Foil Roasted Salmon with Kale Quinoa Pilaf

I absolutely love Italian food and could eat it every night but every once in a while I look down at my waist line and realize all the cheese and carbs are catching up to me! And let's be serious...it's Summer! NOT the time to gain weight. I thought about what I could make fairly effortlessly that would be light and healthy... My mind was blank!

After asking around the office for recipe ideas, someone mentioned checking out Food52.com. This is one of my new favorite recipe sites! It is full of different recipes, sure to please any palate. After about 30 seconds on the site, one recipe caught my eye: Foil Roasted Salmon with an Aromatic Jus! It sounded delish! I love salmon and always fall into the habit of baking it with Italian dressing and tomatoes. It's about time I switch things up.

If you're looking to mix things up and serve a meal packed full of flavor with out the fat...you gotta try this! And don't forget about a side dish. I whipped up a one-pot kale and quinoa pilaf, also from F00d52! (Click the link for the recipe.)


Recipe:
1 large leek
1 large shallot, sliced
1 garlic clove,thinly sliced
4-6 fresh tarragon or thyme stems
2 bay leaves
2-3 lbs of salmon filets
1 cup white wine
salt and pepper
extra virgin olive oil

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Ask a question about this step. 2) Slice the leek in half, lengthwise beginning at white end but not cutting through green end. Rinse thoroughly under cold water separating leaves to remove trapped dirt. Cut green ends off of leek and reserve. Slice white and light green parts.
Ask a question about this step. 3) Select a baking sheet large enough to for the fillet. Lay out a long double length of heavy-duty aluminum foil on top of the baking sheet across the shorter end of the sheet. Place another perpendicular to the first.
Ask a question about this step. 4) Lay out the leek greens on the foil to form a bed where your salmon can lay. Add half of the sliced leeks, shallots, garlic, herbs and bay leaves. Place the cleaned salmon on top of greens. Generously salt and pepper the both sides of the salmon. Drizzle all over with olive oil and rub to cover top and bottom. Lay tarragon or other herb stems across the top of the fish and cover the top with the rest of the sliced leeks.
Ask a question about this step. 5) Bring up the edges of the foil along both ends of the salmon. Add the wine. Seal the edges together to form a compact tent around the salmon (I would advise using a little less than 1 cup of wine, I thought it was a bit too strong tasting after cooking). Repeat with the second layer of foil. The salmon can rest until you are ready to roast.
Ask a question about this step. 6) Place in oven. Roast until internal temperature is 140 degrees. For a 2-3 lb salmon fillet this took about 25-30 minutes.
7) Let rest for at least 10 minutes. Unwrap and remove to serving platter. Discard green leek ends.Top exposed flesh with jus and vegetables. Ask a question about this step. Ask a question about this step.

Grocery Bag - Night 5: Pizza Remix!

For the final night of the Grocery Bag series, I recycled the second half of last nights pizza dough to create a an entirely different type of pizza. And let's be honest, it's Friday so I'm feeling a little lazy. ;)


This post is less of a recipe and more of a suggestion. Obviously, if you have pizza dough and cheese at home, you can whip up any kind of pizza with a few other ingredients. Last weekend I made omelets with prosciutto, tomato, and asparagus and had some prosciutto left over so I decided to make that the main attraction on my second pie.

I started by rolling out the pizza dough as described in yesterday's recipe. I spread a very thin layer of truffle oil on the dough then topped with minced garlic and thin slices of shallot. I popped this into an oven preheated at 350 degrees for 5 minutes. I then placed a few thin slices of prosciutto on top and baked for another 3 minutes. Next, I topped the pie with a THICK layer of gruyere and put it back in the oven to melt. My final touch on the pizza was a small drizzle of truffle oil on top to add perfect flavor to every bite.

This pizza was one of the best I ever had and SO easy to make! I thought I would only eat a few pieces ... then 30 minutes later I looked down to find an empty plate. Oops! :)

Grocery Bag - Night 4: Spring Vegetable Pizza

The final night of the Grocery Bag Series was Spring Vegetable Pizza. Yum!! What could be better than homemade pizza covered in great spring veggies. It's the best of both worlds: a crunchy gooey cheesy crust topped with sweet nutritious vegetables. Delish!

I'm going to get right into the recipe on this. Tomorrow, I'll show you a round-two pizza that I made with the extra pizza dough.


Recipe:
1 jar (12 ounces) marinated artichoke hearts, drained well, reserving marinade, hearts quartered if whole
1 large bunch asparagus (1 pound), trimmed, cut into 2-inch pieces, and halved lengthwise if thick
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1 pound pizza dough, thawed if frozen and divided in half (I saved 2nd half for a second night of pie)
Coarse salt and ground pepper
7 ounces Gruyere cheese, grated (3 cups)

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 500 degrees, with racks in upper and lower thirds. In a medium bowl, combine artichoke hearts, asparagus, and tomatoes. On a large piece of parchment paper, brush 1 dough half with artichoke-heart marinade and roll out to a 14-inch-long oval.
2) Transfer dough on parchment to a rimmed baking sheet and top with half the vegetables, leaving a 1-inch border. Brush border with marinade and season pizza with salt and pepper. Repeat to make second pizza - if making two.
3) Bake pizzas 10 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Sprinkle pizzas with cheese and bake until crust is deep golden and cheese is melted, 3 to 5 minutes.

Grocery Bag - Night 3: Steak with Swiss Chard and Garlic Bread

The third night in the Grocery Bag series was Buttery Shrimp and Radish Pasta. As mentioned in my intro post to the Grocery Bag Series, I decided to pass on this meal and skipped straight to Thursday nights meal: Steak with Swiss Chard and Garlic Bread.

Who doesn't love a great steak? And to pair it with one of the most nutritious greens out there is even better! Before tonight, I personally never tried swiss chard before but heard many great things. I absolutely loved the extra punch of flavor the garlic added to the chard. This green will definitely be a new staple in my house.

Recipe:
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 pound skirt steak, patted dry and cut into 4 pieces
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 large bunch Swiss chard (1 1/2 pounds), stems cut into 1/2-inch pieces, leaves torn into bite-size pieces and rinsed (with some water still clinging)
1 baguette, split lengthwise

Directions:
1) Heat broiler, with rack in middle position. In a small saucepan, heat oil and garlic over medium-high until oil bubbles at edges. Add 1 teaspoon garlic oil to a large skillet and heat over medium-high. Season steak with salt and pepper and cook, in batches if necessary, until well browned and medium-rare, 5 to 7 minutes, flipping halfway through. Transfer to a cutting board, tent with foil, and let rest while preparing vegetables.
2) Return skillet to medium heat and add garlic slices and 2 teaspoons garlic oil. Add chard stems and cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp-tender, 3 minutes. Add leaves and season with salt and pepper. Cover, reduce heat to medium, and cook until leaves are wilted, 3 minutes. Meanwhile, brush bread with remaining garlic oil, season with salt and pepper, and broil until golden and crisp, 2 minutes. To serve, thinly slice steak against the grain and serve with chard and garlic bread.

Grocery Bag - Night 2: Lamb, Potato and Leek Stew

Next up in the Grocery Bag is Lamb, Potato and Leek Stew. I couldn't wait to get started on this recipe. Before this meal, I had never prepared stew and definitely never imagined making stew with lamb since cubed beef stew is what I grew up eating.

Preparing this meal is a bit of a slow process but it is totally worth the wait. Over time the leeks melt, infusing the air with their delicious aroma. Once fully combined and cooked down, this dish was incredible. The lamb was beyond tender and packed a great punch of flavor in every bite.


Recipe:
1 1/4 pounds boneless lamb shoulder, cut into 1-inch pieces (I had my butcher do this for me, it saved so much time and energy!)
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 bunch leeks (1 1/2 pounds), white and light-green parts only, halved lengthwise, rinsed well, and thinly sliced crosswise
5 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
3/4 pound small potatoes, halved or quartered if large
1/3 cup roughly chopped fresh parsley, for serving

Directions:
1) Season lamb with salt and pepper. In a large Dutch oven, cook lamb over medium until some of the fat has rendered, about 4 minutes. Increase heat to high and cook, stirring occasionally, until lamb is browned on all sides, 4 minutes.
2) Add leeks and cook, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot, until leeks are translucent, 4 minutes. Add Broth.
3) Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, about 45 minutes. Add potatoes and cook until potatoes and lamb are tender when pierced with a knife, 15 minutes.
4) Season with salt and pepper to taste. To serve, top with parsley.

Grocery Bag - Night 1: Roasted Chicken with Cauliflower & Chickpeas

Tonight's Grocery Bag meal is Roasted Chicken with Cauliflower and Chickpeas. Roasting chicken has become my new favorite way to prepare chicken. It's amazing how many different ways you can season a chicken, then pop it in the oven for a while and BOOM! You have a super tender and flavorful meal. This recipe was no exception!

The combination of the cauliflower, tomatoes and chickpeas married very well with the juicy meat. Every bite offered the perfect balance of both tender and crunchy textures and great flavor to boot!



Recipe:
1 whole chicken (3.5 to 4 lbs) rince, patted dry, and cut into 8 pieces (I had my butcher cut the chicken. It saved so much time and energy!)
Course salt and ground pepper
1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes
1 small head of cauliflower, cored and cut into 2-inch florets
1 large red onion, cut into wedges
1 can (15.5 oz) chickpeas, rinsed and drained

Directions:
1) Place a rimmed baking sheet in the oven and preheat to 450 degrees, with racks in the upper and middle thirds.
2) Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Carefully remove sheets from the oven and arrange chicken, skin side up, in a single layer. Roast on upper rack, 20 minutes.
3) Remove the chicken from the oven with tongs and transfer to another rimmed baking sheet, along with tomatoes. Add cauliflower, onion and chickpeas to drippings on first sheet and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper.
4) Roast chicken on the upper rack and vegetables on middle rack until chicken and cauliflower is tender when pierced with a knife, about 30 minutes.
5) Transfer chicken and vegetables to a serving dish and serve immediately.

Grocery Bag Series

I'm a big fan of Martha Stewart and have been wanting to challenge myself to complete one month's Grocery Bag section of Everyday Food Magazine. The idea of having a set list of groceries and meals plotted out for every night of the week is a perfect idea. For those of you who aren't family with Grocery Bag, every issue of Martha Stewart's Everyday Food Magazine contains a section called Grocery Bag, designed to show you 5 weeknight dinners with one simple grocery list needed. The list is even printed on a tare-off sheet so you can bring the list to the store.

For months now, I've been checking out the recipes in this section and never find more than one or two recipes that I'd actually enjoy eating...until now! The April issue had 5 great recipes that I challenged myself to make.

Here is a breakdown of April's dishes:

Monday: Roasted Chicken with Cauliflower and Chickpeas
Tuesday: Lamb, Potato, and Leek Stew
Wednesday: Buttery Shrimp and Radish Pasta
Thursday: Steak with Swiss Chard and Garlic Bread
Friday: Spring Vegetable Pizzas

Everything sounds great, right? I was really excited about this list. I've never had lamb, potato and leek stew, nor have I ever had swiss chard so I couldn't wait to roll up my sleeves and get to work!

The next few posts will be each of the nights recipes. But I have to admit, I actually tweaked the list a bit and skipped out on making Wednesday's meal. My boyfriend really wasn't interested in trying shrimp and radish pasta and since I do cook for the both of us, I agreed to pass on this dish. But don't you worry, I tweaked the pizza recipe a bit and whipped up my own version later in the week.

I hope you enjoy checking out these recipes as much as I did cooking them... and shopping for all the ingredients for that matter. I went to the grocery store with a friend, who had no idea what I was getting myself into! :)