Quick Dinner Fave: Grilled Salmon w/Sautéed Greens & Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes

Ever since I moved from my apartment to my new house, I have been a grilling machine! Pizza, fish, veggies, chicken, you name it! But out of everything I've made so far, this is definitely my favorite.  In my opinion, this meal is nothing short of perfect, and overall, it's pretty healthy too!  The potatoes are so tasty, not too rich, seasoned just right, and the greens, heated just enough to wilt, but not get soggy (I just can't eat 'em that way!).  Overall, this one is yum, yum, YUM. 

For the buttermilk mashed potatoes, follow this recipe courtesy of Ina Garten.

Grilled Salmon & Sautéed Greens:

Serves 4

2 lb Salmon

Olive Oil

Chef Paul's Magic Salmon Seasoning

8 cups of arugula and spinach mix

1-2 teeth of garlic

1 c grape tomatoes

Pre-heat grill to Medium. Lightly coat meat side of salmon with olive oil and sprinkle generous amount of seasoning (but don't over do it!), set aside.

Meanwhile, cook potatoes according to recipe.  About halfway through the potatoes, put the salmon on the grill meat side down.  Close grill and cook for about 6 minutes turning once, until fish flakes easily with a fork. 

Once salmon is on the grill, heat 1-2 tbsp of olive oil* in a medium saute pan, and add minced garlic and tomatoes and saute for 6-8 minutes.  Remove from heat, then add spinach/arugula mix and cover immediately.  Stir greens every few minutes until wilted buy not soggy. 

Once salmon and potatoes are done, plate and enjoy!

Notes:

• Timing is key to getting this on the table quickly! Read all recipes ahead of time, and follow the order above and you should be good to go!
• Much of this meal is seasoned to taste, don't over do it.
• The potato recipe calls for peeled potatoes, but feel free to leave some skin on for a more homemade texture. 
• DON'T overcook the greens. Okay that's the last time I'll say it. :)

Cheers! 

Claud

*For an extra treat - cook 1-2 pieces of bacon in pan prior to garlic, and omit the oil, but drain the pan before adding the garlic! You don't want all that grease in your greens, just enough left lining the pan to saute the garlic, etc.

Healthy Eating: Mediterranean Couscous w/Shrimp & Arugula

SO easy, SO good. I got this idea from another recipe I read in Cooking Light, but I decided to give it my own twist. I've recently started sautéing small tomatoes, and I love the way they turn out, tart but sweet and full of that 'tomato' flavor.  This one is a must try, no excuses!

Mediterranean Couscous w/Shrimp & Arugula

Serves 4

3/4 lb shrimp, pealed & deveined

4 oz. feta, crumbled

1 c. kalamata olives, chopped

1 - 1.5 c of grape tomatoes, halved

2 tbsp scallions, chopped

1 box couscous, I prefer Near East Whole Grain Wheat, Roasted Garlic & Olive Oil

Olive oil

Salt

Pepper

Red Pepper Flakes

Preheat oven to 400*. 

Rinse shrimp and place in bowl. Drizzle with olive oil, season w/salt, pepper and red pepper flakes.

 

Spread shrimp onto ungreased baking sheet and place in oven for 10 - 12 minutes until pink and cooked throughout, turning once at 6 minutes.

While shrimp bakes, cook couscous according to the package directions. While couscous is cooking, slice grape tomatoes in half and saute w/1 tbsp of olive oil until they become soft and start to break down, about 7 minutes.

While tomatoes, couscous and shrimp are cooking, chop kalamata olives and scallions and set aside. Once all are done, combine all ingredients in a medium sized bowl, folding in arugula last.  Serve immediately.

Cheers!

Claud

DIY: Alambres w/Shrimp & Veggies

My coworkers and I have a little place we looove going to for special occasion lunches, (or when we just need a little extra motivation to make it through a Friday!), Manuel's on Congress not only has the best, most addicting salsa, but awesome margaritas and lunch specials.  One of my new faves is the Alambres, "skewered and grilled gulf shrimp and fresh vegetables..".  (Side note: "Alambres" is a common term used in Latin cuisine used to describe a dish of roasted skewers of meat w/ veggies). 

Well after a recent trip to Manuel's, I decided to recreate this super tasty, and healthy dish at home.  It was really simple, delicious and thus, definitely blog-worthy.

Alambres

1 Red bell pepper

1 Green bell pepper

8 oz. Pineapple

1/2 White onion

1 lb. Shrimp, uncooked, peeled, deveined

Extra-virgin olive oil

Salt

Pepper

Soak wood skewers in water for 30 minutes.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (or fire up the grill to med/high!).  Toss shrimp with 1-2 tbsp of EVOO, and 1/4 tsp. salt and pepper.  I also like to sprinkle on some of Chef Paul's Magic Salmon Seasoning, it's a little hard to find, but SO tasty.  If you use it, you could probably cut out the salt and pepper, because it provides plenty of flavor. 

Chop the peppers, onions and pineapple into 1 inch squares.  Skewer the shrimp and veggies, alternating ingredients. If baking, place cooling rack on a baking sheet and skewers on top of rack. Place in oven and bake for 8-10 minutes until shrimp are pink and firm. If grilling, 5-7 minutes should do the trick.

 Serve with your favorite rice and black beans.  Enjoy!

Cheers!

Claud

 

Crowd Pleasers: Warm Spinach & Artichoke Dip

Hi Friends!

It's been too long, sorry for being MIA! Just to make it up to you, I'm going to share one of my absolute favorite appetizers, spinach & artichoke dip.  We all know that this tasty dip can be a bit of an indulgence - but the ingredients in this particular recipe put a healthy twist on a traditionally sinful favorite.  Once again, I attribute this great find to Ellie Krieger and one of my favorite cookbooks, The Food You Crave.  And don't miss Regan's homemade pita chips below - they're a perfect match for this recipe!

Warm Spinach & Artichoke Dip: Courtesy of Ellie Krieger

• 1 tablespoon canola oil C: I use extra-virgin olive oil instead, either works
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped (about 1 1/2 cups) C: I only use about 3/4 a cup - it seems like a lot of onion to me.
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 (9-ounce) package artichoke hearts, defrosted, rinsed and dried C: Jarred or canned also work great.
• 1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, defrosted, excess liquid squeezed out
• 1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup (about 4 ounces) Neufchatel cheese (reduced-fat cream cheese)
• 2 ounces (about 1/2 cup) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese C: I usually use about another 1/4 c to sprinkle on top.
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 F

1. Heat the oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, 4 to 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook an additional 3 to 4 minutes, or until onions are light-golden but not browned. Remove from heat and cool.

C: I like my dip with a little more texture as opposed to a spread-like consistency, so here's where I change things up --

2. In the bowl of a food processor, combine sour cream, mayonnaise, Neufchatel, mozzarella, onions, garlic, salt and pepper. Process until smooth.  Scoop out into medium sized bowl.

3. Place spinach and artichokes into processor bowl and pulse until broken up, but not completely incorporated. Spoon into bowl with other ingredients and mix to combine all ingredients.  

4. Spread into an 8-inch glass square baking dish or 9-inch glass pie plate which has been lightly sprayed with cooking spray. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until heated through. 

C: I've often made double batches and found that it takes about 45 minutes to be heated throughout.  

Regan's Homemade Pita Chips

2-4 Pieces of pita bread

Dried oregano

Salt

Pepper

Olive Oil

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 F

1. Cut the pita bread in half and then in two inch strips. Cut through the center to make thinner chips.

2. Place on cookie sheet so that the chips do not overlap. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with oregano, a dash of salt and pepper.  

3. Bake for 10-12 minutes until brown and crispy.

It's that easy!  The pita chips also go great with salads, and you could probably switch out the herbs to explore different flavors.

Cheers!

Claud

Healthy Eating: Penne with Roasted Tomatoes, Garlic and White Beans

Matt and I have crazy work hours and often eat dinner late, so I'm always looking for healthy, light recipes to make.  One of my favorite finds is a cookbook by Ellie Krieger called The Food You Crave. It has tons of easy, healthy recipes, that still have a lot of depth.  A lot of times we think of eating healthy as boring or not as satisfying, but it doesn't have to be! 

There are a lot of things you can do with vegetables or fresh herbs to make a dish both tasty and healthy.  For example, roasting.  This particular dish calls for roasted tomatoes and garlic, which is something I'd never tried. The flavors change so much through roasting and it could not be easier.  The sweet, tart flavor of the tomatoes, with the texture of the beans and strong, but somehow still subtle taste of garlic was an amazing combination. 

Penne with Roasted Tomatoes, Garlic and White Beans: Courtesy of Ellie Krieger

3 large ripe tomatoes 

6 large garlic cloves, papery outermost skin removed, but left unpeeled

3 tbsp olive oil

1/2 tsp salt, plus more to taste 

Freshly ground black pepper

Once 15.5 ounce can cannellini or other white beans, preferably low-sodium (C: I used navy beans)

1/2 box (8 oz.) penne pasta (C: I use whole wheat)

2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

1/3 c. fresh basil leaves, cut into ribbons

1/4 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese (C: I used Kraft blend from my last post)

Preheat oven to 450F.

Slice each tomato into 8 wedges and discard the seeds.  Put the tomato wedges and garlic in a 9x13-inch roasting pan, toss with 2 tbsp of the oil, and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon of the salt and a few turns of the pepper.  

Roast, uncovered, until the tomatoes lose their shape and become slightly charred. 35 to 40 minutes. C: Start checking them at about 30 minutes

Drain the beans in a large colander in the sink. C: helps reduce the sodium

Cook the pasta according to the package direction.  Drain the pasta in the colander containing the beans, so that the hot pata water warms the beans.  Return the drained pasta and beans to the pasta pot.  

When the tomatoes are done, carefully pick out the garlic cloves, squeeze the garlic out of the skin into a small bowl, and mash with a fork.  add the lemon juice, the remaining 1 tbsp pil and 1/4 tsp salt, and a pinch of pepper, and stir to combine.  Transfer the roasted tomatoes to the pasta pot, add the garlic lemon mixture and basil and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Toss to combine. Serve with the Parmesan. 

 

Serves 4

Serving Size: 1.5 cups

Per Serving

476 calories

14.5g fat

A couple of notes:

• Although this is pasta dish, a lot of the calories usually come from the sauce, so since this doesn't have any, its still pretty healthy. However, the above nutrition facts may vary based on what kind of pasta you use. 
• Watch the tomatoes and garlic closely while roasting.  Mine were a little overdone, but I only roasted them for 35 minutes. 
• Go easy on the salt. There are a lot of strong flavors in this dish, and it's not really needed.

Cheers!

Claud