Surf'n'Turf Lettuce Wraps with Raw Cauliflower "Couscous"

Here's a very customizable meal that can cater to a variety of tastes and diets. Being the omnivores that the spawn and I are, we went for surf'n'turf. This works as a raw omnivore diet if you

leave out the steak, or vegan raw if you omit the "food with a face" altogether. If you omit the steak, then you don't even have to heat up the kitchen--great for a humid summer day!

Steak, Shrimp, and Cauli Couscous Lettuce Wraps

Ingredients:

Steak:

1 tbs brown sugar

2 tbs tamari

2 tbs lime juice

1 small red chili, thinly sliced

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 tbs peanut oil

1 lb steak

Shrimp:

1 clove garlic, minced

juice of 2 limes

juice of 1 lemon

1/4 tsp salt

1 lb raw shrimp

1 stalk green onion, finely chopped

Salsa:

1/2 zucchini, diced

6 cherry tomatoes, quartered

2 stalks green onion, thinly sliced

1/4 c red onion, diced

1 serrano pepper, finely diced (optional)

juice of 1 lime

1/4 tsp salt

cauliflower couscous (recipe below)

1 avocado, diced

1 head green lettuce, leaves separated

1 tbs fresh basil, finely chopped

1 tbs cilantro, finely chopped

lime wedges, if desired

Directions:

Steak:

Whisk together sugar, tamari, lime juice, chili, salt and pepper. Marinate steak in mixture 30 minutes, turning after 15 minutes.

Heat grill pan to medium-high. Add oil to pan, then grill steak to desired amount of doneness (about 3 minutes each side for medium-rare). Remove steak from heat and allow to rest 5 minutes. Slice into thin strips.

Shrimp:

Combine garlic, citrus juices, and salt. Marinate shrimp and onion in the citrus juice 4 hours.

Salsa:

Combine all ingredients, adjusting salt to taste.

Lettuce Wraps:

Arrange ingredients as desired in the center of a lettuce leaf, topping with herbs and additional lime juice. Wrap lettuce leaf around filling and enjoy.

Raw Cauliflower "Couscous"

Ingredients:

florets from 1 head of cauliflower

juice of 1 lime

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 c red onion, diced

1/2 tbs fresh ginger, grated

2 tbs cilantro, finely chopped

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Pulse cauliflower in the food processor until pieces are the size of couscous. Add remaining ingredients and refrigerate 1-4 hours before serving. Makes 3-4 cups of couscous, depending on the size of the head of cauliflower.

Black Bean Burgers, Grilled Pineapple Salsa, Homemade Ketchup, and Bacon-Flavored Potato Chips

....a.k.a., the All-American Meal: anti-Chef-style.

I tagged this as vegetarian, but no one get up in arms over the bacon-flavored chips. I'm not forcing you to make them! The chips came about as an epiphany after the oldest spawn complained about me making veggie burgers. Because her step-mom is a vegetarian, my poor deprived teenage daughter looks to me to satisfy those cravings (for, while I do make a lot of vegetarian items, I am most definitely not a vegetarian. I just like vegetables!).

I suggested topping the burgers with bacon, which the offspring was agreeable to. Then the inspiration started flowing, and I decided bacon chips were the way to go. For the meat-abstainers out there, these homemade potato chips work just fine without the bacon fat. Just use an additional tablespoon of oil and some fresh herbs.

I apologize for the photo....we were one hungry family last night, so I was lucky to even get this picture taken. For the burger buns, I really like the multi-grain sandwich thins. You can see a bit of the fire-roasted tomato ketchup on the bottom bun, followed by the burger topped with grilled pineapple salsa and the top half of the bread. The potato chips have bacon bits on them, and I also served them with a little of my garlic aioli. Had I been thinking with my blog rather than with my stomach, each item would've had a higher chance of individual photo shoots!

Hey, a girl's gotta eat.

Black Bean Burgers

Ingredients:

2 15oz cans black beans, rinsed and drained

1 med red onion, finely chopped

2 eggs, beaten

1 1/2 - 2 c panko (I used 1 2/3 c, but it will vary depending on how wet your ingredients are)

1 tsp each salt/pepper

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/3 c red pepper, finely chopped

1 4oz can chopped green chilis

4 green onions, chopped

1 tbs fresh cilantro, minced

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp lime zest

1 tsp pepper sauce (more if you like it hot!)

Directions:

In a large bowl, mash beans. Add remaining ingredients and mix until well-combined. Shape into 5 1/2" patties and allow to rest about half an hour at room temperature.

Heat grill pan or skillet over medium heat. Place patties in pan, cover, and cook 5 minutes on each side. Serve on toasted whole wheat buns. Makes 6-8 burgers.

Grilled Pineapple Salsa

Ingredients:

Cooking spray

1 15oz cans sliced pineapple rings

1 jalapeno pepper, sliced in half

1 med ripe avocado, sliced

1/3 c red onion, finely chopped

1 tbs cilantro, finely chopped

1 tsp fresh lime zest

lime juice of 1/2 lime (about 1 tbs)

salt to taste (about 1/4 tsp)

Directions:

Heat grill pan over med-high heat and coat with cooking spray. Grill pineapple rings, jalapeno, and avocado about 2 minutes on each side. Remove from pan and allow to cool slightly.

Chop pineapple and avocado; remove seeds from jalapeno and finely chop. Combine grilled fruits with remaining ingredients. Refrigerate half an hour before serving. Make about 2 cups of salsa.

Fire-Roasted Tomato Ketchup

Ingredients:

1/2 tbs light olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

1 15oz can diced fire-roasted tomatoes, undrained

1 tbs pineapple juice

1/2 tsp salt

Directions:

Place oil and garlic in a cold small saucepan. Turn stop-top on medium and heat about 2 minutes (including warm up time). Add remaining ingredients, bring to simmer, and reduce heat to med-low. Allow to simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, and mashing the chunks of tomato. When mixture is the desired consistency (about 15-20 minutes), remove from heat. If a smooth ketchup is desired, blend until pureed. Makes about 3/4 cup ketchup.

Bacon-flavored Potato Chips

Ingredients:

2 strips thick cut bacon (or 4 regular strips), diced

1 green onion, finely chopped

1 tbs celery greens, finely chopped

3 med potatoes, sliced into 1/8" thick rounds

1 tbs light olive oil

sea salt to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425F.

Fry bacon in pan over medium heat 3-5 minutes, until starting to brown. Add onion and celery greens; saute about 2 more minutes. In a medium bowl, combine the contents of the pan (including bacon grease) with the olive oil. Toss mixture with potatoes and place in a large ziplock bag to marinate for 15 minutes.

Reserving the bacon bits, arrange potato slices in a single layer (very important!) on baking sheets. Bake in preheated oven 10 minutes. Flip potato slices over and bake an additional 5-10 minutes, until potatos are golden brown. Remove from oven, immediately toss with bacon bits and salt, and serve. Makes about 4 servings.

Mahi Mahi with Mango Salsa

This is probably one of the most common dishes prepared at my house. My kids have been fans of mango salsa their entire lives and will eat it on pretty much anything. Fish is quick to prepare, so it lends itself to a weeknight dinner easily. In theory this meal should serve 4, but there are rarely leftovers between myself and the two girls. I'd suggest doubling it if you intend to feed 4 hungry mouths!

Mahi Mahi with Mango Salsa

1 cup rice

12oz mahi mahi

fresh cracked pepper

2 tbs tamari

1 tbs peanut oil

1 lime, cut into quarters

Prepare rice according to package directions. While it is simmering (or in the rice cooker, should you be so lucky!), prepare the rest of the ingredients.

Crack pepper over mahi mahi and place in bowl. Drizzle with tamari, peanut oil, and juice from THREE QUARTERS of the lime. Allow to rest at room temperature while preparing the salsa (recipe below).

Heat grill pan to med-high heat. Remove fish from marinade and place in pan skin side up and cook 3 minutes. Flip fish, pour marinade over, and cook an additional 3-4 minutes.

Place fish on bed of rice and pour marinade from pan over fish. Top with mango salsa and serve.

Mango Salsa

1 c mango, diced

1/2 c red onion, diced

1/4 c red bell pepper, diced

2 green onions, finely chopped

1/2 c cilantro leaves, finely chopped

zest of 1 lime

dash salt

pinch cumin

salt and pepper to taste

Combine above ingredients with juice from the remaining 1/4 lime and allow to rest at room temperature while cooking the fish.

Notes:

• The mango is best when fresh. If you don't like the way the mangos in your grocery store look, I've subbed in the jarred version (usually available in the refrigerated produce section) with success. Because it's jarred in light syrup, I rinse the slices with water first. If you prefer a sweeter salsa, then you may opt to keep them as is.
• My rice of choice with fish is jasmine rice. It has a more delicate flavor that compliments seafood very well.