The Zack and Katie project:: Swordfish

I used to HATE fish. I mean hate it. And I would never even consider making it at home. But then I got older and my tastes changed. Now, I don't hate fish, I am cautiously optimistic about it. I mean there are some yummy fishes out there and there is a lot of unexplored potential for cooking! The first thing I cooked at home was salmon, made in my oven with plenty of butter and dill and garlic, that recipe ( which I will share sometime) is delicious but not exactly falling on the good for you side of eating. So, when I tried Swordfish at a restaurant, and realized I LOVE IT, I decided to try and make it at home. This delightful swordfish preparation goes well with some white rice and grilled asparagus.

1/2lb swordfish cut into steaks

For the marinade
1 cup dijon mustard
the juice of two lemons
a handful of dill
4 cloves of crushed garlic

-Mix the marinade in a tupperware container that will fit all of the swordfish.


- Salt and pepper the swordfish. Then submerge it in the marinade, make sure that it is completely covered even if you have to spoon some of the marinade onto the top of the fish. Leave for an hour. Then grill until cooked to your desired liking.

YUMMY

Chicken Pasta Salad

This one is a regular staple around our house when I feel like I need to eat "healthy". Of course, healthy means something different for everyone. I hate to eat healthy so in my opinion if the food is: grilled, doesn't contain cheese, or involves more than one vegetable then I've achieved a healthy meal. I'm also not a big fan of salad, but in this one all of the veggies are offset by yummy chicken, pasta, and a lovely dressing that, frankly I could probably put on everything and be happy about. This one isn't too bad and it feeds 2 people for multiple days so, I think it can go in the healthy category.

Chicken Pasta Salad
1 red pepper cut up into bit sized pieces
1 yellow pepper cut up into bit sized pieces
3 carrots (I use a peeler to create shreds but you can cut them however you like)
3 stalks of celery cut on an angle to form bite sized pieces
1 package of baby spinach
1 package or one large ball of fresh mozz ( cut into tiny pieces)
1/2 box/bag of rotini pasta
2 chicken breasts
Brianna's Real French vinaigrette (though you could use any tangy vinaigrette dressing)
white wine vinegar

- Boil the pasta. (Make sure that you put olive oil into the water before you add the pasta, this is going to sit for a little while so you want to make sure it's not too sticky.) Drain the pasta when you feel it's reached its desired doneness and then, run cool water over the pasta, set aside.

- Marinate the chicken breasts in a mixture of 1/2 dressing and 1/2 white wine vinegar for 10-30 minutes. Then cook the chicken breasts on a medium to low heat until they are done, add more white wine vinegar if the liquid cooks off.

- Cut up the chicken into strips.

- Place the pasta and all the veggies into a large salad bowl and combine, add in the spinach and combine. Toss with the desired amount of salad dressing.

-Place the pasta, veggie, and dressing mix onto plates or into bowls for serving, add chicken and fresh mozz to individual plates. Enjoy!