We are guardians of a rare thing

Doug and I conceived of this food blog back in September, but somehow managed to curb our narcissism for a few months. When he visited last week (on top of causing my academic life to spiral down the tubes) we decided it was finally time. All I can say is thank god we registered this domain name months ago before it was snatched up by someone else.

To kick it off we wanted to make something healthy and easy. We'd been drinking 40's of Colt 45 the night before which forces one to re-evaluate all aspects of life: we just wanted to feel like our old bourgie white selves again. I'm a "vegetarian," but Doug thinks that's lame so we compromised on fish. They're not cute, so it's fine.

Mahi Mahi Livornese, Sundried Tomato Couscous, Roasted Asparagus

First of all, I apologize for the word "livornese." It makes me cringe.

Mahi Mahi Livornese

Yields 4 servings

2 tbs olive oil

1/2 small onion, diced

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

5 whole canned tomatoes, drained and chopped (you can use a scissor for this... super kewl)

2 tbs capers

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (or more if you like it spicay)

1/2 tbs chopped parsley

1 lb mahi mahi fillets

1 tbs fresh lemon juice

1. Preheat that oven to 400 degrees.

2. In a skillet, heat olive, garlic, and onion on medium heat until soft. Stir in tomatoes, capers, red pepper flakes, and parsley. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes.

3. Spread some of the sauce into a baking dish and arrange fish on top. Drizzle lemon juice on top of fish, then add the rest of the sauce.

4. Bake 15 min for 1/2 inch fillets and 30 min for 1 inch fillets. Dunzo.

Sundried Tomato Couscous

This is delicious and will last for a while in the fridge. I vaguely remember standing over this bowl at 3 AM with Doug as we attacked it with spoons.

Recipe yields... a lot.

3 cups couscous

3 cups water

1 tsp salt

2 tbs olive oil

1 jar sun dried tomatoes

1 bunch mint

1 large or 2-3 small cucumbers

1 small red onion

feta cheese (optional if you're one of those vegans)

1 large lemon

olive oil

1. Boil water. Pour couscous into a large bowl; add oil and salt. Pour boiling water on top. Stir and cover for 5 minutes. Remove cover and fluff well with a fork.

2. Chop mint and sun-dried tomatoes, reserving their oil, and add to serving bowl.

3. Chop cucumber and red onion and add to serving bowl.

4. Add couscous a little at a time, stirring well with a fork to combine.

5. Add lemon juice, salt and pepper, and olive oil. Toss to combine. Taste and season with more salt and pepper and lemon juice if necessary.

Roasted Asparagus and things

I always roast vegetables. Always. Usually I use balsamic, but according to Doug, balsamic is now frowned upon in the "foodie" world, so we stuck to just olive oil. Here's the recipe (super e-z):

Asparagus, cherry tomatoes, and onions

2 tbs olive oil

Sea salt

Cracked pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Lay out veggies on a roasting pan. Cover in olive oil, sea salt, and pepper. Get in there with your hands.

3. Roast for 30 minutes.