Greek Orzo and Grilled Shrimp Salad

with Mustard-Dill Vinaigrette

Recipe courtesy Bobby Flay

Prep Time:

18 min

Inactive Prep Time:

--

Cook Time:

4 min

Level:

Easy

Serves:

4 servings

Ingredients

• 3/4 pound orzo, cooked al dente
• 1 large cucumber, seeded, quartered lengthwise, and sliced
• 3 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh dill, plus extra for garnish
• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
• 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1/2 cup olive oil, plus additional for brushing shrimp
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 3/4 pound feta cheese, crumbled
• 16 medium shrimp, peeled and de-veined

Directions

Combine orzo, cucumber, green onions, and tomatoes in a large bowl. Place dill, vinegar, and mustard in a blender and blend until smooth. With the motor running, slowly add the olive oil and blend until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Pour the vinaigrette over the orzo mixture and stir well to combine. Gently fold in the feta cheese.

Heat grill to high. Brush shrimp with oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill for approximately 2 minutes per side or until just cooked through. Divide orzo salad among 4 take-out containers or plates and top with 4 shrimp. Garnish with additional dill.

Blackened Catfish Recipe

Recipe ingredients:

6-8 - catfish fillets, thinly sliced
1 – teaspoon crushed dried thyme leaves
1 – teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 – teaspoon black pepper
1 – teaspoon salt
1/2 - teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 – teaspoon onion powder
1/2 - teaspoon paprika
1/2 – cup butter, melted
1/2 – white wine, dry cooking
lemon juice

Cookware and Utensils:

1 – cast iron skillet or large heavy skillet
1 – mixing bowl
1 – spatula

Recipe instructions:

As always the key to great cooking is to be prepared and to use quality ingredients.

Rinse catfish fillets under running cold and then thoroughly pat dry with paper towels.

Make your seasoning mixture by combining crushed dried thyme leaves, cayenne pepper, black pepper, salt, garlic powder, onion powder and paprika in a small bowl.

Brush melted butter lightly over catfish fillets and sprinkle with blackened seasoning mix. Repeat for other side. Be sure to completely coat each fillet.

Heat iron cast skillet until it is very hot, about 10 minutes. Pour the leftover butter into your skillet. Carefully place the catfish fillets into the skillet and cook for about 4 minutes on both sides. This blackened seasoning mixture will produce some smoke so another way to tell when to turn over you fillets is when the smoke turns gray.

Serve finished fillets over a bed of white steamed rice. Add lemon juice to the top of each fillet. I also recommend Caesar or Garden salad with baked potato.

Southern Fried Tofu

Prep time: 40 min; Total time: 40 min

Ingredients

* 1 lb firm tofu
* 1 c. white wine
* 1 c. organic canola oil
* 2 tbsp. tamari
* 1 c. water
* 1/2 c. vegetable broth
* 1 c. spelt flour or whole wheat flour
* 1 tbsp. nutritional yeast
* 1 tbsp. cornmeal (buy organic if possible)
* 1 tsp. salt
* 1 tsp. fresh ground pepper
* 1 tsp. garlic powder
* 1 tsp. oregano
* 1/2 tsp. thyme

Drain and rinse the tofu. While tofu is draining (I do this by sticking a plate on top of the tofu and a can on top of the plate for 20 minutes to get the water out), set aside 1/2 c. of flour in a bowl.

Then make a batter. Mix remaining flour, nutritional yeast, cornmeal, salt, pepper, garlic powder, oregano, and thyme in a bowl. Add tamari, water, and broth and blend to avoid lumps.

Then mix oil and white wine in a saucepan. Begin heating oil and wine so it will be hot when you are ready for it.

Once tofu is drained, slice it horizontally into six equal sized square pieces. Then cut each piece in half diagonally so you have 12 triangles. Dip each piece of tofu in the flour, then dip it into the batter, coating it completely. Hold the tofu over the bowl of batter for a few seconds to let the excess batter drip off.

Hold the bottom of the tofu in the oil for a few seconds to let the bottom cook so it won't stick to the pan. Submerge the entire piece of tofu in the oil and deep-fry to a light brown. Do this for every piece of tofu. Remove tofu from oil with a slated spoon. Drain for a few seconds on a paper towel and enjoy!

Okra With Shrimp

By Diana Rattray

Ingredients:

* 1 pound okra, trimmed, washed, sliced
* 3 tablespoons olive oil
* 3 tablespoons butter
* 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
* 1 green bell pepper; seeded and coarsely chopped
* 4 large tomatoes; peeled, seeded and chopped
* 1/2 cup dry white wine
* 2 tablespoons lemon juice
* 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
* salt
* black pepper
* 1 to 1 1/2 pounds shrimp; peeled and deveined
* hot cooked rice

Preparation:
Heat the oil and butter in a large skillet until the butter is melted. Add the onion and bell pepper; toss to coat evenly. Stir in the okra and cook over medium heat until the onion is translucent.

Add the tomatoes, wine, lemon juice, parsley, salt, and pepper. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes soften. Add the shrimp and continue cooking for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the shrimp turns pink and opaque.
Serve with hot cooked rice.
Serves 4.

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