Sweet ‘n Spicy Glazed Salmon

My father-in-law had a friend who fished for salmon in Lake Michigan.  Every year, he gave my FIL 3 salmon; my FIL converted an old refrigerator into a smoker, smoked the salmon for his buddy, and kept one for himself.  Those were the “good old days” when we raved about his smoked salmon, and he shared with us! 

Sadly, those days are long gone, but salmon remains my favorite seafood…

This recipe for salmon, with it’s mouthwatering sauce, is adapted from Cooking Light, and has all the right flavors ~ sweet, salty, spicy and sour ~ all the right flavors that don’t outshine the salmon! 

It’s still on the cool side here so I turned the oven on again for dinner last night, but this is a great recipe for the grill also. 

The salmon is very tasty, really good ~ I didn’t have any leftovers and doubt if you will have either, when you make it.

Sweet ‘n Spicy Glazed Salmon

Adapted

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons Splenda brown sugar

1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce

4 teaspoons Chinese-style hot mustard

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 tablespoon white vinegar

4 (6-ounce) salmon fillets

Cooking spray

½ teaspoon seasoned pepper

Method:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Combine first 5 ingredients in a small saucepan.

Bring to a boil, remove from heat, set aside.

Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.

Place salmon on pan and sprinkle with pepper.

Bake for 12 minutes.  Remove from oven.

Preheat broiler.

Brush sugar mixture over salmon.

Place pan under broiler and broil for 3-4 minutes until fish flakes easily with a fork.

ENJOY!

Slim Potato Salad

Bill is a big fan of potato salad, and I like it too. 

If you like potato salad chock full of onions, olives and pickles like we do, you’ll like this.  And it goes with about any meat cooked on the grill!

And, even better,  it's a lighter version:

There’s not much more to say about it except that it tastes good!  Give it a go!

Slim Potato Salad

Ingredients:

5 medium red potatoes

1 small red onion, chopped

12 stuffed green olives, sliced

12 sweet petite pickles, sliced

1/3 cup light mayonnaise

1 tablespoon prepared mustard

1 teaspoon celery seed

1 teaspoon seasoned pepper

Method:

Wash and peel potatoes and cut into bite-size pieces.

Cook in boiling water until fork tender, drain well.

In a large bowl, combine potatoes, onions, olives and pickels.

Add remaining ingredients and toss until well-coated.

4-6 servings

ENJOY!

Grilled Taco-style Chicken Burgers

A juicy thick hamburger is the quintessential summer cookout food!

Although that’s about my favorite food from the grill, I’ve been straying from it occasionally, and swapping it with ground chicken for a healthier burger.

I generally avoid fillers in burgers; however, as ground chicken tends to be very moist, it requires a binder ~ hence, Panko bread crumbs.  For seasoning, I added my home-made taco seasoning, mustard and a bit of barbecue sauce. 

After assembling the burgers, transfer them to the prepared grill.  Be sure to flip the burgers with a light hand so they’ll hold together well.  Then, place one on a bun and smear with your favorite condiments, and a slice of cheese if that floats your boat. 

It’s a tastied up mouth-watering chicken burger!

Grilled Taco-style Chicken Burgers

Ingredients:

1 pound ground white meat chicken
3 green onions, chopped
2 tablespoons taco seasoning*
1/3 Panko bread crumbs
1 tablespoon prepared mustard
¼ cup barbecue sauce
4 burger buns

Method:

Preheat grill on medium-high heat.
In a medium bowl, mix all ingredients and form into 4 patties.
Place patties on grill and cook for about 5 minutes on each side, until juices run clear when lightly pressed and char them lightly.
Place on bun and top with what you like.
*See my home-made taco seasoning here.   

ENJOY!

Baked Flounder with Cornmeal Coating

Cornmeal and Fish go together like 

Peanut Butter and Miracle Whip!  

Yum!

This flounder has a crisp crust, not like it’s deep-fried, but crisp enough, without the mess of grease spattering ~ healthier!  It’s simple and makes for a good meal!

Baked Flounder with Cornmeal Coating

Ingredients:

6 flounder fillets

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon seasoned pepper

½ teaspoon paprika

½ cup cornmeal

¼ cup Panko breadcrumbs

¼ cup milk

Non-stick cooking spray

Method:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a shallow dish, combine salt, pepper, paprika, cornmeal and Panko.

Dip each fillet in milk, dredge in cornmeal mixture.

Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray and place fish on it.

Bake for about 15 minutes or until fish flakes easily and is golden, turning once.

Serve

ENJOY!

Have a Fantastic Friday!

A Twisted St. Paddy’s Day Side Dish: Potato and Cabbage Bake

Growing up on a farm in Ohio, and later in Louisville, my family never had occasion to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.  That all changed years later, after marrying and moving to “Chicagoland.”

The Chicago River goes green for St. Patrick's Day

45 pounds of vegetable dye colors the Chicago River a brilliant emerald green as it courses through the center of the city, in honor of St. Patrick’s Day.  Chicago is packed with a plethora of Irish pubs and restaurants and there is no shortage of fun and plenty of sights to behold…

It was a memorable St. Patrick’s Day for us years ago when we took our then young teenage boys into the city for dinner.  Revelers, imbibing plenty of green suds, were plentiful everywhere.  It was an “education,” for sure that our sons laugh about now and will never forget.  After hurriedly eating, we headed out to a Bulls basketball game ~ ‘twas the “Michael Jordan era!!!”

Potatoes and cabbage, that popular pairing, is always abundant on St. Patrick’s Day and here’s a twist on it to get your Irish on:

This is a simple delicious dish, packed with cabbage, chunks of potatoes, mushrooms, Vidalia onion and green bell pepper; a generous amount of seasonings and Parmesan round it out, while vegetable broth aids in steaming the veggies to tenderness.

To take it up a notch ~ fry several strips of bacon crispy, and toss on top of the finished dish as garnish. 

It’s a delicious nutritious side dish ~ perfect for St. Paddy’s Day!

Potato and Cabbage Bake

Ingredients:

6 small red potatoes, peeled and quartered
½ head of cabbage,shredded
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
1 Vidalia onion, sliced
1 bell pepper, cut into chunks
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ cup low-sodium vegetable broth
1 tablespoon Penzy’s Sunny Paris seasoning
1 teaspoon McCormick’s Seasoned Pepper
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
Cooking spray

Method:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Mix all ingredients in a large bowl.
Coat a large baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
Arrange the vegetables in the dish.
Tightly cover with aluminum foil.
Bake for 1 hour or until potatoes are fork tender.
Serve

ENJOY!

Chicken Tetrazzini Lightened Up

I’m always happy to come across a lightened up comfort food recipe! 

Here’s a mouth-watering tetrazzini casserole, minus the traditional heavy ingredients of cream, butter, and a plethora of cheese:  translating, 420 calories, versus nearly 700 per serving.
 

The creamy key to holding this dish together is the light béchamel sauce of evaporated low-fat milk, light cream cheese and Parmesan.  I substituted Activ spread for butter, then tossed it all with chicken, lots of veggies and pasta for savory goodness.

This is a Cooking Light recipe, which suggests poaching a few chicken breasts, if you don’t have leftover chicken ~ that’s exactly what I did.

The recipe calls for a topping of torn pieces of a French bread baguette ~ I crumbled a few crisp croutons for the job.

It added ½ cup white wine; I omitted it, and raised the chicken stock from 2½ cups to 3 cups. 

It included 2 (8-ounce) packages sliced mushrooms, I used canned instead.

This is a great delicious twist on tetrazzini.  We really liked it and I hope you give it a try and like it also! 

It’s a keeper!

Chicken Tetrazzini                  

Adapted

Ingredients:

10 ounces linguine

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 (15-ounce) can sliced mushrooms, drained

1 cup chopped onion

6 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon thyme

2 tablespoons Promise Activ light spread

¼ cup flour

3 cups unsalted chicken stock

1 (12-ounce) can evaporated low-fat milk

2.5 ounces grated Parmesan, divided

1 ounce 1/3-less-fat cream cheese

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon seasoned pepper

3 cups shredded cooked chicken breast

1 cup frozen green peas

Cooking spray

1/3 cup crushed croutons

Method:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cook pasta according to package directions, drain well, set aside.

Heat oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat.

Add mushrooms, onion, garlic and thyme, sauté 3 minutes.

Remove to a small bowl and set aside.

Melt butter in the saucepan.

Stir in flour, cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly with a whisk.

Gradually add stock and milk, bring to a boil.

Reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes.

Remove from heat, stir in 2 ounces Parmesan cheese, cream cheese, salt and pepper.

Combine mushroom mixture, milk mixture, chicken and peas, and cooked pasta, tossing to combine.

Spoon all into a 13” x 9” baking dish coated with cooking spray.

Combine crouton crumbs and remaining Parmesan, sprinkle over pasta.

Bake for 35-40 minutes or until browned and bubbly.

6 servings

ENJOY!

Savory Chicken Meatballs over Spaghetti

Often, the simplest foods are the best!

 

In other words, comfort food ~ that’s just what we need now with this cold, windy (45 mph gusts last night and today), snowy weather!

These meatballs are healthier, with chicken instead of beef, and egg beaters substituting for eggs.  The sauce is a basic tomato sauce.

It’s a comforting delicious dish, requiring little explanation!

Savory Chicken Meatballs over Spaghetti

For the meatballs:

1 pound ground chicken

4 cloves garlic, minced

½ cup egg beaters

6 saltine crackers, crushed

3 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon Hungarian paprika

½ cup onion, finely chopped

¼ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

Method:

Heat oven to 400 degrees.

In a large bowl, mix all ingredients well.

Form into 1½” meatballs (about 20) and place on a baking sheet.

Bake uncovered for about 20 minutes, until no longer pink in center.  Set aside.

For the sauce:

2 cans (15-ounce) diced tomatoes

1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste

1-2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon oregano

½ teaspoon basil

½ teaspoon seasoned pepper

½ - 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Method:

Combine ingredients in a large saucepan, bring to a simmer and cook for about 25 minutes.

Lower heat and add meatballs, combine well and cook for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions, drain.

Divide all onto plates and sprinkle with Parmesan.

ENJOY!

Chicken with Olives and Lemons

This is Mediterranean chicken at its best!

Herbs combined with briny olives and tart lemons provide chicken with the “oomph” in this recipe that makes a tasty dinner for your family that is great for your friends too!

This is a tangy, healthy recipe slightly adapted from Cooking Light magazine.  Each chicken breast contains about 270 calories.  It’s delicious, "citrusy," garlicky baked chicken with olives adding a bit of saltiness.  The aromas coming from the oven weren’t bad either!

Chicken with Olives and Lemons

Adapted

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons lemon zest

¼ cup lemon juice

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons minced garlic

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

Cooking spray

2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano

½ teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary

1 teaspoon seasoned pepper

15 oil-cured olives, pitted and sliced in half*

1 large shallot, sliced

1 lemon, thinly sliced

Method:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Coat a 9” x 13” baking pan with cooking spray.

In a small bowl combine the first 4 ingredients.

Add chicken and marinate at room temperature for 5 minutes.

Sprinkle chicken with oregano and next 4 ingredients (through shallot.)

Top with lemon slices.

Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.

Remove chicken from oven.

Preheat broiler to high.

Place chicken 3” from broiler element.

Broil on high until chicken is browned and done.

Serve with hot orzo or rice.

*Mine came from the deli  

It's a keeper!