Wasssuuuuppp? Wasabi!

Looking for inspiration? Craving something different? Sometimes it's hard to break out of the routine. But here is an easy and delicious way to do it! Kick it island style with a little Sesame Crusted Ahi Tuna with Wasabi Dipping Sauce.

I got my inspiration for this dish from one of my favorite places on St. Thomas in the US Virgin Islands. While a nanny for a family on the island, I used to cherish my Sundays "off duty" and hit Iggy's Beach Bar at Bolongo Bay Beach Resort. The skewered tuna with wasabi sauce was my favorite thing to snack on while sitting on the deck and marveling at the clear waters and powdery white sands.

You can find individually frozen ahi tuna "steaks" in packages in your grocer's freezer section. Or, if you are lucky enough to live somewhere you can get the fresh stuff, well then I am jealous. If it's the frozen variety you'll be using, you really only need to partially thaw it according to the package directions. This is a fish that really should be prepared rare to medium-rare, otherwise it quickly resembles tuna from a can and is extremely dry. Fresh, or completely thawed fish will require very little cook time.

Marinade the tuna (10-20 minutes) in a glass dish or plastic bag in a mixture of a little sesame oil, low sodium soy sauce, honey, salt, pepper, and fresh lime juice. Heat a pan to medium-high with about a tablespoon of sesame oil. While it heats, remove the tuna from the marinade and roll in sesame seeds (white and black) until it is covered in a nice crust. Sear the fish for approximately 2 minutes on first side, 1 on the other. The sesame seeds should brown, and the fish will be medium rare. If you just can't stand the thought of medium rare, cook additional 2 minutes on the flip side to bring it to medium. If it rests for any amount of time, residual heat will cook it slightly more.

Dipping sauce: Whip up plain Greek yogurt or mayo, wasabi, a dash of soy sauce, drop of sesame oil, squeeze of lime, and garnish with sesame seeds .

Serve with simple sides like a micro green salad dressed with a little oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper; and bed of whole wheat couscous. Now kick back and imagine the sound of the waves crashing and sip on a fruity drink!

A Quicky From the Desert

Here's a dish I LOVE that I took from a restaurant in Scottsdale, Arizona. It's almost embarrassing how easy it is, but it's so good. My kids started wolfing this down around age 9 months so it's a regular on our dinner table. The protein, fiber and OMEGA-3's are bountiful and I feel like chef and mom of the day.

Originally this was served with halibut, which is fabulous. But I find salmon is always available, usually on sale, and the best buy nutritionally. I try to always keep frozen, individually wrapped fillets of fish in the freezer. None of the marinated stuff, just all natural, clean protein. We live in the midwest, so this is the best we can do. If you live in an area where fresh seafood is affordable and available, well then, lucky you!

Southwest Salmon:

• 1 fillet of fish per person (if not fresh, at least partially thawed)
• 1-2 cups frozen corn (as much as you like... I use a ton!)
• 1 can no sodium added black beans (drained and rinsed)
• 1-2 cans Ro-tel tomatoes with green chilis (mild to hot, you decide, and if you're making 4 or more fillets, I'd go with 2 cans)
• 1 whole lime in wedges
• salt, pepper
• optional: smoked paprika/chili powder/chipotle powder, fresh cilantro

Heat large skillet to medium high, add a little canola or olive oil to barely coat bottom. Add fish, season with sea salt, pepper and any of the spices according to your taste. Allow salmon to sear to a light golden brown before flipping (3-5 minutes or so). Flip and allow to sear a minute before adding beans, tomatoes and corn, mix and evenly distribute the salsa items, cover with lid, and reduce to med-low heat. Simmer until corn and beans are hot and tomato salsa is bubbly. This is why I use partially thawed salmon- it will continue to cook as the other ingredients come up to temperature, and you risk overcooking. Medium cooked salmon is perfectly safe and good to eat, overcooked salmon is pretty gross and worse than canned tuna. Don't email or comment about the deliciousness of canned tuna.

Once everything has married and is bubbling hot, you are ready to enjoy! Squeeze 2 wedges of lime into the pan before serving. Traditionally, you'd serve this with white rice. But, for something with a little more bang for your caloric buck, whole wheat couscous is an excellent choice. It soaks up all the juices and flavors of the dish, is cheap, and takes about 3 minutes to prepare.

Place a small bed of couscous on the plate, (add fresh cilantro if you like) top with fish, then spoon on the corn and bean salsa. Finish with a generous squeeze of lime. And the more spices you added to the dish, the more the lime will bring all the flavors to life.

Ay, caramba, that's good!

Oh, so you're an over achiever? Or lucky enough to live somewhere that offers good quality, locally grown produce year round? Ok, it's on! Roast some corn on the cob and then cut the kernels off. Use fresh tomatoes and start chopping! Grab that green chili or jalapeno out of the garden! Throw in some chopped scallions and cilantro. Go on, I dare you. Just DON'T forget the lime:)