Fish & Quinoa

So the fire alarm in my building went off today. At 7:47 a.m.

I'm assuming it was a false alarm, but we weren't actually informed otherwise. Ten minutes after the piercing sound woke me up from my deep sleep, the torture stopped and everyone walked back into the building. I followed, dragging my feet up the five flights of stairs to my apartment.

The only upside--if any--to this terrible event was the head start I got on my studies. But I guess that's  up for debate.

Anyways, tomorrow is the first day of my third week of law school. So far so good. Yes, I'll admit there is a lot of reading involved, but call me a law nerd, because I've mostly enjoyed it--except for the uber-overwhelming and seemingly infinite amount of property terms.

On another note, I've figured out a way to go grocery shopping without a car: my backpack, two bike bags and an extra reusable bag. Thankfully the bike ride is only about five minutes because the extra weight really does kick in.

Here is my dinner from tonight: grilled cod with caramelized onions and orange-avocado salsa and carrot zucchini quinoa. On hindsight, I probably would've paired the fish with a cucumber salad or something fresh, but I wanted to cook quinoa for leftovers during the week. It's all about practicality now that I'm a lawyer-in-training. Enjoy!

Cod with orange, avocado and onions (adapted from Bon Apetit: Fast Easy Fresh Cookbook).
Makes 2 servings.
Active time: 15 minutes. Total time: 25 minutes.

• 1 medium navel orange
• 1/2 cup avocado cubes (about 1/3-inch)
• 2 teaspoons minced jalapeño 
• 2 teaspoons lime juice
• 2 teaspoons coconut oil
• 1/2 cup chopped red onion
• 2  6 oz. cod fillets
• Parsley for garnish

1. Cut and peel orange ,removing white pit; carefully separate sections and cut in half. Combine orange sections, avocado, jalapeño and lime juice in a small bowl; stir gently to blend. Season with salt and pepper.
2. In a medium skillet, heat coconut oil over medium heat. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes, or until slightly browned. Sprinkle fish with salt and pepper; transfer to skillet and sauté until brown and cooked through, about 5 minutes on each side. 
3. Serve fish topped with salsa; garnish with parsley. 

Spiced carrot and zucchini quinoa (adapted from Bon Apetit: Fast Easy Fresh Cookbook).

Makes 4 servings.

Active time: 20 minutes. Total time: 30 minutes.

• 2 cups water
• 1 cup quinoa, rinse and drained
• A pinch of salt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into small cubes
• 1 medium zucchini, cut into small cubes
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1. Combine first four ingredients in a large saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Lower heat to medium-low and cover; simmer until water is absorbed, about 20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add carrots and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add zucchini and sauté, about 3 minutes. Add paprika, cumin and cinnamon.
3. Remove skillet from heat and add quinoa. Toss to blend and season with salt and pepper.

Suddenly Summer is Stepping In

Summer has officially begun in Boston. Heat waves and sunny days have finally decided to give the Beantown population a chance to enjoy the outdoors and take in the fresh air. All the same, my apartment turns into an oven of its own any time I decided to turn on the stove for more than one minute.

I have found that opening the window only makes it that much worse--which only makes me wonder why it is that I have not gotten up to close it yet. Anyways, the summer inspires me to cook fresh recipes; tons of which you will be seeing in the next few weeks (given I have the time to blog while juggling two classes and my internship. Cue excitement!)

Today was not an ordinary day. For starters, I was woken up by my alarm and for once I actually had a very hard time opening my eyes. Consequently, I had to rush through getting dressed and eating breakfast in order to make my passport appointment. Side note, I arrived 15 minutes early (as was told by the appointment person on the phone) only to be turned away by a grumpy receptionist telling me that they would not let anyone in before 9 a.m. I did not appreciate his blunt manner at all.

Nevertheless, by 10 a.m. I was grocery shopping, wondering what goodies I could buy while still being able to carry all the bags home. Unfortunately, the "eyes are bigger than your stomach" idiom applied here perfectly. I found myself struggling with 6 heavy bags walking block after block in hot hot weather.

Ok, enough with the day description. Needless to say, my day was not ordinary, but once I got home I decided to make myself a delicious salad topped with sauteed shrimp.

Sauteed Shrimp with Oranges (adapted from Whole Foods Market Magazine)

• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 6 jumbo frozen shrimp, peeled, deveined, and thawed.
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• S & P
• 1/3 cup dry white wine
• 1 tablespoon diced shallot
• 3 sun-dried tomato halves, cut into strips
• 1/3 cup chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 navel orange, peeled
• 1/2 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 tablespoon chopped fresh basil

1. Heat oil in skillet over medium high heat. In a separate bowl, toss shrimp with paprika and pinch of S & P. Once oil is hot, add shrimp and cook for about 2 minutes or nicely browned, flipping once. Remove shrimp from skillet and set aside.
2. Add wine, shallots, and sun-dried tomatoes to skillet and boil until liquid is reduced to about half, about 5 minutes. Add broth and reduce to about half, again about 5 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, carefully remove each orange segment from its membrane using a pairing knife.
4. Turn heat to low and add orange to skillet. Stir in butter and half of the basil. Once butter is melted, add shrimp and toss in sauce. Serve shrimp atop salad, rice, or pasta.