Cilantro Lime Grilled Fruit with Challah and Marscapone

Grilled fruit is a game changer.  Ever since I saw Alton Brown's episode on grilling, where he ended with fruit kabobs utilizing the last heat from the coals, I've been obsessed.  No fruit is safe; I've tried pineapple spears, stone fruit, lemons and limes for topping meat, and whole bananas.  So on kebab night (oh my lord spiedis straight from Binghamton, NY), I decided to switch it up with kebab strawberries!  A simple syrup infused with lime and cilantro is the star of this easy summer dessert.

Cilantro and Lime in EVERY Bite!

Grilled Corn with Garlicky Chipotle Butter

Goodness, I love summer corn.  Grilled corn topped with a melted butter sauce is typical on our family table for Sunday night dinner.  The charred sweet corn goes great with a garlicky spicy melted butter.

Grilled Sweet Corn with a little Spicy Kick!

Grilled Sweet Potatoes

After my yoga class the other day, I heard a couple of girls talking about grilling sweet potatoes.  Despite the fact I hate all things root vegetable, I knew my family would love it so I had to bring it home.  The trick to getting it just right is to parboil the potatoes before slicing into grill-friendly wedges.

Warm Corn and Tomato Salad

When thinking of what to pair with the Bacon-wrapped Mahi Mahi, I knew I needed something citrus-based to cut the fat of the bacon and keep the dish light yet savory.  Fresh corn and tomatoes help deliver the bright flavor.

Bacon-wrapped Mahi Mahi

According to Emeril, pork fat rules!  So, naturally bacon can only make fish taste more delicious.  This was a creation after a long day of work, where I was watching bacon sizzling on food network.  I immediately jumped up and tried to figure out what I could wrap in bacon.  I chose the mahi mahi in my fridge, a firm white fish that will stand up to a lot of strong flavors.

Spinach and Goat Cheese Pizza with Roasted Garlic

I recently joined a yoga studio next to a whole foods (cliche, I know).  This is a dangerous combination, but it reminded me of this AMAZING frozen pizza crust they sell.  It's a great versatile product that doesn't have the typical preservatives found in ready-made crusts.  I created a "white sauce" with crushed roasted garlic and topped it with caramelized onions, spinach, and goat cheese.

Corn and Pineapple Salsa

Salsa is a great low calorie way to add a lot of flavor.  While tomatoes are great around here, I love east coast corn and wanted to try to incorporate it into a salsa.  Raw corn adds crunch and sweetness, but it could be charred over the grill.  Pineapple and avocado round out this fabulous topping for fish.

Sun-dried Tomato Pesto

I am so proud to be the plant-mommy of a basil plant.  Whenever it's getting a little too big, I break out the food processor and make a huge batch of pesto to freeze.  As much as I love garlicky cheesey basil goodness, I thought I should branch out a little after reading a great article about pesto in Saveur.  Sun-dried tomatoes add a sweet note so I balanced it with a little crushed red pepper.   This is great with pasta with a spoonful of cream cheese or as an accompaniment to scrambled eggs.

Roasted Red Peppers

Whoever designed my kitchen was an idiot.  The gas stove is right under the smoke alarm, which means if I ever even want to turn it on I have to turn on both the stove fan and a giant fan we've put on the fridge directed right at the smoke alarm.  Hence, using the flame on the gas stove to roast red peppers or corn is out of the question without a visit from firemen.

When red peppers went on sale, I was bound and determined to finally attempt to make my own roasted red peppers, alarm be damned!  Instead of the stove top, I used a super hot oven to blister the skins.

Homemade Spinach Pasta with Lemon Artichoke Cream Sauce

My favorite toy I ever got for Christmas was not a barbie or a lego set, it was a pasta roller attachment for my stand mixer two years ago.  The funny thing - I didn't want it originally for pasta, it was for pierogis!  I hated rolling out the especially springy dough and thought that would be the easiest way to mass produce pierogis and not leave any filling behind.  While I still have not been able to do that, I have learned a thing or two about making pasta!

Frozen chopped spinach is the star of this dish for its flavor, color, and saved time!  Frozen vegetables are not only a great convenience, because they are flash frozen at their ripest they retain fresh flavor.  I always keep frozen corn, peas, edamame, and broccoli in my freezer for any dish that may require a quick vegetable addition.  In this instance, I also took advantage of frozen artichokes.  These are a great option because fresh artichokes are a pain to prepare and jarred marinated artichokes are a little too powerful to combine in light sauces.