I'm back, with Salmon :)

Where in the world have I been?! That's a good question! You're probably thinking that I'm not the most reliable person in the world, that's alright, I look like a flake. Really it's just been a season of non-cooking. Dieting and hot weather definitely doesn't make me want to cook. So I got in a slump. But I'm here! Don't let me fail!! Hold me to it, I wanna be here!!! So on to the food. Considering it's blazing hot here in Albuquerque I absolutely don't want to turn on the stove or oven. This is the time of year I'll grill everything.... or get take out. Instead of take out I turned on the grill and made the EASIEST salmon I've ever made. You could do this with any fish really, but salmon is just so wonderful! And very very diet friendly. So if you managed to sit through that entirely too long blog post and are still interested here's the recipe!!

Salmon a La Easy

Ingredients:
1 large salmon fillet- cut into 4 steaks
1 lemon- sliced and seeded
Garlic- 2 Tbsp minced
Salt- to taste
Pepper- to taste
Olive Oil- 2-3 Tbsp
Fresh Basil- handful chiffonade (long strips)

Directions:
Season the salmon steaks with salt and pepper. Cover each steak with a generous amount of olive oil and rub them with garlic. Sprinkle the basil over each one and place a lemon slice on each steak. You can let this sit in the fridge all day or 1/2 an hour, your choice. If they look dry put more oil on, you can't hurt em! Make four foil packets. Fold three edges of a square piece of foil, leaving one end open. Pour a little oil in the packet so the fish won't stick. Place a piece of salmon in each packet and close it up! When your grill is hot and ready take each salmon packet and place them on the grill. I grilled mine on low for about 8-10 minutes. Close it up and leave it alone! Take them off the grill when the meat is still pink but firm. If you overcook them the meat will be dry and lacking in flavor. Take them out of the foil, pour the juices out of the foil onto the fish and ENJOY! I served mine with brown rice and green beans. I cooked the green beans in foil packets on the grill as well!!! Easy peasy!!!!

Marinate

Place salmon in packet

Close it up.

Put on the grill until cooked!

Easy easy easy!!

Fish in a Garden

Fish in a Garden doesn't sound like something anyone would want to eat. I know when I first heard of it I refused to go anywhere near it. It was a dish my dad always ordered at our favorite Chinese restaurant. When I realized it was basically a fish stir fry I wasn't freaked out anymore. I had a fridge stocked with veggies and figured this would be the best time to try out my version of Fish in a Garden. It's very easy and super good!

Fish in a Garden

Ingredients:
1/2 yellow onion- small diced
2 cups broccoli
1 bunch of spinach
1 1/2 cups sliced mushrooms
10-15 spears of asparagus
1 bag frozen stir fry vegetables
2 fillets of white fish (I used Basa)
2 tsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp oregano
1 tsp garlic
1 Tbsp sesame oil
Brown Rice

Directions:
Marinate fish in 1 tsp lemon juice, garlic salt, parsley, and 2 tsp sesame oil. Caramelize onion in 1/2 Tbsp butter and 1/2 Tbsp olive oil. While the onion is cooking blanch the vegetables, except spinach, and transfer them to an ice bath to stop the cooking. Add mushrooms to skillet and season with salt, oregano and garlic. Add in 1/4 cup of water. Add water or chicken stock throughout as needed. Reduce heat to low. Cook until mushrooms are soft. Add soy sauce and asparagus. Let cook for 2 minutes. Place fish with marinade in the middle of the pan in between the asparagus. When the fish is almost cooked cut into bite sized pieces. Add all the other veggies except the spinach. Stir in sesame oil. When the veggies are heated through add spinach and let cook until just wilted. Serve over cooked brown rice and top with pan sauce.

Pesto Couscous

I've been meaning to post this for a few weeks and my procrastinating side got the best of me. I almost forgot about it until I saw Jessica's pesto recipe the other day I figured this would be perfect timing. You can certainly use whatever pesto you'd like but I would highly suggest using Jessica's recipe. This is a super quick brainless dish. It can be made a main dish with some veggies and meat thrown in or a side dish to practically anything else. I've found it's really good with pork chops.

Pesto Couscous

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups couscous dry
4-5 Tbsp pesto
Olive Oil
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp thyme
1/4 cup Parmesan- optional

Directions:
Prepare couscous according to package directions. Add garlic powder and thyme while cooking. Take off heat when cooked and toss with pesto. If it's too dry feel free to add more pesto. Drizzle with olive oil and top with grated Parmesan. Perfectly simple and good to your waistline!

Turkey & Bean Chili

It is down right cold here in Albuquerque (at least for today) and that means it's time for cold weather food! When I woke up this morning and saw the overcast sky and couldn't feel my toes I had to make Chili!! We eat alot of turkey here in the Torres household and I've been really wanting to make chili with ground turkey vs. beef. YUM!

Ingredients:
Olive Oil- to coat pan
1/2 onion- diced small
4 cloves of garlic- minced
1/2 pound ground turkey
1 tsp Cumin
2 tsp Parsley
2 Tbsp Oregano
2 tsp chili powder
3 dashes Louisiana Hot Sauce
1/2 cup Chicken Broth (or water)
3 Tbsp tomato paste
2 small cans of diced tomatoes (or 1 large can)
1 can kidney beans
1 can navy beans
1 Tbsp corn meal (or flour)
Salt and Pepper- to taste
Low Fat Sour Cream- garnish
Reduced fat cheddar- garnish

Directions:
This can either be made in a stock pot or in a slow cooker. I had alot of time on my hands today so I used the crock pot. Turn the heat on high and coat the pot with olive oil. Add onion and garlic. Cook until the onions start to carmelize. Add ground turkey. I used taco seasoned turkey, it has alot of the flavors that I want in chili already in the meat! If you can't find seasoned meat you might want to add extra chili powder, cumin, and oregano. Add cumin, oregano, parsley, chili powder, salt and pepper. Once the meat is browned add tomato paste, diced tomatoes, hot sauce, and chicken broth. Bring everything to a boil. Once at a good boil add rinsed beans. At this point if the chili is too thin add corn meal to thicken. Lower the heat and let sit to thicken. I really like it after about 1/2 an hour. This is a fairly low cal dish, and to keep it that way top with low fat sour cream and cheese- ENJOY!!