Pad Thai Salad

My sweet hubby bought me a sweet spiralizer attachment for my kitchen aid for Christmas. I was skeptical about spiralized veggies but I am such a fan! Absolutely amazing! Ive adapted this recipe from thelondoner.me and I just added some sauteed and seasoned shrimp to my dish.

Pad Thai Salad

1 cucumber
2 large carrots
2 green onions, chopped
1 handful of fresh cilantro
1 mint leaf, diced
1 handful of peanuts, roughly chopped
a couple handfuls of shredded chicken/beef/shrimp or anything you want

Dressing:

Juice of 1 lime
3 Tblsp sesame oil
3 Tblsp soy sauce
1 Tblsp fish sauce
1 Tblsp chili flakes
1 Tblsp honey
1 clove garlic, finely diced

Run your carrots and cucumber through the thinnest setting on your spiralizer. Sprinkle chopped onions on top, chopped cilantro and mint, and your shrimp or protein if using. Shake up all dressing ingredients in a jar until fully mixed, then poor over salad and toss lightly. Sprinkle chopped nuts over the top. EnJOY!

Teriyaki Salmon with Sriracha Cream Sauce

This is a killer salmon recipe from damndelicious.net! Its not overly spicy, and so dang flavorful and amazing! I used honey instead of the sweetened condensed milk. Make sure you prep ahead of time to marinade the salmon.

Teriyaki Salmon with Sriracha Cream Sauce

1 Tblsp cornstarch

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup brown sugar, packed

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp garlic powder

2 Tblsp honey

4 (5oz each) salmon fillets

For the Sriracha Cream Sauce

1/2 cup mayo

2-3 Tblsp sriracha

1 1/2 Tblsp sweetened condensed milk (I used honey instead)

To make the sriracha cream sauce, whisk together mayo, 2 Tblsp sriracha and honey in a small bowl; set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and 1/4 cup water; set aside.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, add soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger, garlic powder, honey and 1 cup water; bring to a simmer. Stir in cornstarch mixture until thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 2 minutes; let cool to room temperature.

In a gallon size ziploc bag or large bowl, combine teriyaki marinade and salmon filets; marinate for atleast 30 minutes to overnight, turning the bag occasionally.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly coat an 8x8 baking dish with nonstick spray.

Place salmon filets along with the marinade into the prepared baking dish and bake until the fish flakes easily with a fork, about 20 minutes. 

Serve salmon immediately with sriracha cream sauce over rice if desired. EnJOY!

Salmon and Veggie Foil Packs

Im always looking for new fish recipes so I was really excited to give this one a try. Ive already made this recipe 4 times since! It is a keeper! You can use so many different veggies to this so don't limit it to whats in this recipe. Adapted from cookingclassy.com

Salmon and Veggie Foil Packs

4 (5-6oz) skinless salmon fillets
2 small zucchini sliced into half moons
2 small yellow squash sliced into half moons
2 shallots, thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 1/2 Tblsp olive oil, divided
salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 Tblsp fresh lemon juice
2 large roma tomatoes, diced
1 Tblsp chopped fresh thyme (or 1 tsp dried)
3/4 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried marjoram

Preheat oven to 400. Cut 4 sheets of aluminum foil into 17 inch lengths. Toss zucchini, squash, sliced shallot and garlic together with 1 Tblsp olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste and divide among 4 sheets of foil, placing veggies in center of foil.
Brush salmon fillets with 1 Tblsp of the olive oil, season bottom side with salt and pepper then place one fillet over each layer of veggies on foil. Drizzle lemon juice over salmon and season top with salt and pepper.
Toss together tomatoes, remaining diced shallot, thyme, oregano and marjoram with remaining 1 1/2 tsp olive oil and season lightly with salt and pepper. Divide tomato mixture over salmon fillets. Wrap sides of foil inward then fold up ends to seal. Place on a rimmed baking sheet and bake in preheated oven until salmon has cooked through, about 25-30 minutes. Carefully open foil packets and serve warm. EnJOY!

Baked Thai Salmon

Oh yes, this as good as it sounds! Easy, healthy, yummy! I make salmon a few times a month so I was excited for a new salmon recipe. ifoodreal.com thank you for this amazing recipe!

Baked Thai Salmon

5-6 sockeye salmon fillets
pinch of salt
1/2 cup + 2 Tblsp Thai sweet chili sauce, divided
2-3 Tblsp green onions, chopped
cooking spray

In large baking dish, lay down salmon fillets in a row. Each fillet, sprinkle with a pinch of salt and top with 1 Tblsp thai sweet chili sauce. Brush or rub with your fingers to coat fish with sauce evenly on top, bottom, and sides. Cover and let marinate in the fridge for atleast 2 hours, overnight is the best. Up to 24 hours.
Turn on oven broiler on high and position top over rack 5" below the heat source. Line large baking sheet with unbleached parchment paper, spray with cooking spray and place salmon fillets skin side down. Coat with remaining marinade from the dish.
Broil for 8 minutes, rotating baking sheet once. Remove from the oven and brush top of each fillet with 2 tsp of thai sweet chili sauce. Return to the oven and broil for another 5 minutes or until salmon has caramelized. Serve hot, garnished with chopped green onions, brown rice or quinoa on the side. EnJOY!

Coconut Shrimp Curry

jocooks.com is such an awesome blog! An awesome cook/friend of mine (Rachel Webb you rock) shared this recipe from this blog recently, so delish! A new favorite!

Coconut Shrimp Curry

For the shrimp marinade

1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/7 tsp cayenne pepper
2 Tblsp lemon juice
1 lb extra-large shrimp, peeled anad deveined

For the sauce

1 Tblsp vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tblsp minced fresh ginger
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp salt or to taste
1/2 tsp turmeric
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp curry powder
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (5.5 oz) coconut milk (I used light)
fresh cilantro or parsley for garnish
cooked rice for serving (I used brown rice)

In small bowl, toss the shrimp with the marinade ingredients. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
While the shrimp is marinating, heat the oil in a medium size pot. To it, add the onion and cook for 2-3 minutes. Stir in the ginger, garlic, pepper, salt, coriander, turmeric and curry powder.
Continue to cook over medium heat until the onion is translucent, another 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes with juices and all, stir well and cook for about a minute after. Add the coconut milk, stir and bring to a boil. Cook for 5 minutes. Add shrimp with the accumulated juices from the marinade. Cook for atleast another 5 minutes or until the shrimp is pink and cooked through.
Serve over hot rice and garnish with cilantro or parsley. EnJOY!

Pad Thai

Oh how I love Pad Thai! When I was pregnant with my twins, all I could hold down was Thai Food. So when I saw this recipe on rachelschultz.com I had to give it a try! So delish!

Pad Thai

8 oz pad thai noodles
2 eggs
1 batch of pad thai sauce (see below for recipe)
3 cooked chicken breasts, sliced (I used shrimp)
1 cup bean sprouts
1 cup cilantro
3 green onions, sliced
1/2 cup chopped peanuts

Prepare noodles according to package directions. Meanwhile, scramble eggs for about 2 minutes and set aside. In a large skillet, combine noodles, chicken and sauce. Top with bean sprouts, cilantro, green onion, and peanuts. EnJOY!

Sauce

3 Tblsp soy sauce
1 Tblsp siracha
2 Tblsp lime juice
2 Tblsp canola oil
2 Tblsp brown sugar

Whisk together ingredients. Serve over pad thai.

Bang Bang Shrimp

So I had to try damndelicious.net recipe for Bang Bang Shrimp after the chicken version was so awesome! There is only a slight difference between the two but I love them both the same!

Bang Bang Shrimp

1/2 cup vegetable oil, or more as needed
1 cup buttermilk
3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
1 large egg
1 Tblsp hot sauce
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 lb medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

Sauce

1/4 cup mayo
2 Tblsp sweet chili sauce
1 Tblsp honey
1 tsp rice vinegar

To make the sauce, whisk together mayo, sweet chili sauce, honey and rice vinegar in a small bowl; set aside. Heat veggie oil in large skillet over medium high heat.
In large bowl, whisk together buttermilk, flour, cornstarch, egg, hot sauce, salt and pepper, to taste; set aside. In a large bowl, combine panko, onion and garlic powder, basil, oregano, salt and pepper, to taste; set aside.
Working one at a time, dip shrimp into buttermilk mixture, then dredge in panko mixture, pressing to coat.
Working in batches, add shrimp to the skillet and cook until evenly golden and crispy, about 2-3 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.
Serve immediately, drizzled with sweet chili sauce. EnJOY!

Nicoise Salad

I just love when people share their special family recipes! This was a recipe from Anne Groves. We celebrated Finland for our family culture night last month and Anne, being from Finland came over with her family and shared her culture with us, music, books, pictures, chocolate, oh my, sweet bread, yes please, and all kinds of amazing fun things. This salad is a new favorite for our family!

Nicoise Salad:

Lettuce, shredded (I used spinach)
Italian salad dressing mix (Good Season Brand), plus ingredients to make it
4 or 5 boiled potatoes
Green beans (I used fresh long beans)
Tuna (or salmon)
4 hard boiled eggs, chopped
1/4 cup Parsley, chopped
1/4 cup Green onions, chopped
1/2 cup-1 cup cherry tomatoes

Boil potatoes in the skin. When finished boiling (just fork tender, do not let it get mushy), remove skin, slice rounds, and marinate in salad dressing. Cook/Steam your green beans and marinate with potatoes. Refrigerate for atleast 30 minutes. Lay out your lettuce on a large platter, place marinated potato slices and green beans on top. Then lay your chopped eggs and tomatoes on top, fish on top of that and sprinkle with parsley and green onions and drizzle salad dressing over the top.
EnJOY!

Pan Seared Sole

Ive been experimenting with fish a lot lately and got some very much needed help from my favorite Chef/friend Molly Delmonte. Thanks for saving my family from floppy overly cooked fish Molly!

Pan Seared Sole

4 sole fillets
1 Tblsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Add olive oil. Get a cooking skillet heated until just about smoking. Dredge fillets in flower and remove excess. Place fillets into almost smoking pan then turn heat down to medium heat. Lightly season fish.  Cook 75%-90% through on one side, flip and turn down heat and let them finish cooking. The entire process should take about 5-8 minutes depending on the fillet size.  Serve with sauce below.

Sauce

Add a Tblsp butter to a pan at medium heat, then add juice of lemon and about 1/4 cup white wine. Let sauce reduce for a few minutes then serve over fish. EnJOY!

Salmon with Lemon Cream Sauce

I have this friend, she is a chef in New York. She is truly amazing and talented  I ask her a billion cooking questions a week. I have been needing lots of help cooking a fish and not destroying it, like I usually do. Thanks a million Molly Delmonte for teaching me how to make an amazing salmon fillet!

Salmon with Lemon Cream Sauce

4-5 medium sized salmon fillets, skin or no skin
1/2-1 lemon
1 cup heavy cream
salt and pepper to taste
flour
1 Tblsp butter
1 Tblsp olive oil

 Preheat oven to 400. Dust salmon fillets with flour and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat skillet and add butter and olive oil. Once pan is hot, medium high heat, add salmon fillet. If using skin, add in pan skin side down first. Pan sear fish for approximatly 3 to 5 minutes or until lightly golden brown, then flip. After 3 minutes put salmon with pan in the oven for approximatly 12 minutes.
While salmon is baking, place cream and lemon juice (or you can add lemon slices) and a little salt and pepper in a sauce pan and reduce for 8-10 minutes on med heat until thick and reduced. Serve over top of salmon fillet. EnJOY!

Grilled Tilapia with Pineapple Salsa

This recipe is from the 29 Minutes to Dinner cookbook from pampered chef. Its a healthy meal, quick and easy and pretty! I absolutely love this recipe! My kids loved the fish and salsa.

Grilled Tilapia with Pineapple Salsa

Pineapple salsa

1/2 medium pineapple
1/4 small red onion
1 serrano pepper
2 Tblsp chopped fresh cilantro
1/8 tsp salt
1 lime

Tilapia

1 packet taco seasoning mix
3 Tblsp olive oil
4 boneless, skinless tilapia fillets

Heat grill pan over medium heat for 5 minutes. As pan heats, peel pineapple half; cut lengthwise into two pieces and remove core. Slice each pineapple piece lengthwise into three strips. Arrange strips i a single layer over grill pan; cook 2-3 minutes on each side or until grill marks appear. Set aside on a cutting board.

While pineapple cooks, chip onion very small. Cut serrano pepper lengthwise in half; remove and discard seeds. Chop serrano pepper very finely and chop cilantro. Combine onion, serrano pepper, cilantro and salt in small bowl. Zest lime, about 1 tsp. Squeeze juice of one lime and add zest and juice to mixture, mix well.

Whisk taco seasoning mix and oil in a seperate bowl. Add tiliapia; turn to coat. Place two tilapia fillets onto grill pan. Cook 2 minutes or until grill marks appear. Turn tilapia over and cook 2 more minutes or until tilapia flakes easily with fork. Remove tilapia from pan. Repeat with remaining fillets.

As tilapia cooks, chip pineapple and add to onion mixture in small bowl; mix well. To serve, top tilapia with pineapple salsa. EnJOY!

Cliff's Guys Night Jambalaya

Yes, boys and girls, the one and only! My hubbies amazing Jambalaya! I love when he has guys nights because it means I get his Jambalaya!
Cliff's Guys Night Jambalaya

1/4 c veggie oil
2 Tblsp butter
1 large yellow onion, chopped
4 red bell peppers, chopped
2 or 3 cloves garlic, minced
3-4 large louisiana hot links
4 large chicken breasts
1-2 lbs shrimp, peeled and devained and no tails
3 cans diced tomatoes with juice
1 1/2 c white rice
1-2 c low sodium chicken broth
2 tsp old bay seasoning
hot pepper sauces to taste
Optional: to crank up the heat add 2 serrano or jalapeno peppers with seeds to the other veggies.

Spice mixture: (tip: prepare first)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried basil
2-3 bay leaves
1/2 tsp onion powder or dried minced onion
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp red pepper flake or more if you like spice

Preheat grill to about 300 degrees. Grill chicken at high heat for about 3 minutes on each side. Do not fully cook the meats, they will continue to cooke with the veggies.
Heat Oil in large dutch oven or pot over medium heat. Add chopped onions, peppers and 2 tsp garlic to the pot. Saute until they begin to soften, about 5-7 minutes. Cube hot linksand grilled chicken breast. Add hot links, chicken, spice mixture, chicken broth and diced tomatoes. Bring mixture to a light boil. Stir in the rice, cover, reduce heat to low and simmer for about 15 mintues, stiring every few minutes. If more liquid is needed to finish rice, add chicken broth according to need. When rice is done, add prepared shrimp (see recipe below) and serve.

Shrimp: Mix shrimp in bowl with old bay seasoning and mix to coat. Melt 2 Tblsp butter in skillet with 1 tsp garlic. Add the saesoned shrimp and saute until cooked through.

Serve with hot pepper sauce.
EnJOY!

Hawaiian Opu

I brought this Food network recipe to a hawaiian themed party this weekend and it was pretty awesome! I would add more crab and make it snow crab because of its rich sweetness. I love potatoes and macaroni together now!
Hawaiian Opu (Stomach) Popper
1 gallon Kraft mayonnaise
2 pounds elbow macaroni, cooked until soft
1 cup lump crab meat
4 pounds new potatoes
1 cup sliced black olives
2 cups diced carrots, blanched
2 cups green peas, blanched
6 hard-boiled eggs, finely diced
2 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon paprika (sweet)
1 dozen cherry tomatoes

The macaroni, potatoes, peas, carrots, and hard-boiled eggs are all cooked separately and cooled to room temperature. All ingredients are all combined in the biggest pot or bowl available and mixed by hand to blend thoroughly. Additional salt may be added following this if it is not tasty enough. Finish off by placing the salad in a huge serving tray and sprinkling paprika over the top. Surround with cherry tomatoes.

Garlic Shrimp Pasta

How can you go wrong?! Pasta, garlic, shrimp, oh my!

Garlic Shrimp Pasta
8 oz uncooked multigrain angel hair (I use whole wheat pasta)
4 cups fresh baby spinach leaves
1 1/2 cups halved cherry tomatoes
3 teaspoons olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped (1/2 cup)
1 1/2 lb fresh medium shrimp, peeled, deveined and tail shells removed
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 cup dry white wine or Progresso® reduced-sodium chicken broth (from 32-oz carton)
1/4 cup Progresso® reduced-sodium chicken broth (from 32-oz carton)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons butter

1. In 5-quart saucepan or Dutch oven, cook pasta as directed on package. Drain; return to saucepan. Stir in spinach, tomatoes and 2 teaspoons of the oil. Cover to keep warm.
2. While pasta is cooking, in 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat remaining 1 teaspoon oil over medium-high heat. Add onion; cook and stir 1 minute. Add shrimp, garlic and pepper flakes; cook and stir 2 minutes.
3. Stir in wine, broth, salt and pepper; cook 2 minutes or until shrimp are pink and firm. Remove from heat; stir in parsley and butter until butter is melted. Add shrimp mixture to pasta mixture in saucepan; toss to mix.
Note: If you dont like spice dont add any of the red pepper flakes because it does give it a kick.
EnJOY!

Cedar Plank Salmon

This is my all time favorite recipe my hubby makes, never had a better salmon than his. If you dont have a cedar plank you can pan sear but the cedar plank will give you the most tender juicy amazazing salmon!
Cedar plank Salmon

¼ cup Soy Sauce
2 Tbls Wok Oil
1 Tbls Minced Garlic
2 Tbls Lemon Juice
- Mix in a separate bowl
Honey or white sugar
Place your salmon fillets, skin down, in a 9x16 baking sheet or a marinating dish. Pour marinade on top of the salmon. Sprinkle about 2 Tbls of white sugar or drizzle honey on top of the fillets. Cover and refrigerate for 15 minutes. Spoon the marinade from the bottom of the dish over the top of the salmon and let marinade for another 15 minutes. You can cook it in any way but we like to use cedar planks that have been soaked in water for at least 6 hours. Place the salmon on the plank and place in a 400 degree grill for about 20 minutes. To avoid having to damage your meat use a meat thermometer for slightly pink salmon remove from heat at 130 degrees and let rest for 10 minutes. For more done pull at 145 and let rest.
EnJOY!

Cajun Halibut with Praline Sauce and Dirty Rice

Tonight I decided to try something new from a grilling magazine. I love dirty rice but used hot links instead of the called for italian sausage and salmon instead of the halibut. turned out pretty tastey, hope you EnJOY!

Cajun Halibut with praline sauce

For the sauce;

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup water

salt to taste

1 Tbsp unsalted butter

1 Tbsp dark rum or apple juice

For the Fish;

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp paprika

2 tsp dried thyme

2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp black pepper

4 halibut fillets (6oz each)

Preaheat grill to medium high.

Toast pecans in skillet over medium heat until golden, 3-4 minutes, set aside.

Simmer sugar and water in small saucepan over medium heat until reduced by half, about 5 minutes. stir in pecans and salt, and cook 1-2 minutes. Off heat, stir in butter and apple juice. Sauce will thicken upon standing; reheat gently over low before serving if necessery.

Combine oil, paprika, thyme, garlic powder, salt, and pepper in a bowl (or use purchased cajun seasoning). Brush mixture onto fish, grill covered until cooked through and fillets release easily from the grate, about 3 minutes per side. To serve, drizzle warm pecan sauce over fish.

Dirty Rice

1/2 lb bulk italian sausage (or hot links is what I use chopped)

1 Tbsp olive oil

1/2 cup diced onion

1/4 cup diced celery

1/4 cup diced red bell pepper

1 Tbsp minced garlic

1 1/2 cups dry converted white rice (I actually use brown rice for a healthier version)

3 cups low-sodium chicken broth (or 1/4 cup more if using brown rice)

1 bay leaf

salt and cayenne pepper to taste

1/2 cup chopped scallions

Saute sausage in oil in a skillet over medium high heat for 2-3 minutes. Add onion, celery, bell pepper, and garlic, cook until soft, 1-2 minutes.

Stire in rice, saute 1 minute, then add broth, bay leaf, salt and cayenne, bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until rice is tender, 20 minutes (or almost double for brown rice). Let rice stand 5 minutes then remove bayleaf. Fluff rice with a fork and stir in scallions before serving.

EnJOY