Glazed Salmon with Brown Butter Fingerling Potatoes and Bacon Brussel Sprouts

Maple, Honey, and Hoisin Glazed Salmon

Fresh Salmon
2 tbs each of Maple Syrup, Honey, and Hoisin Sauce
Salt to taste
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1/2 tsp Ginger Powder
1tsp Siracha hot sauce

Mix all of the ingredients together and brush onto the fish. Bake at 350 for approx 15 minutes depending on the size of your filets. Re-apply the glaze once or twice during cooking.

Brown Butter Potatoes

1 lb fingerling potatoes cut in half length wise
fresh thyme
2 garlic cloves
2-3 tbs butter

Boil the potatoes until tender. Dice the garlic and remove the thyme leaves from the stem. Put the garlic, butter, and thyme over low/medium heat and cook until the garlic is slightly browned and the butter has turned a golden brown color. Toss the butter mixture over the potatoes and salt and pepper to taste

Bacon Brussel Sprouts

1lb brussel sprouts
4 slices bacon, chopped
1/4 cut red onion chopped
olive oil

slice the sprouts in half. Cook the butter and onions together until bacon just begins to render. Toss the sprouts in olive oil and salt and pepper. Spread onto baking sheet. Add the bacon and onion mixture to the baking sheet and toss all together. Cook on 350 for about 15-20 minutes then increase temp to 450 and bake for an additional 3-5 minutes until bacon is crisped. Enjoy!!

Easy Grilled Pork Tenderloin

So pork tenderloin is super easy to cook and pretty healthy and cheap. enjoy

1 pork tenderloin
3 cloves garlic, cut into "sticks"
rosemary
thyme
olive oil
balsamic vinegar

Poke holes in the pork tenderloin with a thin knife. Take the garlic sliced into sticks and shove it into all of the holes you have made. Rub the pork with S & P, rosemary, and thyme. Add olive oil and balsamic vinegar so coated and let sit a couple or hours or overnight. Cook on a grill until just done, don't overcook it or it will get dry!!
Let the pork sit about 5 minutes after removing from the grill and slice to serve.
Serve with your favorite sides or it is also delicious on sandwiches or in a panini.

The Best Salad Ever

so this recipe is courtesy of my Aunt Judi, she is the best at cooking

cleaned and torn romaine, use the green part more so than the hard white part and make sure it is very clean and very dry
approx 2 cloves pressed garlic, (the garlic you use will depend on how much salad you are making)
about 1 cup grated parmesan (do not use the crap from a plastic shaker you buy already grated)
olive oil
balsamic vinegar

before you put the romain in the salad bowl rub the pressed garlic along the sides of the bowl.
add lettuce and TOSS THE SALAD TILL THE GARLIC IS WELL MIXED.
add about a large salad serving spoonful of olive oil, TOSS VERY WELL.
add more oil if necessary
add balsamic vinegar, about on spoonful and TOSS VERY WELL.
add parmesan cheese, TOSS VERY WELL.
The dressing should be very light and the parmesan should coat every leaf. Clearly they key is to toss it well. Enjoy!

Green Beans with Lemon Zest, Feta, and Mint

This is the perfect way to do green beans in the summer time

Green beans, trimmed, however much you are cooking for
zest of 1 lemon
chopped mint
1/4-1/2 cup crummbled feta cheese, depending on how many beans you are cooking
olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped

heat oil in a pan
saute the beans in the oil, then add garlic
when almost done add the mint and lemon zest, toss through a couple times
when beans are done (darker green yet still very crisp) add the feta and toss through then serve immediately.

BBQ Burgers with Slaw

A different way to enjoy a classic burger

Burgers:
1 lb lean ground beef
your favorite BBQ sauce
liquid smoke, a tiny capful
thick cut cheddar cheese slices
buns, of course
Slaw:
1 bag cole slaw mix
1/2 cup light mayo
1/4 cup white vinegar
2 tbs dijon mustard
2 tbs sugar
1 tbs lemon juice

Mix burger meat with BBQ sauce, liquid smoke (USE SPARINGLY) and whatever else you prefer in your burger mix (A1, worsteshire, steak seasoning, etc).
Form patties and cook to your liking over a charcoal (preferably) grill.
When almost done add cheese until just melted

To make the slaw simply mix all ingredients together and refridgerate at least 2 hours before serving.

Toast the buns and stack the burger pattie with some cole slaw and extra bbq sauce. Or if you like your cole slaw on the side do it the lame way. Like a pulled pork sandwich but a burger!! Serve with fries or your favorite southern side.

Veal Scallopini with Lemon Butter Sauce and Roasted Peppers

So I made this for Barret his last night in town because he is my hubby :) I wish I had a picture to share.

Veal Scallopini
approx. 4-6 ounces of meat per person
1/2 cup flour for dredging
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste
juice of 1 lemon
3/4 cup white wine
2 tbs butter
2 tbs olive oil

Pound the veal cutlets to about 1/4 inch thin
Mix the flour, salt and pepper, and parmesan
coat the veal cutlets in flour mixture, make sure they are well coated
melt butter and olive over medium/high heat and when nice and hot add the veal to the pan
sear until brown then flip once and sear other side. THE KEY IS NOT TO OVERCOOK THE VEAL, IT WILL GET TOUGH AND TASTELESS.
when done remove veal from the pan and cover with foil to keep warm

To make sauce add more butter to the pan and let melt, then add the lemon juice and white wine, and a pinch of salt. heat until just boiling and the sauce begins to thicken.
To serve spoon sauce over the veal and enjoy!!

Roasted Peppers
the sweetness of peppers went perfectly with the veal and they are so easy to make.
3 peppers, your choice of color, red or yellow or orange go best
olive oil
seasoning of your choice
Heat oven to 400
Cut peppers into about 1 inch pieces and toss with olive oil and seasonings
Roast for about 15-25 minutes or until tender
Enjoy!

Grilled Spec with Butternut Squash "Fries" and Ginger Green Beans

A good friend of mine had some fish she brought up from the bayou, so we decided to grill it and added some fun summer sides.

1-1.5 lbs fish, any fish firm enough to grill will work
1 large butternut squash
1 large sweet potato
A bunch of green beans; as much as you need for who you are cooking for
three cloves garlic; chopped
1 tbs grated fresh ginger
zest of one lemon
1/4 cup slivered almonds
olive oil
jerk seasoning
paprika and cayenne to taste
salt and pepper

Fish
Marinate the fish with olive oil, lemon juice, and coat with jerk seasoning
Cook on the grill over medium heat until cooked through

Fries
Peel the squash and sweet potato and slice into peices about 1/2"x1/2"x3", approximately
coat with olive oil, paprika, cayenne, and salt and pepper
bake in the oven on 350 for about 30 minutes, then 450-500 for about twenty more. Turn once or twice while cooking.

Green Beans
clean green beans and cook in a saucepan with olive oil for about 10 minutes
add garlic, ginger, almonds, lemon zest and salt and pepper
continue cooking till garlic has browned and beans are cooked through.

Enjoy! And I have to give my Aunt Judi credit for the squash fries!!

Grilled Eggplant with Rosemary

This is a great summer dish that is super easy to make

1 large eggplant
shredded cheddar cheese
olive oil
rosemary and thyme
salt and pepper

slice the eggplant into half inch slices, remove rind
brush with olive oil and salt and pepper
place slices on the grill, flip one or two times until almost done
add a small pile of cheese to each of the slices
sprinkle with rosemary and thyme and leave on the grill until the cheese is melted
enjoy!

Sauted Zucchini and Yellow Squash

This is a perfect vegetable side to go with any entre

1 large Zucchini, or enough to feed whoever you are cooking for!
2 yellow squash
1 roma tomato
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
1/2 tbs balsamic vinegar
2 medium cloves garlic
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil

Slice zucchini and yellow squash
chop the garlic cloves
dice the tomato
heat olive oil in large saute pan
add garlic and red onion, let brown in the pan
add zucchini and yellow squash
when the veggies are almost done add the vinegar and tomatoes
saute about 2 minutes more
plate and serve!

White Balsamic Vinaigrette

Here you go Meghan

1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tbs mayo
1 tbs dijon mustard
1 medium clove garlic, pressed
cracked black pepper

Mix all ingredients and whisk until fully combined.
Enjoy on romaine or baby spinach with some freshly grated parmesan

Curry Grilled Chicken with Quinoa and Purple Beans

So my friend found these dark purple green beans at the farmers market that ended up being delicious! They turned from dark purple to green as they cooked and ended up looking like tie died string beans. very cool.

Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup unflavored quinoa
Purple green beans, or regular boring green beans
three cloves garlic
curry powder
lemon grass powder
cayenne pepper
olive oil

Chicken: Marinate the chicken breasts in olive oil, curry powder,lemon grass powder (use sparingly), cayenne, and salt and pepper.
Heat grill, and grill chicken breasts until done

Quinoa: Put 1 cup quinoa in a saucepan with two cups water. Add salt and pepper and any other seasonings you would add to rice or pasta. In this attempt I used a can of cream of chicken soup in addition to the water. It made it really creamy and delicious! You could also use cream of mushroom or celery. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer, cooks in about 25-30 minutes.

Green Beans: Heat olive oil in large pan. Mince garlic cloves. Place purple beans in the pan and saute. After about 5 minutes add garlic and continue to cook until done, but still crisp.

Plate and enjoy!!

Roast Chicken Flatbread with Spinach, Goat Cheese, and Caramelized Onions

So I had a bunch of left over baked chicken thighs that I had done with an asian style seasoning that I used for this flatbread. Just heat up whatever leftover chicken you have and tear it into bite sized peices.

two chicken thighs
1/3 cut thinly sliced red onion
1/3 cut fresh baby spinach
1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese
one whole wheat tortilla
olive oil

caramelize the onions in a small pan with a bit of olive oil
brush the tortilla with a light amount of olive oil
evenly place spinach on tortilla
place chicken over spinach, then add onions and sprinkle the goat cheese
place the flatbread in the oven on 350 for about 15-20 minutes
works best on a pizza stone so the tortilla can crisp
cut with a pizza cutter and enjoy!

Spinach and Goat Cheese Breakfast Wrap

A quick and healthy breakfast!

2 eggs
1/2-3/4 cup fresh baby spinach
1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese
1 whole wheat, whole grain tortilla
red pepper flakes to taste
garlic powder to taste (optional)
salt and pepper

Whisk eggs with a smidge of skim milk, garlic, and red pepper
Scramble the eggs over low heat
When almost firm add the spinach
Cook until just wilted
Add the goat cheese and allow to slightly warm
place all ingredients in a warm tortilla
wrap up and enjoy with coffee or a chai latte (my fave)

Black Bean and Corn Salsa

Per Meghan's request this will be the first post on the food blog.

Southwestern Black Bean and Corn Salsa

1 can sweet corn, drained
1 can black beans, drained
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
cayenne pepper to taste
salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients. Refridgerate and serve with your favorite corn chips!