Another one in the like category! I thought the cucumbers really added a great texture to the salmon. I will make Salmon this way most all the time now! :) YAY!
Fried ginger:
1 piece (3 in long) fresh ginger
1/2 cup vegetable oil
Peel the ginger and thinly slice (I used my mandolin slicer)
Cut the slices into thin strips (I actually missed this part and still thought it turned out good, but she's going for the fried onion look. Remember those fried onions in a can you put on the green bean casserole?)
Heat the vegetable oil in a frying pan. When hot, add the ginger and cook until dark golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon, set aside to drain on paper towels.
Salmon:
4 salmon steaks
2 TBSP Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper
Prepare the grill (I cooked inside with my george forman). Brush the salmon with a little olive oil, then season with salt & pepper. Cook on a hot grill until just cooked through. Cooking time will vary depending on the thickness of the fish, from 5 to 15 minutes.
Garnish:
1 lime, sliced paper thin with peel
2 Kirby cucumbers halved lengthwise & sliced thin (I used regular cucumbers, couldn't find "Kirby"
A handful of daikon spouts - options (I couldn't find them)
3 TBSP soy sauce
Juice from 1 lime
Cut each lime slice into 8 pieces as if you were cutting a pie. Toss the lime with the cucumbers & spouts in a mixture of the soy sauce & lime juice. Place the salmon on plate and heap the vegetable garnish on the fish. Top with a sprinkle of fried ginger.
Okay, so as I'm typing this I realized I missed something when I was cooking this. I didn't see the part about slicing the one lime thin. So when I cut it in 1/8th my were 8 wedges!! Oh My! We just squeezed the juice from the wedges on the salmon.
We did enjoy eating the fried ginger. Hubby did more than I. I typically don't like ginger and rarely use it except at Christmas for gingerbread cookies. But I did enjoy the smell on my hands and in the house. And the house didn't smell like fish!
Very interesting recipe. I'll have to do it over and slice the limes! :)
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Monday, February 22, 2010
Zucchini Frittata
I like frittatas, but I didn't care for this one. And I'm not sure why. I guess because I like a lot of veggies with my eggs. I missed having bell pepper. A recipe I did before was better. I'll have to dig that up and see if I can sommersize it.
Oh, I did add some extra pepper and it made it better. Hubby liked it just fine. May be me tonight.... Any way, here it is
4 large eggs
salt & pepper
2 TBSP Olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 cup julienned zucchini (my favorite part of this, I'm going to julienne them next time too.
Sprinkle of grated Parmesan cheese (I used 1/8 cup)
1 medium tomato, seeded and diced
10 fresh basil leaves, chopped (I used 1 tsp dried)
Preheat the oven to 350 F
Whisk the eggs in a bowl with a splash of water. Add a dash of salt and pepper. Place a medium saute pan (with an oven proof handle) over medium heat. When the pan is hot, add the olive oil. Saute the onion until crispy brown, about 10 minutes. Set aside half the onion for a garnish. Add the zucchini to the remaining onion in the hot pan and saute for a few minutes.
Add the beaten eggs to the saute pan. Immediately sprinkle with the grated cheese and remove from the heat.
Place the pan in the preheated oven. (If you do not have a saute pan with an ovenproof handle, transfer the egg mixture at this point to a small casserole dish or pie pan.) Bake for 7 to 10 minutes, until puffy and golden.
While the frittata is baking, in a separate bowl, mix the tomato, basil, salt & pepper. top the cooked frittata with the tomato mixture and garnish with crispy onions.
I actually put it back in the oven for about 4 minutes to let the tomatoes get warm. That was a nice touch.
Oh, I did add some extra pepper and it made it better. Hubby liked it just fine. May be me tonight.... Any way, here it is
4 large eggs
salt & pepper
2 TBSP Olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 cup julienned zucchini (my favorite part of this, I'm going to julienne them next time too.
Sprinkle of grated Parmesan cheese (I used 1/8 cup)
1 medium tomato, seeded and diced
10 fresh basil leaves, chopped (I used 1 tsp dried)
Preheat the oven to 350 F
Whisk the eggs in a bowl with a splash of water. Add a dash of salt and pepper. Place a medium saute pan (with an oven proof handle) over medium heat. When the pan is hot, add the olive oil. Saute the onion until crispy brown, about 10 minutes. Set aside half the onion for a garnish. Add the zucchini to the remaining onion in the hot pan and saute for a few minutes.
Add the beaten eggs to the saute pan. Immediately sprinkle with the grated cheese and remove from the heat.
Place the pan in the preheated oven. (If you do not have a saute pan with an ovenproof handle, transfer the egg mixture at this point to a small casserole dish or pie pan.) Bake for 7 to 10 minutes, until puffy and golden.
While the frittata is baking, in a separate bowl, mix the tomato, basil, salt & pepper. top the cooked frittata with the tomato mixture and garnish with crispy onions.
I actually put it back in the oven for about 4 minutes to let the tomatoes get warm. That was a nice touch.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Curried Lamb with Cucumber-Mint Sauce
SURPRISE! I cooked LAMB! This dish was great. Very refreshing. I can still taste the mint a bit and love the light smell still on my hands!
It is more a lunch thing, but we had it for dinner after a very tiring day, when we both had lunch. Says it serves 8, but hubby and I finished it up. But that's all we had. I love this dish! Oh, and of course, I did substitute. It called to put it in radicchio leaves, but I got red leaf instead. The store didn't have radicchio. But hubby commented he liked the red leaf so much better than he would have the radicchio. So this time it was a GOOD substitution.
Also she says it can be served hot or cold as appetizers.
Here's the recipe:
Curried Lamb
2 TBSP Olive Oil
1 Medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 pound ground lamb (from leg) I don't know what I got! :)
1 TBSP curry powder
1/2 tespoon ground cinnamon
Salt & freshly ground pepper
Heat a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the olive oil and onion and cook until the onion is golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Add the lamb, and season it with the curry, cinnamon, salt & pepper. Saute over medium-high heat until the lamb is cooked through, about 15 minutes. Set aside.
Cucumber Mint Sour Cream
1/2 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded, and diced (I used the end of my potato peeler to scrap out the seeds, very easy!)
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
1/3 cup sour cream
Juice from 2 limes
Place all the ingredients into a bowl and mix them until well combined.
Assemble:
Fill each radicchio leaf with a large spoonful of curried lamb. Top with sour cream sauce and garnish with a mint leaf. Fold up like a taco and enjoy!
It is more a lunch thing, but we had it for dinner after a very tiring day, when we both had lunch. Says it serves 8, but hubby and I finished it up. But that's all we had. I love this dish! Oh, and of course, I did substitute. It called to put it in radicchio leaves, but I got red leaf instead. The store didn't have radicchio. But hubby commented he liked the red leaf so much better than he would have the radicchio. So this time it was a GOOD substitution.
Also she says it can be served hot or cold as appetizers.
Here's the recipe:
Curried Lamb
2 TBSP Olive Oil
1 Medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 pound ground lamb (from leg) I don't know what I got! :)
1 TBSP curry powder
1/2 tespoon ground cinnamon
Salt & freshly ground pepper
Heat a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the olive oil and onion and cook until the onion is golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Add the lamb, and season it with the curry, cinnamon, salt & pepper. Saute over medium-high heat until the lamb is cooked through, about 15 minutes. Set aside.
Cucumber Mint Sour Cream
1/2 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded, and diced (I used the end of my potato peeler to scrap out the seeds, very easy!)
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
1/3 cup sour cream
Juice from 2 limes
Place all the ingredients into a bowl and mix them until well combined.
Assemble:
Fill each radicchio leaf with a large spoonful of curried lamb. Top with sour cream sauce and garnish with a mint leaf. Fold up like a taco and enjoy!
Monday, February 8, 2010
Ratatouille
Ratatouille (pronounced (rat-a-too-ee); is a traditional French Provençal stewed vegetable dish, originating in Nice. The full name of the dish is ratatouille niçoise
And this was a big hit with my hubby. It's been cold & damp out here in the desert. And so to have this when he came home from work was a wonderful event!
My only complaint about this dish? I used to many bowls for each of the veggies.
Here's the recipe - serves 8
1/3 cup olive oil
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves
1 can (28 oz) peeled tomatoes with juice
4 bell peppers, julienned
1 large eggplant, peeled and diced
3 medium zucchini, cut into 1/2 inch slices
Salt and black pepper
Heat a large, deep skillet (I used my wok) over medium heat. Add olive oil and onion. Saute until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Remove onion and garlic from the pan and set aside.
Quarter the tomatoes, reserving any juice. (I put this in a low sided casserole dish and pulled each tomato out with a spoon then cut it in the casserole dish to preserve all the juice. Moving them over to the side once cut). Set aside.
Layer the bottom of the skillet with the peppers, salt & pepper and 1/4 of the onion-garlic mixture.
Then layer with the the eggplant, more salt & pepper and another 1/4 of the garlic mixture.
Next layer is the zucchini with 1/4 of the garlic mixture
Last layer is the tomatoes with 1/4 of the garlic mixture. Pour in the reserved juice and top with remaining 2 tablespoons of oil.
Cover and simmer over very low heat for 35 - 40 minutes.
Recipe calls to then cook uncovered an additional 10 minutes to reduce the liquid, but I left it in because Hubby loves the juice.
Remember there is olive oil in this so if you want to eat with whole-grain pasta or brown rice, cook it with the tomato juice instead of the olive oil.
My stove has a Low, which just keeps things warm. It doesn't even actually simmer. I think the stove is old and it's not suppose to be that way. But I put this on about 2:30 and let it sit on low all afternoon. Served it at 6:30 and the flavors were blended perfectly and the vegetables weren't all mushy, had a tiny bit of crunch to them. We don't like our veggies too crunchy. But these were perfect.
And this was a big hit with my hubby. It's been cold & damp out here in the desert. And so to have this when he came home from work was a wonderful event!
My only complaint about this dish? I used to many bowls for each of the veggies.
Here's the recipe - serves 8
1/3 cup olive oil
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves
1 can (28 oz) peeled tomatoes with juice
4 bell peppers, julienned
1 large eggplant, peeled and diced
3 medium zucchini, cut into 1/2 inch slices
Salt and black pepper
Heat a large, deep skillet (I used my wok) over medium heat. Add olive oil and onion. Saute until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Remove onion and garlic from the pan and set aside.
Quarter the tomatoes, reserving any juice. (I put this in a low sided casserole dish and pulled each tomato out with a spoon then cut it in the casserole dish to preserve all the juice. Moving them over to the side once cut). Set aside.
Layer the bottom of the skillet with the peppers, salt & pepper and 1/4 of the onion-garlic mixture.
Then layer with the the eggplant, more salt & pepper and another 1/4 of the garlic mixture.
Next layer is the zucchini with 1/4 of the garlic mixture
Last layer is the tomatoes with 1/4 of the garlic mixture. Pour in the reserved juice and top with remaining 2 tablespoons of oil.
Cover and simmer over very low heat for 35 - 40 minutes.
Recipe calls to then cook uncovered an additional 10 minutes to reduce the liquid, but I left it in because Hubby loves the juice.
Remember there is olive oil in this so if you want to eat with whole-grain pasta or brown rice, cook it with the tomato juice instead of the olive oil.
My stove has a Low, which just keeps things warm. It doesn't even actually simmer. I think the stove is old and it's not suppose to be that way. But I put this on about 2:30 and let it sit on low all afternoon. Served it at 6:30 and the flavors were blended perfectly and the vegetables weren't all mushy, had a tiny bit of crunch to them. We don't like our veggies too crunchy. But these were perfect.
Friday, February 5, 2010
Side Note
Hubby and I are feeling the difference in our body when we eat off balance. It is easy to eat great meals. It's just hard to remember when you're out to NOT have the protein with the carbs. And here in CA we have fruit with everything. But at least we are thinking about things more than we were before. It gives us something to relate with when we are ordering.
I've lost 2 pounds, but more than that, my clothes are bagging. My pooch is not so bloated. Hubby is feeling the same.
Now if you have read any of Suzanne Somers' books, you know the program is a level one being to follow all the rules. Level 2 is when you've achieved your weight loss and you can mix some things if it doesn't put you off balance. Hubby and I haven't stuck to a strict level one. We've been eating up the food we have here at the house. We are just making better choices over all.
Bottom line? We are enjoying the food, feeling less bloated, and losing a few pounds. To us, that's great!
I've lost 2 pounds, but more than that, my clothes are bagging. My pooch is not so bloated. Hubby is feeling the same.
Now if you have read any of Suzanne Somers' books, you know the program is a level one being to follow all the rules. Level 2 is when you've achieved your weight loss and you can mix some things if it doesn't put you off balance. Hubby and I haven't stuck to a strict level one. We've been eating up the food we have here at the house. We are just making better choices over all.
Bottom line? We are enjoying the food, feeling less bloated, and losing a few pounds. To us, that's great!
Taco Salad
We REALLY enjoyed this dish! Hubby can't believe he's on a "diet"!
2 Tbsp Vegetable oil
1 Med Onion, chopped
5 Garlic cloves, Pressed
1 Lb ground beef (I used turkey)
1 tsp paprika (I didn't have any so this got skipped on mine)
1 Tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cayenne
Salt & black pepper
1 Cup water
1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
1 head romaine lettuce, chopped
2 med tomatoes chopped
6 oz Cheddar cheese, graded (I used a cheddar/jack combo.. yum!)
6 tbsp sour cream
6 green onions, chopped
1 jar (8 oz) mexican salsa
In a large skillet over medium heat, heat the oil. Add the onion and cook until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute longer. Turn up the heat to high and add the ground beef. Brown the meat, stirring constantly, until crumbly, about 4 minutes. Drain excess fat. Lower heat and add the paprika, cumin, oregano, chili powder, cayenne and plenty of salt & pepper. Add the water and tomato paste, blending well with a wooden spoon. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
To assemble the salad, place the romaine on 4 plates. Spoon the meat mixture over the lettuce. Top with tomatoes, cheese, sour cream, green onion & salsa.
Enjoy! It's a little bit spicy, so if you don't like heat (and I'm a baby) use MILD salsa.
2 Tbsp Vegetable oil
1 Med Onion, chopped
5 Garlic cloves, Pressed
1 Lb ground beef (I used turkey)
1 tsp paprika (I didn't have any so this got skipped on mine)
1 Tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cayenne
Salt & black pepper
1 Cup water
1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
1 head romaine lettuce, chopped
2 med tomatoes chopped
6 oz Cheddar cheese, graded (I used a cheddar/jack combo.. yum!)
6 tbsp sour cream
6 green onions, chopped
1 jar (8 oz) mexican salsa
In a large skillet over medium heat, heat the oil. Add the onion and cook until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute longer. Turn up the heat to high and add the ground beef. Brown the meat, stirring constantly, until crumbly, about 4 minutes. Drain excess fat. Lower heat and add the paprika, cumin, oregano, chili powder, cayenne and plenty of salt & pepper. Add the water and tomato paste, blending well with a wooden spoon. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
To assemble the salad, place the romaine on 4 plates. Spoon the meat mixture over the lettuce. Top with tomatoes, cheese, sour cream, green onion & salsa.
Enjoy! It's a little bit spicy, so if you don't like heat (and I'm a baby) use MILD salsa.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Pork Chops with Creamy Shallot Sauce
One issue I'm finding is that I'm looking through my cookbook and I see things that I would like to make, so I mark them and jot down a couple ingredients that I need. Well, when I sit down to actually begin the process I've fogotten what it was I was going to cook. Case in point.... I had jotted down Pork Chops, but unfortunately I forgot to jot down Rosemary. In my mind I remembered I needed something with the PCs but when I got to the store I remembered Thyme! So now you can see one of the reasons I don't cook much is because I'm not organized! So that is all changing and I'm going to write down the meals on old fashion cards and keep them in my purse so I KNOW what ingredients I need. I am getting a good variety of spices now, so that should end soon.
Then the recepe wasn't in the same cookbook. I have two Suzanne Sommers' cookbooks. This one was from the Eat, Cheat, and Melt the Fat Away book.
Another issue I'm having is that I THINK I know what something is. Like the example of Capers in a previous post. I thought they were Peppercorns. Awww good thing my hubby caught that one before I started cooking!
But with this recipe I thought Shallots were green onions... chives. I thought the chive was the green part at the top and the shallots were the white part at the bottom. Hubby to the rescue again! And explaned to me the difference. Well, I made this without the shallots, but I'm having him bring some home. He told me once I cook with the shallots I would enjoy the taste so much better than always onions. I'm really excited about that because I love cooked onions!
But this turned out great! We enjoyed it. My porkchops were a little thick, so I had to put them in the oven to finish cooking while we ate our salad. But not a disaster! And like always, because I don't cook with wine, I used beef broth.
4 boneless center cut pork chops, 1 in thick (I cooked 3, but one each was enough for us)
Salt & freshly ground black peper
4 TBSP butter
1 medium onion, finely chopped
5 shallots, finely chopped
2 clovess garlic chopped
1 cup red wine (I used beef broth)
1/2 cup heavy cream
Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Season pork chops with salt & pepper. Heat a skillet on medium high. Melt 2 tablespoon of the butter in the pan. cook chops for about 5 minutes, until the outside is golden brown. Turn them over and continue cooking for another 5 minutes. Remove pork chops from pan and reserve in warm oven.
Add the onion to the skillet (and more butter if pan looks too dry) and cook until browned, about 7 minutes. Add the shallots and garlic, then cook for an additional minute. Pour wine (beef broth) into pan and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to a simmer, and cook until wine has reduced by half, about 3-4 minutes. Add the remianing butter, stirring to melt. Whisk in the cream. Season with additional salt & pepper.
Return pork chops to pan, heat for 2 minutes in the sauce and serve.
Then the recepe wasn't in the same cookbook. I have two Suzanne Sommers' cookbooks. This one was from the Eat, Cheat, and Melt the Fat Away book.
Another issue I'm having is that I THINK I know what something is. Like the example of Capers in a previous post. I thought they were Peppercorns. Awww good thing my hubby caught that one before I started cooking!
But with this recipe I thought Shallots were green onions... chives. I thought the chive was the green part at the top and the shallots were the white part at the bottom. Hubby to the rescue again! And explaned to me the difference. Well, I made this without the shallots, but I'm having him bring some home. He told me once I cook with the shallots I would enjoy the taste so much better than always onions. I'm really excited about that because I love cooked onions!
But this turned out great! We enjoyed it. My porkchops were a little thick, so I had to put them in the oven to finish cooking while we ate our salad. But not a disaster! And like always, because I don't cook with wine, I used beef broth.
4 boneless center cut pork chops, 1 in thick (I cooked 3, but one each was enough for us)
Salt & freshly ground black peper
4 TBSP butter
1 medium onion, finely chopped
5 shallots, finely chopped
2 clovess garlic chopped
1 cup red wine (I used beef broth)
1/2 cup heavy cream
Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Season pork chops with salt & pepper. Heat a skillet on medium high. Melt 2 tablespoon of the butter in the pan. cook chops for about 5 minutes, until the outside is golden brown. Turn them over and continue cooking for another 5 minutes. Remove pork chops from pan and reserve in warm oven.
Add the onion to the skillet (and more butter if pan looks too dry) and cook until browned, about 7 minutes. Add the shallots and garlic, then cook for an additional minute. Pour wine (beef broth) into pan and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to a simmer, and cook until wine has reduced by half, about 3-4 minutes. Add the remianing butter, stirring to melt. Whisk in the cream. Season with additional salt & pepper.
Return pork chops to pan, heat for 2 minutes in the sauce and serve.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Lemon Roasted Chicken
Okay, so this is the first recipe I did NOT like. In fact, my hubby who eats most everything didn't like it either. Now there could be one factor.... I didn't BAKE it, I put it in the Crockpot so it would cook while we were at church. But GEEZ! I could have done without a LOT more lemon. Six was just too much for the Crockpot. I couldn't even takes the cayenne pepper! So if I make this again in the crockpot, I will use only TWO lemons! Or I will just follow the recipe and bake it! LOL
Here's what I did:
One whole chicken (Recipe callse for 6 chicken leg/thigh pieces attached)
2 medium yellow or sweet onions, quartered
Juice of 6 lemons
10 garlic cloves, pressed
1 tablesppon dried rosemary, or more. (I actually used Thyme since I didn't have rosemary)
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper or more
Salt & black pepper.
I put the onion in the crockpot. I skinned and layed the chicken on top of the onion and poured in all that lemon juice. Rub the garlic on the chicken then sprinkle with the rosemary, cayenne pepper, S & P
Cooked on high for 5 hours. The chicken was cooked great, but just tooo much lemon taste.
So will I ever make this again? Probably not. If anyone else tries it, make it the way she suggests
Skin the chicken, if you like. Place the legs/thighs in a roasting pan with the quartered onions. Squeeze the juice from the lemons all over the chicken and then rub the pieces with garlic. Sprinkle on the spices. Roast for about 90 minutes or until cooked through.
To serve, pour the lemony garlic juices over the chicken & onions. (OH! I also didn't even taste the garlic!!)
Please leave a comment if you made this and how it turned out for you. I am curious!
:)
Here's what I did:
One whole chicken (Recipe callse for 6 chicken leg/thigh pieces attached)
2 medium yellow or sweet onions, quartered
Juice of 6 lemons
10 garlic cloves, pressed
1 tablesppon dried rosemary, or more. (I actually used Thyme since I didn't have rosemary)
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper or more
Salt & black pepper.
I put the onion in the crockpot. I skinned and layed the chicken on top of the onion and poured in all that lemon juice. Rub the garlic on the chicken then sprinkle with the rosemary, cayenne pepper, S & P
Cooked on high for 5 hours. The chicken was cooked great, but just tooo much lemon taste.
So will I ever make this again? Probably not. If anyone else tries it, make it the way she suggests
Skin the chicken, if you like. Place the legs/thighs in a roasting pan with the quartered onions. Squeeze the juice from the lemons all over the chicken and then rub the pieces with garlic. Sprinkle on the spices. Roast for about 90 minutes or until cooked through.
To serve, pour the lemony garlic juices over the chicken & onions. (OH! I also didn't even taste the garlic!!)
Please leave a comment if you made this and how it turned out for you. I am curious!
:)
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