Pan Seared Salmon!

Things have been pretty hectic over the last few months.  I feel like any night that I am home and ready to cook, I either have zero energy or no food in the fridge, hence the lack of new recipes! Rest assured, I am eating. I'm just not eating anything blog worthy. ;)

One of my reasons for cooking less is actually pretty amazing. Back in July I started volunteering twice a week at God's Love We Deliver, chopping veggies for soups and stews. It is such a great experience! Aside from improving my slicing skills (and ridding myself of constant blisters) it is so rewarding to know that the work I put into these shifts is enjoyed by so many the next day. God's Love serves anywhere between 1,200 to 1,500 hot meals to those in need a day. 

Anyways, back to the reason you're reading this. Since I've been eating a lot of the same old thing, when I am craving something new it seems as though fish is the first thing that comes to mind! This time, salmon! Growing up my mom always baked salmon in the oven marinated in Italian dressing, wrapped in foil. I figured I'd branch out tonight and pan sear it. Extra crispy!!

Recipe:
2 salmon filets
1 tbsp butter
salt and pepper to taste
2 dashes onion powder
1 tsp minced leak
2 tsp minced shallots
1 tbsp olive oil


Directions:
1) Saute the shallots and leak in a pan with olive oil until translucent and fragrant.
2) Season the salmon filets with onion powder, salt and pepper. Then add to pan.
3) Allow about 6 minutes on one side, flip then add butter.
4) Allow another six minutes or so to sear. Then remove the filets from pan and set on a separate plate.

I served my salmon atop sauteed spinach and quinoa. This dish was incredible. It was the first time in weeks that all was silent while eating. ;)

Recipe adapted from Food52.com

Here Fishy Fishy....

With summer coming to a close my taste buds have been craving the last bites of the season. Growing up, my dad spent summer days taking us kids to various lakes and state parks to soak up the sun and relax (and so he could go fishing!) I remember countless times that we had spent hours at the lake only to leave with left over minnows but there were always a few great days when we caught loads of fish!

And loads of fish meant one thing: FISH FRY!! Nothing tastes better than fresh trout battered and fried. Yum! Naturally, living in the city makes "going fishing" completely out of the question so Trader Joe's has to be the next best thing.

After scanning the isles, I settled on tilapia fillets. I've done a few fish recipes over the last few years and was ready for something other than oven baked so I did a little research on pan frying. It seemed simple enough. After seasoning my fillets with salt and pepper, I coated them in flour, shook off the excess and placed them in an oiled, heated frying pan. They were cooked through after 5 minutes on each side. 


I served the fish with asparagus and mushroom quinoa. It was a great combination. The fish was tender and delicious. It was definitely a great reminder of growing up. :)

Hurricane Food!!

I think it's safe to say that hurricane Irene was a total let-down. Since this was the first hurricane to hit NYC since 1985 (aka WHEN I WAS BORN) I had no idea what to expect. So I joined the masses at any open grocery store on Saturday to pick up a few, non-perishable staples. I walked out with apples, noodles and garbage bags...oh yea - and beer!

Luckily, I keep a fairly stocked kitchen at all times so we had plenty of dry-food options like chips, crackers, peanut butter, bread, tuna, etc. But media forecasts predicted that power could be out for days on end. Naturally, my mind went to my stomach. What could I make that will stay fresh with no power? Personally, I'd probably eat anything - including dairy products but it never came to that. We never lost power and storm did not live up to it's expectations, in my neighborhood at least.

Backing-tracking....in a frenzy on Saturday, I made 2 cups of quinoa...just in case. Sure, I was storing it in the fridge but it's a grain and grains keep for a long time, right? On the bright side, having this on-hand sure did make my post-Irene dinner quick on Sunday night. I was far too lazy from put any effort into cooking, nor did I have anything extravagant in my fridge.

What's a girl to do? Get creative!! That's just what I did with this recipe. I had ground turkey, frozen pasta sauce and quinoa...so I threw 'em together. It was amazing!! Quinoa can be pretty bland, especially pared with ground turkey. Thankfully, I had save some of my homemade pasta sauce, from the first go around (when I added way too many onions and hand-crushed full tomatoes for the sauce.) Throwing this sauce into the pan created a perfect balance of juice to hold the meat and grain together, but it also added so much flavor to the dish. The onions, garlic and basil married so well with this protein heavy dish.


If you're ever in a jam for dinner - keep this recipe on the back-burner (pun intended.) In just 20 minutes you will have a flavorful, full balanced meal, that is sure to please.

Recipe:
1.5 lbs ground turkey
1 cup prepared quinoa
1.5 - 2 cups pasta sauce, of your choice.

Directions:
Cook meat until it is browned all the way through. Once meat is cook, toss in quinoa and mix with meat until heated through. Lastly, add sauce and mix to coat. Season with salt, pepper and other spices as desired.

It really is that easy! Enjoy. :)

Turkey Mushroom Risotto

I've spent a lot of time over the last few years watching Food Network absorbing tips about amazing food, cooking techniques and great dishes to try. I've heard to much about risotto (the good and the bad) and am embarrassed to say that prior to cooking this recipe I never had it.

My mother was in town visiting and I promised to cook her something great since she checks out my blog all the time and complains about how she never gets to try anything I make. :) I figured this would be the perfect time to give risotto a try. Obviously, it could have gone horribly wrong since I had heard risotto is a tough dish to make properly, but it was amazing! (And i don't really understand how someone could mess it up.) 

After spending a little quality time in the kitchen, my mom and I each dug into a delicious bowl of Turkey Mushroom Risotto. You definitely have to try this one!

Recipe: 

1 lb of ground turkey
1 medium onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced 

1 8oz package of mushrooms, chopped
2 tbsp of fresh tarragon (I couldn't find tarragon so I substituted with green onion instead)
6 cups of chicken broth
1 cup of white wine

21/4 cups arborrio rice
2 tbsp of butter
1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese

Directions: 

1) Cook turkey on medium high heat, in a deep skillet. When the turkey is about 3/4 cooked, add in diced onion and garlic.

2) Continue to cook the mixture for 1 to 2 more minutes then add mushrooms.Cook for and additional minute or two and then add in your fresh tarragon (or green onion, in my case.)
3) Let the meat cook for a final minute or two and remove the meat from the heat and set it aside.
4) In the same pan, add broth and wine. Bring the liquid to a boil then add rice and stir continuously for the first 2 to 3 minutes.
5) When the water's 3/4 of the way absorbed (about 20 minutes) add the turkey mixture back in and continue to cook and stir until the water is absorbed and the pasta/grain mix is creamy.
6) Remove from heat and stir in butter and cheese.
7) ENJOY! :)

Recipe courtesy of: Mommycooks.com

French Toast Cupcakes - UPDATE

I woke up yesterday morning with a craving for a delicious cupcake. It's been a few weeks since I've baked so it was definitely time to get back into the swing of things. I've made a lot of chocolate, red velvet and stuffed cakes and wanted to bake outside my realm.

After some searching, I found a great recipe on The Cupcakery Blog for French Toast Cupcake with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting. I knew this was it!! Simple yet tasty.

Cupcake Recipe: 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 eggs, room temperature
1 tsp maple extract
1/2 cup milk

Directions:
1) Preheat your oven to 350° degrees. Line muffin tin with baking liners.
2) Combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt in a mixing bowl.
3) In a large bowl, whisk together butter, sugar, and eggs until combined. Then add maple extract.
4) Alternate between whisking in flour mixture and milk into your liquid mixture. Make three additions of flour and two of milk. Beat until smooth.
5)Divide batter into prepared pan and bake 20-25 minutes until golden brown and tops spring back when lightly touched.
6) Cool cupcakes for 10 minutes, remove from pan and allow to cool completely before frosting.

Frosting Recipe: 8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
Pinch of salt
1 tsp maple syrup
4 1/2 cups confectioners sugar, sifted
cinnamon, as desired

Directions:
1) Beat together cream cheese, butter and salt until creamy. Add maple syrup. Sprinkle in desired amount of cinnamon.
2) With mixer on low, add sugar 1/2 cup at a time until light and fluffy.
3) Increase mixer speed between additions.
4) Decorate and enjoy!

Recipe adapted from The-cupcakery-blog.blogspot.com

Orechiette with Sausage, Beans, and Mascarpone

I spent my entire day Sunday watching Food Network. I was hooked! From time to time I catch a recipe that I would want to cook, but then as soon as the show is over I forget what it was.

Luckily, I got my pen and paper out today. Giada put together a great Orechiette with Sausage, Beans, and Mascarpone dish. I've never cooked with cannellini beans but love the taste so I was pumped to try this out. While meal is visually one-dimensional with poor photo quality, it tasted delicious! I loved the creaminess of the mascarpone with the sausage and beans. It created a perfect balance.


Recipe:
1 lb orechiette pasta
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 lb turkey sausage, casing removed
1 small onion, chopped
1 15 oz can of cannellini beans, drained and rinced
2 tbsp chopped fresh oregano leaves
1/2 cup mascarpone cheese
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
1) Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid.
2) In a large, heavy skillet warm the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add sausage and onions. Using a wooden spoon break up the sausage into bite-sized pieces as it browns.
3) Continue cooking until the sausage is golden and the onions are tender. Add the beans and oregano cook for 2 more minutes. Add the cup of pasta cooking liquid and stir, scrapping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the mascarpone cheese and stir until it dissolved into a light sauce. Add the salt, pepper, and hot pasta. Stir until coated and serve.

My First Pass at Homemade Marinara

Up until now, my version of marinara was Ragu, doctored up with some spices. I finally realized that after almost two years of blogging that I should probably learn an easy, but delicious go-to recipe. I've done a Rachel Ray veggie-packed sauce in the past, but it's a little too labor intensive for a quick week night meal.

After a little research, I learned that there are hundreds of marinara recipes so I consulted a friend who has received rave reviews for her sauce. I took some liberties and make some tweaks to make this recipe my own. Then end result: AMAZING!!!

I served this sauce over Trader Joe's Basil and Garlic Linguine, along side spinach stuffed chicken with side salad (dressing recipe below.)


Recipe:
2 28oz cans of crushed tomatoes
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (evoo)
1/2 white onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp of sugar
4 to 6 fresh basil leaves, torn
1 sprig of rosemary, finely chopped
1 tbsp of truffle oil (optional)

Directions:
1) Heat large sauce pan and add evoo. Once heated, saute onion, until translucent. Add garlic and saute until fragrant, about one minute.
2) Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Lower heat and let simmer for 30 to 45 minutes.
3) Serve over your favorite pasta and enjoy!


A new pizza restaurant that opened in my neighborhood recently, had the BEST lemon-oil salad dressing so I did my best to replicate. I combined 1/2 cup evoo with the juice of 1/2 lemon, a little bit of pepper and a sprinkle of parsley then topped it with some fresh parm. I loved it!