Secret Recipe Club: Peach Mango Shrimp Quinoa

This month for Secret Recipe Club, I was assigned Food Ramblings.  Food Ramblings is written by Elizabeth, who writes to hold herself accountable to eating better, cooking more, getting in shape and losing weight by writing her blog. 




Elizabeth's blog has a lot of great recipes, such as:  French Onion Soup Casserole, Grilled Ratatouille Pasta, and Pretzel Salted Caramel Blondies.  I usually make dessert for the Secret Recipe Club challenges, but I recently started Weight Watchers, so I decided to try something a little more Weight Watcher friendly.  So even though the blondies kept calling my name, I decided to try this Peach Mango Shrimp Quinoa instead.  Drop by her blog to check out the amazing recipes, and if you try the blondies, please let me know if they are as amazing as they sound.

Peach Mango Shrimp Quinoa
from Food Ramblings
Ingredients
1 cup quinoa
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, chopped
1 pound frozen shrimp, tails removed, uncooked
2 cups peach-mango salsa

Directions
1) Cook quinoa according to package instructions.
2) At the same time, heat skillet over medium-high heat. Spray with cooking spray. Add garlic and cook until starting to brown.  Add and cook onions and shrimp, until the shrimp is pink.  Add peach-mango salsa.
3) When quinoa is done, add to skillet and mix well.

 
While I loved the flavor of this dish, the salsa I used wasn't moist enough to be considered a sauce.  This left the whole dish feeling a little dry.  I did love that this dish was very easy to prepare on a weeknight.  I definitely want to try this dish again, but using some different salsa.

Smoked Salmon and Goat Cheese Panini

When we first moved to New Jersey, I kept seeing smoked salmon in the grocery store.  For the longest time, both Jacob and I kept picking it up and talking about how we wanted to make something with smoked salmon...but it just never happened.

Last week I saw Panini flavor profile suggestions, and this was on it, and I knew that we had to try it.  I love paninis and how fast they are to put together, so I put this on our Sunday afternoon lunch menu.
 
Smoked Salmon and Goat Cheese Panini
slightly adapted from Weight Watchers
Ingredients
7 ounces smoked salmon
2 ounces goat cheese
Spinach
2 tablespoons of light mayonnaise
Ciabatta

Directions
1) Layer desired amounts of ingredients on the bread. 
2) Press sandwich in a Panini press for about 3 minutes.

 

 

 

I know this is seriously a ridiculously easy recipe, but it tasted amazing.  I loved the strong flavor of the goat cheese and the salmon together.  To me, those two ingredients are meant to go together.  The mayo just provides a little moisture to the sandwich so it isn't dry, but you could easily leave it off.  I loved this sandwich and this post is making me want to run out and buy the ingredients to make it again.  If you're looking for a simple and delicious sandwich for a weekend afternoon, you have to try this. 

Shrimp, Black Bean, and Pineapple Foil Packets

Shrimp is one of those foods that I try to stay away from.  They seem like the "perfect" stage only lasts for short window and then they are overdone.  Plus, they are so expensive, that I feel if I mess up, I will have wasted a lot of money.  I saw this foil packet recipe awhile ago and pinned it on Pinterest.  When we received our Blogger's Choice recipe swap where we could make anything, I kept gravitating towards this foil packet recipe, and Chicken and White BBQ Potatoes.  I made them both, but decided for the swap, I'd share the one that my husband "ooh"ed and "aah"ed over. :)

Shrimp, Black Bean, and Pineapple Foil Packets
slightly modified from Prevention, RD
Ingredients
8 oz raw, medium sized shrimp (peeled, deveined)
1 15-oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup pineapple, finely chopped
1/3 cup red onion, finely chopped
1/2-1 jalapeno pepper, minced (depending on the amount of spice you want)
2 tablespoons pineapple juice, divided
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin, divided
pinch of salt
freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1/2 avocado, diced

Directions:
1) Preheat grill to medium.
2) Rinse the shrimp and pat dry. Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Set aside.
3) In a medium bowl, combine the black beans, pineapple, red onion, and jalapeno. Stir in 1 tablespoon pineapple juice, coriander, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon cumin.
4) Spray two large pieces of aluminum foil with cooking spray. Spoon half of the black bean mixture into the center of each and top with half of the shrimp. Pour the remaining pineapple juice over the shrimp. Bring the edges of the foil together and fold down, sealing well.
5) Place the foil packets on the grill, cover, and cook for 10-12 minutes, until shrimp are opaque.
Carefully open the foil packets and stir the contents. Top with the diced avocado and sprinkle with cilantro.

 

My husband kept talking about how much flavor these packets had.  I guess he was a little surprised, haha.  I thought they were amazing as well.  The shrimp were actually perfect, and so was the avocado (my avocados are never perfect).  So this turned out to be a very successful meal. 

I found out in the middle of making this that I didn't have lime juice, so just substituted the pineapple juice.  I put 1/4 of a jalapeno in each packet because Jacob isn't a fan of jalapeno spice, but I found that it definitely needs more than that, because it got lost in all the other flavors.  I also would have added more onion because those got a little lost too.  But definitely will eat these on days where it is too hot to turn on the oven, but we don't want something too heavy from the grill. 

BBQ Tilapia with Mango

Confession: I don't recall ever having mango.  It is one of those fruits that I've always been fascinated by at the grocery store, but I've never been adventurous enough to pick up and try it.

A few weeks ago, I was walking through the produce section at the grocery store and a couple stopped me and asked me the difference between leeks and kale.  It turns out the store had leeks labeled correctly in one bin and right next to it there were leeks in a bin labeled "Kale".  They had never tried it but were trying to be adventurous and try something new.

This experience for some reason pushed me to try mangos.  Last week, I saw them on sale, and decided to find a dish that had mango in it.

BBQ Tilapia with Mango
slightly adapted from Food Network
Ingredients
1/4 cup canned tomato sauce
2 tablespoons mango juice
2 tablespoons ketchup
2 teaspoons brown sugar (loosely packed)
2 teaspoons cider vinegar
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 cup diced tomatoes , (I used canned because I had extra)
1/4 cup diced mango
Two 4.5-ounce fillets raw tilapia
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro, for garnish

Directions

1) In a medium bowl, combine tomato sauce, mango juice , ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar, and garlic powder. Whisk thoroughly, and then stir in diced tomatoes and mango. 
2) Place fish and sauce in a container and toss to coat. Cover and let it marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. 
3) Bring a skillet sprayed with nonstick spray to medium heat on the stove. Add fish and marinade.  

4) Once marinade begins to simmer, cover and cook until the fish is tender and cooked through, about 10 minutes. 
5) Plate the tilapia and top with any excess marinade from the skillet; garnish with cilantro.

When I tasted the sauce after whisking all the ingredients, it resembled BBQ sauce, but between the marinating and the cooking, it just became a flavorful tomato sauce with mangoes in it.  So I guess BBQ Tilapia isn't the best name, but maybe I messed it up too. My husband really liked it and said that he liked the fruit and tomato combination with the fish.

I really like mangoes.  I think they taste great, and I love the smell of them.  I didn't realize the core was so big.  I didn't have any mango leftover between the juice and the 1/4 cup of diced mango.  Definitely going to look into more recipes involving mangoes though.

Asiago Baked Salmon

When I got to high school, I hadn't even had pepper jack cheese.  I think working at McDonald's in high school around the super nasty plastic yellow cheese kind of scared me away from cheese for awhile.  However, I'm starting to come around to trying different kinds of cheeses.  When I found out that my husband had never heard of Asiago cheese, I went searching for a good recipe, and found this Asiago Baked Salmon.  It seemed like a great way to introduce him to something new.

Asiago Baked Salmon

barely adapted from How Sweet It Is

Ingredients

2 salmon filets

salt & pepper to taste

1/4 cup plain greek yogurt

1 tablespoon dried parsley

3 tablespoons grated Asiago cheese

1/2 tablespoon chopped garlic

1 tablespoon chopped red onion

Directions

1) Preheat oven to 400.

2) Sprinkle salmon with salt and pepper. In a bowl, mix yogurt, cheese, red onion, parsley and garlic together. Spread on top of salmon. Bake until fish flakes – about 15 minutes.

My husband and I  thought this was an excellent dish.  I think the Asiago cheese becomes prominent over the greek yogurt, which I was perfectly okay with.  However, the greek yogurt still brings a creamy element to it.  None of the ingredients overrode the flavor of the salmon either, so you could still taste everything.

This meal came together really fast, about 20 minutes with the prep work, so you won't be working too hard for something delicious. 

Lemon Pepper Salmon

I love participating in recipe swaps.  They provide such great meals for my husband and I to try.  The latest one I participated in was the Healthy Food Recipe Swap.  I liked my Grilled Chicken Alfredo with Broccoli, but when I saw this recipe for Lemon Pepper Salmon, I knew we'd have to try it.

The longer that I cook, the more I just skim recipes and assume I know how to make them.  I went to start this meal, and saw that it was supposed to marinate for awhile in the fridge.  We were both hungry so I just adapted the cooking instructions, and hoped everything turned out great. In the end, making this recipe makes me want to go back and try other of the healthy recipes from the recipe swap.  If you'd like to peruse the recipes from the swap, click here.

Lemon Pepper Salmon
adapted from Delicious Meliscious 
Ingredients
2 salmon filets, thawed
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, or 1/2 tsp dried
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon pepper seasoning
2 cloves garlic, minced

Directions: 
1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2) Rinse fish and pat dry. In a small bowl, combine ingredients. Place the fish in a pan, and spread mixture on top of the salmon.
3) Bake for approximately 20 minutes or until thermometer reads 145 degrees.

I added quite a bit more lemon pepper seasoning than the original recipe called for.  I have to say we both really loved this recipe.  The lemon seasoning tastes fantastic on the salmon, and all the other ingredients support the enhance the salmon as well.  When I finished, I found myself wanting more because it was really awesome.  I can't wait until I can put this on the menu again.

Tilapia with Horseradish and Herb-Spiked Mayo

I remember when we tried horseradish on tilapia in Dijon and Horseradish Crusted Tilapia.  The horseradish worked so great with the fish, that when I saw this recipe posted by Jaida, I knew we had to try it in our house.

Tilapia with Horseradish and Herb-Spiked Mayo
adapted from Sweet Beginnings
Ingredients
Cooking spray
1 lemon
4 (6-ounce) Tilapia fillets
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1⁄2 teaspoon garlic powder
1⁄3 cup light mayonnaise
2 teaspoons prepared horseradish, or more to taste
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
1/4 cup Panko Breadcrumbs

Directions
1) Preheat the broiler. Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray.

2) Finely grate 1 teaspoon of zest from the lemon and set aside. Squeeze the juice from the lemon over both sides of the fish. Season both sides of the fish with salt and pepper, to taste, and the garlic powder.

3) Place the fish on the prepared baking sheet and broil until fork-tender, about 3 minutes per side.

4) Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine the mayonnaise, lemon zest, horseradish, chives, and parsley. 
5) Spoon mayonnaise mixture over fish, and top each fish with Panko breadcrumbs.  Put under broiler until the Panko browns.

When my husband asked me what was for dinner, and I explained it, I came up with the Panko breadcrumbs.  We just love the crunchiness of the Panko against the creamy sauce.  I loved the other dimension that the herbs added to this recipe too.  It was a great, quick weeknight dinner.

Salmon Pesto Pasta

I stumbled across Bridget's blog, The Way the Cookie Crumbles, when I first started blogging. I saw her post things like Fig-Glazed Burgers and Onion Jam, Tourtely apple tarts, and other recipes that blew my mind.  At this stage, I was totally cooking the same things all the time, and these recipes seemed so too complicated for my cooking ability.

Now here it is, 9 months later, and I just got around to taking a chance and looking at her blog again. I found the Salmon Pesto Pasta, and this seemed like a great breakthrough into making something from her blog.  I think next week I'm going to try making Chicken Broth from scratch using another recipe of hers.

Salmon Pesto Pasta
barely modified from The Way the Cookie Crumbles
Ingredients
8 ounces pasta
2 salmon filets
salt and pepper
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon lemon juice
5 ounces evaporated milk
½ cup pesto
grated parmesan, for serving

Directions
1)  Bring a large pot of water to a boil. When water is boiling, add 1 tablespoon salt and pasta; stir to separate pasta. Cook pasta until al dente; drain. Pour evaporated milk into empty pot and simmer over medium-high heat until reduced to ¼ cup. Add cooked pasta to pot and stir to combine.
2) Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat broiler. Line a baking sheet or pan with aluminum foil. Season skinless side of salmon liberally with salt and pepper and Italian Seasoning, then rub with olive oil. Broil until salmon is no longer translucent and is firm when pressed, about 10 minutes.
3) Remove from broiler and sprinkle with lemon juice. Use fork to flake into bite-sized pieces. Skin will stick to foil and can be discarded.
4) Add salmon to pasta mixture and stir over medium heat until hot. Remove from heat and stir in basil. Top with parmesan.

I used two salmon filets instead of measuring it out in ounces.  I also couldn't find basil at my grocery store, so we used the store bought pesto.  Using two salmon filets gave us pretty large salmon to pasta ratio, but my husband liked it.  We both really liked this dish.  I love how you could still taste all the individual ingredients, but they came together in an amazing bite.  It was also a really fast dish, I made it and had it onto the table in under a half an hour.  I'll definitely be perusing Bridget's blog for more awesome finds similar to this one.

Foil Baked Fish with Black Beans and Corn

I love foil packets, everything steams together to create moist and flavorful meals.  Plus everything takes about five minutes to throw together, so you aren't laboring over food for too long in the kitchen.

I found this recipe and thought it sounded like yet another great fish recipe to try.  I am slowly learning that fish can stand up to a lot of flavors and that there is a lot that can be done with it.

Foil-Baked Fish with Black Beans and Corn
slightly adapted from Pink Parsley
Ingredients
4 skinless white fish fillets (6 to 8 oz each), 1-inch thick
salt and pepper
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
grated orange zest from one orange
freshly squeezed orange juice from one orange
1 tablespoon lime juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (16-oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups corn kernels
1/2 red onion, minced
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
pico de gallo for garnish

Directions
1) Adjust the oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat to 450 degrees.
2) Pat the fish dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper.
3) Using a fork, mix together the butter, orange zest, half the garlic, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper in a medium bowl until well-combined.  Spread butter mixture over the fish.
4) Combine the beans, corn, onion, scallions, 2 tablespoons of cilantro, orange juice, remaining chipotle, remaining garlic, scallions, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a bowl.
5) Lay four 14-inch lengths of foil on the counter and divide the bean mixture evenly over the lower half of each piece of foil.  Top with fish, and fold the foil over the fish, folding the edges to seal.
6) Arrange the packets in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until the fish is just cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes (mine took about 35 minutes at elevation).  Carefully open the packets and sprinkle with remaining cilantro.  Serve.

I thought this recipe was good.  The tilapia was perfectly cooked and flaked really easily when you touched it.  I loved the orange flavor that the fish had, but I wish there was more orange flavor.  I would almost double the amount of orange used in the recipe. I liked the addition of the pico de gallo.  The jalapeno pieces added a little spice and I liked the tomatoes too.  This will definitely be a meal that we'll make again.

Dijon and Horseradish Crusted Tilapia

I usually think of horseradish as an ingredient to be used with beef, so I was quite surprised when I was meal planning and ran across this recipe for tilapia that uses horseradish.  We've used dijon on fish many times, so I knew that flavor would work out fine, but I was intrigued how this would taste since horseradish has such a strong flavor and tilapia is mild.  

The result: amazing.
 
Dijon Crusted Tilapia
slightly adapted from Taste of Home 
Ingredients
3 tablespoons reduced-fat mayonnaise 
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, divided 
1 tablespoon lemon juice 
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard 
1 teaspoon horseradish 
4 tilapia fillets (5 ounces each) 
1/4 cup Panko  
2 teaspoons butter, melted

Directions 
1) In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon cheese, lemon juice, mustard and horseradish. Place fillets on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Spread mayonnaise mixture evenly over fillets.
2) In a small bowl, combine the panko, butter and remaining cheese; sprinkle over fillets.
3) Bake at 425° for 13-18 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.

I talked about this piece of fish the entire time that I was eating it.  The ingredients made for a mouth-watering piece of fish that made you want seconds the second you stopped eating it.  The horseradish wasn't overwhelming, as it was balanced by the creaminess of the mayonnaise.   The fish was perfectly cooked at 18 minutes and was the most flaky fish that I have made to date.  This fish was easy to make and only 214 calories per piece of fish.  Highly recommended meal.

Maple Dijon Salmon

I have started spending a lot of time looking at the Secret Recipe Club swaps and found this recipe listed under the reveals the other day.  My husband and I have a recipe that is pretty similar to this that we absolutely love, but in the interest of trying new things, I put it on our menu.

Maple Dijon Salmon
recipe from Sustainable Cooking for One
Ingredients
2 Salmon Filets
1 tablespoon Spicy brown mustard
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon maple syrup
small clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp dried marjoram

Directions
1)  Preheat oven to 400 F.
2)  Mix the mustards, maple syrup, garlic, and marjoram in small bowl.
3)  Place the salmon skin side down on a shallow pan covered in foil. Coat the top of the salmon in the mustard sauce, and bake for 15 minutes (adjust according to the thickness of your salmon fillets).

This dish was great.  I loved the two different mustard flavors in the sauce.  I don't know what grade of syrup we used, but it gave it just a hint of that maple flavor and the sweetness to cut through the mustard.  Before I sat down to start eating, Jacob declared this dish amazing, and I agree.  It is simple, but packs a lot of flavor.

Salmon with Lemon Compound Butter

I used to be afraid of recipes that used words like compound butter because I thought it meant something super complicated that I didn't know how to do.   I didn't even click on recipes that I was searching through if I saw 'compound'.  Now, I realize I scared myself out of some very good recipes.

I realized that most of our recipes have heavier flavors to them (honey mustard, BBQ), so when I found this recipe that used butter, dill, and lemon I thought it would be a good thing for us to try. 


Salmon with Lemon Compound Butter
from Food Network

Ingredients

1 stick butter, room temperature

2 lemons, zested

1 tablespoon dill 

1 tablespoon thyme (or lemon thyme)

1 small clove garlic, smashed and finely chopped

Kosher salt

4 (6-ounce) salmon fillets

Extra-virgin olive oil

Directions

1) In a small bowl, combine the butter, zest, herbs and garlic. Mix until everything is well mixed. Season, to taste, with salt. If using right away, keep the butter at room temperature. If making ahead, reserve in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before using.

2) Preheat grill to medium. (I used my panini maker since it was snowing like crazy)

3) Remove the salmon from the refrigerator and let come to room temperature. Season with salt and coat with olive oil.
4) Brush and oil the grill. Place the salmon, skin side down, on the clean, preheated grill. After 2 to 3 minutes, rotate the salmon 90 degrees to create cross-hatch grill marks on the salmon skin. Cook the salmon for another 3 to 4 minutes.
5) Turn the salmon over and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the grill and top with the room temperature compound butter. 

I thought that this salmon recipe created one of the best salmon meals that I have ever eaten.  I loved the compound butter.  You had the creamy butter flavor with the intense lemon flavor from the lemon zest.  I'm not a huge fan of dill, but in the recipe, it was just the right balance without being overwhelming.  This is a great meal, and leaves you feeling full but not overly full.

Broiled Parmesean Tilapia

We have been going through a fish phase at our house.  We've found that cooking fish in packets always delivers a lot of flavor, but at the same time, they start to all taste the same.

My husband found this recipe for broiled fish that we decided to make.  The original recipe calls for three tablespoons of mayonnaise though and while I understand the fish is supposed to have a creamy sauce, putting that much mayonnaise on fish sounded a little counter intuitive to trying to make a healthier recipe.  So, I decided to make it with a little mayo mixed with greek yogurt. 

Broiled Parmesean Tilapia
adapted from Allrecipes.com

Ingredients

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup butter, softened

1 tablespoon mayonnaise

2 tablespoons greek yogurt

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon dried basil

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/8 teaspoon onion powder

1/8 teaspoon celery salt

2 tilapia fillets

Directions

1) Preheat your oven's broiler. Grease a broiling pan or line pan with aluminum foil.               
2) In a small bowl, mix together the Parmesan cheese, butter, mayonnaise, greek yogurt and lemon juice. Season with dried basil, pepper, onion powder and celery salt. Mix well and set aside.
3) Arrange fillets in a single layer on the prepared pan. Broil a few inches from the heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Flip the fillets over and broil for a couple more minutes. Remove the fillets from the oven and cover them with the Parmesan cheese mixture on the top side. Broil for 2 more minutes or until the topping is browned and fish flakes easily with a fork.

This may have been the best fish that we've made at the house.  The greek yogurt makes it a little sweeter than I think the recipe is supposed to be, but it still adds the creamy taste that the recipe needs.  The spices in this recipe are subtle.  If you're a fan of any of the spices, you may want to increase the amount used in the recipe so that you pull more of that flavor into the fish.  But both times I made this recipe this week, plates were completely cleaned, so I think it turned out great.  The one thing I do have to say about tilapia is that it is such a thin fish that it goes cold quickly on your plate, so you must enjoy it quickly, or make a trip back to the microwave to warm it up.

Tilapia Packets

The last time I tried to make fish, the meal (fish tacos) completely bombed and we ended up getting takeout.  It was one of my biggest meal failures, so I have to admit that I was scared to take on fish again.  However, we have a lot of fish at our house, so I had to pick myself up and try it again. 

This meal was a great weeknight meal.  It takes about five minutes to throw together in the bag and only twenty minutes to cook, so it was very convenient.

Tilapia Packets
adapted from Cook This, Not That (Halibut in a bag)
Ingredients:
Two tilapia fillets
1 jar of marinated artichoke hearts
1 tablespoon of artichoke juice
1 cup of cherry tomatoes
2 tbsp chopped kalamata olives
1/2 medium yellow onion
1 lemon, half cut into thin slices, half cut into quarters
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup dry white wine
salt and black pepper

Directions:
1) Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
2) Take two large pieces of foil, place a fillet in the center of each.  Top fillet equally with artichoke hearts, tomatoes, olives, onion, and lemon slices. 
3) Drizzle each packed with the olive oil, artichoke juice, and wine and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
4) Seal both packets so that they are completely sealed. And place on a baking sheet for 20-25 minutes.  Serve with the remaining lemon wedges.

This meal was amazingly light and fresh.  I have to admit that I used the wrong olives and didn't care much for them at all.  I will definitely leave them out when I make this again.  I loved the artichoke, onion, and tomato combination though.  The dish had a great amount of acid for the piece of fish and just tasted moist and fantastic.

Pineapple Teriyaki Salmon

I am trying to use up the items that we have in our freezer and we always have a bag of frozen salmon in there, so when I ran across this recipe on Sunny Side Up in San Diego, I thought it would be the perfect thing to make since I had everything to make this in my house already.  I call that super smart meal planning. :)

I haven't ever made salmon.  My husband usually takes on the task of making it, so I decided it was my turn to take it on (with him on standby of course...haha).

Pineapple Teriyaki Salmon
adapted from Sunny Side Up in San Diego
Ingredients
2 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp Teriyaki sauce
1 tsp fresh orange zest
3 ounces pineapple juice
3 ounces orange juice (from the orange)
1/2 tsp kosher salt, divided
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 (6-ounce) salmon fillets
1/4 tsp black pepper
Directions

1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2) In a small sauce pan, over high heat, combine the brown sugar, teriyaki sauce, orange zest, pineapple juice, orange juice and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Bring the mixture to a boil then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes. Set aside to cool and thicken a bit.

3) Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Salt and pepper both sides of the salmon and set in the skillet. Cook for 3 minutes without moving. Spray a baking dish with cooking spray. Carefully remove the salmon from the pan and place with the cooked side up in the baking dish.

4) Bake for 4 minutes (*I found at high altitude this is more like 6 minutes). Remove from the oven and generously brush glaze over the tops of the salmon. Return to oven and cook until internal temperature reaches 145 degrees (about 4 minutes).

We served our salmon over quinoa (which I had never made before either). 

The "glaze" turned out to be more of a sauce for my salmon since it didn't reduce like it  was supposed to.  I wonder if it is because I didn't follow the ingredients in the recipe (even though I substituted measurements).   Also at 145, which our meat thermometer claims should be the internal temperature of fish, our salmon seemed just slightly overdone.  I would take it out at 140 and let it rest.

The fish tasted great though, it turned out better than I thought it would.  I'm not a huge fan of teriyaki sauce, but the orange juice and pineapple juice made it not as dominant of a flavor.  I think we'll definitely make this again, but maybe make a few more tweaks.

Garlic Lime Shrimp Pasta

The theme to the recipe swap this time around was Seafood/Fish.  I received Garlic Lime Shrimp Pasta from Gourmet: Day to Day's Kevinslady. 

Jacob and I have been trying to eat more seafood/shrimp, but it is still a work in progress since seafood/shrimp have very fine lines between underdone and overdone.  I was excited about this recipe though because everything was already in my cabinets at home.  I didn't have to buy anything.

Garlic Lime Shrimp
adapted from Gourmet: Day to Day
Ingredients
Garlic lime shrimp:
1.5 pound uncooked large shrimp, peeled and deveined
5 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter (original recipe calls for 1/2 cup)
3 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
1 lb Hot cooked pasta (I used fusilli pasta instead of spaghetti noodles)

Flavored butter “finishing” sauce:
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 tablespoon feta cheese crumbled
1 clove of garlic minced
1/2 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 teaspoon olive oil

Directions
1)  Combine all ingredients for the flavored butter finishing sauce and whisk well to combine. The softer the butter is, the easier it will be to combine the ingredients.  Cover and put in the fridge.
2) Start boiling the pasta you're using.
3) In a large skillet, saute the shrimp, garlic, salt in butter until the shrimp turn pink, about 5 minutes. Turn off the heat once they become pink, so they don't overcook. Once shrimp are cooked add the flavored butter, coat shrimp. Next, stir in lime juice and parsley. Serve with pasta.

I liked this recipe a lot.  I love that the lime juice didn't seep into the shrimp and override the buttery shrimp flavor too.  I think that the flavored butter was good, but I definitely thought the dish needed some kind of cheese.  I think that sprinkling parmesean on the top may bump the dish up to the next level. 

My husband liked it a lot too, but said that the pasta wasn't right for this dish, which I agree.  I just feel that spaghetti gets way too messy and complicated and wanted something smaller.  But, looking back I think fettucine noodles may be the best choice since they are more substantial.  The fettucine noodles would probably hold up to the ingredients much better. 

Linguine with Clams

I decided to be a part of a recipe swap to add more new things to our menu.  Growing up, it seems like we lived off the same staples over and over again, and I think it is often fun to branch out.  Thought the recipe swap was a great place to start off. :)

This week was pasta week.  I made Linguine and Clams from Hezzi-D's food blog.

I have to admit that I don't cook with seafood that often and so when I saw this recipe in the swap e-mail, I was a little scared. 

But, I rounded up all of the ingredients and started cooking.  Halfway through the cooking process, the kitchen smelled so good.  I couldn't wait to eat it, and J made several comments about how good it smelled too.

When I served it, J examined it like it was a dish from a foreign country.  I just told him to eat it and not worry about the ingredients.  I sat down and swirled my first bite up onto my fork and was in pasta heaven when I put it in my mouth.  It tasted like something I'd expect to get at Olive Garden and the flavors were complex but not overwhelming.  It was such a great dish and so easy to make.  I'm excited to put this into my regularly made recipe list.