Blackened Salmon + Cobb

Hello everyone!  Today we bring you a versatile, HEALTHY recipe, to help you get back on track after the holidays.  This blackened salmon, and the dish I created to serve it in, is inspired by a fav restaurant of mine here in Mpls., The Capital Grille.  Although a traditional steak place for dinner, they have an amazing cobb salad on their lunch menu.  In a previous life I would lunch their weekly, and almost always got this salad.  You could choose your protein I liked their blackened salmon because it is something I would rarely cook at home, and had an amazing flavorful crust.  This meal was easy, and now maybe I will eat it at home once a week!  

Servings: 2

Servings Size: 2 salads, each with 3 oz salmon, 1 egg, 1 full tomato, 1/2 oz blue cheese and 1 t. olive oil

Points Plus: 10 pp

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 12 minutes

Level of Difficulty: Easy

Rating: 5 stars - Excellent! 

Ingredients

6 oz raw WILD salmon

2 1/2 T. paprika

3/4 t. cayenne pepper

1 t. dried thyme

1/2 t. garlic powder

1 1/2 t. kosher salt

1 T light butter

1 lemon, cut in half

4 cups of lettuce, washed and chopped

2 eggs, hard boiled and sliced

2 tomatoes, sliced

1 oz good quality blue cheese, divided into two pieces

2 t. olive oil

Salt + Fresh ground pepper

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.  In a shallow bowl mix together your paprika, cayenne, thyme, garlic powder and salt.  Cut your salmon filet in half, so that each filet is about 4 oz. In another shallow bowl melt your butter and add a squeeze of lemon juice. Take the first filet and dip it into the butter, and then the spice mixture.  Use your hands to be sure it is completely covered with spices. 

Heat a non-stick skillet and cook the filets on your stovetop, about 2 minutes on each side.  Transfer your filets to an oven safe dish (or use a dish that can be used both on the stovetop and in the oven) and back them for about 8 minutes.

While salmon is baking, arrange your plate! Put down lettuce, and then arrange your egg, tomato and cheese around the outside.  When the salmon is done remove it from the oven and place in the middle.  Drizzle each salad with 1 t. olive oil, a bit of kosher salt and fresh ground pepper.

Tip

I didn’t know this until yesterday, but salmon is best right out of the oven (hence reheated salmon is gross J).  So find a buddy to share this salad with, or only cook the amount you will eat fresh.

XOXO - Katie

Salad for One! (chicken, veggies, cottage cheese and evoo)

Sometimes salads sound so blaaaaaa.  Sometimes all you need though, is a new mix of salad ingredients to reinvigorate your salad love.  Example - one day my weight watchers leader said 'I love to mix cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce, feta, evoo and salt'! I went home, made that salad, and then ate it practically every day for weeks!  Here is an easy salad that I made in an effort to use up some CSA veggies. Also, I am a quantity eater, and I love that this salad is huge, filled my WHOLE plate and made me full. It is packed with protein and made for a great dinner for one!

Servings: 1

Size: 1 salad!

Points Plus: 9 pp (keep in mind this salad is HUGE and could be split in 1/2)

Level of Difficulty: Easy

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: n/a

Rating: 3 stars - Good

Ingredient List: 

1 handful of mixed greens

4 oz. rotisserie chicken

1/2 cup sliced cucumber

1/2 tomato

2 T. fat free feta

1/2 cup 1% cottage cheese

4 basil leaves, chopped

1 t. olive oil

Kosher salt

Directions:

Mix first 7 ingredients in a bowl. Add olive oil and salt, then toss.  Put on a plate and enjoy!

Tip:

1. I love using cottage cheese as salad dressing, try it! 2. There is something about tossing your salad together at home that makes it feel fancier, try it!

Sunday Night Pizza Party!

It has been quite a weekend ya'all! Laying by the pool, celebrating a very special bachelorette, dinner at a few of my FAV restaurants of all time and wine...lots and lots of wine.  I decided, the best way to get back into the swing of things and prep for the full work week ahead was to have a pizza party tonight (just me and my husband mind you)! I had two mini Bobloi crusts in my pantry (so cute!) so created two contrasting pizzas.

Servings: 4
Size: 2 pieces (1/2 mini Boboli crust)
Point Plus: 10pp
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Rating: 4 stars - Very Good

White Pizza
1 Boboli 8 inch crust
1/4 cup alfredo sauce, light
Red pepper flakes, to taste
3 oz. chicken breast
3 fresh garlic cloves, chopped
4 fresh basil leaves, chopped
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella, part skim

Buffalo Chicken Pizza
1 Boboli 8 inch crust
1/4 pizza sauce
3 oz. chicken breast
1/4 cup Franks buffalo sauce
1/4 c. blue cheese crumbles
2 scallions, white and green, chopped

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Cut chicken (6 oz. total) into small pieces and saute in a non-stick skillet until cooked through, about five minutes. Remove 3 oz. of chicken from pan and set aside.  Add Franks to the remaining chicken in your pan and cook until warmed.

To assemble - put crusts on a cookie sheet and add respected sauce to each.  Layer toppings in the order listed above. Bake for 10 minutes, until tops of pizza are browned!

Tip:
Using a small pizza crust is perfect for creating more variety!

XOXO Katie

Island Rum Cake

Today is my birthday!!!  As I celebrate and indulge a bit (it is my birthday after all), here is a fun summer dessert for you to check out and maybe try out at the next time you have company?  This is a Pampered Chef recipe found here.  I made a few slight modifications, but it is basically the same recipe.  Enjoy!

Servings:  16

Size:  1/16 of cake

Points Plus: 10pp
Level of Difficulty:  Medium

Prep Time: 40 minutes

Cook Time:  15-18 minutes

Rating: 4 stars – Very good

Ingredient List:

Cake:

1 box of yellow cake mix

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1/3 cup water

1 egg

1 can crushed pineapple, in juice, undrained

½ cup sweetened flaked coconut

Filling & Fruit Topping:

1 package vanilla instant mudding mix, sugar-free

1 cup milk

2 cups thawed, frozen whipped topping

2 Tbsp. dark rum

1 kiwi, peeled and sliced

1 large mango, peeled and sliced

¼ cup toasted coconut

Syrup:

¼ cup brown sugar

2 Tbsp. dark rum

2 Tbsp. water

1 tsp. cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°.  Use two torte pans (I used Pampered Chef’s version which are 10 ½ inches round) to make the cake in.  Spray each pan with cooking spray and place an 8 inch circle of parchment paper over the center of each pan.  In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, oil, water, egg and pineapple until well mixed.  Fold in the coconut flakes.  Divide the cake batter evenly between the two pans.  Bake for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Let the cakes cool before you try and remove them from the pans; let cool on a wire cooling rack.  In a small saucepan, bring the brown sugar, dark rum, water and cinnamon to a boil over medium-high heat to make the syrup.  Whisk the mixture until the sugar is fully dissolved.  Cook for 1-2 minutes until the syrup is reduced to about ¼ cup; remove from heat.  Whisk the pudding mix and milk together to make the filling and add in 1 cup of whipped topping and the 2 Tbsp. rum.  Prep the kiwi and mango and cut into slices for the top of the cake.

Assemble the cake by starting with one torte cake on a round platter.  Brush the syrup topping over the top of the cake.  Using a cake decorating tool, pipe the filling mixture around the edge of the cake and spread evenly across the top of the cake.  Layer on the next cake layer and arrange the slices of mango and kiwi in the middle of the cake. Brush the remaining syrup on top of the fruit slices. Pipe around the edge of the top cake layer with the remaining filling and sprinkle the toasted coconut on top of the filling.

Tip:

A good cake decorating tool can help you to make impressive looking desserts!  I am partial to this version from Pampered Chef.

XOXO Megan

Linguine with Shrimp Scampi

The combination of shrimp and lemon is so refreshing, and so spring. Even though we are on a very long rain streak here in MN, I would still like to hope spring (and maybe even summer?) is on it's way. I mean it IS Memorial Day and all.  This dish is really simple, pair it with a salad and you have a quick and decadent meal.

Servings: 4
Size: 1/4
Points Plus: 10pp
Level of Difficulty: Medium
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Rating: 4 stars - Very Good

Ingredient List:
Kosher Salt (yum!)
Fresh ground pepper
8 oz. whole wheat linguine
1 T. butter
1 T. olive oil
3 T. minced garlic
1 lb. large shrimp, peeled and deveined
3/4 c. fresh parsley
Grated zest of one lemon
1/2 c. freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
1/4 t. red pepper flakes
Pinch of shredded Parmesan

Bring a pot of water to a boil.  Add a pinch of kosher salt and linguine and boil according to package directions.

In another large pan (dutch oven), melt butter and heat oil over medium-low heat. Add garlic and saute for one minute. Add shrimp, another pinch of salt, and pepper.  Saute until shrimp has just turned pink (about 2 minutes per side). Remove from heat, add parsley, lemon zest, lemon juice, and red pepper flakes. Toss with  pasta and serve! Add a pinch of parm if you would like.

WARNING: The lemon proportions for this recipe make the lemon flavor pretty strong.  If you would prefer a more subtle lemon flavor cut the juice and zest in half.

Tip: I like to buy deveined shrimp, mainly because the concept of veining shrimp grosses me out. I do however like to peel my own shrimp, I think the kind you have to peep seems fresher than that kind that is already peeled.  Happy Memorial Day!

XOXO - Katie

Maple Glazed Salmon with Brussels Sprouts

Salmon is quick and easy to bake in the oven; and adding a delicious glaze to the top can really increse the flavor of your fish.  Pair it with Brussels sprouts (one of my FAVORITE veggies) and you've got an easy, healthy dinner on your hands!  You can substitute whatever veggie you want on the side, but honestly I cannot get enough of roasted Brussel sprouts.  They are so delicious!

Servings:  4

Size:  ¼ of the cooked salmon fillet

Points Plus: 10 pp

Level of Difficulty:  Easy

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time:  25 minutes

Rating: 3 stars – Good

*Recipe from Real Simple

Ingredient List:

1 pound Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved

½ large red onion, cut into 1 inch wedges

1 Tbsp. olive oil

Kosher salt

Black pepper

2 Tbsp. maple syrup

2 Tbsp. whole-grain mustard

1 ½ pounds salmon fillet, cut into 4 pieces

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 450°, with the racks in the upper and lower thirds of your oven.  On a rimmed cookie sheet, toss the Brussels sprouts and onion with the oil.  Sprinkle salt and pepper over the veggies.  Roast on the bottom rack, tossing occasionally with tongs until they are golden and tender (about 15-20 minutes).  In a small bowl, whisk together the maple syrup, mustard and ¼ tsp each of salt and pepper.  After the veggies have been roasting for 10 minutes, place the salmon in a glass 9x9 baking dish.  Brush the maple mixture over the top of the salmon fillets.  Roast the salmon on the top rack until cooked through, about 15 minutes.  Serve with lemon wedges if you prefer.

Tip:

The original recipe calls for skinless salmon fillets.  I usually buy the packaged fresh fillets at my local grocer that have skin on the bottom.  Rather than struggle to cut off this skin before it’s cooked, just bake the salmon as the directions say above.  Once your salmon is cooked, the fish will literally peel away from the skin on its own.  Just be careful to avoid any fish scales/skin on the pieces you will be serving.

XOXO Megan

Buffalo Chicken Salad

I love buffalo chicken!  It’s such a great flavor profile.  Depending on how much you like buffalo, this recipe allows you to add just the right amount to get to your desired level of hotness.  This makes for a hearty, satisfying salad and is easy to pull together for a quick weeknight dinner.

Servings:  2

Size:  Main course salad

Points Plus: 10 pp

Level of Difficulty:  Easy

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time:  n/a

Rating: 4 stars – Very good
* Recipe from www.siriouslydelicious.blogspot.com

Ingredient List:

6 oz. rotisserie chicken

Frank’s hot sauce – buffalo flavor

Chopped romaine

1 cup tomato, diced

2 oz. blue cheese crumbles

1 avocado, diced

12 blue tortilla chips

2 Tbsp. Greek yogurt, plain, fat free

Directions:

Shred the rotisserie chicken with a fork.  Add Frank’s hot sauce to your chicken and stir until the chicken is evenly coated with buffalo sauce.  Chop up hearts of romaine and plate out portions for two main course salads.  Dice the tomato and avocado.  Assemble your salads by adding the shredded chicken (about 3 oz. per serving), tomato, avocado and crumbled blue cheese (1 oz. of cheese per salad).  Crush 6 blue tortilla chips on top of each salad.  For dressing, use a generous spoonful of plain Greek yogurt.

Tip:

Do you struggle with cutting an avocado?  Here’s a quick and easy way to make easy work of it.  Slice the avocado in half length-wise.  Use your knife to lightly puncture the pit, this will allow you to easily pull out the pit using the blade of the knife.  With the avocado still in its rind, make cuts in both directions which would result in diced pieces.  Use a large spoon to scoop out each side of the already pre-diced avocado pieces and add to your salad (or whatever else you are making with diced avocado!).

XOXO Megan

Salsa Verde Enchiladas

In honor of Cinco de Mayo yesterday we thought a Mexican recipe was appropriate.  If you like authentic Mexican food, this is a recipe you have to check out!  Paul, my fiance, LOVES Mexican and suggested one weekend that we try out a true, authentic recipe.  He found this one online and we have to say we were impressed - definite authenticity.  We served our salsa verde enchiladas with a side of cooked black beans with onions and cilantro.  Yum!

Servings:  4

Size:  3 enchiladas

Points Plus: 10 pp

Level of Difficulty:  Medium

Prep Time: 40 minutes

Cook Time:  35 minutes

Rating: 5 stars – Excellent
*Recipe from: allrecipes.com

Ingredient List:

2 bone-in chicken breast halves

2 cups chicken broth

White onion, finely diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp. salt

1 pound of fresh tomatillos, husks removed

5 Serrano peppers*

12 corn tortillas

1/8 cup olive oil

½ cup crumbled queso fresco

Fresh cilantro, chopped

Directions:

In a saucepan, combine chicken breasts with chicken broth, ¼ of the onion, 1 clove of garlic and 2 tsp. salt.  Bring to a boil and then boil for 20 minutes.  Reserve broth, set aside chicken to cool and discard the onion and garlic.  When chicken has cooled, shred the chicken with 2 forks.

Place tomatillos and Serrano peppers in a pot with water, enough to cover them (some of the tomatillos will float a bit).  Bring to a boil, continue boiling until the tomatillos turn a different shade of green (they will start out as a bright green and turn to a dull, army green).  Strain tomatillos and peppers, place in a blender with another ¼ of the onion, 1 clove of garlic and a pinch of salt.  Pour in enough of the reserved chicken broth so the liquid covers the vegetables by about an inch in the blender.  Blend all ingredients until they are completely pureed.  Pour salsa into a medium saucepan and bring to a low boil.

Pour oil into a small frying pan; allow it to get very hot.  Slightly fry the tortillas one by one in the oil, setting each on a paper towel to absorb some oil after frying.  Finally dip the tortillas into the warmed salsa verde in the saucepan.  Place on plates, 3 tortillas per serving.  Assemble each enchilada by filling the tortillas with shredded chicken, some extra salsa verde sauce and rolling up. On top, add chopped onion, cilantro and crumbled queso fresco.

Tip:

*Note on the Serrano peppers.  The originally recipe calls for 5 peppers.  Unless you REALLY love spicy food, I would recommend scaling back on this. These are HOT enchiladas (I mean the recipe can’t say it’s authentic if it doesn’t have some heat to it!).  We have made this recipe twice, and used 3 peppers both times.  These peppers definitely have some kick!

XOXO Megan

Chicken Gyros (Yee-Roh)

NEWSFLASH! Chicken gyros are just as good as regular normal delicious wonderful lamb gyros.  Ok, this might not be 100% true (coming from a major gyro lover), but they are a good, healthier substitute! I think this was the first time I actually ate a chicken gyros, and slightly altered this recipe from The Girl Who Ate Everything (good blog). You begin by mixing up a Greek inspired marinade AND your own Tzatziki! I served this with a basic Greek chop salad of cucumber, tomato, feta and red onion.  Made me feel like I was in Greece! (jk)

Servings:  2

Size:  Ingredients below split in half, 5 oz of chicken

Points Plus: 10 pp

Level of Difficulty:  Medium

Prep Time: 1 hour 10 mins, including marinade time

Cook Time:  10 mins

Rating: 3 stars - Good

Ingredients:

Tzatziki sauce:

1 cup plain Greek yogurt

1 regular cucumber, peeled and seeded

1 tsp. minced garlic

1 tsp. white wine vinegar

Salt and pepper

Squeeze of fresh lemon juice

For the chicken:

2 tsp. minced garlic

Juice of 1 lemon (2-3 Tbsp.)

2 tsp. red wine vinegar

2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

2 heaping Tbsp. plain Greek yogurt

1 Tbsp. dried oregano

Salt and pepper

1 1/4 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed

To assemble:

Pita bread, one split in 1/2

Fresh tomatoes, seeded and diced

Red onion, sliced thin

Directions:

Shred the cucumber and wrap in a towel a squeeze to remove as much water as possible. Mix together the yogurt, shredded cucumber, garlic, white wine vinegar, salt and pepper to taste, and lemon juice. Don't over salt! Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving to allow the flavors to meld.

To prepare the chicken, combine the garlic, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, yogurt, oregano, and salt and pepper to taste in a medium bowl. Whisk together until mixed well. Add the chicken pieces to the bowl and mix well to coat. Cover and refrigerate for about 1 hour.

Spray a non-stick pan and sauté chicken until cooked through. Once the chicken is completely cooked through, transfer to a plate and let rest for 5 minutes. Broil pitas. Top with chicken, tzatziki sauce, and sliced onions. Serve immediately. Also feel free to add chopped romaine and diced tomatoes if you have them, which I didn't!

Tip: Marinades such as this are a great way to spice up (not literally) your boring run-of-the mill chicken.  You could use this marinade without the pita and serve with a salad and veggie side OR use to top a simple Greek salad of tomatoes, cucumber, red onion and feta.

XOXO - Katie

Chicken with White Beans & Tomatoes

Here’s an easy, weeknight chicken recipe for you to try.   This recipe came from Real Simple, with a few slight modifications to save you some calories and $$!  The recipe calls for bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs – I substituted boneless, skinless chicken breasts to help reduce the points plus (Weight Watchers) value.  My favorite chicken is Smart Chicken – it’s an organic brand sold in MN at Byerly’s and Lund’s grocers.  What I love about this recipe is that it combines your protein and side all in one dish!

Servings: 6
Size: 5 oz of chicken, 1/2 cup bean and tomato mixture
Points Plus: 10 pts
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes

Rating: 3 stars - Good

Ingredient List:

2 15.5 oz cans of cannellini beans, rinsed

1 pint grape tomatoes

4 sprigs of fresh thyme

4 sprigs of fresh oregano

1 garlic clove, smashed

¼ tsp crushed red pepper

1 Tbsp olive oil

Kosher salt

Black pepper

2 lbs of skinless, boneless chicken breast

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450°. In a 9x13 inch baking dish, toss beans and tomatoes with thyme, oregano, garlic, crushed red pepper, olive oil and ½ tsp each of salt and pepper. Season the chicken breasts with ½ tsp of salt and ½ tsp of pepper.  Roast until the chicken is cooked through, about 35 to 45 minutes. 

Note: If you want to speed up the cooking time, you could start the chicken sautéing on the stove before you transfer it to the baking dish for roasting.  Also, the bean/tomato mixture may produce some liquid while roasting – use this as a sauce to spoon over your chicken when serving!

Tip:

One way to save some $$ is to use dried herbs instead of fresh.  I used dried thyme and oregano (from Penzey’s) for this recipe and it turned out great!  Sometimes the fresh herbs are definitely worth the splurge (think fresh Mexican), but there are many recipes that you can get by with the dried variety without sacrificing taste.

XOXO Megan