Salmon & Lentil Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette

I was typing recipes into my computer when I came across this recipe and it stood out for a couple different reasons. I've been trying to find a good lentil salad recipe. I tried a Weight Watchers recipe a couple weeks ago and it was too acidic tasting and not a lot of flavor. I've also been trying to eat more salmon since I know it's pretty healthy. I like most anything with balsamic vinegar so the combo of all of these ingredients stood out. In my recipe, I only used 3 salmon fillets, which was a perfect amount for me. I also only used about a 1 tbsp of chopped mint, instead of the 1/2 cup mint, since I'm not a big fan. And once again, since I've never used scallions, I used 1/2 c green onions. Although I did try to find scallions this time, Whole Foods did not have them for whatever reason. The recipe called for Dijon, which I never have in the house and Google said that any other kind of mustard, with the exception of yellow mustard, would be a good substitute so I used Chipotle mustard and it tasted just fine. And I just realized that this recipe called for green lentils-I used brown since it's what I normally cook. All in all, the salad turned out pretty good and I ate 2 helpings of it. I think I'd definitely try this again.

Salmon & Lentil Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette (6 servings) (Cuisine Mediterranean Menus)

*Vinaigrette
1/4 c balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp EVOO
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp honey
Salt and pepper to taste

*Salad
1 c green lentils, sorted and rinsed
2 c shredded red cabbage
1 c shredded carrots
1 c thinly sliced scallions
1/2 c chopped fresh mint

*Salmon
1 tbsp Dijon
1 tbsp honey
6 salmon fillets, seasoned with salt and pepper
1 tbsp olive oil

1/4 c balsamic vinegar
Chopped fresh mint

For vinaigrette, combine 1/4 c vinegar, EVOO, 1 tbsp Dijon, garlic and 1 tbsp honey in a larg bowl; season with salt and pepper. For the salad, cook lentils according to pkg directions; drain. Transfer lentils to bowl with vinaigrette; toss to coat and let cool to room temp. Stir in cabbage, carrots, scallions and 1/2 c mint.

For the salmon, combine 1 tbsp Dijon and 1 tbsp honey; spread onto flesh side of salmon. Heat 1 tbsp oil in large skillet over med; add salmon, skin side down, and cook 2 minutes. Flip salmon, remove skin, and cook 3 minutes on flesh side; flip and cook until med-rare, 1 minute more. Remove salmon to a plate and shred.

Add 1/4 c vinegar to same skillet and reduce until syrupy. Serve the salmon over the salad; drizzle with balsamic reduction and garnish with mint.




Carrots, cabbage & green onions...






Vinaigrette...






Lentils mixed with the cabbage, carrots & green onions...






Salmon with the glaze...






Enjoy!...

Stuffed Zucchini

When I went to the farmer's market last weekend, I found some large zucchinis. I've been wanting to try some stuffed zucchini but I wanted to make it my own way. I looked on Pinterest to get a general idea of how long to cook it. I found several recipes with all sorts of ingredients in it so I decided to experiment a little bit and it turned out fabulous!!! I will definitely make this again and again and again! Once again, since I was experimenting, I didn't notice measurements so I'll try to guess how much I used. I had planned on making this dish last night so I made up the turkey mixture last night. I ended up staying at a friend's last night so I just reheated the turkey mixture with the zucchini pulp tonight. On a side note, expect some more zucchini recipes-I have 3 more zucchini to use!

Stuffed Zucchini: 2 servings

1 large zucchini, sliced lengthwise
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp paprika
1 tbsp butter
1 lb ground turkey
1 small onion, diced
2 tbsp veggie oil
1-2 tbsp taco seasoning
1-2 tbsp pepper
2-3 tbsp cumin
2-3 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1-2 tbsp paprika
1-2 tbsp dried basil
1-2 tbsp dried parsley
1-2 tbsp dried oregano
1 heaping tbsp bottled minced garlic
1 heaping tbsp bottled minced ginger
2-3 tbsp soy sauce
2 c shredded cheese, your choice of blend

Scoop out the pulp of the zucchini with a spoon, dice the pulp and set aside. Sprinkle the zucchini halves with olive oil and sprinkle with paprika. Preheat oven to 350 and spread foil on a 9x13-in glass baking dish; place the zucchini in the prepared dish.

Melt the butter in a skillet and add the pulp; stir and cook for about 2-4 minutes, until heated through. In another skillet, add the veggie oil and heat to med-high. Add the ground turkey and onion. Add all the seasonings, ginger and garlic. Cook until the turkey is no longer pink; drain. Return the meat mixture to the skillet, add the zucchini pulp and soy sauce; stir to blend.

Spoon the meat mixture into the zucchini boats-don't press down, let the meat mixture sit naturally. Sprinkle the boats with cheese. Bake in the oven for about 25 minutes, until the zucchini is tender. Slice each zucchini in half and serve.




Hollowed out zucchini...






Zucchini boats sprinkled with olive oil and paprika...






Zucchini pulp...






Zucchini heating in butter...






Filling heating up...






Filling in the zucchini...






Fresh from the oven...






Enjoy!...

Strawberry Bread

I had gone to the farmer's market this past weekend and picked up a lot of fresh strawberries. But they were smaller so I knew they would go bad pretty quick. I ate what I could but I also wanted to try to make a muffin or bread recipe. I found this recipe on Pinterest via askchefs.net After reading the ingredients list, I decided on this bread because it looked like it would be moist and it definitely is! The bread is super moist, with chunks of strawberries and a hint of cinnamon. I added some chocolate chips on top to one of the loaves for a little bit of a change and that turned out to be good as well. I didn't add the pecans to mine. I'll definitely make this bread again!

Strawberry Bread: 2 loaves

2 c fresh strawberries
3 1/8 c flour
2 c sugar
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/4 c veggie oil
4 eggs, beaten
1 1/4 c chopped pecans, optional

Preheat oven to 350. Spray 2 9x5-inch loaf pans with nonstick cooking spay. Slice strawberries and place in a bowl, sprinkled with sugar; set aside.

Combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, salt and baking soda in large bowl; mix well. Blend oil and eggs into strawberries. Add strawberry mixture to flour mixture, blending until ingredients are just moistened. Stir in pecans, if using. Divide batter into pans. Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let cool in pans on wire rack for 10 minutes. Turn loaves out and cool completely.




Strawberries and sugar...






Everything mixed together...






Ready for the oven...






Fresh from the oven...






Sliced and ready to eat! Enjoy...

Meatballs with Polenta

I have no idea where I got this book but I was looking through my recipe books a couple weeks ago and came across this recipe. I love meatballs and I'm starting to really like polenta so I thought I'd give it a try. I cut the meat in half and only used ground turkey-it called for 8 oz ground sirloin and 8 oz ground turkey-and it still made a lot of meatballs with just 8 oz ground turkey! So glad I decided not to include the sirloin as well. This recipe made more than the 4 servings it suggests. I added some ginger and garlic to the ground turkey since there wasn't a lot of spices that were involved. The only thing I didn't like about this recipe was the leftovers. The polenta hardened up and turned really thick and even after reheating it, it still remained chunky-not the smooth polenta I had originally made that night. I think I'd make this again, but I think I'd try to half it and only make up the polenta I would need for that meal at a time. I also added a lot of Parmesan cheese to this recipe and spiced up the polenta with garlic salt. I used panko instead of the soaked bread, mainly because soft bread makes me gag.

Meatballs with Polenta: 4 servings

8 oz ground sirloin
8 oz ground turkey
1 egg
1/2 c chopped parsley, plus more for garnish
1/4 c Parmesan, plus more for garnish
1/2 c tsp fennel seeds
Salt and pepper
1 slice whole bread, torn into small pieces and briefly soaked in milk (I used about 1/2 c panko)
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp minced ginger
1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
Pinch red pepper flakes
1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
1 c dried polenta, prepared according to pkg directions

Preheat oven to 450. Combine sirloin, turkey, egg, parsley, Parmesan, fennel seeds, ginger, garlic and 1/2 tsp salt in large mixing bowl. Squeeze the excess milk from the bread and add it to the bowl (or use panko). Using your clean hands, gently mix the ingredients together. Form meatballs the size of golf balls, about 1" in diameter, being careful not to overwork the meat. Place the meatballs in a baking dish and bake for 25 minutes, until nicely browned all over.

While the meatballs bake, heat the oil in a a deep skillet/pot (the sauce will splatter as it simmers!) over med. Add the onion, garlic, and pepper flakes and cook for about 3 minutes, until the onion is soft and translucent. Add the tomatoes, plus salt and pepper to taste, and simmer while the meatballs finish cooking.

Transfer the meatballs straight from the oven to the sauce. Cook for at least 10 minutes (but preferable 20-30 minutes), turning the meatballs so that all parts have a chance to simmer in the sauce. Serve the meatballs and sauce over the soft polenta, topped with a bit of chopped parsley and grated Parmesan.




Meatballs ready for the oven...






Cooked meatballs...






Cooked meatballs added to the sauce...






Polenta...






Polenta topped with Parmesan...






Meatballs simmering in the sauce...






Enjoy!...

Sweet & Sour Pork

I found this recipe in a Weight Watchers Cookbook. I had tried it several years ago and loved it. Unlike most Weight Watchers recipes, this recipe had a lot of flavor. I was telling my mom about the recipe and started craving it so I decided to make it again and once again I loved it. While making it, I discovered I was missing some ingredients, but I just worked around it. I didn't have a bell pepper so I went without. And I've never used scallions before for some reason so I just used green onions instead. It says to marinate the pork while you prepare and cook the veggies but I let mine sit overnight, as I did the first time I made it. I think marinating it overnight lets the marinade sink into the pork and makes the pork more flavorful. I'll definitely keep making this recipe!

Sweet & Sour Pork (4 servings) (Weight Watchers) (4 points)

1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp hoisin sauce
2 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp soy sauce
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/2 lb boneless lean pork loin, cubed
1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1-in pieces
3 scallions, sliced
1 c drained, canned unsweetened pineapple chunks (reserve 1 tbsp juice)

In large skillet, heat oil. In gallon-size plastic bag, mix hoisin sauce, brown sugar, soy sauce and ginger; add pork. Seal bag, squeezing out the air; turn to coat the pork. Let bagged pork stand while you cook the veggies.

In skillet, stir-fry the bell pepper and scallions until softened, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

Transfer the pork to the skillet, reserving the marinade; stir-fry the pork until browned, about 2-3 minutes. Add the marinate, pineapple and pineapple juice; stir-fry until pork is cooked through, about 5 minutes longer. Return the veggies to the skillet and heat to serving temperature, about 2 minutes.




Pork marinating...






Pork and green onions...






Pineapples added to the pork...






Enjoy!...

Chicken Biryani

I found this recipe book at Barnes & Noble. I used to work with an Indian woman so I asked her go through the book and mark recipes she has made or makes for her family for me to try. This was one of those recipes. I found an Indian grocery store nearby where I had to pick up some of the ingredients. It was a neat place so spent a little time looking around. I'd definitely like to go back soon and spend more time in there. I chose this recipe because it looked like a casserole and looked pretty easy to make. Boy was I wrong! It took an hour to prep and get everything ready and then another hour to cook! I thought it was good when I first starting eating it but the more I ate it the more I didn't like it. I have never had cardamom pods or cloves before and I don't think I like the cardamom pods. I also had to grind some of the spices and I don't think I ground them all the way down so I didn't like the taste of that either. If I ever make this recipe again, I think I'd leave out the cardamom pods and use all ground spices. And I wouldn't spice up the rice-I'd just leave it plain.

Chicken Biryani (4 servings)(10 points)

1 1/2 basmati rice
10 whole green cardamom pods
1/2 tsp salt
2-3 whole cloves
2-in piece fresh cinnamon stick
3 tbsp veggie oil
3 onions, sliced
4 chicken breast fillets, each about 6 oz, skinned and cubed
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp hot chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tsp finely chopped fresh ginger
Juice of 1 lemon
4 tomatoes, sliced
2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
2/3 c plain yogurt, plus extra to serve
4-5 saffron threads, soaked in 2 tsp warm milk
2/3 c water
Garnishes: Sliced almonds, fresh cilantro sprigs

Wash rice well and let soak in water for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 375. Remove seeds from half the cardamom pods and grind them finely, using a mortar and pestle. Set aside the ground seeds.

Bring pan of water to boil. Drain rice and add t with the salt, whole cardamom pods, cloves and cinnamon stick. Boil 2 minutes, then drain, leaving the whole spices in the rice. Keep the rice hot in a covered pan.

Heat oil in a large skillet and fry the onions for 8 minutes, until softened and browned. Add the chicken and the ground spices, including the ground cardamom seeds. Mix well, then add the garlic, ginger ad lemon juice. stir-fry for about 5 minutes.

Transfer the chicken mixture to a casserole (I used a Dutch oven) and arrange the tomatoes on top. Sprinkle with fresh cilantro, spoon the yogurt evenly on top, and cover with drained rice.

Drizzle the saffron milk over the rice and pour over the water. Cover, then bake in the oven for 1 hour. Transfer to a serving plate and discard the whole spices. Garnish and serve immediately.




Chicken and onions cooking...






Rice and spices boiling...






Chicken and onion mixture...






Tomatoes and cilantro...






Yogurt added to the mixture...






All the layers and ingredients and ready for the oven...






Fresh from the oven...






Enjoy!...