Wednesday, June 29, 2016

One Pan Salmon and Zucchini

Tried this last night and it was quick and yummy!  We did half cod and half salmon and both were great.  We ate it like a rice bowl mixed with pieces of fish, zucchini, and rice. Even my kids ate it. I used fresh thyme and rosemary.  I will definitely make again. http://damndelicious.net/2015/06/19/one-pan-lemon-herb-salmon-and-zucchini/
 
One Pan Lemon Herb Salmon and Zucchini
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Yield 4 servings
Quick, easy, and all made on a single pan. And the salmon is packed with so much flavor. It doesn't get any easier!
Ingredients
  • 4 zucchini, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • For the salmon
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar, packed
  • 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried dill
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • 4 (5-ounce) salmon fillets
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
Instructions
  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly oil a baking sheet or coat with nonstick spray.
  • In a small bowl, whisk together brown sugar, lemon juice, Dijon, garlic, dill, oregano, thyme and rosemary; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Set aside.
  • Place zucchini in a single layer onto the prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Add salmon in a single layer and brush each salmon filet with herb mixture.
  • Place into oven and cook until the fish flakes easily with a fork, about 16-18 minutes.*
  • Serve immediately, garnished with parsley, if desired.
Notes
*Cooking time will vary depending on the size and thickness of the salmon filets.

Tuesday, June 14, 2016

chow or lo mein stir fry thingy

http://damndelicious.net/2014/11/28/beef-noodle-stir-fry/

This was a good sauce that could be used on any oriental dish. I had a couple of bags of vegetables i wanted to use up and some leftover pork. It's so versatile!

Beef Noodle Stir Fry - The easiest stir fry ever! And you can add in your favorite veggies, making this to be the perfect clean-out-the-fridge type meal!

Tuesday, June 7, 2016

Chili Lime Chicken Tacos with Avocado Cream Sauce

I tried this recipe from Mels tonight for the first time and really liked it.  I used my instant pot pressure cooker instead of marinading which made it so much easier.  My chicken wasn't quite thawed so I cooked it with the marinade sauce for 10.  I should have done 9 for a little less dry chicken I think. It was still good and I have tons of leftovers.  I love when I find good, easy, pressure cooker recipes. I didn't marinade it. I just threw it in the pressure cooker. I didn't bother with the salsa and didn't miss it. I love finding healthy recipes like this. Score!! 
Chili Lime Tacos with Mango Salsa {Grilled or Pressure Cooker}
Yield: Serves 6-8
This recipe is so dreamy because all of the components can be prepped ahead of time. The chicken can sit in the marinade for up to 8 hours (conversely, I've also been pressed for time/lazy before and forgot to marinade and thrown all the chicken/marinade ingredients in the pressure cooker without marinading beforehand). The mango salsa can be prepped a day or so in advance and refrigerated, and the avocado cream can be made a couple hours ahead of time, too (even a couple days ahead of time if you don't mind the color darkening a bit).
UPDATE: I forgot to mention in the recipe instructions below that if using the pressure cooker (stovetop or electric), you'll need to add a bit of extra liquid. Some people will tell you this isn't necessary but for safety reasons, a pressure cooker needs a certain amount of liquid to operate safely. I've updated the directions below.
Ingredients
    Chili Lime Chicken:
  • 2-3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts(Beth used 3)
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice (from about 2-3 limes) (beth used bottled)
  • Mango Salsa:
  • 1-2 mangoes, peeled, pitted and diced (for about 1-2 cups chopped mango)(Beth only had one)
  • 1/2 cup small diced red pepper
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped red onion(beth only had a white onion)
  • 1 jalapeno, seeds and membraned removed, finely diced
  • 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
  • Pinch of salt and pepper
  • Avocado Cream Sauce:
  • 2 avocados (pitted and flesh scooped out)(Beth didn't have any avocados so she pulled out some frozen guacomole she had) 
  • 1/2 cup sour cream (Beth used greek yogurt)
  • 2 tablespoon fresh lime juice (from about 2 limes)
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • Handful of fresh cilantro leaves (about 1/4 to 1/2 cup)
  • Milk for consistency
  • Extras:
  • Tortillas for serving OR turn it into a main dish salad with romaine in place of the tortillas
Directions
  1. For the chicken, place the chicken in a ziploc bag or in a dish. Combine all the marinade ingredients (chili powder, cumin, paprika, oregano, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper, cayenne and lime juice) and pour over the chicken. Refrigerate for a couple of hours (up to 8 hours). Grill the chicken until cooked through (about 6-7 minutes per side on a grill preheated to medium-high heat). Alternately, the chicken can be pressure cooked at high pressure for 8 minutes; on an InstantPot, add the chicken and marinade ingredients PLUS 1/2 CUP LOW-SODIUM CHICKEN BROTH OR WATER, secure the lid and press manual --> 7 minutes (let the pressure cooker naturally release pressure when finished cooking). Let the chicken rest for 5 or so minutes before slicing into strips or shredding.
  2. For the mango salsa, combine all the ingredients in a medium bowl and give it a good stir. Refrigerate until ready to serve; can be made a day or so in advance if you have the willpower not to eat it all before you serve it with the tacos.
  3. For the avocado cream, combine all the ingredients except the milk in a blender and process until smooth. Add milk, a tablespoon at at time, until the sauce is at the right consistency for drizzling (not too thin!).
  4. To serve, top each tortilla with chicken, mango salsa, and avocado cream. You can also transition this very easily into a main dish salad by swapping out the tortillas for romaine lettuce.

Recipe Source: from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe (chili lime chicken from a recipe my sister has made for years – I just converted it to grilling/InstantPot, mango salsa just like I make it day after day during the summer, creamy avocado lime sauce similar to the version I instagrammed months ago – we eat it on everything) http://www.melskitchencafe.com/chili-lime-tacos-with-mango-salsa-grilled-or-pressure-cooker/

Saturday, June 4, 2016

Pressure Cooker BBQ Chicken Drumsticks

https://www.foodlion.com/recipes/pressure-cooker-bbq-chicken-drumsticks/

I made these a while back and remember them being pretty easy and decent.  I am not a big fan of drumsticks though just for the record.

PREP:
15 minutes
COOK:
10 minutes
SERVES:
4
A fast flavorful supper.

INGREDIENTS

DIRECTIONS

  1. Heat the vegetable oil in the pressure cooker over medium high heat until shimmering. Season chicken with salt and pepper then working in batches sear the chicken drumstick until brown. Remove from pan them add the onion and garlic, scraping up any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pan.
  2. Add water and BBQ sauce to the pan, then place drumstick in pan along with any juices that have collected. Place the lid on the pressure cooker and cook on high for 9 minutes. Allow pressure to reduce then carefully remove lid. Serve chicken with sauce for drizzling.