Week 18: Seafood Frenzy Friday & Top 50 Worldwide Restaurants

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Welcome to Week 18 of Seafood Frenzy Friday where I select seafood recipes from some of my food blogging friends to showcase for all of you since I don't eat any fish myself. Simply click on the name of the recipe underneath the picture to be taken to the author's original post. 

But, before I do that, I wanted to share with you Restaurant Magazines World's 50 Best Restaurant list which was released last month. Tell me how many YOU have been to by commenting below! 

These are the world's 50 best restaurants: 1) Noma (Copenhagen, Denmark) 2) El Celler de Can Roca (Girona, Spain) 3) Mugaritz (Errenteria, Spain) 4) D.O.M. (São Paulo, Brazil) 5) Osteria Francescana (Modena, Italy)6) Per Se (New York)7) Alinea (Chicago, Illinois)8) Arzak (San Sebastián, Spain)9) Dinner by Heston Blumenthal (London, England)10) Eleven Madison Park (New York)11) Steirereck (Vienna, Austria)12) L'Atelier Saint-Germain de Joël Robuchon (Paris, France)13) The Fat Duck (Bray, England)14) The Ledbury (London, England)15) Le Chateaubriand (Paris, France)16) L'Arpege (Paris, France)17) Pierre Gagnaire (Paris, France)18) L'Astrance (Paris, France)19) Le Bernardin (New York)20) Frantzén/Lindeberg (Stockholm, Sweden)21) Oud Sluis (Sluis, Netherlands)22) Aqua (Wolfsburg, Germany)23) Vendôme (Bergisch Gladbach, Germany)24) Mirazur (Menton, France)25) Daniel (New York)26) Iggy's (Singapore)27) Narisawa (Tokyo, Japan)28) Nihonryori RyuGin (Tokyo, Japan)29) Quay Restaurant (Sydney, Australia)30) Schloss Schauenstein (Fürstenau, Switzerland)31) Asador Etxebarri (Atxondo-Bizkaia, Spain)32) Le Calandre (Rubano, Italy)33) De Librije (Zwolle, Netherlands)34) Fäviken Magasinet (Järpen, Sweden)35) Astrid y Gastón (Lima, Perú)36) Pujol (Mexico City, Mexico)37) Momofuku Ssäm Bar (New York)38) Biko (Mexico City, Mexico)39) Waku Ghin (Singapore)40) Quique Dacosta (Denia, Spain)41) Mathias Dahlgren (Stockholm, Sweden)42) Hof van Cleve (Kruishoutem, Belgium)43) The French Laundry (Yountville, California)44) Amber (Hong Kong, China)45) Vila Joya (Albufeira, Portugal)46) Il Canto (Siena, Italy)47) Bras (Laguiole, France)48) Manresa (Los Gatos, California)49) Geranium (Copenhagen, Denmark)50) Nahm (Bangkok, Thailand)

AND NOW FOR THIS WEEK'S SEAFOOD ROUNDUP! 
It All Tastes Greek to MeSalmon Fillets with Roasted Lemon, Fennel and Cherry Tomatoes
The Foodie PhysicianTropical Shrimp Salad with Honey Chipotle Dressing
Necessary IndulgencesRuby Red Trout
Dixie Chik CooksCrab Mango Pico de Gallo
Sumptuous SpoonfulsParmesan Almond Crusted Fish with Peach Cilantro Salsa
Katrina Runs for FoodCajun Shrimp Alfredo
The Little ThingsFish Burger with Wasabi & Lemon Sauce


Rock Recipes
Orange Five Spice Glazed Salmon

My Cooking Hut
Clams Steamed in Sake


Pinch of Yum
Almond Crusted Tilapia


I hope you all enjoyed this week's seafood roundup and THANK YOU for allowing me to share your wonderful recipes. I'm heading to the NYC TECHMunch Food Bloggers Conference tomorrow morning and will be busy all day, so I'll respond to comments over the weekend and fill you in next week.

Enjoy!

Pasta Salad with Avocados & Black Beans in a Goat Cheese Lime Vinaigrette

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Last June, I posted this information from the California Avocado Commission about how to select and peel a fresh avocado. Since it's been a while and I do use avocados quite often in the spring/summer months, I thought I'd share these helpful tips with you once again. 



Selecting Fresh FruitThe best way to tell if a California Avocado is ready forimmediate use is to gently squeeze the fruit in the palm of your hand. Ripe,ready-to-eat fruit will be firm yet will yield to gentle pressure. Coloralone may not tell the whole story. The Hass avocado will turn dark green orblack as it ripens, but other varieties retain their light-green skin even whenripe. If you plan to serve the fruit in a few days, stock up on hard,unripened fruit. Avoid fruit with dark blemishes on the skin or over softfruit.
Peeling a California Avocado1. Start with a ripe avocado and cut it lengthwise aroundthe seed. Rotate the halves to separate. 2. Remove the seed by sliding the tip of a spoon gentlyunderneath and lifting out. The other common seed-extraction method - strikingthe seed with a knife and twisting - requires some skill and is notrecommended.3. Peel the fruit by placing the cut side down and removing theskin with a knife or your fingers, starting at the small end. Or simply scoopout the avocado meat with a spoon. Be sure to sprinkle all cut surfaces withlemon or lime juice or white vinegar to prevent discoloration.

I had picked up some ripe Hass avocados on my latest shopping trip thinking I would make some guacamole over the weekend but never got around to it. So here I had two avocados, now overly ripe and deep brown in color, and needed to make something with them. I decided to make a salad, always a good choice, and throw in some of those black beans (down to one can now! lol). Now you're asking "Why the goat cheese?". Well, I also had purchased some of that on sale a couple of weeks ago and forgot about it and it was going to expire in a couple of weeks so I threw some of that in the dressing too. It made a delicately light and creamy dressing for this pasta salad and all of the flavors blended nicely for a wonderful salad. 


Pasta Salad with Avocados & Black Beans in a Goat Cheese Lime Vinaigrette
1/2 Box Barilla Piccolini Mini Zucchini & Spinach Wheels Pasta
2 Ripe Hass Avocado, pitted and chopped
1-15oz. Can Black Beans, rinsed
1 Large Plum Tomato, diced
2 Scallions, chopped
Prepared Goat Cheese Lime Vinaigrette


Cook pasta according to package directions, drain and let cool, then add to a large bowl. Add the avocado, beans, tomatoes, scallions and prepared vinaigrette and mix well. Makes 8 cups


Goat Cheese Lime Vinaigrette
1/4 c. Crumbled Goat Cheese
1 tbsp. Fresh Cilantro, chopped
1 Lime, juice only
1/4 c. Distilled White Vinegar
1/4 c. Canola Oil
1/2 tsp. Garlic Powder
1/2 tsp. Kosher Salt
1/4 tsp. Fresh Ground Black Pepper


Whisk all ingredients together until they are well combined. 



*1/2 Cup Serving Nutritional Information: Calories 119, Carbs 15g, Fat 4g, Protein 4g*1 Cup Serving Nutritional Information: Calories 237, Carbs 30g, Fat 9g, Protein 8g

Enjoy!
*Calculations based on ingredients entered into MyFitnessPal and may not be 100% accurate.

Lemon-Ginger Grilled Pork Chops

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Happy Monday~I hope you all had a wonderful weekend! This past Friday I attended a Food Blogger conference called TECHMunch and had a great day learning some tips from some of the industry's best, as well as meeting some of my favorite food and lifestyle bloggers. All in all it was an informative day filled with lots of laughs and good food. Who could ask for anything more? 


On another note, I was recently diagnosed with high cholesterol but not high enough to be put on medication, which I'm happy about. But, I do have to start watching what I eat,  exercise more frequently, and find foods that help lower cholesterol like Ginger. Here are some health benefits of Ginger I found on eHow.com


1. Look for whole ginger root that is light brown and knobby inappearance.


2. Store the ginger wrapped in a paper towel and sealed in a plastic bag.Keep this bag in the vegetable bin of your refrigerator.

3. Peel fresh ginger before you use it.Instead of peeling the whole root, only peel the portion that you cut off touse.


4. Look for recipes that call for ginger (like this Lemon-Grilled Pork Chops I have listed below!)
5. Add ginger to a variety of foods to loweryour cholesterol. Use ginger that is grated, minced or chopped in homemade icecream, soups, salads, marinades and vegetable dishes.


6. 
Take ginger root juice to treat high cholesterol. Insert ginger into yourjuicer or add the juice to a vegetable-juice cocktail.




Tips & Warnings
1. Do not confuse ginger, or ginger root, withginseng, a plant that grows above ground.
2. Despite the benefits of ginger, it can haveunpleasant side effects, such as bloating, heartburn, burping, gas and nausea. 3. Ginger that isn't chewed or broken down properlycan block the intestines.4. Avoid using ginger as the sole treatment for highcholesterol. Ginger should be used as a supplement to other treatments, such asexercise and diet.5. It may be tempting to freeze ginger to keep itfrom going bad, but freezing it will result in lost flavor.
I made these pork chops last week and didn't even realize the benefits of ginger lowering my cholesterol until now, so I was pleasantly surprised. These were deliciously light and citrusy and were a huge hit for dinner.Lemon-Ginger Grilled Pork Chops
4 (4-6oz.) Pork Chops, boneless, center cut
1 Lemon, juice only
1 tsp. Fresh Ginger, grated
1 tsp. Honey
2 tbsp. Low Sodium Soy Sauce
1 tsp. Sesame Oil
2 tbsp. Canola Oil


In a bowl, add the lemon juice, ginger, honey, soy sauce, sesame and canola oils and whisk together. Trim any fat from your pork chops and add them to a resealable plastic bag along with the marinade. Seal the bag and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Remove the bag from the refrigerator 30 minutes prior to grilling to bring the meat to room temperature so the meat cooks evenly. Cook until proper internal temperature. Serves 4. 


Enjoy!

Soy Sauce Roasted Green Beans

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I do like to have themes when I make dinner, or at least similar flavors, so when I made those Lemon-Ginger Grilled Pork Chops, I also made these Soy Sauce Roasted Green Beans. These were so flavorful and went great with our meal. 


Soy Sauce Roasted Green Beans
1 lb. Green Beans (I used fresh and trimmed the edges, approx. 3 cups)
1 Clove Garlic, chopped
2 tbsp. Low-Sodium Soy Sauce
2 tbsp. Canola Oil
1/4 tsp. Fresh Ground Pepper


Rinse green beans and add them to a bowl. Add in the garlic, soy sauce, oil and pepper and mix well. Place on a baking sheet and bake at 425 for 15-20 minutes (depending on how crispy you like them). Serves 4.


*Nutritional Information: Calories 93.6, Carbs 6.6g, Fat 7.1g, Protein 2g, Fiber 2.8g


Enjoy!
*Calculations based on ingredients entered into Sparkpeople and may not be 100% accurate.

Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

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Quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) is a gluten free seed originally from the Andean region of South America. It has a mild, slightly nutty flavor and can be used as a substitute for rice or couscous. Quinoa contains eight amino acids and many people eat it to reduce their consumption of meat. It is also a good source of fiber and contains B vitamins and iron. I have only tried making this once before and served it hot as a side dish and the family hated it. I thought it was ok, but not something I'd make again, but I vowed to give it another try this time making a cold salad with it. AND, since I was sent home with 2 bags of it from the food conference I went to recently, this past weekend seemed like as good a time as any. 


Of course, I gave it my own flare with some of the flavors I love to use most and voila! I have a new salad that my family LOVED. It was filling and flavorful and I will definitely be experimenting with it again. 


Mediterranean Quinoa Salad
1 1/2 c. Water
1 c. Organic Quinoa
12 Kalamata Olives, pitted and chopped
1/4 c. Sun Dried Tomatoes, chopped
1 Scallion, chopped
1/4 c. Reduced Fat Feta Cheese Crumbles
1/4 c. Balsamic Vinegar
1/4 c. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Kosher Salt, to taste
Fresh Ground Black Pepper, to taste


Add water to a pot and bring to a boil. Add in the quinoa, cover and reduce heat. Simmer for approximately 15-20 minutes or until water is absorbed then remove from heat and let rest for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork and let cool. Add to a bowl along with the olives, tomatoes, scallion, cheese, vinegar and oil. Mix well and refrigerate. Serves 8 (1/2 cup). 



*Nutritional Information: Calories 191.2, Carbs 18.6g, Fat 11.4g, Protein 4.8g, Fiber 1.8g

Enjoy!
*Calculations based on ingredients entered into Sparkpeople and may not be 100% accurate.

It's time to garden!

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 (Remember to get the kids involved with your garden!  It teaches many life lessons & the value of hard work. Not to mention they're cute little fingers planting itty-bitty seeds are so cute..it's priceless!)I can't believe it has been a year since we began the journey of putting together our garden boxes.  We had such great success last year, we were anxious to get back in the dirt and give it another go-round!  If you are new to square foot gardening, read our previous posts on how we got started with this new method of gardening.  It was SO great this year to be able to go up to the garden, fluff the dirt around with a rake, pull a handful of weeds (hardly any!) and begin planting.  It couldn't get easier!!  The previous 8 years we would have to add more compost to the ground, till in the dirt (major pain!), rake the dirt, and pull a hundred thousand weeds before we got started (okay..maybe not that many, but it sure felt like it!).  The no-fuss square foot garden's are so great they allow me more time to do a little spring cleaning (which is where I really need help :)

If you would like more information on square foot gardening, visit one of my favorite gardening website's for great tips & tricks.  Remember, a garden is a great investment and helps combat higher food prices.  The expense of putting in a garden is pretty much a one-time fee and then you will continually reap the rewards of your efforts.  To have access to fresh fruits & vegetables from your own yard is such a blessing and can help you feel even more self reliant--a great feeling!  Happy gardening.

Review of a few past posts on gardening:

How we built our square foot garden
Gardening 101--our before & after garden
My 2011 square foot garden plan
Tips on freezing items from your garden
Garden Rocks--a fun craft idea for kids

Mother's Day Brunch Ideas

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Mother's Day is not always my favorite holiday.  You know, the guilt, the expectations...I tend to make the day less than appealing for us all (why are we so hard on ourselves as women??).  However, if I think of MY amazing mother and not the mom I wish I were, I can make it through the day and enjoy time spent together as a family.  We love to get together for a Mother's Day brunch or breakfast and celebrate what amazing women we are blessed to have around us so close.  We had a delicious brunch with some of our favorite 'chick' food.  Here are a few recipes & favorites that will hopefully help the planning of your Mother's Day activities go a little more smoothly.

Tropical Chicken Pineapple Salad
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, grilled & seasoned with Montreal Steak Seasoning (or salt/pepper)
1 & 1/2 heads romaine lettuce, chopped
2 mangos, peeled and seed removed (1 for dressing, 1 for salad), diced
1 fresh pineapple, cored and peeled (3/4 c. for the dressing and 2 c. for the salad), cut into chunks
2 c. tortilla chips
1/2 c. feta or gorgonzola cheese
1 red & orange bell pepper, diced (any color would do)
Dressing:
3/4 c. mayonnaise (or more if you like a thicker dressing)
3/4 c. fresh pineapple
1/4 c. mango, diced
1/3 c. sugar
3/4 c. rice vinegar
1/2 t. garlic powder (or 1 clove)
Dash paprika
1/2 t. dry mustard
Dash cayenne pepper
1/2 t. salt (to taste)
Grill the chicken until cooked through (or saute in a pan).  Dice the chicken into bite sized pieces. Chop the romaine lettuce.  Dice the vegetables.  Peel and dice the pineapple and mango.  Puree the dressing until smooth and serve over salad with all of the remaining salad ingredients and the grilled chicken.


 Serve the salad with our favorite crescent roll recipe and cinnamon butter. 

End your brunch with this amazing EASY angel food cake dessert that is semi-homemade, but OH, SO delicious!!
Layered Angel Food Cake
1 bar angel food cake (homemade or store-bought)
16 oz. strawberries, washed, leaves removed and sliced
2 T. sugar
6 oz. vanilla instant pudding
1 1/2 c. milk
8 oz. Cool Whip (or whip up some real whipping cream...even better!!)
 Slice the strawberries and place in a bowl with the sugar.  Stir around and let the strawberries sit for a minute.  Slice the angel food cake into three pieces horizontally.  Place the bottom layer of the angel food cake onto a decorative plate.  In another bowl, mix together the pudding and milk until smooth. Once the pudding is thick, fold in a little more than half of the Cool Whip until the mixture is combined.  Spread half of the pudding mixture onto the top of the bottom layer of angel food cake.  Spread a layer of strawberries on top of the pudding.  Place the middle layer of the angel food cake on top of the strawberries.  Spread with the rest of the pudding mixture.  Layer some more strawberries on top of the pudding and place the top of the angel food cake on top of the strawberries.  Top the angel food cake with the left over Cool Whip and garnish with a few more strawberries and mint leaf.