Cedar-Planked Salmon

Why yes, it is as good as it sounds! I was never a salmon person until I got pregnant. Something about hormones and "I'll eat anything" hunger makes you rethink your traditional dislikes. This is my father-in-law's recipe and it is my favorite way to eat salmon, besides out of a can slathered in mayonnaise.

Glaze:
1 Tablespoon dijon mustard
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 Tablespoon butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon dark sesame oil

1 large salmon filet (or five of the individually frozen filets from Costco)
1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 untreated cedar plank, about 26 inches by 8 inches, soaked in water for at least one hour

In a small bowl prepare the glaze

Place the salmon, skin side down, on the soaked plank. Using needle-nose pliers, remove any extra bones from the filet/s. If using one whole filet cut 6-8 filets (but don't cut all the way through to the skin). Brush the glaze over the top and in between the cuts. If using filets from costco try to get them touching on the board, this will help prevent drying out. Season the top with salt and pepper.

Place the soaked plank on the top of a CHARCOAL grill. Yes, it must be charcoal. Flavor baby, flavor. Make sure the vents are open on the top and bottom of your grill so that air can get to the plank. Smoke=flavor! After a few minutes smoke will start escape out of the grill. Allow the salmon to cook on the plank for 15-25 minutes. You really do have to watch it carefully as it can overcook rather easily.

When the fish is opaque and flaking use metal tongs to remove the board from the grill. Place it on a cookie sheet or some other metal surface that can handle the charred bottom of the board.

Use a spatula to serve up pieces, enjoy!

Southwestern Chicken Bake

This recipe came from a Facebook friend on a group page. I tweaked it a bit and love the simple ingredients. This recipe makes a lot so it is good for groups or freezing in smaller batches for when your husband is TDY (that's military speak for business trip).

2-3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 oz taco seasoning (I usually buy two 1 oz packets of the McCormick and Schmick variety) (mild or spicy, your preference)
2 cans black beans (not rinsed)
2 cans corn OR 3 cups frozen corn
1 can rotel (mild or spicy, your preference)
29 oz can tomato sauce
4 oz cream cheese

Extras for topping and scooping
shredded cheddar cheese
green onion
shredded lettuce
diced tomato
diced onion
rice
tortilla chips

Throw the chicken, taco seasoning, black beans, corn, hotel, and tomato sauce into the crock pot. Cook on low 6-8 hours. Shred the chicken. Keep on warm until ready to serve. Just before serving, mix in 4 oz (half a block) of cream cheese. The cream cheese is optional for you dairy-free dieters, it mellows out the flavor and makes it creamy.

This is more like a thick stew once the cream cheese is added. Serve over whatever you like or by itself! Tortilla chips, rice, fritos, anything you like! I love this recipe because it goes a long way and can be tweaked easily and still get good results.

Eggplant and Goat Cheese Sandwiches

I tried so many different eggplant recipes that I absolutely hated. It ust be a texture thing because I cannot stand it! Luckily, my friend introduced me to this scrumptious recipe that is quick and easy. Enjoy!

1 eggplant, sliced into very thin medallions
1 red bell pepper, sliced very thin
1 yellow or orange bell pepper, sliced very thin
1/3 C goat cheese
1 ball of fresh mozzarella (have not tried pre-shredded bags but would probably work in a pinch)
Good crusty bread (ciabatta or sourdough would be great!)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray a cookie sheet with PAM or other spray oil. Place the eggplant and bell pepper slices on the sheet and spray the tops with more oil. Salt the items and then place in the oven. Let cook until the eggplant is shriveled and the peppers are soft, about 15-20 minutes. Remove.

Cut the bread into sandwich halves, spread one side with goat cheese and the other with slices of fresh mozzarella. I was able to get about 4 sandwiches out of this amount of ingredients but it really depends on sizes. Top either side with the baked eggplant and bell peppers. Put both sides of the sandwich into an oven proof dish and bake until the cheese has started to melt (about 10 minutes). Remove from oven.

Take either side of the sandwich and bring them together to form, well, a sandwich! Eat heartily!

This recipe really is not that difficult and I love that it is so simple. You could probably add zucchini too, if you like.

Spaghetti Marinara

Ok, so this recipe is totally taken from Anthony Bourdain's TV show but it is the best spaghetti I have ever made or eaten! It tastes completely different than the canned variety, very light and airy...delicious! The only negative is the TIME it takes to make! Unless you have a friend helping you expect to spend about 1 hour on this baby.

• About 20 ripe plum tomatoes
• About 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• Pinch of crushed red pepper
• 4 cloves of garlic, smashed
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tbs. unsalted butter
• 1 oz. freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (about half a cup)
• 6 to 8 fresh basil leaves well washed and dried, stacked and rolled into a cylinder and cut thinly crosswise into a chiffonade (HINT:  this is the only reason why I have a basil bush growing in my backyard, if you do not have cheap fresh basil available you can use the dry. It just won't have the pow of basil flavor)
• 1 lb. spaghetti, either high-quality dry or homemade

 

To peel the tomatoes: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Have a large bowl of ice water nearby. Cut a small X on the bottom of each tomato. Ease about 5 tomatoes in the pot and cook. Let boil for about 15 seconds (or until the skin looks like it is going to come off) and then promptly move them to the waiting ice water, do this with the remaining tomatoes. Pull off the skin with the tip of a paring knife. If the skin sticks, put the tomato back into the water. Cut the tomatoes in half and use your finger to flick out the seeds. I also cut out any bits that are yellow and the top part where the stem was as they are fibrous and won't cook down well.
 Infused oil: combine 1/4 cup of olive oil, fresh basil, garlic, and crushed red pepper in a small sauce pan. Heat on lowest temp possible. You are infusing the oil with the flavors of the garlic, red pepper, and basil.

 

To cook the tomatoes: In a wide pan, heat the 1/4 cup of olive oil over medium-high heat until hot. Season generously with salt (about 1/2-3/4 T) as this will help draw out the water of the tomatoes.
Let the tomatoes cook for a few minutes to soften. Then, using a potato masher, chop the tomatoes finely. Cook the tomatoes for 20 to 25 minutes, until the tomatoes are tender and the sauce has thickened. Once finished cooking, strain the remaining oil from the sauce pan and slowly add it to the tomatoes until the sauce turns an orangish red color. This is really up to your own tastes, I usually ad about 1/8 of a cup. Refrigerate for up to 2 days or freeze it for longer storage.

 

To serve: Bring a large pot of amply salted water to a boil. Cook the spaghetti until just shy of al dente. Reserve a little of the pasta cooking water. Add the pasta and butter to the sauce and cook over medium-high heat, gently tossing the pasta and the sauce together with a couple of wooden spoons and a lot of exaggerated movement (you can even shake the pan) until the pasta is just tender and the sauce, if any oil had separated from it, now looks cohesive (If the sauce seems too thick, add a little pasta liquid to adjust it). Take the pan off the heat and toss more fresh basil and cheese with the pasta in the same manner and serve immediately.

Note that the tossing of the pasta introduces air to the dish and makes it much lighter and tastier than the jarred version.

This recipe originally taken from this website with my tweaks:
http://www.travelchannel.com/tv-shows/anthony-bourdain/articles/spaghetti-with-fresh-tomato-sauce-and-basil

Couscous with Caramelized Onions and Goat Cheese

1T EVOO
2 C red onion diced, this seems like a lot but it will cook down
1 C couscous, I use Near East plain brand for this recipe: http://www.neareast.com/#products/couscous
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 C crumbled goat cheese
1 C chicken or veggie broth, be sure to use good stock!I prefer Kitchen Basics unsalted chicken or veggie stock

1. Heat olive oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add diced onion and saute 7 minutes or until browned. The browning is key as it gives a lot of flavor and prevents the onions from having a slimy texture.

2. Once onions are browned add thegarlic powder, pepper, and salt to the mixture. Saute for 1 minute til ingredients are combined. Add the stock to the pan and let it come to a boil. Once boiling add the couscous and goat cheese and lightly stir for a couple of seconds to make sure the couscous is covered by the stock.

3. Turn off the heat and cover the pan with a lid. Let sit for 5 minutes. Uncover, fluff with spoon or fork, and serve.

I served this with some boiled corn cobs and it was delicious! The cheese really makes this a hearty meal that can be used as a main dish. Enjoy!

This recipe was tweaked from the originial seen here:
http://www.food.com/recipe/couscous-with-caramelized-onions-and-goat-cheese-468815

Roast Broccoli

This recipe is taken from http://www.amateurgourmet.com/2008/11/the_best_brocco.html and is absolutely delicious!

Ingredients:
4-5 pounds of broccoli
EVOO
salt/pepper
4 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
lemon
parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Take 4 to 5 pounds of broccoli (I just got two large bunches), cut into florets (but relatively big ones.) Don't wash them if you want to get them crispy brown (aka delicious!). The heat of the oven will kill any germs.

Place the broccoli on a cookie sheet. Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper. (5 Tbs olive oil, 1 1/2 tsps kosher salt, 1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper, or just eyeballed it.) Now add the 4 garlic cloves.

Roast in the oven 20 to 25 minutes, until “crisp-tender and the tips of some of the florets are browned.”

I shook the pan around a bit as it went, but not sure that’s necessary.

When it’s done, take it out of the oven and zest a lemon over the broccoli, squeeze the lemon juice over the broccoli, add 1.5 Tbs more olive oil, and 1/3 cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Enjoy!



Very scrumptious, with thanks to my husband's sister for recommending!

White Bean Dip with Pita Chips

Don’t have tahini but still want a yummy dip/spread? Try this white bean dip that requires no tahini and is less tangy than hummus.

1 (15 oz) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed (as long as they are white beans your good, there are small white beans and bigger white beans if you can get the bigger ones they are meatier and make a better dip in my opinion)

2 cloves garlic
2 T fresh lemon juice (DO NOT use the ‘real’ lemon juice in the bottle, much too tart!)
1/3 C + 4 T olive oil
¼ C parsley leaves
Salt
Black pepper
6 pitas
1 tsp dried oregano

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place the beans, garlic, lemon juice, 1/3 C olive oil, and parsley in a food processor. Pulse until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Cut each pita round into 8 equal wedges (think of it as cutting a pizza) with kitchen shears or a knife. Place the pitas on a baking sheet and pour the remaining olive oil on the pitas. Sprinkle with oregano, salt and pepper. * Adding the oil/seasonings is not necessary to make a good chip, you can skip this part and bake them plain for less fat. Bake for 8-12 minutes or until toasted and golden in color.

You can also buy pita chips in the chip aisle of the grocery store but they are much more expensive than buying pitas in the bread aisle. Both versions are tasty and healthy.

This recipe taken from:
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/white-bean-dip/detail.aspx?event8=1&prop24=SR_Title&e11=white%20bean%20dip&e8=Quick%20Search&event10=1&e7=Recipe