Archive for Dinner
Simply The Best Salmon Burgers, Seriously
Posted by: | CommentsWe are blessed to have a year-round Saturday farmer’s market. It is one of the perks of living in Southern California. I do my very best to go every week, because the produce I can get there is so much better than in the stores even if I buy organic. In addition to great farms we also have a really good fish monger who starts his day at about 3:00 in the morning down at the docks buying and processing fish, literally right out of the water.
I recently got inspired to recreate a salmon burger I saw on television. It looked so good and if it worked, I might even be able to get my dear hubby and girls to like another fish recipe. (It’s been a long road getting my husband to like fish.)
There are a number of ingredients in this list, but don’t let that deter you. You probably have most of them around the house. This recipe packs a huge nutritional punch and if your kids are picky about their vegetables you might be able to sneak these in.
| ½ | Red Onion, grated |
| ½ | Red Bell Pepper, small chop |
| ½ | Celery Rib, small chop |
| 1 | Green Onion, chopped green parts only |
| 1 | Lemon, zest only |
| 4-5 Sprigs | Fresh, Flat Leaf Parsley, rough chopped |
| ¼ cup | Teff Flour, (any flour can be substituted) |
| ½ cup | Bread Crumbs |
| 2 | Eggs, beaten |
| 1 lb | Fresh, Wild Caught Salmon |
| ½ tsp | Dill |
| ½ tsp | Salt |
| ¼ tsp | Red Pepper Flakes (optional) |
| Several Turns | Black Pepper from grinder |
| ½ cup | Panko Bread Crumbs |
| Salt & Pepper to taste | |
| 2 Tbs | Extra Virgin Olive Oil |
In a small bowl, beat eggs; add breadcrumbs. Allow the breadcrumbs to soak up the egg while you chop the vegetables, approximately 5-10 minutes.
Remove skin from salmon and cut into small pieces.
Combine red onion, red bell pepper, celery, green onion, lemon zest, parsley, and teff flour in a large bowl, stir to combine. Stir in soaked breadcrumbs, dill, salt, red pepper flakes, and black pepper. Once the ingredients are combined, gently stir in salmon.
Pour the panko on to a separate plate or shallow bowl. As you make each burger gently place patties into the panko and cover all sides. (Note: These will not be “tight” burgers like you would get from ground meat, so handle them gently.)
Heat a skillet (I like to use cast iron) over medium-high heat; add olive oil. Fry each pattie for approximately 4 minutes on each side until golden brown and cooked through.
I served these with my favorite jalapeno tarter sauce and a side of broccoli. A bun would be good here too, so let your imagination and taste buds run wild!
These turned out better than I had even hoped! Dear hubby and both girls really liked these and have asked for them several times! I call that a success!!
Campfire Pocket Stew
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Would you believe that Alyssa picked this out as a new recipe for our family to try? I just love having kids who want to try new foods and who don’t get all squeamish at the mere mention of vegetables! This was a HUGE hit at our dinner table! Super easy and healthy, too!
| 1 | Potato, thinly sliced |
| 1 | Carrot, thinly sliced |
| 1 | Onion, rough chop |
| ¼ cup | Green Pepper, thinly sliced |
| 1 cup | Fresh Green Beans |
| ¾ cup | Gruyere Cheese, (optional, Cheddar or Parmesan would work well also) |
| 2 | Large Sausage links (precooked and cut into slices) |
| Salt & Pepper to taste | |
| 4-8 | Cabbage Leaves |
| 4 tbls | Extra Virgin Olive Oil |
Preheat gas grill or prepare a good bed if coals.
Use the cabbage leaves to make a bowl or pocket, place remaining ingredients inside cabbage leaves and close. Wrap all in aluminum foil shiny side in, and cook on hot grill for approximately 10-15 minutes each side.
You Won’t Miss the Meat Grilled Vegetable Sandwiches
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What a great way to utilize the vegetables coming out of the garden! This sandwich is so versatile. Feel free to play around with different vegetables, and each time you do, be prepared for a yummy dinner! (Sorry there’s no picture of the sandwiches! We dug into these so quickly, there wasn’t any time to get the camera out!)
| 1 medium | Zucchini |
| 1 medium | Summer squash (yellow, patty pan, eight ball, round French, etc) |
| 1 | Red bell pepper |
| 1 medium | Onion |
| 3 cloves | Garlic, minced |
| 4 tbs | Mayo |
| 3 tbs | Extra Virgin Olive Oil |
| ¼ cp | Crumbled Feta Cheese |
| Salt and pepper to taste | |
| 4 | Sandwich Rolls |
To ensure even grilling, the goal is to slice the vegetables into relatively the same thickness. With that in mind, cut the tips off the zucchini and slice it down the length. For my sandwiches I used round French zucchini that I sliced and left in its round shape.
Cut the red bell pepper in half, remove the core, seeds and any remaining membrane. Cut into quarters.
Remove the outer layer of onion skin and cut the onion into ¼ inch rounds.
Mince the garlic. In a small bowl, combine ½ of the garlic with the mayo; stir to combine and set aside. In a second small bowl combine the remaining garlic with the olive oil; stir to combine.
Preheat the grill to medium high. Brush one side of the vegetable pieces with the garlic olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place the oiled side down on the grates of the grill and brush the second side of the vegetables with the oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill until all the vegetables have nice grill marks and are slightly softened. (The bell pepper and onions will take longer than the zucchini and squash.)
While the vegetables are grilling cut the rolls in half and spread one of the cut sides with the garlic mayo and sprinkle generously with feta cheese.
Once the vegetables are done, remove from the grill to a plate. Add the sandwich rolls to the grill, cheese side up and close the grill top. This will allow the cheese to melt, but watch carefully as the buns can burn easily!
Remove the sandwich rolls from the grill and layer the grilled vegetables on top of the rolls. Serve immediately.
Summer Slaw
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Without the mayo this slaw has great nutritional value with no fat and is high in vitamin C. It works great as a side dish with your favorite grilled meat or seafood, but it shines as a topping for homemade tacos!
| ½ | Cabbage, shredded or cut finely |
| 1 | Red bell pepper, sliced thinly |
| 1 | Jalapeno pepper, sliced thinly |
| ½ | Red onion, sliced thinly |
| 2 | Limes, juice only |
| 1 | Bunch of Cilantro, chopped |
| Salt and pepper to taste |
To prepare cabbage, remove the outer leaves and toss them (or better yet put in the compost bin.) Cut cabbage in half, then quarters. Remove the cabbage core, by cutting through the base end of the cabbage at an angle. Thinly slice the remaining cabbage or grate on the largest setting of a box grater.
Place cabbage in a bowl with sliced red bell pepper, jalapeno (seeds and membrane removed for less heat or left in for added heat) and red onion.
Cut the limes in half and juice directly into the bowl.
Chop the cilantro and add to the cabbage mixture. Toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Lentil Salad
Posted by: | Comments| 1 lb | Green or Black Lentils |
| 1 | Onion, peeled and cut in half |
| 2 | Garlic Cloves, peeled and left whole |
| 2 small | Cucumbers, chopped small |
| 2 | Roma Tomatoes, chopped |
| 2 | Green Onions, chopped |
| 1/4-1/2 cup | Crumbled Feta Cheese |
| 6 sprigs | Fresh Thymes, leaves only |
| 1/8-1/4 cup | Fresh Parsley, chopped |
| 1/4 cup | Red Wine Vinegar |
| 1/4 cup | Extra Virgin Olive Oil |
| 1 tsp | Dijon Mustard |
| Salt & Pepper to Taste |
Carefully look through the lentils removing any rocks. Rinse the lentils with plenty of water. Once rinsed, put the lentils in a large pot and cover with 8-10 cups of fresh water; add the halved onion and garlic cloves. Bring the pot to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Cook for 25-30 minutes until the lentils are tender, but not mushy.
Once the lentils have cooked, drain and remove the onion and garlic. Allow the lentils to cool completely.
While the lentils are cooling, chop the cucumbers, tomatoes, green onions, thyme and parsley; add to a medium-sized bowl. In a Pyrex measuring cup mix together the vinegar, olive oil, Dijon mustard, salt and pepper. Add the cooled lentils to the chopped vegetables and add the feta cheese. Toss to combine.
Lentil salad makes a great lunch served over a bed of lettuce with some chopped carrots or even works well as a side dish.
Roasted Chicken with Mushrooms and Gorgonzola
Posted by: | Comments4 servings
| 4 | Chicken Breasts, boneless, skinless |
| 2tbs | Extra Virgin Olive Oil, divided |
| 1/4tsp | Garlic Powder |
| 1/4tsp | Oregano, dried |
| Salt & Pepper to taste | |
| 6oz | Mushrooms, sliced |
| 1 | Roma Tomato, chopped |
| 1-2oz | Gorgonzola, crumbled |
Preheat oven to 350-degrees.
Rinse chicken and place in shallow baking dish. Drizzle with 1T olive oil on both sides; season with garlic powder, oregano, and salt and pepper to taste. Place chicken in the oven and bake for 25 minutes or until an internal thermometer reads 160-degrees in the thickest part of the breast.
While the chicken is baking, heat a sauté pan over medium-high heat with 1T olive oil. Add the mushrooms to the pan, in a single layer and don’t move them so they will brown. Cook for 3-4 minutes. When the mushrooms have browned, add the tomato and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Remove the chicken from the oven and place on a warm platter. Top the chicken with the mushrooms and tomato mixture then crumble on the Gorgonzola.
Vegetable Lentil Soup
Posted by: | Comments6-8 Servings
| 1 sm | Onion, chopped |
| 3 ribs | Celery, chopped |
| 2 | Carrots, chopped |
| 2 | Garlic Cloves, minced |
| 14.5 oz | No added salt canned Tomatoes |
| ½ lb | Green Beans, cut into 1” pieces |
| 1 cup | French Green Lentils |
| 6 cups | Chicken Stock |
| 5 tbs | Extra Virgin Olive Oil, divided |
| Salt and Pepper to taste | |
| 1 tsp | Cayenne pepper |
Heat 3tbs extra virgin olive oil in a soup pot over medium-high heat. Sauté the onion, celery and carrots for 5 minutes or until onion is translucent; add garlic to the pot and sauté for 1 minute more. Add tomatoes, green beans, lentils and chicken stock to the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook the soup covered for 35-45 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the lentils are softened.
Season the soup with salt, pepper and cayenne pepper.
Serve in bowls with an extra drizzle of reserved olive oil.
6 to 8 servings
Turkey Tacos with Avocado Sauce
Posted by: | CommentsTurkey Tacos with Avocado Sauce
Little Sisters Big Taste: 3 Spoons on the Scale of Spoonitude
| 1 tbs | Extra Virgin Olive Oil |
| ½ | Onion, chopped |
| ½ | Red Bell Pepper, chopped |
| 2 cups | Leftover Shredded Turkey |
| 1-2cups | Salsa |
Place a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat with olive oil. Add onion and bell pepper. Sauté until onions are translucent. Add turkey and salsa and bring to a simmer. Cook for 5 minutes to allow the flavors to mix.
Serve in taco shells with your favorite toppings and the Avocado Sauce.
Avocado Sauce
| 1 | Avocado |
| 2 tbs | Lemon, juice only |
| 4 tbs | Sour Cream |
| 1 tsp | Salt |
| ½ tsp | Fresh Pepper |
| ¼ tsp | Ground Cumin |
| ¼ tsp | Garlic Powder |
| 1 pinch | Crushed Red Pepper, optional |
Cut the avocado in half and remove the pit with a spoon. In a medium bowl, spoon out the flesh of the avocado and combine with remaining ingredients. Using a fork mash all the ingredients together.
Serve on tacos.
