Strawberry Arugula Salad

I know, I know. Unfortunately, I completely forgot to take a picture of this dish. I'm not sure if I was distracted by the nice weather, the delicious strawberries, or just plain absent-minded, but you'll have to use your imagination for this one. Or, better yet, make this delightful salad for yourself and submit a picture in the comments below.

The salad was only new dish for this meal. It was served alongside macadamia crusted tliapia, always a favorite in my kitchen, and some cous cous. Perhaps not the flashiest meal I ever made, but quick to prepare, healthy, and completely satisfying. Whip this up when the strawberries look amazing and you are seeking both the health of a homemade meal yet the speed of take out!

Difficulty: easy
Time: 30 min
Cost: $17.45 (as always, this is for the entire meal)

Whole Wheat Mushroom Ravioli in a Lox and Vegetable Vodka Sauce

Is there anything better in life than fresh pasta? (Okay, okay, not including Nutella and ice cream.) As promised, a pasta maker has made its way into my kitchen, promising all kinds of fresh pasta to come. It also brought along its friend, a ravioli board, which I tried out in this recipe. The verdict? Making ravioli has never been so easy in my entire life. While still a decent amount of work, as you'll see in the time reflected below, this was a huge improvement over making ravioli 100% by hand. The pasta maker produced nice sheets of dough and the ravioli board allowed me to roll out a dozen uniform ravioli at a time. Uniformity, of course, also means even cooking and even better end results.

For my first ravioli attempt with my new toys, I chose to make a mushroom and mozzarella whole wheat ravioli, tossed in a delicious, homemade healthy vodka sauce with lox, zucchini, summer squash, and cherry tomatoes. The meal was an absolute delight - producing a number of leftovers as well that continued to satisfy palettes for a couple nights after. To top it all off, I also whipped up some fresh garlic bread. Perhaps carbs galore, but also utterly delicious.

Difficulty: medium
Time: 2 hrs
Cost: $21.86

Blackened Tilapia Tacos with Smoked Potatoes and a Smoked Tomato Salsa

Stovetop smokers are seriously a lot of fun. Thanks to a kind parting gift from my last job, I was able to go on a bit of a spree to Sur la Table where I picked up a pasta maker, a ravioli board, and a stovetop smoker. Know what this means? It's time to go grab your own because there will be a number of recipes utilizing my new toys coming your way!

For this post, I made use of my stovetop smoker for the first time, whipping up some smoked tomato salsa and smoked potatoes. I'd never used the smoker before and wasn't sure what to expect, but remarkably my kitchen remained smoke-free AND the food came out positively deliciously, reminiscent of beach or pool-side BBQs all summer long. While I won't use this method all of the time, I was delighted to find that the smoker gave a truly unique flavor to everything it was used for - and sometimes even a unique texture as well. I'd recommend one to anyone who enjoys cooking but doesn't have an outdoor grill!

Difficulty: medium
Time: 2 hr 30 min (if you only have one smoker)
Cost: $18.03

Broiled Branzini with Lemon

Branzini, or Branzino, as it's also often commonly known, is a Mediterranean sea bass. It's especially popular in Italy and Spain, and is even farmed in Spain to support the demand. It's often seen served whole, but personally I cannot handle eating something with a head... In this case, the fish was actually available for sale whole at my local Whole Foods, but I had them fillet it for me there and the recipe below is based upon the fillets.

This was actually my first time both eating and cooking this fish, so don't be afraid if you haven't tried it before. It's relatively mild but a bit firm, allowing it to be broiled or grilled without fear. In the Mediterranean it's typically served rather simply, dressed with olive oil and lemon, so I strove to create a similar dish here. I served it alongside one of my past favorites, a parsnip-turnip gratin.

Difficulty: easy
Time: 20 minutes
Cost: $18.28

Roasted Shad with Potatoes and Garlic Broccoli Rabe with Pine Nuts

Never had shad before? It's a tasty, flavorful fish native to the U.S. and found in salt water. It's fairly regional, to the mid-Atlantic, and only pops up in stores for a couple months a year. However, early spring is the time to find it! Right now shad (and shad roe...sacks of fish eggs) should be available at a nice, upscale grocery. I highly recommend searching it down so that you can try this delicious fish while it's available. It has a darker color, almost similar in color to blue fish when cooked, and has a light but definitive taste that means very little is needed to make this a delicious meal.

In the recipe below I simply roast the shad with some potatoes and onions. I add some cumin for flavor, but also largely let the natural flavors of these products characterize the dish. I also sauteed up some broccoli rabe, always a delight, with some garlic and pine nuts to truly round out this meal.

Difficulty: easy
Time: 1 hr
Cost: $23.67

Broiled Herb-Shrimp with a Goat Cheese-Artichoke Dinner Strata

Stratas, bread-based dishes, are most typically seen at brunch. In fact, think of a strata as a savory bread pudding, usually filled with cheese and then possibly vegetables or meat, tossed in a bit of egg, and eaten in the late morning or early afternoon on a Sunday. However, this one takes that concept, lightens it up considerably, and produces a delicious, savory dish that could easily serve as the main feature of a vegetarian dinner. The artichokes and goat cheese blend perfectly together and the bread means a small serving goes a long way.

In this case, while the strata was probably the main feature, I also prepared some shrimp. As the weather gets warmer, I couldn't resist pulling out some skewers. I marinated the shrimp in fresh herbs and then broiled them to perfection. They only go into the broiler for about 4 minutes total, searing them with high heat that keeps the shrimp rich and juicy yet locking in all of the delicious, fresh flavor imparted by the herbs.

Difficulty: easy
Time: 1 hr 40 min
Cost: $27.44

Pan-Seared Chilean Sea Bass with a Mushroom-Root Vegetable Pot Pie

You know how pot pies have a reputation as old, boring, heavy, creamy, and bland? Time to change that! This pot pie is full of delicious, earthy mushrooms and a plethora of root vegetables that pair absolutely perfectly with the creaminess and crust of the pot pie. The dish is also vastly lightened so it doesn't leave you feeling heavy - or clog your arteries.

In perfect balance with the pot pie, I gently seared some fresh Chilean Sea Bass. The thick, naturally oily fish was just coated in some spices and sauteed so that the outside was crispy and browned and the inside was flaky and light, practically melting in your mouth. Who can ask for more?

Difficulty: medium
Time: 1 hr 45 min
Cost: $26.11