Broccoli-Quinoa Pilaf with Salmon

I have been hearing so many great things about quinoa and finally tried to make it tonight. Quinoa is a great whole grain that is also a complete protein and full of amino acids (like muscle-relaxing magnesium), fiber, and other minerals. It is a great way to mix things up from having rice as a side dish and a lot better for you. I had bought a bag a while ago after seeing it featured in a few blogs and magazines, but it has been sitting in my pantry just waiting to be opened. Tonight I used a recipe that my mom had made for me while home a few weeks ago. I figured that the first thing I try I should know sort of how it is supposed to turn out.  And with it I made some healthy pan seared salmon to round out the healthy meal.

Broccoli-Quinoa Pilaf with Salmon

Serves 4

Ingredients:

3 teaspoons olive oil

½ small onion, chopped

kosher salt and black pepper

1 cup quinoa, rinsed well

2 cups chopped broccoli

½ cup roasted almonds, coarsely chopped

6-ounce pieces salmon

Seafood seasoning (Old Bay or Phillips)

Directions:

1. Heat 1 teaspoon of the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and season with ¾ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and starting to brown, 3 to 4 minutes.

2. Add the quinoa and 1½ cups water to the saucepan and bring to a boil; reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer gently until almost all the water has evaporated, 10 to 12 minutes. Fold the broccoli and raisins into the quinoa, cover, and cook until the quinoa and broccoli are tender, 8 to 10 minutes more. Remove from heat and fold in the almonds, scallions, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper.

3. Meanwhile, heat the remaining 2 teaspoons of oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Season the salmon with the seafood seasoning and cook until opaque throughout, 3 to 4 minutes per side

 4. Serve with the broccoli-quinoa mixture and enjoy!

Tip: Steaming the broccoli along with the quinoa means one less pot to clean. This technique works with lots of vegetables, including peas, green beans, and carrots.

Nutritional Information:

Calories 464; Fat 16g; Sat Fat 2g; Cholesterol 65mg; Sodium 833mg; Protein 37g; 

Carbohydrate 44g; Sugar 7g; Fiber 6g; Iron 6mg; Calcium 109mg

 

Adapted from: Real Simple

Lemon Pound Cake

This weekend Jason's sister was in town to visit his Dad. It is always nice to have visitors from back home. We had them over to use our NEW patio furniture and of course grill. We made the Ultimate Grilled Honey-Teriyaki Chicken from a previous post. For dessert Jason put in a request for pound cake and since I know he loves lemon I made a lemon pound cake. this recipe is one that my father uses and I knew was delicious. Of course, knowing how it should taste always puts the pressure on me to get it right. It turned out great and was moist on the inside with a great balance of lemon flavor. Jason event went so far as to say it was the best pound cake he has ever had so I consider this a success!

Lemon Pound Cake

Ingredients:

 2 sticks butter
1 1/2 cups cake flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 Tblsp. grated lemon zest plus 2 tsp. lemon juice
4 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Glaze Ingredients:

1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9 by 5 loaf pan with 1 Tbsp. softened butter, dust with 1 Tbsp. flour and tap out excess.

In medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder, and salt, set aside.

Melt the butter and stir it up to make sure it's mixed. In a food processor, process sugar and zest until combined. Add lemon juice, eggs, and vanilla until combined. Keep machine running and add melted butter, remove mixture to large bowl. Sift flour mixture over eggs in three batches, mixing just to combine after each step. 

Pour into loaf pan and bake 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 325 and bake until golden brown, about 35 minutes more. When toothpick comes out clean, it's ready. Check after 35 minutes, but mine took another 5 minutes longer. Cool for 10 minutes.

Then take it out of the loaf pan and put it onto a wire rack, brush Lemon Glaze onto top and sides with a pastry brush. I added some strawberries for color and fruit when serving.

Lemon glaze: bring sugar and lemon juice to boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Reduce heat to low, simmer 2 minutes until thick. 

Source: Cooks Illustrated

Healthy Pasta Primavera with Chicken

I recently started watching the Rachel Ray talk show. I had seen her on the FoodNetwork before but never her talk show. She made a lighter version of pasta primavera that didn’t use and cream or milk. I am always looking for healthier versions of meals that can avoid heavy cream sauces and this seemed to fit the bill. It was also full of vegetables and chicken for protein. It was surprisingly flavorful and thick despite no cream. My only complaint is that it used at least 3 pans and unlike her other 30 minute meals this one took a while. Be sure to allow at least an hour. I poached the chicken and started on the sauce to multi task, but to allow the sauce to thicken took me a longer than anticipated. Regardless, this was a hearty and healthy meal I would make again and this time I’d try to remember to put the peas in.

Pasta Primavera with Chicken

Makes 4 Servings

Ingredients:

For the chicken:

1 full (2 breasts attached) bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts, 2 to 2 1/2 pounds

1 medium onion, cut into quarters

1 small lemon, sliced

1 carrot, cut into quarters

2 ribs celery, cut into quarters

2 large bay leaves

Small bundle parsley, thyme and rosemary

For the Pasta Primavera:

1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil

3 Tablespoons butter

2 small or 1 large carrot, peeled and cut into 2-inch matchsticks

1 small zucchini, trimmed and cut into 2-inch matchsticks

1 large or 2 small leek, trimmed, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced on an angle or chopped into matchsticks, washed and dried

3 to 4 cloves garlic, chopped

Salt and white pepper or finely ground black pepper

3 Tablespoons flour

½ cup dry white wine

2 ½ cups chicken stock (poaching liquid)

1 box frozen peas, defrosted (optional)

1 pound egg tagliatelle (Fettucini)

A handful of parsley, thyme leaves and rosemary, very finely chopped

1 lemon

Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Directions:

To poach the chicken, place chicken, onion, lemon, carrot, celery, bay and herb bundle in a pot, cover chicken with water and bring to boil. Once boiling, reduce heat and simmer 45 minutes. Strain and reserve poaching liquids, cool chicken to handle. Remove skin and bones then pull meat into thin, bite-sized pieces using a fork.

For the sauce, heat olive oil and butter over medium heat. Add carrots, zucchini, leeks and garlic, season with salt and white pepper, and sauté to tender, 6-7 minutes. 

 

Sprinkle veggies with flour and stir a minute more so it is not paste like or clumped. Deglaze pan with wine then stir in 2 cups reserved poaching liquid. Thicken to lightly coat spoon, add in chicken and peas, and reduce heat to low. (This took a while for my sauce)

Bring a pot of water to a boil for pasta. Add salt and cook pasta to al dente. Drain and toss with chicken and sauce, adding an additional 1/2 cup poaching liquid if pasta gets too tight. I did not need this since it was pretty thin.

Zest lemon and combine with finely chopped herbs. Juice lemon into pasta and serve in shallow bowls topped with gremolata and some cheese.

Source: Rachel Ray

Fun Summer Day

Today I am venturing out on my blog from just food posts. We had a busy and fun filled day that started with some delicious breakfast. I am a lover of most breakfast foods yet am usually too lazy to make them on my own, especially during the week. This morning I was up early and had some left over challah to use up so figured I would try a different take on the classic French toast. It was simple to make and flavorful. The cinnamon sugar crunch on top was perfect.

 

Baked French Toast with Blueberries

Ingredients:

Butter, for greasing

6 eggs

3 cups whole milk (I used 1%)

3/4 cup maple syrup, plus extra for serving

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, plus 1 Tablespoon for the topping

¼ teaspoon fine sea salt

1 lemon, zested

3 (1-inch thick) slices (8 ounces) day-old challah or sourdough bread, cut into 1-inch cubes

2 cups (12 ounces) fresh or frozen, thawed, and drained blueberries

3 Tablespoons granulated sugar

Directions:

Place an oven rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9 by 13-inch baking dish. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs until frothy. Add the milk, maple syrup, cinnamon, salt, and lemon zest. Add the bread cubes and mix until coated. Stir in the blueberries. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish.

In a small bowl, mix together the remaining cinnamon and sugar. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over the egg mixture in an even layer. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes until the top is golden and the filling is set.

Spoon onto serving plates and drizzle with maple syrup.

 

Source: Giada De Laurentiis

After breakfast we went to meet my cousin in Delray Beach for lunch and window shopping on Atlantic Avenue. She was our first “visitor” since being in Florid, which was a lot of fun. It was strange to think I have been here a few months and yet am able to show people around and know where to go already. We had to make our way down to the beach so we could all say we have been there.

There were a lot of signs and tape up all along the beach for the turtle nests. I had only read about them so it was cool to see that they do exist.

Homemade Roasted Red Pepper and Basil Pesto with Penne

The basil plant in our herb garden is growing like crazy. Of all of the herbs I don't use basil that often and needed to find something to use some up in. The first thing that came to mind was a pesto sauce for pasta. I have never made it before and figured I would give it a try with my new food processor. I was looking up recipes on the various food blogs I read and came across a roasted red pepper pesto and penne...perfect! It was even on a site for picky eaters, which Jason can sometimes be one this seemed like a perfect match, especially since I know he loves red peppers. It turned out creamy and flavorful. The roasted red peppers were not a strong flavor to the basil and garlic so I might use 1 clove of garlic next time and a little more red pepper if we want a stronger flavor. You can also add some grilled or shredded chicken for more protein. Either way it was a hearty meal.

Roasted Red Pepper and Basil Pesto Penne

Ingredients:

½ Cup roasted red bell peppers (jar or fresh)

2 cloves fresh garlic

1/3 Cup parmesan cheese, grated

1/3 Cup pine nuts

1 ½ Cups basil leaves

½ teaspoon salt

½ Cup extra virgin olive oil

1 lb Penne (or any short cut pasta)

¼ Cup heavy cream, if desired (I didn't add since it was thick enough on its own, but it makes for a creamier sauce)

 

Directions:

1. Place roasted red peppers and garlic into food processor. Pulse until well combined.  

2. Add the parmesan, pine nuts, basil leaves and salt. With processor running, slowly drizzle in olive oil. Set aside.

3. Cook penne according to package directions. Drain and transfer to a large rimmed skillet or pot. Pour in pesto and stir. Stir in heavy cream if desired. Heat for 5 minutes or until heated through. Best served immediately.

Source: Picky Palate

Hamburger Cupcakes

Happy 4th of July! While this is a holiday most people celebrate by making hamburgers outside on the grill, I decided to make cupcake hamburgers. I was in a store and saw a cute hamburger cake and then smaller cupcakes that looked just like a hamburger. And since hamburgers are kind of a big deal around our house, I just had to try making them myself for Jason to bring to work.

Since I wasn't sure how they would turn out, I must confess I used a yellow cake mix and a jar of chocolate fudge icing. Normally I would make the yellow cake and a chocolate butter-cream or cream cheese icing from scratch and definitely will next time. I also bought red and green tubes of decorating icing, but not the gel stuff. Bake the cupcakes according to the recipe/directions.

Be sure to let them cool completely. Then remove the paper liner and cut it in to give it the look of a hamburger bun.

Next add the chocolate icing to the bottom to create the hamburger.

Then add a circle of the red piping icing to create the look of a tomato slice.

And add a zig zag or green piping icing to create the lettuce. It doesn't have to be perfect since the top will be covering it.

Finally put the top of the cupcake/bun on and press down a little bit. Add on a few sesame seeds and press gently to stay put. Voila you are done!

Summer Berry Muffins

I had bought a big container of blueberries and there is no way that I could eat them all before they go bad. I came across this recipe for summer berry muffins that looked quick and easy. It also allowed me to use the new muffin tin I received at my bridal shower! I thought I had some frozen mixed berries from smoothies but turned out I used of them all so I turned these into just blueberry muffins. They turned out light and fluffy, not a dense muffin and not too sweet which is nice. I might try with strawberries or peaches also.

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cups sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup milk  

1 egg, at room temperature  

1 tsp. almond extract

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1/2 cup fresh, frozen blueberries

1/2 cup fresh, frozen raspberries

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Spray a twelve cup muffin-pan with with baking spray or line with paper liners.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt until well blended.  Create a well in the center.

3. In a small bowl, whisk together milk, egg, and two extracts until well blended.

4. Pour the milk mixture and melted butter in to the well in the flour mixtures and stir until mostly combined.  Fold in berries gently to avoid smashing them.

5. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, dividing evenly. They should be no more than 3/4 full.

6. Bake until muffins are golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, approx. 18-20 minutes.

7. Let muffins cool in the pan on a rack for five minutes, then remove and continue to cool on the rack.

Source: Apple A Day