Only On A Tuesday; Quinoa and Cod

I was happy to get back into the kitchen tonight! Here's what I made and how it all went down:

Tamari and Ginger Marinated Cod
First I started with preparing the fish.I chose Cod because it is a hearty fish, but also because it was one of the only fresh options they had at the grocery store.
Ingredients:
- Two Cod filets
- 2 tbsp Organic Tamari
- One Organic Garlic Clove
- 1/2 tsp Fresh Grated Ginger (from the freezer)
- 1 tsp Sriracha Chili Sauce
- 1 tsp Agave Syrup

I put all of the ingredients into a large zip lock bag and let sit in the fridge for an hour to marinate. In the meantime I prepared the sides. After marinating I took the bag out of the fridge, heated a pan with some oil, and fried each filet individually (they were too large to fry at the same time). After they were cooked through I poured all the marinade into the pan, added some chillies and reduced it down to a sauce.

Gingered Mango and Jalapeno Quinoa
I have attempted Quinoa (pronounced KEEN-WAH) a few times before without success. First I tried a Quinoa Curry and that was a huge fail because as the grain sat in the sauce it started to swell and then dissipate. Yuck. The second time I just couldn't get a good flavor combination. Since quinoa has basically no flavor but a unique texture it's a bit difficult to create a dish that familiar but makes sense with the grain (I'm sure a trained, seasoned chef could do it, but I'm just an amateur so it doesn't come quite as easily). BUT, tonight I think I did it! This quinoa dish was SO yummy!!
Ingredients:
- 1 Cup Organic Quinoa
- 1 Jalapeno
- 1 tbsp Finely Diced Dried Mango
- 1 fresh Organic Lemon
- 1 tsp Agave Syrup
- 1/2 tsp Fresh Grated Ginger
- 1 1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp Water

First I started on the quinoa. I washed one cup of the grains and added to 1 1/4 cup boiling water, placed a lid on the pot and let simmer for about 12 minutes. While that was going I diced the mango and then in a saute pan I added the 1 tbsp of water, 1 tsp agave syrup, 1 tbsp finely diced dried mango and 1/2 tsp fresh grated ginger. I brought it to a boil and then let the liquid reduce out until the mango soaked it all up. This caused the dried mango bits to become soft and taste like ginger candy (yummy ginger candy)!

When the quinoa was done I fluffed it with a fork (kind of like couscous) and then added the quinoa, a dash of sea salt for flavor, and then very finely diced the jalapeno (sans seeds - your choice) and added the chili. I stirred this all together, tasted, and then added the zest of one whole lemon and the juice of half of that lemon.

In my opinion this dish was a great success! I don't know exactly how the palate works but if I could describe it, it would be this way. You get the sweetness of the candied mango on the tip of your tongue right off the start and then the sour zip from the lemon . Then the ginger sweeps into your nasal passage finished by the heat of the jalapeno in the back of your throat. It covers all taste buds, but so subtly. The layers of flavors just work! And maybe I'm just crazy and it really doesn't work this way, so I urge you to try this recipe yourself and let me know what you think!

Pan Seared Asparagus Spears and Shitake Mushrooms
I finished this dinner off with some green asparagus and shitake mushrooms to add some final umami to the overall meal. This is super easy but just in case here's what I did:
Ingredients
- 1 handful of asparagus spears with the woody ends snapped off
- 1 handful of shitake mushrooms with the stems cut off
- olive oil heated in a pan
- sea salt and pepper
- juice from 1/2 lemon

All I did was toss the asparagus into the pan, season, and then when they had a minute or two to start to sear I added the shitake mushrooms cut into strips. Once they were all in there doing their thing I squeezed half a lemon over top and then they were done!

(Sorry, no photos. Camera battery was dead).