green leaf lettuce (red would have been better). I initially made this recipe to go with some fish I had, but I once the whole thing was ready I took one bite of the fish and decided it wasn't worth a night of puking. I tossed the fish and just ate the salad. I had some left over and had it with boneless/skinless chicken breast, that I heated separately, the next day. It was super tasty.

The dressing was really yummy, a tiny bit Asian tasting (ginger and sesame oil). The only thing I would change is to increase the amount of dry mustard or use actual mustard, good dijon if possible. The components of the salad interacted really nicely: the sweetness of the grapefruit, the spiciness of the arugula and the creaminess of the avocado.

I think the original recipe with the fennel would be amazing and I would SERIOUSLY like to try it next time I have some fennel.

Bottom Line: I give this recipe 4.5 Stars