Salmon, Straight Up

I recently wrote about the simplicity of pork tenderloin. Now it's salmon's turn. I don't have time for complicated marinades or fru-fru toppings with chopped herbs of all kinds. I need a good meal--FAST.

Oh, and I eat the salmon skin. Pan frying makes it nice and crispy. I want all the Omega-3s I can get.

Easy Seared Salmon

Good olive oil
4-5 ounce salmon filets with skin
Kosher salt
Fresh cracked black pepper

Blot fish dry. Place skin side up on plate. Drizzle skin with olive oil, and season well with salt and pepper.

Heat some oil to medium-high in a skillet until it smokes. When good and hot, add salmon, skin side down. Cook for 2 minutes. In the meantime, season top side of fish with salt and pepper. After 2 minutes, turn fish, and cook for additional 2 minutes. Remove from heat.

Note: Cooking 4-5 oz. salmon over medium-high heat for 2 minutes on each side should result in medium-rare salmon. I enjoy this salmon with fresh greens, sliced mushrooms, sun dried tomatoes, purple onions, feta cheese, sliced almonds, and a good homemade vinaigrette.

Herb Roasted Green Beans with Potatoes and Carrots

You know I love my roasted veggies. I find that boiling seems to dilute flavors. Sautéing is nice, but it just doesn't produce the same results as cooking in the oven at a high temperature. Roasting intensifies the taste of vegetables—green beans and broccoli explode with flavor, while sweet potatoes, carrots and butternut squash become even sweeter and more delectable. Stick with a baking sheet full of your favorite, or mix several veggies for various flavors and textures.

Herb Roasted Green Beans with Potatoes and Carrots

½ lb. new potatoes, halved
1 ½ lb. fresh green beans, trimmed and halved if desired
½ lb. carrots, cut in 1 inch diagonal pieces
Olive oil
Kosher salt
Fresh cracked black pepper
2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Place vegetables on a large baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, and season liberally with kosher salt. Add pepper to desired taste. Sprinkle rosemary and garlic over veggies and toss to coat. Roast for about 30 minutes or until lightly browned and tender, tossing halfway through cooking. Adjust seasoning.

Tuna and White Beans

Every time I’m hungry—every time I put food in my mouth—I use the opportunity to eat healthy. Well, most of the time. When it comes to snacks, that means no zero-nutritional-value Nabs, no so-called “healthy” fruit/nut bars, or any other pre-packaged, empty calorie, or high-sugar quick fixes. Instead, I opt for all-natural munchies. Here’s my current favorite afternoon snack.

Tuna and White Beans

2 cans white beans (Great Northern, Cannellini, Garbanzo, or a mix), rinsed and drained
4-5 oz. white tuna, packed in water, drained
½ cup diced celery, including leaves
¼ cup diced black olives
Juice of ½ lemon, or more to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Fresh cracked black pepper, to taste

Mix all ingredients. Adjust seasonings. Drizzle each serving with olive oil.

Broccoli, Mushroom Sauté with Chicken and Brown Rice

I’m embarrassed to admit that I wasted a good two hours yesterday afternoon trying to think of something to cook for dinner last night. I ultimately ended up focusing on some key players in my refrigerator and pantry: chicken, fresh broccoli, mushrooms and brown rice. I like the idea of a one bowl meal—easy, flavorful and satisfying. Add some cheese and nuts, and dinner’s served.

Broccoli, Mushroom Sauté with Chicken and Brown Rice

1 cup brown rice, prepared

Olive oil
2 broccoli heads, florets trimmed
2 cloves garlic, minced
Kosher salt
Chicken stock
2 cups mushrooms, sliced
1 tablespoon all-natural, buttery spread

1 ½ cups cooked chopped chicken
Black pepper

Toasted sliced almonds
Sliced green onions
¼ cup crumbled feta

Shredded Parmesan cheese (optional)

Heat about 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add broccoli florets and garlic and a sprinkle of kosher salt. Sauté for about 5 minutes. Add about ½ cup chicken stock, partially cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 20 minutes or until broccoli is almost tender. Add more stock as necessary. When broccoli reaches desired tenderness, add mushrooms, and cook for about 10 minutes until mushrooms release most of their liquid and the pan starts to dry out. Add all-natural, buttery spread at this point, if using. Fold rice and chicken into skillet, and heat through, adjusting seasoning and adding black pepper. Transfer to a large bowl. Top with feta, green onions, almonds, and a drizzle of olive oil. Finish off with grated Parmesan cheese (optional).

Pizza Friday Update

Gary liked this pizza so much last night, he said I must write about it. Thank you, sweet husband.

I have vowed to myself that one of these days, I will try my hand at fresh pizza dough. Until then, I turn to refrigerated dough when I don’t have time to make my usual flat bread pizza crust. Another option is my local bakery—I just found out that they have homemade pizza crusts on Sundays and Tuesdays. I’m keeping that in mind for next week.

Pesto Pizza with Goat Cheese and Arugula

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Spread pesto sauce on pizza crust, and top with:

Thinly sliced tomatoes that have been blotted and lightly salted to draw out excess liquid
Meat of your choice, if desired (I used last night’s pork tenderloin)
Sliced purple onions
Sliced mushrooms
Sliced black olives
Crumbled garlic and herb goat cheese (a little goes a long way)
Shredded mozzarella cheese
Arugula
Good olive oil

Bake on bottom rack for about 10 minutes until crust is lightly browned. Move to middle rack and cook for about 5-10 minutes until pizza is desired brownness. Remove from oven, and top with arugula. Drizzle with olive oil, if desired.

Simple Broiled Pork Tenderloin

If Dr. Oz said to take two tablespoons of castor oil every day to benefit my GI system, I might try it. If he suggested a poultice of vinegar and fresh comfrey root to cure my belly ache, yeah, I’d probably do it. So, when Mehmet Oz said to limit “two-legged” animal meat to no more than once per week, I did it. There was one exception though: anything with the word “loin” in it is okay. Lucky for me, lean pork tenderloin is a favorite and so easy to prepare. Marinating is nice, but all it really needs is a little tempering, some good olive oil, and ample seasoning.

Simple Broiled Pork Tenderloin

1 (1.5 lb.) pork tenderloin
Kosher salt
Fresh cracked black pepper
Garlic powder
Good olive oil

Trim silver skin off tenderloin. Season liberally with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with garlic powder, and let temper on counter top at room temp for 1 hour. Drizzle with olive oil, and broil for about 15 minutes, turning over once during cooking if top begins to brown too much.

Remove from oven and let rest for about 15 minutes before slicing.

Note: pork tenderloin, at its juiciest and most tender, is medium rare/pink inside.

Spaghetti Squash

I've been eyeing the spaghetti squash in the farmer’s market lately. It’s a funny little thing—with hard flesh that magically transforms into stringy, noodly ribbons. Since we’re putting more and more daylight between ourselves and pasta, spaghetti squash moved from the food radar into the market basket. Keep it vegetarian, or add chicken for something a little heartier.

Squash Spaghetti with Chicken

1 spaghetti squash
Kosher salt
Black pepper
Olive oil
2 tablespoons pesto sauce
¼ cup chopped sun dried tomatoes
1 cup chopped, packed fresh spinach
2/3 - 1 cup chopped, cooked chicken
Fresh Parmesan cheese or feta cheese
Toasted nuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Carefully cut squash in half lengthwise with a sharp knife. Salt squash, and place cut sides down on a baking sheet brushed with olive oil. Cook for about 45 minutes until fork tender. When cool enough to handle, scrape squash out with a fork, and transfer to a medium skillet drizzled with a bit of olive oil.

To squash, add pesto sauce, sun dried tomatoes, spinach and chicken. Cook until squash is heated through and spinach is slightly wilted. Adjust seasoning.

Top with Parmesan cheese or feta cheese and nuts of your choice (pine nuts, almonds, walnuts). Drizzle with olive oil, and serve.

Tuna Melts

I’m tired. Really, really tired. I’m sure many of you can relate. You work hard all week, and then you spend weekends catching up on household chores, preparing for the week ahead, and so on and so on... For those nights when time is not your friend, try this easy, delicious tuna melt.

Tuna Melts

1 (12 oz.) can white Albacore tuna, drained and flaked
2 tablespoons minced onions
1 – 2 tablespoons good mayo
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice (half of a lemon)
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
¼ - ½ teaspoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
Hot sauce, to taste
Fresh ground pepper, to taste
4 slices whole grain bread, toasted
Roasted red peppers or sliced, seeded tomatoes, blotted dry and lightly salted
Shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Preheat broiler.

Combine tuna and next 9 ingredients. Place salted red peppers or tomatoes on bread slices, and spread each with ¼ of the tuna mixture. Top with about 3 tablespoons of grated cheese per melt. Broil until hot and cheese is bubbly.

Red Wine Beef Stew with Parsnips and Mushrooms

I know Spring will make her debut soon, but today, temps won’t rise above the 40s. It seems like the perfect day to make a pot of beef stew for dinner. I’ve always loved the classic version—with lots of beef, coated in flour, along with potatoes, carrots and onions. I updated mine a bit by using less beef and adding some different veggies—and more of them—along with a splash of red wine.

The leftover Cabernet Sauvignon is in my glass, and crusty bread is in the oven. Spring, I’ll see you soon enough.

Red Wine Beef Stew with Parsnips and Mushrooms

1 ½ lbs. boneless chuck roast, trimmed of excess fat, and cut into 1-inch cubes
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 lb. each of carrots and parsnips, cut into 1 inch pieces
½ pound fresh mushrooms, cut into large pieces
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 (28 oz.) can whole tomatoes, cut up or crushed by hand
½ cup red wine
1 ½ cups frozen English peas
1 bay leaf
2 teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

Season beef liberally with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Sear beef on all sides—for about 5-8 minutes. Add onions, carrots, parsnips, mushrooms, and garlic. Sauté for 3 or 4 minutes. Pour in tomatoes and wine, and add peas, bay leaf and salt and pepper. Lower heat, cover, and cook for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

Adjust seasoning, and top with fresh parsley. Serve with warm, crusty garlic bread.