Avocado Chicken Caesar Salad

Tonight was an excellent summer feast, with veggie Russian sandwiches, sweet corn, and this salad, courtesy of Nigella Lawson, with a minor modification by me:

1 head romaine lettuce
1 egg yolk
3 tbsp. olive oil
Juice of 1/2 lemon
A few dashes Worcestershire sauce
3 tbsp. grated Parmesan (not the canned sort)
1 cold chicken breast, cubed or torn into bite-size pieces
2 avocados, cubed

Tear lettuce into large chunks & put in salad bowl. Whisk yolk. Slowly drizzle in oil while whisking. Whisk in lemon juice & Worcestershire sauce. Toss with lettuce. Sprinkle with Parmesan, then toss in chicken & avocado. Serves 2 generously.

Spicy Marinade

While I was putting together our fish gratin Sunday night, I also threw together a marinade for pork chops & got them doing their thing overnight for Monday's dinner. I am not a grillmaster & it was hot enough that Jeannene did not want to be outside, so I baked the pork chops. I think they'd be even better grilled! I served them with mashed potatoes & steamed green beans. The marinade would be equally good with chicken or tofu. Veggies would probably be great, too, especially if you then grilled them. It has a touch of Cuban flavor, but spicier.

Spicy Marinade

1/2 c. olive oil
1/4 c. minced garlic
1/2 c. orange juice
1/4 c. lime juice
1/4 c. hot sauce (you could vary it by using chipotle or Asian hot sauce, but I just went with Louisiana hot sauce. You could also use more hot sauce, if you're not into mellow heat.)
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cumin

Mix everything together in a gallon ziploc & add whatever you're marinating.

Deviled Tilapia Gratin

After a month or so on the road, it felt wonderful to be able to cook in my very own kitchen Sunday night! I made a simple but delicious meal of fish gratin, a big green salad, and Italian bread.

Deviled Tilapia Gratin

12 oz. tilapia (orange roughy, flounder, grouper, or even tuna would work, too)
1 1/2 c. dry white wine
1 c. mini pasta shells (or macaroni), cooked
8 oz. Trader Joe's yogurt dip (you could sub plain yogurt or even sour cream)
1/2 c. thinly-sliced celery
1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
Salt & pepper
Cayenne pepper
1/4 c. Parmesan cheese, grated
2 tbsp. fine dry breadcrumbs
1 tbsp. snipped fresh chives
1 tbsp. butter, melted
Paprika (I don't recommend the smoked variety)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bring the wine to a boil in a large skillet. Add fish, cover, & simmer about 5 minutes for each half-inch of thickness. Remove from pan & cut into bite-size pieces. Mix yogurt dip, celery, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon, salt, pepper, & cayenne. Toss with fish & pasta. Spoon into 4 gratin dishes (or an 8x8 baking dish). Toss remaining ingredients, except paprika, together and evenly sprinkle over casserole. Sprinkle paprika on top. Bake 15 minutes (25 if using 8x8). Serves 4.