Grilled Ahi in a Sesame-Wasabi-Honey-Boysenberry Marinade

Okay, you are probably thinking that tuna is WAY too done! But don't let your eyes deceive you. First of all, the angle of this shot only shows the top of the ahi steak, not the thickness. Secondly, the marinade I used made the ahi appear darker in color due to the juices from the boysenberry. That same juice also caramelized during grilling, which lent a beautiful richness to the overall flavor of the fish.

I was very pleased with the flavor of this marinade, which was a bit risky - after all, who thinks to combine ahi and boysenberry?

Avoiding gluten has led me into untraveled territory and finding replacements for my go-to ingredients will take some reinventing. Did you know soy sauce can have gluten? Grrr...So...I rummaged through my fridge and pantry and came up with the following combo:

Marinade for Ahi
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon prepared, Wasabi
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
1/4 cup boysenberry preservatives

Place all ingredients in a reseal-able plastic baggy, add ahi steaks, seal and refrigerate for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

These flavors were very complimentary of each other. If you don't have boysenberry preserves, blackberry preserves would work just as well.

Once you have marinated your ahi steaks, remove them from the marinade and grill them to desired doneness. I used my Panini press and grilled them for 5 minutes total. I think I would have done better grilling for 3 minutes or at least have left the ahi steak in one piece instead of cutting into 3 smaller steaks, which obviously cooked even faster.

To go with the tuna I made Basmati Rice Pilaf in my rice steamer - another appliance I wouldn't want to live without. I added 1 cup rice, 1 2/3 cups water, 2 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar, 2 tablespoons raw sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon minced ginger. Set the timer for 60 minutes and 10 minutes prior to finish I added 1/2 cup pre-shredded carrots, 1/3 cup thinly sliced red onion, 1/3 cup thinly sliced red bell pepper, and 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat leaf parsley. Put the lid back on and finish steaming. Toss with butter (or olive oil) and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.

My Spicy Steamed broccoli is quick, tasty and healthy. Simply place fresh broccoli in microwave safe bowl. Add a few dashes of Hot Chili Oil, cover with plastic wrap and microwave per auto-cook instructions on your specific microwave. Toss with sliced, toasted almonds and you're done!

This meal help me meet one of my largest goals which is to try and consume every color in the rainbow, every day - and I am talking about the natural color of food - NOT dyes!

Red - Orange - Yellow - Green - Blue and Purple.