Crab Cakes

Wow, I've been gone quite some time.  We were visiting family all of last week which was a wonderful time, as always.  And, true to form, I forced my way into two kitchens because a vacation for me just wouldn't seem complete without some time spent in there.

However, it was good to come home...especially to come home to California produce.  Incredibly sweet strawberries, cherries, tomatoes...I couldn't really stop myself when I got back to those roadside stands.  I have big plans for them this week (although the strawberries were already made into a sauce for our pancakes last night...delicious!) but for now, I'll share a favorite of ours from before our vacation... 

...Crab cakes.  Light, airy, and so good.  We loved this recipe although the crab cakes did fall apart on us a bit (I think I would try adding a few more breadcrumbs next time to help hold everything together).    I also used a bit of the leftover crab mixture to stuff mushrooms which worked incredibly well (and is highly recommended by my husband).   

While these crab cakes would do very well as an appetizer, we made this into a full meal, serving it with a simple salad on the side and garlic toast.  An easy summer meal...just how we like it!

Crab Cakes
Taken from: America's Test Kitchen Healthy Family Cookbook
Serves 4

• 2 to 4 tablespoons dry bread crumbs (plus more if needed)
• ¼ cup mayonnaise (I used plain Greek yogurt instead because mayo is not allowed in my kitchen)
• 1 large egg white, lightly beaten
• 4 scallions, sliced thin
• 2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
• 1 pound fresh jumbo lump crabmeat, picked over to remove cartilage or shell
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning 
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest 
• Salt and ground white pepper 
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• 4 tsp. canola oil 
• Lemon wedges for serving

1. Whisk mayo or yogurt, egg white, scallions, mustard, parsley, Old Bay, lemon zest, salt and pepper in a bowl.  Gently fold in crabmeat and breadcrumbs, being careful not to break up lumps of crab.  Add more breadcrumbs if necessary.
2. Divide the crab mixture into four portions and shape each into a fat, round cake, about 1 inch thick. Arrange the cakes on a baking sheet; cover with plastic wrap and chill at least 30 minutes. (The crab cakes can be refrigerated up to 24 hours.)  
3. Put the flour on a shallow bowl, plate or pie tin. Lightly dredge the crab cakes in the flour. Heat the oil in a large, preferably nonstick, skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Gently place chilled crab cakes in the skillet; pan-fry until the outsides are crisp and browned, 4 to 5 minutes per side. 
4. Gently transfer crab cakes to paper towel-lined plate and let drain briefly.  Serve immediately with lemon wedges or dipping sauce.

Shrimp, Asparagus and Radish Pasta

There are a few dishes or ingredients that I like so much, it actually pains me a little to try a new recipe with them.  Take polenta, for instance.  I love polenta - a little honey and a little butter is all I need. I actually can't bring myself to add cheese to it and the one time that I topped polenta with a delicious vegetable tamale concoction, I scraped off the topping and ate the two separate.  To me, the sum was just not greater than the parts.

Asparagus is another ingredient that I don't very creative with.  Ever since I was little, it's been one of my top ten favorite foods.  I love roasted asparagus and since we've been getting it weekly in our CSA box, I've been roasting it weekly.  So finally, I forced myself to try something a little different.  I had seen a recipe for shaved asparagus pizza and while I wasn't making pizza that night, I thought that shaving asparagus sounded like an interesting trick. 

Also, my dad had told me how much he had liked a shrimp and radish pasta that was in one of the recent Everyday Food magazine issues.  We finally got radishes in our CSA box so I knew I had to try that recipe.  Only I decided to throw in some shaved asparagus.  And use less butter.  And add a little of that leftover white wine.  And top it off with a little lemon.  While I ended up deviating quite a bit from the original recipe, it was still a delicious pasta that seemed like a perfect spring dish.  And I didn't have to scrape off any toppings this time.

Shrimp, Asparagus and Radish Pasta

Loosely adapted from: Everyday Food magazine

Serves 4-6

• 3/4 pound linguine or other long pasta (I used white whole wheat pasta)
• 2 Tbsp butter, divided (plus more to taste)
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 bunch radishes, including greens
• 1 pound asparagus, trimmed
• 1 pound frozen large shrimp (peeled and deveined), thawed
• 2-4 Tbsp white wine (I freeze my leftover white wine in ice cube trays for recipes like this!)
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice (plus more to taste)

1. To prepare: Shave asparagus with a vegetable peeler into long, thin strips. Thinly slice or chop garlic.  Thinly slice radishes.  For the radish greens, rinse well and then give a rough chop.
2. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions.  When there is only one more minute of cook time left for the pasta, drop the shaved asparagus into the boiling water and let the asparagus and pasta cook together for 1 minute.  Drain pasta and asparagus, saving 1/2 cup of pasta water if possible.
3. While pasta is cooking, in a large skillet, melt 1/2 tablespoon of butter over medium-high heat. Add garlic and radishes and cook, stirring occasionally, until radishes are crisp-tender, 3 minutes. Add radish greens and cook until wilted. 
4. Add 1/2 tablespoon of butter and the shrimp to the pan.  Season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until shrimp is opaque throughout, 4 minutes. Deglaze with white wine (I used approximately 4 tablespoons for a stronger wine taste in the dish).  Add pasta, asparagus, and remaining tablespoon of butter to the skillet and toss to combine.
5. Remove from heat and add lemon juice.  Add more white wine, butter, lemon juice, pasta water and/or salt and pepper to taste.

Crispy Bourbon Glazed Salmon

When I found Jessica's post on How Sweet It Is for her crispy bourbon glazed salmon, I knew I had to drop everything -- rearrange my (somewhat) meticulous weekly meal plan -- because I needed to make that salmon that night.  I can't say that happens too often, even when I stumble across a delicious-looking recipe, but this was worth it.  It definitely lived up to our expectations; my husband couldn't stop talking about it - the sweet and tang together, a little bit of heat to add complexity - altogether a wonderful combination of flavors. 

My only regret is that I halved the bourbon glaze recipe because it seemed like too much for just two of us and I hate wasting food.  That was a mistake - the glaze is the star of this dish so I highly recommend making the whole thing! 

Sadly, we ate all of the salmon without taking a single picture until the very last bite.  But that means that you'll just have to make it yourself to see what it looks like! It would be so easy to serve with a few simple sides (like roasted cauliflower and rice pilaf).

Crispy Bourbon Glazed Salmon

Taken from: How Sweet It Is

Serves 3-4 (makes about 1/2 cup of glaze)

• 1 pound fresh salmon
• 1 tablespoon coarse sea salt
• 1/2 tablespoon black pepper
• 3/4 cup bourbon (I used whiskey)
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 1-2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1/2 teaspoon ground mustard

1. Combine the bourbon, sugar, mustard, garlic, honey, vinegar and worcestershire in a small saucepan and whisk. Heat over high heat and allow it to come to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and let simmer for 8-10 minutes, or until mixture reduces by about half. Pour mixture in a bowl and let sit at room temperature while the salmon cooks. The glaze will thicken a bit at this time.
2. Preheat the broiler in your oven. Make sure the salmon is dry and season it with the coarse salt and pepper on both sides. Lay it on a non-stick baking sheet.  Broil for about 5-6 minutes on each side, until the top develops a crispy crust. If your salmon is very thick, you may need to go a little longer.
3. Remove the salmon from the oven and brush it with the bourbon glaze. Add as much or as little as you would like. Feel free to use it as a dipping sauce too. The glaze can be stored in the fridge for a week or two – just allow it to come to room temperature (or slightly warm it) before using.

Herb Crusted Fish

Since we have seafood at least once a week, I'm always on the lookout for good recipes.  Of course, I prefer to find recipes that are fast, delicious and healthy, but you can't always get the trifecta.  But this recipe hits the nail on the head.  We made this herb-crusted fish -- the original recipe called for salmon but I only had tilapia in the freezer -- and it was so good!  It only calls for 6 ingredients (5 for me because I cheated by using panko instead of making my own breadcrumbs) and it is pretty versatile because it got great reviews for salmon but we loved it with white fish. Simple but I love that each ingredient can shine (serving it with lemon is a must for me because I think it just brightens up the dish).

Served with roasted cauliflower and rosemary roasted potatoes, it was an ideal weeknight meal!


Herb Crusted Fish
Taken from: Martha Stewart
Serves 4

• 3 slices white sandwich bread (or substitute 1/2 cup of panko and omit the olive oil)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 4 6-oz skinless salmon fillets or any kind of white fish (we used tilapia)
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• lemon wedges, for serving
• Coarse salt and ground pepper

1. If making breadcrumbs: Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil; set aside. In a food processor, combine bread, parsley, and 1 tablespoon oil; season with salt and pepper. Pulse until coarse crumbs form.
2. If using panko, combine panko and chopped parsley in a small bowl.
3. Place salmon on prepared sheet; season with salt and pepper. Spread top of fillets with Dijon; top with crumb mixture, pressing gently to adhere. Roast until salmon is opaque throughout, 11 to 13 minutes (for white fish, I checked at 8 minutes). Serve with lemon wedges.

Balsamic Glazed Salmon

What a week.  A crazy week at my work, Bryant's final week of surgery and THEN I came down with a bad cold yesterday.  (Let me tell you, I'm actually slightly annoyed to be sick because I haven't really been sick since Bryant and I were married.  That's right, over 18 months.  My streak is over!)

So with all the craziness of our week, the original menu plan also drastically changed (including ordering pizza instead of cooking one night and my paper bag with our entire meal breaking and bursting in the hospital parking lot another night).  However, in all that, there was one amazing meal that might have made up for the rest of the week: balsamic glazed wild salmon, quinoa pilaf, and Brussels sprouts two ways (Brussels sprouts hash and roasted Brussels sprouts). 

This balsamic glazed salmon was absolutely wonderful...one of our favorite meals.  The glaze had sweetness but the vinegar balanced it out nicely and it finished with a nice kick from the red pepper flakes.  It's fast (less than 30 minutes), simple to make with less than 10 ingredients, only uses one skillet, and healthy. The cooking trifecta (fast, healthy and delicious) -- what more could you want?  I will definitely be making this again!

Balsamic-Glazed Salmon
Taken from:  America's Test Kitchen 2010 Light & Healthy cookbook
Serves:3-4

• 4 6-oz skinless salmon fillets (preferably wild), about 1 1/2 inches thick
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon canola oil
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar
• 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 small sprig fresh rosemary (or a large pinch of dried rosemary)
• salt and pepper

-Pat salmon fillets dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in nonstick or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking.
-Carefully lay salmon, skinned-side up, in the skilled and cook until well browned, about 5 minutes. Flip the salmon and cook until side are opaque and thickest part register 125 degrees, about 2-5 minutes longer (depending on the thickness of your salmon).
-Transfer salmon to platter, tent loosely with foil and let rest while making the glaze.
-Glaze: Whisk orange juice, balsamic vinegar, honey, white vinegar and pepper flakes in a small bowl.
-Wipe out the skillet used for the salmon with a wad of paper towels and return to medium heat. Add the glaze and rosemary to the skillet, bring to a simmer and cook until glaze is thick, syrupy and reduced to about 1/4 cup, about 5 minutes.
-Remove rosemary spring and season  glaze with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon the glaze oven the salmon and serve.

Asian Salmon

Happy Veteran's Day! Bryant and I both had the day off and spent a wonderful day relaxing and doing little chores around the house (I was also trying to fight off a small cold).  This Asian salmon was great for dinner tonight.  All you do is throw some ingredients in a ziploc bag, let it marinate and then broil for about 7 minutes.  It needed to be marinated for 1-2 hours which makes it more difficult to make for a quick weeknight meal, but overall, this is an incredibly simple and easy dish to make for a day at home.   

We served the Asian salmon with not only leftover sweet potatoes (that I wanted to use up) but also with brown rice - this delicious sauce really needed something to soak up all the juices! We also had roasted brussels sprouts but steamed green beans would have also been excellent.


Asian Salmon
Taken from: AllRecipes
Serves: 2-3

• 1 pound salmon fillets (I removed the skin)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 - 1 tsp. freshly grated ginger
• 1 pinch ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons minced onion
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil

-Make several shallow slashes in the skinless side of the salmon filets. In a medium bowl, whisk together the olive oil, rice vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, pepper, onion and sesame oil. Pour half of the marinade  in a ziploc bag and add the liquid.  Cover and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours.
-Preheat the oven to broil. In a 8-inch square baking dish or a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil, add salmon.  Broil for approximately 4 minutes on one side and 3 minutes on the other, until fish flakes easily.
-In a medium saucepan, add the second half of the marinade.  Warm over medium heat for 3-5 minutes. 
-Pour the heated sauce over the salmon. Serve over rice.

Broiled Tilapia with Thai Coconut-Curry Sauce & Week's Menu Plan

I had high expectations for this dish.  It was ranked one of the best recipes on cookinglight.com and when I quickly scanned through of a few of the 150 comments, they all sang its praises and offered no changes.

And they were right - it was delicious.  The sauce was divine.  It's a must to serve it with rice (we had leftover risotto) because it really needs something to soak up the sauce. We kept spooning more sauce onto our plates.  I was even dipping my steamed artichoke leaves into the sauce instead of melted butter! The flavors surprisingly delicate.  There's not much heat to it but I think that adding some crushed red pepper flakes would give it some nice (but not overwhelming) heat.  But I think that's the only change I would make.  Since it's from Cooking Light, it's already a pretty health-conscious meal.  Thank you, Cooking Light!

Broiled Tilapia with Thai Coconut-Curry Sauce
Taken from: Cooking Light
Serves: 4 (which typically means it serves 3 in our house)

• 1  teaspoon  dark sesame oil, divided
• 2  teaspoons  minced peeled fresh ginger
• 2  garlic cloves, minced
• 1  cup  finely chopped red bell pepper
• 1  cup  chopped green onions
• 1  teaspoon  curry powder
• 2  teaspoons  red curry paste
• 1/2  teaspoon  ground cumin
• 4  teaspoons  low-sodium soy sauce
• 1  tablespoon  brown sugar
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt, divided
• 1  (14-ounce) can light coconut milk
• 2  tablespoons  chopped fresh cilantro
• 4  (6-ounce) tilapia fillets
• Cooking spray
• 3  cups  hot cooked brown rice
• 4  lime wedges

-Preheat broiler.
-Heat 1/2 teaspoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add ginger and garlic; cook 1 minute. Add pepper and onions; cook 1 minute. Stir in curry powder, curry paste, and cumin; cook 1 minute. Add soy sauce, sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and coconut milk; bring to a simmer (do not boil). Remove from heat; stir in cilantro.
-Brush fish with 1/2 teaspoon oil; sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Place fish on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Broil 7 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Serve fish with sauce, rice, and lime wedges.

Week's Menu Plan
Friday: Apple, Cheddar & Ham Panini and Grilled Ham, Pear & Cheese Sandwich

Saturday:  Chicken Piccata with Summer Vegetables

Sunday: Mongolian beef with broccoli, mushrooms with edamame

Monday: pizza margharita

Tuesday: Rotisserie Chicken, Apple Walnut Salad  with buttercup squash

Wednesday: feta salmon cakes with roasted sweet potatoes

Thursday: Spinach & Meat Ravioli

Friday: shrimp & grits

Saturday: sirloin kabobs w/ black eye pea salad, chocolate Guinness cupcakes for dessert 

Sunday: coffee crumb cake for breakfast, chicken tikka masala with brown rice

Monday: Spanish Tortilla with salad, apple pandowdy for dessert

Week's Menu Plan & Tilapia with Lemon Sauce

So I'm surviving my first week of work! Actually, not only surviving but also really enjoying it. Well, I did come home after the first day and just stared blankly at the wall for a good 15 minutes.  But now I'm feeling like I'm getting back into the swing of things.  Since I was tired after the first day, it was great that I had this tilapia recipe planned. It was light, very lemony and so easy to make - even I could muster the energy to make this!

This coming week's menu plan is a combination of using what's already in our fridge/freezer/pantry and using what's still in season and at the farmers market (only 3 weeks left at our local market!).  We're splurging a bit for a meal (read: scallops) but it'll be counter-balanced with some el cheapo dishes (like the black bean tacos).


Week's Menu Plan

Friday: homemade burgers with blue cheese

Saturday: All the necessary game day food - boneless buffalo wings (I make both hot and BBQ; these are great baked in the oven!), celery and carrots with tzatziki or blue cheese sauce, white bean dip with crackers

Dessert: Nanaimo Bars

Sunday: Borscht (beet soup)
 
Monday: stuffed peppers

Tuesday: Spicy Chicken Avocado Sandwich

Wednesday: Crispy Black Bean Taco

Thursday: Seared Sea Scallops with risotto


Sauteed Tilapia with Lemon Sauce
Taken from: Cooking Light
Serves: 3-4

If you aren't a big fan of the lemon, I would recommend cutting down on the lemon juice from 1/4 cup to 2 Tbsp.

• 3/4  cup  fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 1/4  cup  fresh lemon juice
• 1 1/2  teaspoons  drained brine-packed green peppercorns, lightly crushed (completely optional; you could also substitute capers or like myself, completely leave this out.  Next time, I might try to add some dried thyme which is apparently an adequate substitute.)
• 1  teaspoon  butter
• 1  teaspoon  vegetable oil
• 1 lb. tilapia or sole fillets
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• 1/4  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4  cup  all-purpose flour
• 2  teaspoons  butter
• Lemon wedges (optional, for serving)

-Combine chicken broth, lemon juice and if using, peppercorns (or any substitute).
-Place 1 teaspoon of butter and 1 teaspoon of oil in a large nonstick skillet over low heat until butter melts.
While butter melts, sprinkle fish fillets with salt and black pepper. Place the flour in a shallow dish. Dredge fillets in flour; shake off excess flour.
-Increase heat to medium-high; heat 2 minutes or until butter turns golden brown in pan.
-Add fillets to pan; sauté 3 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Remove fillets from pan.
-Add broth mixture to pan, scraping to loosen browned bits. Bring to a boil; cook until reduced to 1/2 cup (about 3 minutes). Remove from heat. Stir in two teaspoons of butter with a whisk. Serve sauce over fillets. Garnish with lemon wedges, if desired.

Shrimp & Grits

Ahh, a Southern classic. Of course, Southern food hasn't been known as the healthiest of foods (a deep fat fryer seems to be a must for classic Southern cookin') but with a few healthy changes, it can still taste delicious!  I tried making shrimp and grits tonight, albeit a much healthier version than what's typically served.  It was my first time actually having shrimp and grits, too.  By the time I finally would venture out to try new dishes (it would probably be an understatement to say that I was a rather picky child), I was in Washington DC and couldn't swallow paying $30 for a plate.  And since I doubt we'll be finding soul food any time in California, I decided to make my own! I finally found a suitable recipe - while I can't judge its authenticity, it was still delicious.  The Old Bay and chili powder give the dish a nice kick but the grits balanced it out by being nice and creamy.

However, my grits aren't true, stone ground grits.  It was polenta instead because I already had the ingredients.  They are similar that it was a fine substitute for us!  They were incredibly creamy - I know that I'll want to use this polenta recipe again for other dishes.

Shrimp and Grits
Taken from: Kath Eats
3-4 servings

• 10 oz shrimp, peeled and deveined
• Approx. 5-6 ounces fresh spinach (you could also sub broccoli raab, collards, etc)
• 2 carrots, thinly sliced
• 1 cup bell peppers, diced (I used red)
• 2 stalks celery, thinly sliced
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2-3 tsp Old Bay Seasoning
• Approx. 1 tsp. chili powder
• Polenta recipe below OR 1/4 cup quick cooking polenta (if using quick cooking polenta, stir in 2 Tbsp. butter and 2 tsp. honey at the end)
• 2 Tbsp parmesan cheese

(Start cooking polenta/grits at the same time you begin the shrimp part of the recipe.)
-Dry each shrimp with a paper towel or two to make sure they sear nicely.
-Heat a large saute pan to medium high. Add olive oil to pan and when the oil is heated (if you flick a few drops of water on the pan, the water drops should dance), place shrimp one by one into pan and don’t touch until brown on one side (probably takes about 3 minutes). Flip and sear on other side until crispy. Remove shrimp from pan.
-Add veggies to pan, lightly season with salt and pepper and sautee a few minutes (I actually did this step in a second saute pan and sauteed the veggies while the shrimp was going to cut down on some time.) Stir in Old Bay and chili powder. Add 1/4 cup chicken broth (or water, if you don't have broth) to deglaze plan and steam veggies. Remove veggies from pan when tender.
-Add spinach to pan. Lightly season with salt and pepper and saute a few minutes until wilted. Add a splash of water to steam/deglaze, if needed.
-Add veggies and shrimp to polenta pot and stir together. Pour into bowl and top with shrimp and parmesan.

Homemade Polenta/Grits
Taken from: Everyday Italian cookbook
3-4 side dish servings

• 3 cups water
• 1 tsp. salt
• 3/4 cup + 2 Tbsp. cornmeal
• 2 Tbsp. butter, cut into pieces
• 2 tsp. honey

-In a heavy saucepan, bring water to a boil.  Add salt.
-Reduce heat to low.  Gradually whisk in the cornmeal and cook, stirring often, until the mixture thickens and the cornmeal is tender, about 15 minutes (with fine cornmeal although it could take up to 30 minutes with medium cornmeal).
-Remove from heat and stir in butter and honey.

Fish Tacos, Avocado Relish, Black Bean & Corn Salad

We had quite a Mexican fiesta Saturday night! Just how I like it - fish tacos, avocado relish, black bean and corn salad, salsa AND guacamole - light, lots of avocado, and delicious! It also made for great leftovers Sunday night.  And we had so much that I didn't even have to cook and could still send Bryant with a full lunch the next day.

Fish tacos are usually deep fat fried but baking is a much healthier option (however, my one kitchen disaster did come from trying to bake fish and chips instead of frying them...stick to the real thing with that dish!).  But fish tacos were absolutely great.

The black bean and corn salad is really easy to make. This was actually one of the first dishes I ever remember making and my dad really liked it (so perhaps it was one of my first successful dishes). I used fresh corn since it's still in season in California but frozen corn would work, too.  You could add rice (if you'd like), different kinds of beans, different vegetables, different spices...it would be pretty easy to play around with!

Finally, the avocado relish was great with both the fish tacos and the black bean and corn salad (and probably would be great just with tortilla chips, too). It has lots of lime juice so it is a bit tart but very creamy.


Fish Tacos
Taken from: A Hint of Honey

• 4 (4-6 oz.) cod fillets
• 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup cornmeal (or you could use whole wheat Panko)
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• (I also added a sprinkling of both cayenne and paprika)

-Preheat oven broiler (500 F).
-Cut cod into thin strips. Toss to combine flour, cornmeal, salt, pepper, and chili powder in a shallow dish. Coat fish strips in the cornmeal mixture. Place on a lightly greased baking sheet.
-Broil in preheated oven for 3-4 minutes per side, flipping halfway through, until the fish flakes easily with a fork.
-Serve with warm whole-wheat tortillas, shredded lettuce, shredded cabbage and avocado relish.

Avocado Relish
Taken from: A Hint of Honey

• 1 avocado, peeled, pitted, and diced
• 1/4 cup red onion, finely diced
• 1 Tbsp. jalapeno, minced (adjust to taste)
• 2 Tbsp. fresh cilantro, chopped 
• 1/2 lime, juiced
• 1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

-To make the avocado relish, toss to combine avocado, onion, jalapeno, and cilantro in a small bowl. Pour in lime juice and olive oil. Toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Refrigerate until ready to serve.


Black Bean & Corn Salad
(This recipe is so old, I'm not even sure where it's from!)

• 1/4 c. olive oil
• 1/4 c. lime juice
• 1 tsp. cumin (I added extra cumin and some chili powder, too)
• 3 cups black beans (equivalent to 1 15-oz. can, rinsed and drained)
• 1 to 1 1/4 cups raw corn kernels
• 3/4 cup tomato, chopped
• 1/2 cup cilantro (or you could do 1/4 cup cilantro and 1/4 cup parsley)
• 2 Tbsp. red onion, finely chopped

-In a serving bowl, stir olive oil, lime juice and cumin.
-Add rest of ingredients, stirring gently to coat.  Season with salt & pepper.

Baked Tilapia

Part of my standard weekly menu planning is to include one seafood dish and one non-meat dish. When I started doing these menu plans, I thought I might have to really scour the internet and my cookbooks for to find good recipes that fit these categories. Surprisingly, I haven't had any trouble (yet) with finding either recipes!

Our seafood meal for the week was baked tilapia. This is incredibly quick to make - the only prep work is chopping vegetables (although you could always buy pre-chopped or frozen vegetables). It was also really good with very light flavors. Tilapia is very mild (it doesn't have a very "fishy" taste to it) so it would be a good choice even for those who don't usually like fish.

I didn't use measurements for spices - it's really easy to just sprinkle each fillet with the different spices - but in the recipe below, I guessed what measurements I ended up using. Finally, We rounded out the meal with corn on the cob (the corn here is so good we've been having it at least once a week!).


Baked Tilapia with Roasted Vegetables
Taken from: AllRecipes

• 4 (4 ounce) fillets tilapia
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
  
• 1/4 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
  
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
  
• salt & pepper
  
• 1 lemon, 1/2 sliced and 1/2 juiced
  
• 1/4 cup whole wheat bread crumbs (I used store-bought but you could also run a bread slice through a food processor)
  
• vegetables for roasting (I used cauliflower, broccoli and red pepper)

-Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
-Place the tilapia fillets in the bottom of the baking dish and brush with olive oil and squeeze the 1/2 juiced lemon onto the fish.
-Season with spices and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
-Pat bread crumbs on the tops of each fish fillet and spray with cooking spray.
-In a separate baking sheet covered with aluminum foil, arrange the mixed vegetables, cover with olive oil, and season lightly with salt and pepper.
-Cover the dish and bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, until vegetables are tender and fish flakes easily with a fork. Serve with sliced lemon.

Blackened Salmon and Lemon Dijon Salad Dressing

Tonight, we'll be having leftovers from Sunday's dinner with Bryant's parents. I had made two pounds of blackened salmon which turned out to be a lot...that's why we can get another full meal out of it! I had served the salmon with corn on the cob and a salad with homemade dressing. It was a great combination of flavors! As a side note, go to your farmers market for corn on the cob - it was some of the best corn we've ever had.

Unfortunately, no more corn tonight but we still have more salad dressing for another salad! This salad dressing is light and easy to make. When we came to CA two months ago, I immediately bought my favorite Trader Joe's balsamic vinaigrette. But after using it once, it's been sitting in our fridge untouched. Why? The amount of sugar in the dressing seemed overwhelming. Bottled salad dressings have added sugar or high fructose corn syrup that just isn't necessary (not to mention added preservatives!). Making your own dressing is not only tastier and so much better for you but it is also more economical, saving you money.

When you make your own dressing, a good rule of thumb is about 2 parts oil to 1 part acid. Lemon juice and vinegars (balsamic and red wine vinegars are both good choices) are great for the acid part of the dressing. Also, you can always adjust to suit your taste!

Finally, both of these recipes are really easy and won't take much time to make. Enjoy!

Lemon Dijon Salad Dressing
Taken from: Herbivoracious

• 2 Tb. freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard
• 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
• 4 Tb. canola or olive oil (canola is virtually flavorless and was part of the original recipe. However, I think I'll be trying this with olive oil next time!)
• **Add 1/4 tsp. honey, if the dressing is a little too tart for you.

-Combine the lemon juice, mustard and salt in a bowl. Drizzle in the olive oil while whisking continuosly.
-Taste and add more lemon juice, honey or olive oil as needed.


Blackened Salmon
Taken from: AllRecipes

• 1 tablespoon ground paprika
• 1/2 tablespoon ground cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/8 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/8 teaspoon dried oregano
• 4 salmon fillets, skin and bones removed (approximately 1 lb)
  
• 1/8 cup olive oil (more as needed)

-In a small bowl, mix paprika, cayenne pepper, onion powder, salt, white pepper, black pepper, thyme, basil and oregano.
-Remove skin and bones from salmon.
-Brush salmon fillets on one side with some of the olive oil and sprinkle evenly with the spice mixture (pressing into fish). Brush over the mixture with olive oil again.
-In a large, heavy skillet, heat over high until skillet is hot. Cook salmon, spice-side down, until blackened, 2-5 minutes. While the first side is cooking, brush uncooked side with olive oil, sprinkle with rest of spices and brush again with olive oil. Turn fillets and continue cooking (2-5 minutes) until blackened and fish is easily flaked with a fork.

Vietnamese Summer Rolls

So it's only Tuesday but I've already switched up the menu plan a bit. Not a big deal - I just switched around Tuesday's and Wednesday's meals. However, in case you were wondering, that's why I'm writing about Wednesday's meal on Tuesday!

The Vietnamese rolls worked well for dinner but would also be excellent appetizers as well. A word of caution, however: this is a lot of chopping. You don't have to add in as many vegetables as I did, but I always love an opportunity to throw in extra vegetables. So just add on a little extra time to do the prep work...or you could shell out a few extra bucks and buy them pre-chopped as well.

I couldn't find rice paper wrappers at the Commissary so I used soy wrappers instead. I liked that it added a little extra protein but they were way too small to fully wrap these rolls. It made for a messy dinner, but well worth it.

We really liked the dipping sauce, too. Even Bryant, who isn't a fan of peanut butter in the first place (I made ours half peanut butter and half almond butter for him, though). You'll definitely see this sauce in other recipes in the near future.

I originally was going to assemble these rolls myself but after starting a few, I decided it would be part of the meal for Bryant and me to assemble our rolls as we go along. Messy but still was delicious and kind of fun (I happen to like playing with my food!).

Vietnamese Summer Rolls with Shrimp
Taken from: http://ahintofhoney.blogspot.com/2009/09/vietnamese-summer-rolls-with-peanut.html

• cellophane noodles (I used rice noodles but bean threads could also be a substitute)
  
• 1 Tbsp. rice vinegar
• 1 Tbsp. sugar
  
• 2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 2-3 tsp. fresh ginger, minced
• 1-2 garlic cloves, minced
  
• 16 oz. uncooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
• salt and pepper
• Bibb lettuce leaves, rinsed and dried
• carrots, peeled, julienned (could be shredded as well)
  
• red bell pepper, seeded and julienned
• red onion, thinly sliced
• bamboo shoots, sliced
  
• fresh cilantro, chopped
• fresh mint leaves, minced
• Rice paper wrappers (I used soy wrappers)
  

Peanut Dipping Sauce:

• 1/3 cup peanut butter
• 3 Tbsp. soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp. rice vinegar
• 3 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 1 tsp. sesame oil
• 1/2 tsp. sriracha chili sauce (I used hot sauce instead)
• 2-4 Tbsp. water (to thin it down)
  

-Prepare the noodles according to package directions. Rinse with cold water and let drain.Toss with vinegar and sugar. Set aside.
-To make the peanut sauce, combine peanut butter, soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, and sesame oil in a small bowl. Whisk together, adding water by the tablespoon until the desired consistency.
-To cook the shrimp, heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add ginger and garlic and saute for 10 seconds. Add shrimp and saute until just cooked through, 1-2 minutes. Remove from the heat and season to taste with salt and pepper.
-To assemble the summer rolls, soften the rice paper in hot water, according to package directions. Place the fillings on the center of the paper, fold up the sides and then roll tightly. Repeat with the remaining rolls. Slice on the diagonal, drizzle with peanut sauce, and serve (with extra sauce for dipping).

Pecan Crusted Salmon

So I have a confession to make. Typically, we run the dishwasher every 2-3 days. For 2 people! It seems a bit ridiculous to me but in our defense, we do eat almost every meal at home (or bring the leftovers for lunch). Also, I feel like I always end up dirtying quite a few dishes while I cook.

The pecan crusted salmon turned out delicious but the lack of dirty dishes is another reason why this recipe was so great - since it was just a few easy ingredients, there was hardly any cleanup (I believe Bryant was thankful for that, too)!

This recipe was perfect for 2 people and would be easy to double or triple for serving more people.

Pecan Crusted Salmon
Taken from: A Hint of Honey

• 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
• 2 tsp. honey
• 1/4 cup whole wheat bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup pecans, finely chopped (I pulsed the pecans in a food processor)
  
• 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley (I didn't have any fresh parsley so I had to use 1 1/2 tsp. dried parsley)
• 2 (4 oz.) salmon fillets (choose wild, not farmed if you can help it)
  
• salt and pepper
• lemon wedges, for serving

-Preheat oven to 400 F.
-In a small bowl, combine mustard and honey. In a separate small bowl, combine bread crumbs, pecans, and parsley.
-Season salmon fillets with salt and pepper. Brush top with mustard mixture and sprinkle with bread crumb mixture. Place in a greased baking dish.
-Bake in preheated oven for 10-20 minutes (10 min per inch of thickness) or until salmon flakes when tested with a fork. Serve with lemon wedges.