Honey & Soy Salmon with Edamame

Last night, I made a salmon dish that was packed full of fresh flavors like ginger, cilantro, and lime!  I didn’t get home until nearly 9 pm to make dinner and I knew I was going to have to make Alex’s for lunch the next day since I knew he would already be ready for bed.  That being said, I wanted to make something that would still be good to bring to work the next day (and to make all of his work friends jealous) … kidding, kind of.  Well this salmon was perfect for that and the hubs loved it when he ate it for lunch today (just as much as I loved it last night). So here is what I did …

Heat a pan on medium to high heat on the stove top and spray it with a generous amount of cooking spray.  While the pan is heating, chop cilantro (or use cilantro in a tube) and scallions (not available in a tube) and mix with olive oil and ginger.  It was a pretty decent amount of cilantro, I would say 2 – 3 tbs if you were going to chop it yourself, 2 stalks of scallions, a tbs of ginger (I used the pre-grated in a jar kind), and about 2 tbs of olive oil.  Season this blend with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. 

 

Cilantro in a tube ... they have all sorts of herbs! You should try!

 Take the salmon and cut 2 slits in each piece, allowing room to stuff the oil & herb mixture in each slit.  Mine were probably over stuffed, but it just added more flavor.  Season the fix with some extra salt, pepper, and garlic powder and begin to sear (stuffed side down first).  While the salmon is cooking, add the juice of half of a lime, equal amounts of soy, and equal amounts of honey and blend together.  Add some sesame seeds (I used toasted) and set aside. 

In the mean time, cook up some edamame … we buy the bulk frozen kind from costco so it is always ready to go!  It steams in the microwave for like 2 minutes and is perfectly cooked.  I season the edamame with garlic powder, coarse sea salt and crushed red peppers and serve with a side of soy.  If you like heat, add some extra crushed red peppers to the soy for an extra kick! (you can also reserve extra sauce from the salmon to dip in the edamame – just make sure it did not touch the raw salmon). 

Once the salmon has cooked for about 5 minutes, flip over and allow the other side to sear.  Now that the top portion is cooked, brush the honey soy sauce on the salmon.  Give the other side about 3 or 4 minutes and make sure the salmon is cooked through.  If not – obviously leave on the heat a little longer.  Serve the salmon with the edamame and you have a delicious meal for dinner … or lunch the next day!

Tilapia with Chive & Mustard Sauce

These past few weeks have been crazy with work and school, but I am still finding time to make delicious dinners for my husband and me, even if it is really late at night.  I have to say, there is not much better than finishing a meal and my husband complimenting me on the dish … it is something that I love to do and am proud of!  The other night was an easy yet awesome light dish (since we were eating so late).  I made tilapia with a mustard chive sauce and a side of green beans.  Here is how I did it:

Take the tilapia and pat it dry (we used two pieces – 1 for each of us).  Once the tilapia is dry, season it with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.  Spray a foil lined baking sheet with cooking spray and bake the tilapia on 450 for about 8 minutes. 

While the fish is cooking, steam some fresh green beans and make the sauce for the fish.  Use approximately 1/3 cup of plain greek yogurt or sour cream (I used greek yogurt because we had it in the fridge), 2 tbs of honey, 1 tbs of mustard (deli or Dijon), lemon juice from 1 lemon, chopped chives (I used about 3 tbs chopped), and salt and pepper to season.  Mix the sauce together and set aside.  Once the fish comes out of the over, plate it with the green beans.  Although the sauce is cold, serve it on top of the fish and the heat of the fish will warm the sauce up naturally.  Season the green beans as you like them … I did salt, garlic powder, yogurt blend butter and fresh parsley. 

The entire dish is literally made in 10 minutes and it is sooo good! Although it is not pictured, the sauce is so good that my husband and I also put it on our green beans.  I will certainly use that sauce for dressings!  Not only is this quick and tasty, it is also really inexpensive to make since tilapia is one of the cheaper fishes out there!

Enjoy the rest of your week!  Next recipe up is honey-soy glazed salmon with edamame!

Turkey Pumpkin Chili

One of the best parts about fall is that I know that every Sunday my husband and I can relax on the couch and watch football.  It is really the one day a week that we have just to ourselves and what better way to spend that watching the games and eating good food?  Another good thing about fall is comfort food … and comfort food CAN be healthy.

This week on Sunday, I made a Turkey Pumpkin Chili that was amazing, even though the game was horrible.  Luckily this blog is not about my rants about the NFL but this season is just a big old mess.  Back to the chili … don’t football, chili, and fall just go so perfectly together? Another part of fall that is a huge hit is pumpkin - and a savory pumpkin dish is always a great addition!

So here it is … super easy and yet again, in a crock pot!

Cook the ground turkey until brown in a sauté pan.  Put the drained meat inside the crockpot and get rid of the left over grease in the pan (although ground turkey is healthy – there is still quite a bit of fat). In the sauté pan, spray the pan with olive oil and sauté 1 onion diced (I used 2 onions because I really enjoy sautéed onions as does my husband).  Let the onions sauté for a few moments and add 2 tbs of minced garlic (or more to taste).  Let this sauté for another 30 seconds or so and add a tbs of ground cumin to scent the onion and garlic.  Add the mixture into the crockpot with the ground turkey.  Add one can of white kidney beans (drained and rinsed), 1 can of Libby’s pumpkin puree (make SURE this is not pumpkin pie filling and instead just pumpkin puree), 1 small can of diced green chilies (I used mild – but you can use a spicier version), 2 cups of chicken broth, 1 tbs of chili powder, 1 tbs of Italian seasoning, and 2 bay leaves.  Stir all the ingredients together and allow to sit in the crockpot for at least 4 hours on low.  FYI – my low setting on my crockpot seems to cook things faster than recommended cook times, so you may want to cook yours longer until all the flavors develop.  Add salt and pepper to the chili for taste. 

Before the chili is finished, combine low fat sour cream with a big bunch of cilantro (I actually buy cilantro in a tube – it is amazingly fresh). This just gives the sour cream an extra zing and freshness.  Top the chili with low fat cheddar cheese, cilantro infused sour cream, and garnish with chives. 

This chili was easily the best part of the Sunday, besides spending time with my other half.  You should make this for the upcoming Sunday football games, you will love it!  As always, enjoy your week … I have some really great meals ahead of us.

Yinzer Stew

The other day for the Steelers game, I made a “Yinzer Stew”.  It was healthy, delicious, and super easy to make.  The best part was that it was made in a crock-pot and was doing all the work for me, while I lay on the couch and watched football.

The stew consisted of:

                1 lb bag of white beans  (dry)

                1 onion, diced

                1 tbs garlic, minced

                1 tbs dried rosemary

                1 tbs Italian seasoning

                1 can petite diced tomato, 14.5 oz

                6 cups of chicken broth

                1 package of kielbasa (I used turkey
                        cut up into small half moon sizes)

                1 cup of sauerkraut, without extra liquid

                4 cups fresh spinach

                Parmesan cheese, reduced fat

                Salt and Garlic Powder 

These certainly are not exact measurements as I did not measure anything, but more of a guess for recipe purposes.  Put the beans, onion, spices, can of tomatoes with liquid, and 6 cups of chicken broth in the slow cooker on low for 5 hours.  Add the cut up kielbasa and the sauerkraut to the crock pot and continue to cook for another 2 hours on low.  Then, add the fresh spinach so it wilts in the warm stew, allowing it to sit for about a half hour more.  Add some salt and garlic powder to your liking.  Serve the stew with some parmesan on top and it is ready to eat!

This was the perfect meal for a cool day while watching football!  I assume it will be made more in our house!  I especially liked it as the kielbasa and sauerkraut takes me back to Pittsburgh and family meals! My husband loved it and we both had more than one bowl … hey, at least it’s healthy.  I think that Mike Tomlin would like it too … maybe I’ll invite him over for dinner…

As always, GO STEELERS.  I will be making a turkey pumpkin chili for next week’s game for my handsome newlywed and I … can’t wait already!

Bridal Brunch & Mimosa Bar

Last night Alex and I attended one of my best friend’s wedding.  She was absolutely beautiful and we had a great time.  Karen (the bride) and the other bridesmaids stayed over my house Friday night before the big day.  For Saturday morning, I wanted to have a bridal brunch with a mimosa bar in her honor to start the day off right!  All of the girls loved it and I must say … the food was pretty amazing.

I just want to say that I believe creating a cute table is just as important as the food you are serving.  The bride’s colors were black, white, and teal … so I tried to use the things around my house with these colors.  Also, the little things, like serving food items in martini glasses or mason jars can add a cute touch!

One item I made was egg cups.  These were made in a muffin tin pan and super easy to do, also the ingredients can be changed to your liking.  I lined the cups with ham, put in some shredded cheddar cheese, cracked and egg on top, hit it with salt, pepper, and garlic powder, and baked for about 12 minutes. The egg cups slide out easily, the ham becomes crisp, the cheese melted, and the egg yolk runny (or cooked to your liking).  When finished, I stopped them with sliced scallions for color and flavor!  For Christmas last year, my sister made a similar dish with pressed cinnamon swirl bread at the bottom of the pan … it was delicious with the sweet and salty flavors!  Keep in mind that different foods can be used … the cups can be stuffed with spinach, or other vegetables, different cheeses, topped with hollandaise sauce … whatever!  Regardless of what you use, they will be delicious.

I also had fresh strawberries out to dip in a nutella cream cheese dip.  I mixed a couple of tablespoons of nutella and cream cheese together and put it in a mason jar to serve.  This is the first time I have even bought nutella and probably the last – only because I love it too much. 

Mini brie and raspberry cups were one of the favorites! I have made these for parties before so this is not anything new, but they are always the first to go.  The funny thing is that they are the EASIEST to make!  All you need to do is buy phyllo cups, slicing brie, and preserves.  It is as simple as filling the cups with a cube of brie and topping it with a bit of raspberry preserves (or again – any other topping you would like).  I did leave some without the preserves as one of the beautiful bridesmaids happened to be allergic to berries – but it was just as delicious, just more savory.

The next item I made was pancake and sausage bites.  I have always been a lover of eating my breakfast as a salty sweet combo or a savory sweet combo.  Making pancake muffins with sausage crumbles satisfies both of those flavors, are easy to make, and taste amazing.  I happened to see these on pinterest after I made them a couple of times … the nice thing is they can be made in mini muffin tin or regular size… frozen for later meals …  or taken to morning tailgates.  All you have to do is brown up breakfast sausage out of the casing (I used turkey breakfast sausage), make a pancake batter (I used bisquick from the box), combine the two together, and pour into a greased muffin pan.  They baked for about 15 minutes total on 375 and came out perfect!  The outside had a little crisp, the center was moist, and the combo of sausage and pancake was perfect.  I served them with pure maple syrup to dip, which was placed in a martini glass.

The last food item I made was smoked salmon bites.  These are super healthy, easy to make, and so flavorful!  To make these, first you should slice some cucumbers, tomatoes, and red onion thinly.  Start with the cucumber on the bottom, with a thin layer of tomato on top, and one or two thin slivers of red onion on the tomato.  Next, place a thin layer of smoked salmon (bought it in the seafood section at the store) on top of the stacked vegetables.  I made a mixture of cream cheese, sour cream, and horseradish to dollop onto the smoked salmon bites.  To garnish and add a burst of flavor, I then topped the dish with capers!  My favorite part about this dish was the fish serving platter it was served on – this is my favorite piece in the kitchen. 

And lastly – the star of this brunch included the mimosa bar!  I made all of the girls champagne glasses for the wedding morning! What I mean by “made” is that I bought champagne glasses from the dollar store (50 cents each) and painted them so they were personalized to each girl and wedding colors.  I painted the base of the glasses with teal paint and painted each girls name in black.  For the bride, I painted a white wedding dress with a little black and white flower … also, a white tulle bow was placed around the glass stem because I think bows are the cutest stinking thing in the world.  We carried our glasses around all day to the salon and the wedding venue – it was perfect!! The mimosa bar had two types of champagne (one sweet and one dry), two different juices (orange and grapefruit), and three different garnishes (raspberries, pineapple, and strawberries).  Again – the fruit was placed in martini glasses just because it is adorable that way!

The day was so successful!  I wish the little newlyweds so much fun on their honeymoon to Jamaica and a long, happy, and healthy life together!  Congrats Karen and Lucas!!



The BRIDE!



On a side note – LUXE salon was so accommodating and fantastic! They had a private area for all of the girls with space to sit – they provided us water /coffee and champagne … Basically anything we wanted.  What was even more impressive was that they saw that I had brought champagne for the girls and they told us to save it for later as the graciously gave us theirs!  They made the girls look and feel like a million dollars!  If anyone needs a salon or spa in the Lancaster area – I HIGHLY recommend LUXE!  Here is access to their website http://www.luxelancaster.com/

Lastly, the wedding venue – The Yorktowne Hotel – was also amazing.  It is a historic hotel from the 1920’s with an amazing rooftop view for pictures.  The food was excellent, the cake was amazing, and the wedding planners were incredible and kept everything on time.  Again, I highly recommend this hotel for any event!!  http://www.yorktowne.com/index.php

After a busy and long day yesterday, Alex and I are relaxing and watching football.  I love that even after being married for over a year we still act as excited for each other as we did the day we were married (do not get me wrong, I know it is not super long – but it is still nice to see!) …  oh and GO STEELERS.  I have a “yinzer” stew currently cooking and can’t wait to share later. 

Food & Memories - Chicken & Dumpling Soup

I am pretty bummed that I haven’t been able to do one of my favorite things in the world lately … create recipes and blog about it!  Between work, school, weddings … life … I have not had too much time to do things for myself.  Well …. Here we go!

Recently, I was on the set for the Rachael Ray show for one of her tapings.  I spent the day in NYC with my friends, ate some good food, and had a really great day.  While I was watching RR, I just kept thinking how I do not envy her at all ... at least the talk show aspect of it.  She did not seem to enjoy what she was doing and I do not ever want to lose my interest in making recipes and sharing them! I still would love to have a cooking show – so if anyone can make that happen, that would be great!

Here is the picture of us at the show …

… and yes, I am sitting right next to RR.

Today as I was strolling through facebook, I noticed an update my Aunt Melissa had shared.  She was making soup for my grandparents, one of which is chicken dumpling soup.  When I read this, I immediately got happy and had memories of being at my great grandparents house (Sophie & Bill) and spending time with my family.  I love the way that food can take you back to a memory so vividly – when not many other things can.

It just so happened that I literally had every ingredient to make the soup (not that it is a lot) and started cooking right away.  The homemade flavor is amazing and perfect for my favorite season of all – FALL!  If you would like the recipe let me know – it is a family staple, and you will be making it for years. 

I am sure everyone can think of a recipe that takes them back … share them! I’d love to try and make them for my family!

I am excited for this fall … I have a lot of recipes I have been thinking about and can’t wait to share them all with you!  Also – I am hosting a bridal brunch coming up this Saturday! I have lots of yummy brunch ideas and I can't wait to hear what you think!  I am honored to have my friend Karen and her bridesmaids over the morning of the wedding … maybe she will get some ideas for cooking as a newlywed!

(The PRETTY bride to be!)