Salmon with Brown Sugar and Mustard Glaze

I'm so glad I got over my salmon fear.  It's becoming a weekly staple in our house and I'm enjoying trying different recipes.  This recipe is supposed to be grilled, but I just cooked it in the oven. I read a few reviews and broiled it. I basted, cooked for three minutes, basted again and cooked for another 5 minutes.   Hubs said the sauce was fantastic, and I would have to agree.  It's the perfect sweet and tangy combination, enjoy!

sorry for the crappy phone pic...i'm missing my nice camera!

Salmon with Brown Sugar and Mustard Glaze

Courtesy of Food Network

Ingredients
Salmon:

3 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon finely grated ginger
Vegetable oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 salmon fillets, 6 ounces each
Directions
On the side burner, melt the brown sugar, honey and butter in a small saute pan over medium-high heat. Remove from the heat and whisk in the mustard, soy sauce, olive oil and ginger. Let cool.

Preheat grill to medium heat. Brush salmon with vegetable oil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Place the salmon skin side down on the grill. Coat the flesh of the salmon fillets with the brown sugar mixture. Grill for 6 to 8 minutes to medium doneness, turning once after 5 to 6 minutes.

Soy Glazed Salmon

I try and make one fish recipe a week.  Lately, I've been sticking with shrimp because it's quick and easy.  I've only made salmon a few times but this recipe jumped out on Pinterest, I knew I wanted to try it. The recipe was quick and easy to follow.  The salmon was full of flavor, I was surprised with how easy it was.  Will definitely be making it again.

Soy Glazed Salmon

Courtesy of Martha Stewart 

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons dry white wine, or water
• 2 pounds salmon fillet
• Lemon wedges, for serving

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. with a rack in the center. Make the glaze: In a small bowl, stir brown sugar, olive oil, soy sauce, lemon juice, and white wine until the sugar has dissolved.
2. Cut salmon fillet into 4 equal-size pieces; arrange, skin side down, in a single layer in a baking dish. Pour glaze over the fish, and turn to coat evenly.
3. Bake until fish is opaque but still bright pink inside, basting every few minutes with glaze from baking dish, 15 to 20 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges.

Spaghetti with Garlic-Shrimp and Broccoli

One of the recent emails I received from Kraft Foods had a ton of healthy spring dishes.  I immediately checked out all the recipes and found a few that I intended to add to an upcoming menu.  This one was the first one I put on the list.  I try to make a fish recipe once a week, lately I've been using shrimp.  It's quick, easy and the perfect pair for pasta.  

Results: A very good recipe.  I used whole wheat pasta and lite dressing to make it healthier.  Next time I will add additional veggies (red pepper and mushrooms) and cut the broccoli a little smaller.  Enjoy! 

Spaghetti with Garlic-Shrimp and Broccoli 

Courtesy of Kraft Foods

time

prep:

20 min

total:

20 min

servings

total:

6 servings, about 1-1/4 cups each

what you need

1/2

lb.  spaghetti, uncooked

4

cups  small broccoli florets

1/2

cup  KRAFT Tuscan House Italian Dressing

1

lb.  uncooked deveined peeled large shrimp

2

cloves  garlic, minced

1/4

cup  KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese

make it

COOK spaghetti in large saucepan as directed on package, omitting salt and adding broccoli to the cooking water for the last 2 min.

MEANWHILE, heat dressing in large skillet on medium-high heat. Add shrimp and garlic; cook and stir 3 to 4 min. or until shrimp turn pink.

DRAIN spaghetti mixture; return to pan. Add shrimp mixture and cheese; mix lightly.

Honey Lime Shrimp

Shrimp has become a weekly staple in our house.  For the past month, I've been making shrimp in pasta dishes.  This week I decided to change things up.  

Results: Delish.  Took about 15 minutes to make. Loved the marinade and even used a little of the remaining over my rice.  Without a doubt we will be making this one again.  Enjoy!

Honey Lime Shrimp

Courtesy of The Dough Will Rise Again

1/2 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/4 cup olive oil
2 T honey
juice of one small lime, or half a large lime (2-3 T)
zest of one small lime, or half a large lime
2 cloves garlic, smashed
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1.) In a large ziploc bag, combine all the marinade ingredients. When everything is well-combined, add the shrimp, squeeze as much air as possible out of the bag, and close it up. Place it in the fridge.

2.) Let the shrimp marinate for 30-60 minutes, flipping the bag around once or twice during that time, so that all the shrimp stay evenly covered in the marinade.

3.) When you’re ready to cook, take the shrimp out of the fridge and let them sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat; there is no need to add any oil or butter to the pan, as the marinade has enough oil in it to keep the shrimp from sticking to the pan. (If you would prefer to use the grill for these, you can thread them onto skewers and toss them on the grill at this point.)

4.) Add your shrimp to the pan in a single layer, making sure they are not too crowded; you can always cook them in more than one batch. Let them cook on one side for about a minute, until they curl up and start to turn pink. Flip them over, and cook for another 30 seconds or so, until the shrimp are opaque. Remove from the pan, and serve immediately!

Shrimp Pasta with Tomatoes, Lemon and Spinach

When making my meal plan, I always include one night of pasta.  

Finding pasta recipes without dairy has been difficult.  

Anytime I come across a pasta dish without dairy, I usually add it to the menu.  

Especially if the picture looks as good as this one did. 

I couldn't pass it up.  

Results: Delish.  Healthy.  Quick.  Will definitely make it again. 

Shrimp Pasta with Tomatoes, Lemon and Spinach 

Courtesy of Bev Cooks 

INGREDIENTS: * 1/2 pound extra large shrimp, thawed, peeled and deveined
* 2 tsp lemon zest, divided
* 1 pinch crushed red pepper
* 1 sprig fresh thyme, leaves removed and chopped
* 1 sprig fresh oregano, leaves removed and chopped
* 2 basil leaves, torn
* 2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
* 4 cups baby spinach
* 2 Tbs. lemon juice (or more!)
* 1/2 pound angel hair pasta
* coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

DIRECTIONS:

On a plate, toss the shrimp with the crushed red pepper, half the lemon zest, chopped herbs and a pinch of salt and pepper. Let it sit while you start the rest.

Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium-high. Add the garlic and bloom 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes along the remaining lemon zest. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper and saute for 2 minutes.

Add the shrimp in a single layer and sear on one side for 2 minutes. Flip and sear another minute, or until shrimp is cooked through. Keep tossing the tomatoes just a little bit.

In the meantime, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the angel hair until al dente, maybe 5 minutes. Drain all but about 1/2 cup of the pasta water and toss with the shrimp and tomato mixture, along with the spinach. Squeeze a lot of lemon juice right in. Season with coarse salt and pepper. Add as much pasta water as you want to create a thin, glorious sauce.

Serve it with more lemon juice, crusty bread and for heaven’s sake, fresh parmesan cheese.

Shrimp Cups

This year hubs and I stayed in for NYE with the baby. We decided to have a nice dinner at home.  Appetizers, Main Course, Dessert...the whole 9 yards.  

Last weekend, I started planning the meal.  Right away I noticed that finding a dairy free appetizer was extremely difficult.  Most appetizers involve some sort of cheese.  Think about it.  I bet if you think about your favorite apps, they have cheese.  After a lot of searching, I found these shrimp cups.  The original recipe tells you how to make the cups that the shrimp go in.  I already had mini phyllo cups at home and decided to use those.  I used the filling ingredients and followed that part of the recipe.  This appetizer took about 20 minutes to make

Results: They were big one bite appetizers.  I loved the sweetness of the fruit combined with the shrimp.  I was pleasantly surprised with how they turned out. 

Shrimp Cups

Adapted from Sunshine and Smile 

*I bought 14 already cooked shrimp and had 14 phyllo cups already baked*

Ingredients for the filling:

• 1 cup finely chopped pineapple
• 1 cup finely chopped green apple
• 1 tbs finely chopped cilantro
• white head less shrimp, one for each cup (keep the shrimp tail)
• 1 tsp dry parley leaves
• salt
• pepper

Directions :

In a bowl, mix the shrimp with salt, pepper and dry parley leaves.

Line the shrimps in a baking pan and roast them for 10 minutes at 400 F.

In another bowl, mix pineapple, green apple and cilantro with some salt and pepper.

Pour a spoon of salad mix into the cup and then, place the shrimp on top.

Pesto Shrimp Pasta

 In this last trimester, I've been trying to eat fish once a week.  Not only is it good for me, it's good for the bebe.  I chose this recipe because I love pesto and already had a jar in my fridge.  This dinner took only about 20 minutes to make and it tasted like it was from a restaurant.  It was that good. Enjoy!

This recipe was adapted from Budget Bytes, a new site I've found from Pinterest. 

Ingredients: 
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Cloves Garlic
3/4 lb, peeled, deveined shrimp 
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
1 box (16 oz) whole wheat spaghetti  
1 8 oz. jar pesto
2-3 Tbsp. fresh parsley
salt and pepper to taste 


Directions:

1. Cook the pasta according to the package directions. 2.  As soon as you start the pasta water, heat a large skillet with the olive oil over medium heat. While the pan is heating, mince the garlic then add to the pan. Cook the garlic for about 1-2 minutes.

3. Turn the heat on the skillet up to medium high and add the shrimp (thawed, drained). Saute the shrimp and garlic until the shrimp are fully cooked (about 5 minutes). They will be pink and no longer transparent when fully cooked.

4.  Once the shrimp is cooked, add the tomatoes. Season the pan with salt and pepper and continue to cook until the tomatoes start to break down just slightly (about 5 min).

5. When the pasta is finished, drain it. Then, add the pesto sauce to the pan and mix until all the pasta is coated.  Last, add the pesto covered pasta to the skillet with the tomatoes, garlic and shrimp.  Stir until everything is evenly coated with pesto. Sprinkle with fresh parsley and serve!

Tilapia Tacos with Peach Relish

I guess you can say we've been on a fish taco kick these past few weeks.  I think this is the third time we've made them and the third recipe I've tried.  I will say that this recipe is my favorite so far.  Probably because the fish was fried on the skillet in a little oil instead of baked in the oven like the recipe suggested.  Hubs dipped them in egg and coated them in bread crumbs.  They tasted like fish sticks.  YUM!  That paired with the fresh salsa and a little bit of sour cream made for an amazing dinner.  Enjoy! 

Tilapia Tacos with Peach Relish

                       Cooking Light Recipe from My Recipes 
Ingredients

Salsa:
2 cups finely chopped peeled peach (about 2 medium)
1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced


Remaining ingredients:
1/2 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 pound tilapia, cut into 2-inch strips
Cooking spray
8 (6-inch) corn tortillas


Preparation
To prepare salsa, combine first 8 ingredients in a medium bowl.
Let stand 30 minutes at room temperature.
Preheat oven to 375°.
Combine panko, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a medium bowl. Add fish to bowl, tossing to coat. Place fish in a single layer on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 375° for 10 minutes or until desired degree of doneness, turning once.
Heat tortillas according to package directions. Divide fish and salsa evenly among tortillas.

Fish Tacos

I always make beef tacos but my MIL inspired me to make fish tacos this past week.  I had been loving fish and chips lately and hubs always orders fish tacos while were out.  I found the recipe below at All Recipes.  I really only used it for the sauce, but wanted to share the whole thing with you.  It has amazing reviews, I was just looking for a bit of a healthier version.  I cooked the fish in a skillet with a little bit of oil.  I used hard shells and topped with the sauce.  I served them with white rice but wish I had some black beans to add to it!  Enjoy.  

Fish Tacos

Courtesy of All Recipes.com

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 cup beer
 
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 lime, juiced
1 jalapeno pepper, minced
1 teaspoon minced capers
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed
1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
 
1 quart oil for frying
1 pound cod fillets, cut into 2 to 3 ounce portions
1 (12 ounce) package corn tortillas
1/2 medium head cabbage, finely shredded
Directions

To make beer batter: In a large bowl, combine flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt. Blend egg and beer, then quickly stir into the flour mixture (don't worry about a few lumps).
To make white sauce: In a medium bowl, mix together yogurt and mayonnaise. Gradually stir in fresh lime juice until consistency is slightly runny. Season with jalapeno, capers, oregano, cumin, dill, and cayenne.
Heat oil in deep-fryer to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
Dust fish pieces lightly with flour. Dip into beer batter, and fry until crisp and golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Lightly fry tortillas; not too crisp. To serve, place fried fish in a tortilla, and top with shredded cabbage, and white sauce.

Creamy Crab-Filled Potato Nests- Pampered Chef

This is another NYE appetizer.  Hubs prepared this dish.  It was very tasty.  If I could change one thing it would be to cook the potato cups longer.  But, there weren't many left at the end of the night so that is always a good sign! Enjoy!

Creamy Crab-Filled Potato Nests

Ingredients:

3 cups (750 mL) shoestring potatoes (see Cook’s Tip)

1 egg white

1/2 medium red bell pepper

3 green onions with tops, divided

1 lemon

1 can (6 oz/175 g) lump crabmeat, drained

1/2 cup (125 mL) shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided

1/4 cup (50 mL) light mayonnaise

1/2 tsp (2 mL) Dijon mustard

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 450°F (230°C). Spray cups of Deluxe Mini-Muffin Pan with nonstick cooking spray. Place shoestring potatoes into large resealable plastic bag; gently press bag to break potatoes into smaller pieces. Place into Classic Batter Bowl; add egg white and toss to coat using Small Mix 'N Scraper(R). Using large Adjustable Measuring Spoon (about 1 tbsp/15 mL), divide potato mixture evenly among cups of pan. Press tops with Mini-Tart Shaper to make indentations; bake 3–5 minutes or just until edges of nests begin to brown. Remove pan from oven to Stackable Cooling Rack.

2.  Meanwhile, on Cutting Board, finely chop bell pepper using Food Chopper; blot dry with paper towels. Slice green onions, reserving green tops for garnish. Cut lemon in half crosswise; using head of Stainless Whisk as reamer, juice lemon to measure 1 tbsp (15 mL). In clean batter bowl, combine bell pepper, onion bottoms, lemon juice, crabmeat, 1/4 cup (50 mL) of the cheese, mayonnaise and mustard; mix well.

3.  Divide crab mixture evenly among nests using clean large Adjustable Measuring Spoon (about 2 tsp/10 mL) and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake 5–7 minutes or until crab mixture is hot and cheese is melted. Remove pan from oven to cooling rack. Garnish with reserved green onion tops.

Yield:  12 servings

Tilapia with Peach and Pepper Salsa

This cooking light recipe has been in my recipe binder for months now.  I had fresh tilapia this past week and figured this would be a perfect summer recipe.  The salsa was simple to make.  I didn't use arugula and opted for a jalapeno pepper instead of a habanero. 

 

Ingredients

• 1 1/3 cups coarsely chopped peeled yellow peaches (about 1 pound)
• 1 cup chopped red bell pepper (about 1 medium)
• 1/3 cup thinly sliced green onions
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh arugula
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
• 4 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 habanero pepper, seeded and minced
• 1 garlic clove, minced

Preparation

1. To prepare salsa, combine first 9 ingredients; toss gently. Let stand 30 minutes before serving.

**For the fish**

I dipped the fish in one egg and coated it with instant mashed potato mix from Betty Crocker. I cooked it at 375 for 15 minutes.  I served it with the salsa on top.   

Baked Tilapia

We still have quite a bit of tilapia left from one of my super saver grocery trips last month ($7 for 3lbs).  I'm continuing to search for different recipes to try with the fish.  This one popped up in my inbox a few weeks ago from Taste of Home.  I immediately knew it was something I wanted to try because I love capers.  My love for capers developed in St. Lucia on my honeymoon. Before then, I don't recall ever eating them. Thank goodness I enjoyed them because they were in everything we ate!  To me, they add a perfect salty burst of flavor to any dish.  I served this fish with sweet potato fries.  Delish! 

Ingredients

• 4 tilapia fillets (6 ounces each)
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1-1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons capers, drained
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/8 teaspoon paprika

Directions

• Place tilapia in an ungreased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. In a small bowl, combine the butter, lemon juice, garlic powder and salt; pour over the fillets. Sprinkle with capers, oregano and paprika.
• Bake, uncovered, at 425° for 10-15 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork. Yield: 4 servings.

Tilapia Tostadas

First off, I have to give credit to my wonderful husband for this dinner.  I wanted to workout tonight, so he made dinner.  He didn't follow the exact recipe below because I was using my computer to do my 30 day shred workout. I told him all of the ingredients and he did a darn good job combining them.  The tostadas were amazing but the corn salsa on top was the bomb diggity! We used panko crumbs instead of cornmeal.  We also used tomatoes instead of red peppers and onions. We topped it off with a sprinkle of cheese on top of the tostada when it was done.  The recipe is from Cooking Light.  Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 1/2  cup  reduced-fat sour cream
• 1/4  cup  green salsa
• Cooking spray
• 1  cup  yellow corn kernels
• 1/4  cup  finely chopped red bell pepper
• 1/4  cup  finely chopped red onion
• 1 1/2  teaspoons  minced seeded jalapeño pepper
• 3/4  teaspoon  salt, divided
• 1  cup  diced peeled avocado
• 2  teaspoons  fresh lime juice
• 1 1/2  pounds  tilapia fillets, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 1/4  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
• 1/3  cup  yellow cornmeal
• 1  tablespoon  canola oil, divided
• 8  (6-inch) corn tortillas
• 1  cup  packaged angel hair slaw
• Lime wedges (optional)

Preparation

1. Combine sour cream and salsa.

2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add corn, bell pepper, onion, jalapeño, and 1/4 teaspoon salt to pan; sauté 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove mixture from pan; wipe pan clean with paper towels. Combine avocado and juice; toss gently. Stir avocado mixture into corn mixture.

3. Preheat broiler.

4. Sprinkle fish evenly with remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and black pepper. Place cornmeal in a shallow dish; dredge fish in cornmeal. Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add half of fish to pan; cook 3 minutes. Carefully turn fish over; cook 2 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork or until desired degree of doneness. Repeat procedure with remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons oil and fish.

5. Coat both sides of tortillas with cooking spray. Arrange tortillas in a single layer on baking sheets; broil 2 minutes on each side or until crisp. Place 2 tortillas on each of 4 plates. Arrange 2 tablespoons slaw on each tortilla. Divide fish evenly among tortillas; top each serving with about 3 tablespoons corn relish and about 1 1/2 tablespoons sour cream mixture. Serve with lime wedges, if desired.

The leftover corn salsa...