Citrus Salmon with roasted asparagus

 

 

 

This is one of my favorite salmon recipes. It is especially good in the winter, when oranges are at their best. I used both navel and blood oranges tonight because my husband accidentally grabbed blood oranges instead of navel at the store today.  The colors are so pretty, it turned out to be a happy accident! The salad recipe that follows is made up out of things that I enjoy in a salad. We eat it in winter, using dried fruit instead of fresh.

 

Roast Salmon with Citrus Salsa

 

Roast Salmon

1/2 lb. salmon filet

1 Tbl. honey

1 tsp. season salt (I use Lawry's)

 

Citrus Salsa

2 navel oranges, segmented, juices reserved

2 blood oranges, peeled, segmented juices reserved

1 Tbl. capers

2 Tbl. finely sliced red onions

1 Tbl. chopped parsley

1 Tbl. chopped mint

Juice of 1 lemon

1 tsp. olive oil

 

 

Preheat oven to 350 F.

 

Place salmon in baking dish that has been coated with nonstick spray (easy cleanup).  spead honey over the top of the salmon. Sprinkle with season salt. Roast salmon, uncovered for 15 minutes, until medium rare on the inside.

 

 





Make the citrus salsa. Peel and segment the oranges, reserving the juice in a bowl.

 



Combine the remaining ingredients to finish salsa. Let the flavors meld together while the salmon cooks.

 



Roasted Asparagus

1 bunch asparagus
Salt and pepper
1 tsp. olive oil

Peel the asparagus, optional, but my son loves it when I peel our asparagus.

 

 

Place asparagus in oven proof dish. Season with salt, pepper and olive oil. Roast asparagus along with the salmon 10 - 15 minutes at 350.

 

 

 

 

 

Red leaf Salad with Dried Cherries and Blue Cheese

 

 

1 head red leaf lettuce

2 Tbl. chopped dried cherries

2 Tbl. blue cheese crumbled

2 Tbl. toasted, slivered almonds

1/4 red onion, thinly sliced

pinch of sea salt

3 Tbl. Easy Lemon Dressing

 

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. dress with dressing just before serving.

 

 

 

 



 

 



January Goals

 

In January, we always work to get those pounds that we gained from the holidays off and generally get back on track with healthier eating. I have officially purged my fridge of all leftover holiday cheeses, creams, etc. My goal is no red meat until we have our valentine's dinner. Being a lover of food and cooking, doesn't always translate into the healthiest dishes. I am going to give it a hard go, knowing that Valentine's day isn't too far off.

I have a celery cucumber and bean salad that that will become a staple for me. It makes a great lunch or snack.

Here is the recipe.

 

Cucumber, Celery and White Bean Salad

1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped
2 ribs of celery, thinly chopped
1 can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
2 TBL capers
1 yellow bell pepper
salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients in large mixing bowl. I divide the salad into individual serving containers. Dress each container before eating. I will leave these in my refrigerator for 3 - 4 days.

Easy Lemon Dressing

Juice of 1 lemon
1 Tbls. white wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsps. honey
1/2 tsps. salt
1/4 tsps. pepper

Mushroom Soup

I am not a huge soup fan. However, there is something very appealing about a warm soup simmering on the stove on a cold day.  Today, I just had to make mushroom soup. I love the earthy flavor of mushrooms in a creamy soup. I am going to pair it with some toasted bread and a parmesan roasted tomatoes for a vegetarian dinner. Nothing spectacular, but after the heaviness of the holidays, a welcome change. I made a mushroom stock from the stems of the mushrooms and carrots, celery, onion and the dark ends of the leeks. It isn't a necessary step. Chicken or vegetable broth would work just as well. Remember that leeks are masters of holding dirt and grit, so wash them thoroughly. No sense in going through all of this effort to produce a bowl of sandy grit!  Here is the recipe that I used.

Mushroom Soup

1 lb. assorted mushrooms, sliced. (I used crimini, shiitake and Portobello)
2 cups chopped leeks (white and light green parts only)
1 Tbl. chopped thyme
6 Tbl. olive oil, divided
1/4 cup flour
1 cup dry sherry
4 cups mushroom, vegetable or chicken stock
1/3 cup cream, half and half or fat free half and half
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup chopped parsley
drizzle of truffle oil (optional)

Sauté leeks in 2 Tbl of the olive oil over medium high heat until soft and slightly translucent.

 Add mushrooms and thyme, continue to cook until the mushrooms are cooked through.

Salt and pepper the mushroom leek mixture to taste. add in the remaining 4 Tbl of olive oil and the flour. Stir until the flour has cooked for a couple of minutes in the pan (with the mushroom mixture). Add in the sherry. Continue cooking and stirring until the flour and sherry have formed a thick paste. Add the stock and stir until you get an even consistency with the soup.

 

 

For a thicker soup, ladle out about 2 cups of the soup into a blender or an immersion blender. Blend well and incorporate back into the soup.

Finish soup with 1/3 cup of cream or half and half and the parsley (lends some bright notes to such a rich soup). To really gild the lily, add 8 or 9 drops of truffle oil at the end. Be careful to not overdo the truffle, it is delicious, but potent stuff.

Warm Mushroom Arugula Salad

I based this salad from an Ina Garten recipe. I really her enjoy her quick, simple recipes. My husband was a little leary of the idea of a mushroom salad for dinner. We were both pleasantly surprised by how flavorful and satisfying this salad turned out. The original recipe calls for procuitto for the cured meat. I had some leftover spanish chorizo and salami from a trio pack of Spanish meats that I had purchased from Costco, so I used those. I think that procuitto would be just as good. The meat gave a nice, salty contrast against the greens. Here is the recipe. You can double it for however many people you are serving. I always have lettuce because I buy a lot of prepackaged lettuce. At the end of the week, I will make a leftover lettuce salad, and just throw all lettuces that are left into one salad. It may not make for an award winning salad, but I feel like I am opening my wallet and tossing money directly into the garbage when I throw away unprepared food.

Warm Mushroom Arugula Salad
serves 2

2/3 Package of triple washed arugula
5 - 6 cremini mushrooms, sliced
2 tsp olive oil
4 oz cured, smoked deli style meat, such as procuitto, salami or chorizo
1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper

Dressing
Juice of one lemon
1 tsp white or red wine vinegar
1 tsp dijon mustard
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp honey
1/4 c. olive oil


Place arugula in a serving bowl or a platter that has sides to keep the dressing from running off. Sprinkle arugula with red onion and parmesan. Combine all dressing ingredients and wisk until well blended. Drizzle dressing over arugula. Heat olive oil in a nonstick pan. Saute mushrooms, adding salt and pepper to taste. While mushrooms are cooking, lay meat around the edge of the salad platter. When mushrooms are cooked, lay them over the arugula. Let the mushrooms sit on the arugula for a couple of minutes before tossing the salad. The warm mushrooms will slightly wilt the arugula. Serve with crusty bread.

Stuffed Jalepenos

With football season beginning, I thought I would post my favorite and most requested party appetizer, stuffed jalepenos. At the beginning of every football season, my husband fires up the grill, and twenty minutes later, we induldge in these salty, savory bites of heaven.

One note about jalepenos, I have discovered that jalepenos are much milder in the summer than the winter. This information is entirely based on my own observations, not grounded in any scientific data other than my mouth burning for hours when I make them for Superbowl parties. In the summer, a perfect amount of heat. Winter stuffed jalepenos are not for the faint of heart.

Here is the recipe.

Stuffed Jalepenos:

15 Large Jalepenos
1 pkg cream cheese, softened at room temperature
2 Tbl brown sugar
1 Lb bacon
Wooden toothpicks

Half each of the jalepenos lengthwise. using a spoon, carefully scoop out the seeds and core of each of the jalepenoes. A grapefruit sppon works very well for this process, if you have one. I also recommend wearing disposable rubber gloves to protect your hands. Fold the brown sugar and cream cheese together in a bowl. Using a teaspoon, fill each jalepeno half with the cream cheese mixture. Do not mound the cream cheese on the jalepeno, but level each half off with the cream cheese. if you mound it, the excess will just melt into the grill, making a mess. Lay the stuffed jalepenoes on a lipped cookie sheet.

On a cutting board, lay a strip of bacon. Using a meat mallet or rolling pin, pound the bacon into flat strips, working from the center of the strip to the edges. This helps the jalepeno to cook evenly. Lay a prepared jalepeno at one end of the bacon strip. Roll the jalepeno until it has been completely wrapped once with the bacon. Cut off the excess bacon and save for the next jalepeno. I can usually wrap 2 to 3 jalepeno halves with one strip of bacon. Secure loose ends of the bacon with a jalepeno.

Heat grill to high. Place jalepenos on the grill. Lower the heat to low, to prevent flare ups from the bacon grease. Cook jalepenoes for about 10 minutes. The more charred they are, the better they seem to taste. Alternatively, you can cook them in a 350 oven for 30 - 40 minutes.