Best Salad Dressing, Ever.

 

I realize this title is a very bold claim. 

Let me rephrase this: if you like a hint of sweet and a punch of heat, if you are trying to get away from consuming fatty oils, if you are looking for a fat-free, sugar-free, practically carb-free salad dressing that you can make yourself... then yes, this is the best salad dressing ever. 

I came across the recipe last summer from Our Best Bites blog. It was a water-vinegar based marinade tossed with cucumbers, red pepper flakes and red onion. I made it as such, then put it on a bed of spinach leaves and paired it with simple chicken kabobs. It made for a wonderfully simple, delicious and nutritious dish!

Fast forward to now and I have my monthly girls-night-in cooking group. With swim suit season officially here, we decided to go with some light favorites with leafy greens and grilled lean proteins. I volunteered to contribute the salad and thought I would use this marinade as a salad dressing. Making a small edit to the original, I nixed the sugar and added a splash of red wine vinegar to the mix instead. Combining a plethora of baby greens, I added this cucumber and sweet/spicy "dressing" with avocado and feta cheese. We served it with chicken and shrimp skewers, the result was fantastic.

This week, I wanted to re-make that salad for Mr. Max in our weekly meal plan, but planned to take another past recipe that we loved and do a little recipe mash-up. For this dish I re-did the skinny Bangin' Good Shrimp originally acquired from Gina over at Skinnytaste. I made some very slight adjustments to her recipe the first time, mainly subbing the mayonnaise for Greek Yogurt to cut down on excess calories and fats, a wonderful result.

The two together were fantastic, it was perfect for a light week night meal, but definitely have a glass of water handy. The nutritional facts for the dressing alone can be found here; this is for a full 4 servings of the dressing, 1 serving would look more like this! The nutrition facts for the whole meal can be found here, both calculated by SparkRecipes.com.The meal combo is low in fat, calories, carbs, high in protein and fiber! Try this salad combo out, or make the dressing alone for your next summer salad and let me know how you like it!

Grocery List:
Recipe amount yields 3-4 servings

For Salad
*denotes ingredients used for dressing only

• *1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
• *1/4 cup water
• *1 tbsp. red wine vinegar
• *1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
• *1/4 cup red onion
• 1 large cucumber, peeled, de-seeded, chopped (about 1.5 cups cucumber)
• 3-4 cups mixed greens
• 1 small avocado, chopped into small cubes
• 1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled

For Shrimp

• 1/2 lb. cooked shrimp, tail removed
• 2 tbsp. plain, non-fat Greek yogurt (I used Oikos)
• 1 tbsp. green onion, diced (start chopping from white tips for most flavorful part of the bulb)
• 1 tsp. Sriracha
• 1 tsp. Sweet Red Chili Paste 

Start by making the dressing by combining all italicized ingredients into a small sauce pan, minus the red onion. Bring to a boil and allow to reduce by almost 1/3 cup. This allows the liquids to thicken slightly and become a little more syrupy.

Once reduced, take off the heat and add the red onions. This time around, because I was adding a shrimp with some spice to them, I drained the liquid and discarded of the chili pepper flakes and seeds before adding the red onion. Let sit and cool for about 15 minutes or until room temperature.

 

I chose to get already cooked shrimp on this grocery run. Okay, maybe it was not a cognitive decision, it was done on accident, but it worked to my benefit. It decreased the time to prep the meal, which is always nice! I simply took the cooked shrimp, removed the tails and combined them with the mixture of the greek yogurt, green onions, sriracha and sweet red chili sauce. 

 

I decided to heat this in the microwave for a mere 30 seconds to warm up the already cooked shrimp just a tad.  Adding the lettuce, feta, cucumber and avocado to the bowl, I poured in the dressing and mixed the contents well. Plated the result and topped with the shrimp (5 for me, 7-8 for Mr. Max). 

Make a Meal: Hoisin Grilled Salmon and Garlic-Ginger Bok Choy

 One thing you will not find a lack of around here is salmon recipes. 

Alas, here we go again with yet another fish dish starring the freshwater swimmer that inspired its very own color...the salmon. This is a tasty combination that I found in perusing Simply Recipes and seemed like a perfectly easy Monday night meal that also had a little "umph" to it. In this sense of "umph," I'm referring to pizazz - that's a fun word, pizazz - because each 8th of the month, I try to make sure I do something special for Mr. Max in honor of our wedding date. Okay, settle the gag reflexes. As we hit month four, he took my car in for me to find it had three nails in a single tire so in return, I got a bottle of our favorite Malbec that we discovered on our honeymoon, and made him dinner using his new favorite vegetable (bok choy) and a grilled salmon.

I took this Hoisin Salmon recipe and followed it exactly, but added some of my own...pizazz....to the bok choy. When we've bought bok choy prior to this, we've only been able to find the big momma kind, but this time, the baby bok bunches were on display so I grabbed two thinking one bunch would be enough for each of us. Note to self and to you: get more than that for two people. I forgot they wilt down, much like spinach, but not as volume decreasing. Try four and if you have leftovers, that's fantastic.

Nutritional facts can be found here, calculated at SparkRecipes.com.

Grocery List:
Recipe yields 2 servings

For the salmon:

• 2 salmon fillets (nutritional facts were based on a 4oz salmon fillet and an 6 oz salmon fillet)
• 2 tbsp. Hoisin
• 2 tsp. Tamari (low-sodium, organic soy sauce)
• 1-2 tsp. brown sugar
• 1 tsp. Mirin (sweet rice wine - an adaption from original recipe)
• 1 large garlic clove, smashed then minced (smashing allows the garlic to release oils, creating a stronger flavor. Also by spreading it out and smashing before mincing, you are creating more of a minced paste, rather than minced bits, helping it to permeate into the sauce, rather than remain in chunks and burn - learned this at a Central Market cooking class and wanted to share that tidbit with you!)

For the bok choy:

•  2 tbsp. olive oil
• 1/2 cup green onions, chopped finely
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1-2 tbsp. of freshly grated ginger root
• 4 baby bok choy bunches, rinsed and leaves separated from the base, trimmed
• 1 tsp. red pepper flakes

We start be prepping the salmon. I felt compelled to take advantage of the nicer weather and use the grill for that nice, smokey taste. First, start your grill and let it get nice and hot. Next, we make the marinade/sauce for the salmon fillets. In a small bowl, combined the hoisin, tamari, Mirin, brown sugar and garlic.

Place the fillets skin up in a dish and cover in the sauce, reserving about 3 tbsp worth of sauce for later, then flip over to skin side down. Marinate for 15-20 minutes to allow the fish oils in the skin to seem down into the meat of the fillet for those omega 3s. By removing the skin prior to cooking, you do not reap the full health benefits of the fish. That one I learned from the meat counter man at Central Market. I looked it up, he is correct. Once it has marinated, set it on a grill pan and grill for 10-12 minutes.

Finally, take a saute pan, wok or large skillet and heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the green onion and cook for about 3 minutes, followed by the garlic. Add the bok choy, followed by the ginger and sprinkle with the red pepper flakes. Add a little more olive oil if needed. Place a lid over top and let wilt down for about 3 minutes.

Finally, we take the salmon, apply the left over glaze and turn on the broiler to low. Stick the salmon in for 2 minutes and broil to finish caramelizing the sauce onto the fish and adding a nice, crisp top. Dish the fish on a plate and pair with your greens, dinner is served!

Tastefully yours,

Make a Meal: Bang Bang Shrimp with Edamame "Fried" Quinoa

In my weekly pinterest perusing, I saw a shrimp recipe floating around from SkinnyTaste. Gina's blog was one of my initial inspirations when I was starting my adventure into the blogosphere and her recipes have met our top two criteria: delicious and nutritious. There is something about spring weather that strikes my fancy for seafood, particularly shrimp, so I added this into the meal plan for the week. When I clicked thru to her recipe, she had recommended an Edamame Fried Rice to pair with it, so I took that recommendation and adapted it just a bit, subbing quinoa for rice.

Here is my adaptation of her fantastic recipes! They are quick and easy to make with little prep time needs if you can get some of the ingredients pre-chopped at the store, like the onion and the carrots. I lightened the shrimp sauce by replacing the mayonaise with plain greek yogurt and kicked up the heat with a little more Sriracha.

My version nutrition facts were calculated at SparkRecipes.com and can be found here for the shrimp, and here for the edamame "fried" quinoa.

Grocery List:
Yields 4 servings

For the Shrimp

• 1 lb peeled, deveined shrimp 
• 2 tbsp. plain Greek Yogurt (my modification from her 2.5 tbsp of mayonnaise) 
• 1.5 tbsp. green scallions, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp. Sweet Red Chili Sauce
• 1 tbsp. Sriracha (and maybe a little more if you want to up the heat)

For the "Fried" Quinoa

• 2 egg whites + 1 whole egg scrambled
• 1 cup quinoa 
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 1/2 cup onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup scallions, finely chopped, including white part
• 1/2 cup carrot, shredded or julienned
• 1 cup ready to eat, shelled edamame
• 2-3 tbsp. Tamari (low-sodium, organic soy sauce)

Start by preparing the shrimp. I used a griddle but feel free to use a grill and cook these kabob style! Go ahead and heat your grilling/cooking surface in preparation for the shrimp. In a bowl, mix together the greek yogurt, scallions, chili sauce and sriracha. Coat and toss the shrimp in it and let marinate for about 15 minutes.

In a pot, cook the quinoa according to the package. Make sure you rinse the grains first to remove any residue or film from the seeds. I then like to toast them for about 5 minutes on medium heat until it starts to smell a little like popcorn! The quinoa will take between 10-15 minutes to fully cook.

As your quinoa cooks, take a large skillet, wok or chef's pan and begin to heat the olive oil. Saute your onions until translucent, then add the garlic and saute until fragrant. Turn the heat down to medium low so you don't burn the garlic then add the scallions and carrot. Cook for about 5 minutes, then add the edamame once the carrots have softened. 

 

Now it's time to cook the shrimp! Place them on the heat and let cook for about 8 minutes, then flip them to cook for another 5 minutes.

 

Once the quinoa is ready, add in with the vegetables, then add the cooked scrambled eggs and finally the tamari. Combine all contents well to create a nice blend in the pan. 

 

To serve, create a nice bed of the edamame fried quinoa, then top with the shrimp! Garnish with some additional scallions if you prefer and enjoy.

Tastefully yours,

Make a Meal: Spinach-Basil Pesto Pasta with Caprese Chicken Stacks

 

For Labor Day, I had a fun little girls weekend with my two Maids of Honor. Amy and I went southbound 35 to visit Greer for a little time together, just the three of us and one thing I knew I could count on was a fun cooking night. We went to a local farmers market to find inspiration and ended up deciding on an Italian theme. We bought fresh vegetables and Italian peppers, then found a fresh pasta place where we bought three fresh pastas: a fettuccine, a spinach fusilli, and a pecorino-peppercorn cavatelli pasta. For sauces, we bought a vodka sauce from the pasta place then made our own fresh basil pesto. For toppings, we sauteed the fresh farmers market vegetables to toss with pasta and olive oil, then made some easy balsamic chicken chunks. When we put it all together, it was ahh-mazing. See below for our little pasta bar!

 

Fast forward to this week, Mr. Max and I were meal planning.  I was still having some serious food envy of all the leftovers that Greer had, and DVR envy from the ridiculous amount of recorded hours of The Hills, but that's another story. We may or may not have bypassed our Saturday plans to explore Austin so that we could watch 10.5 hours of that reality TV gold.

 

Busted. Name that scene! The "he's a sucky, sucky person" confrontation was one of the best between Lauren and Hiedi, next was the "you KNOW what you did" at Les Duex.

Back to the featured post dish, I was craving some pesto after thinking about the delicious stuff we made over Labor Day and decided to pick up some whole wheat fusilli to revamp my ever-changing chicken caprese. This recipe was quick and easy, I made it on one of my busiest work weeks of the year, meaning I was tired, maybe slightly grouchy and was ready to eat some dinner so I could go to bed. That said, this took all of 20 minutes from prep start to plated finish.

Nutritional facts can be found here.

Grocery List:
Recipe Yields 3-4 servings
For the Pesto Pasta (forgive me, rough estimates I tried to track as I went)

• 1/2 cup spinach
• 1/2 cup basil
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 3 large pinches of Parmesan
• 2 tbsp. pine nuts
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1.5 cups spinach, packed
• 2 cups pasta (I made extra for Mr. Max's appetite and a lunch portion)

For the Caprese Chicken

• 3 chicken cutlets (4 oz. each)
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• Italian seasoning
• 2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
• 6 thin slices of part-skim mozzarella
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved  
• Balsamic glaze

To start, pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees. Bring salted water to a boil and add the pasta noodles. Cook for about 8-10 minutes or until al dente. 

Next, combine the spinach, basil, garlic, pine nuts and Parm in the food processor and grind. Add the olive oil slowly and continue to grind until you've reached a smooth, desired pesto consistency.

Toss your tomatoes in just a splash of olive oil. Spread the halves over a baking sheet covered in aluminum foil and sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Roast in the oven for twenty minutes until puckered and slightly browned.

Take your chicken cutlets and cut them in half so you have small, slider size slabs of chicken. Place them in a bowl and toss with olive oil and balsamic vinegar to evenly coat the chicken. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning.

Place the chicken in a foil lined baking dish and place in the oven for 4 minutes to cook. After 4 minutes, remove from the oven, flip and add the sliced mozzarella to the top of each chicken. Cook for another 5 minutes.

 

 

Once the pasta is ready, drain and dry with paper towels. In a large saute pan, combine the pasta with the pesto and add the additional spinach to let wilt over low-medium heat.

Once the chicken is ready, make a bed of the pasta on a plate or bowl and then top with the chicken and scoop of roasted tomatoes, then drizzle with an ever so slight balsamic glaze. In the picture at the very top of this post, I had stacked the chicken with layer of tomatoes between and again on top. In the one below, the two chicken pieces are side by side.

Tastefully yours,

Grilled Teriyaki Salmon and Veggie Stir Fry

 

This is an easy two part meal that is both delicious and nutritious! I had started to make a Teriyaki sauce from one of my first posts but right before I placed the salmon into the marinade, I remembered I hadn't tasted it yet. I'm glad I did because something in the ingredients was not good. There was a rancid taste to it so I threw out some things that may have been past their shelf life, oops! Lesson to why you always taste test in the cooking process...and clean out your pantries every few months.

I had used the last of my soy sauce with the bad batch, and threw out my rice wine vinegar and apple cider vinegar. I paced between my pantry and fridge to come up with an alternative and decided to combine ponzu, honey and hoisin, add some sriracha and call it a marinade. Stuck my finger in that bowl, that was a good taste, we can move forward with this goodness.

Nutritional facts can be found here, calculated at SparkRecipes.com; one serving of this whole meal is 10 WW points.

Grocery List:
Recipe yields two servings

• Two 4-6 oz. salmon fillets
• 2 tbsp. low sodium Ponzu sauce (a citrus soy sauce)
• 1 tbsp. Hoisin
• 2 tsp. Sriracha
• 1 tbsp. Honey
• 1 tsp. Ginger
• 1 tsp. Olive oil
• 1 cup mixed vegetables, julienned or chopped (squash, zucchini, bell pepper, carrot)

Start by whisking together the ponzu, hoisin, sriracha, honey and ginger. Make sure that it tastes to your liking and you don't want to add anything!

 

Reserve about 3 tbsp. of it and then use the remaining to marinate your salmon, skin up, in a bowl at room temperature. Let this soak for about 20 minutes.

 

In the meantime, heat your grilling surface. We decided to use the grill, but if you are looking for less complicated cooking methods, you can pan sear or griddle the fillets as well. For the E-Grill, we used a grill pan, covered with foil and coated with non-stick spray. Place your fish on the heat and cook covered for 15-18 minutes.

 

For the veggies, I grabbed a pre-chopped box labeled as an Asian stir-fry in the produce section at Whole Foods. With strips of red onion, yellow squash, zucchini, red bell pepper, yellow bell pepper and carrot, it was perfect for this dish. The veggies were fresh and helped me cut down on at least 15 minutes of chopping. When the fish goes on the grill, it is veggie time. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium and add your veggies. Take the reserved teriyaki sauce and cook into the veggies for about 8-10 minutes on medium heat, until softened.

 

When salmon flakes to the touch and a nice light pink color, it is ready.

 

Pile your stir fry veggies on a plate, top with the salmon and dinner is served!

 

Tastefully yours,

Make a Meal: Spicy Shrimp and Polenta

There are some days that I look forward to just sharing a recipe because we enjoyed it and I want someone else out there to be able to enjoy it too. There are other days that I look forward to the aspect of being able to write about food and life, how they connect with one another. Today is a day I feel like writing, so I will. Ahem...

For a few months toward the end of 2011, I had a little side gig as a contributor to Dallas Observer's City of Ate blog. A friend had sent me an ad they posted about looking for writers with new and different perspectives, so I decided why not. I submit an idea to take restaurant favorites and recreate to try to make them easier, cheaper and healthier than going out to dine at a restaurant. It was a fun bit to have, but one that didn't fit in well with my work schedule. I found I was spending much more money dining out, then buying ingredients for the recreation, and more time dining out, then creating, then potentially creating again, then writing, then editing, then re-writing.... it was much more than I had planned on in order to meet their deadlines and expectations. I realized that my hobby was just that, a hobby, and I would keep it as such on my own time and on my own terms.

However, I've had fun with that premise, it's intrigued me for years, and it is something that has inspired a lot of recipes I've made. When Max Man and I first started dating, he was finishing his masters and was in study mode for finals. We got to know each other by staying in and cooking together, rather than going out to eat a lot. That set the tone for our relationship where we would scour restaurant menus and look for appealing dishes to make at home or wander the grocery stores of Central Market putting together a basket of food, then making it work back at one of our apartments. The next year of our little courtship, he started the CFA exam - only offered once a year, this takes up much of his spare time in the spring months before the June test. During that time, we started coming up with low-key date night alternatives, which if we weren't going to a cooking class, we were studying various cooking school menus, researching recipes and making those at home, learning and trying new things together. It has been an activity that encompasses the beginning of our relationship and a common interest that we bonded on early. We always look forward to the nights we get to cook together - and of course, I'm biased, but I have the best sous chef in my kitchen! He is the left-brain to my right-brain tendencies and it's a great balance for us.

Max Man is typically apart of the Sunday meal planning exercise, though during the spring, with his work busy season and study season for the CFA, he can't help cook very often. We chose our challenge dish for the week and decided to make it on a night that he could get off work early enough to cook it up together.

Tonight's Make a Meal dish is inspired by a plate at a local restaurant favorite, Victor Tango's, where my Lobster Mac and Jack post derived from. We tried it recently at a birthday dinner: chili-garlic shrimp served over creamy polenta - it was to.die.for. I had a few shrimp dishes that I've made before using Sriracha, sweet chili sauce, some garlic and honey so I decided to resort to those for some ingredient choices. I searched for a lighter, lower cal polenta recipe, not wanting to compromise the creamy consistency and this one did the trick! This was just as good as the restaurant and definitely met my three objectives to be healthier (more than likely because I was in control as to what went in it), easier and cheaper than going to Victor Tango's and getting this on any given night.


Grocery List:
For shrimp - enough for 3 servings. Nutritional facts found here, calculated to 2 WW points, serving size is 5-6 shrimp.

• 3/4 lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 3 tbsp. low sodium Ponzu (a citrus enhanced soy sauce - great for cooking with fish)
• 2 tbsp. chili sauce
• 1 tsp. mirin
• 2 tbsp. Sriracha
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• Scallions, chopped

For polenta - enough for 5 servings. Nutritional facts found here, calculated to 5 WW points, serving size is equal to 1/2 cup.

• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tbsp. butter
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• Dried thyme and parsley to taste
• 2 cups low sodium chicken broth
• 2 cups fat free skim milk
• 1 cup polenta
• 1/4 cup Parmigiano Reggiano

The polenta takes about 15 minutes to make, compared to the 10 minutes for the shrimp, so we will start with the polenta. In a large stock pot, heat the butter and olive oil on medium heat to melt the butter. Add garlic and saute until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the thyme and parsley.

 

Pour in the chicken broth and skim milk, bring to a boil.

 

While you are waiting for this to boil, start the shrimp. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine the ponzu, chili sauce, mirin, sriracha, and garlic.

 

Add the shrimp to the sauce and mix to fully coat. Heat a skillet to medium-high heat and pour the shrimp in. Cook for about 2 minutes and flip to cook another 2 minutes on the other side. 

As the shrimpies cook, slowly whisk the polenta into the pot, a little at a time to prevent from clumping. Turn the heat down to a medium-low heat and continue to whisk as the polenta thickens.

 

Add the parm and stir until it is melted in.

Ladle one scoop of the polenta into a shallow bowl and top with the spicy shrimp and any additional sauce. Top with chopped scallions and serve!

Tastefully yours,

Make a Meal: Blackened Chicken with Cilantro-Lime Quinoa

 

In February, we enjoyed a tasty blackened salmon dish so I decided to take that seasoning mixture and apply it to chicken. I chose a colorful quinoa blend at the Sunday grocery store run, after having it at a cooking demonstration event I did for work a few weeks ago.

Eating the blackened salmon, I would come across a few bites that were really hot from the cayenne. I found  an avocado "cream" sauce in a Cooking Light magazine that used one avocado and a small amount of greek yogurt - it was said to cool down spicy foods so I decided to try it with these blending tastes. I am a garlic lover so I added just a bit for the "cream" sauce and proved to be a great addition over top the chicken, assisting with the calming of hot bites.

This is an easy weeknight meal, taking all of 20 minutes from chop-start to seated-finish. Click here for the nutritional facts calculated at SparkRecipes.com. For Weight Watchers, this meal is a total of 7 points: 4 points for a 4 oz. chicken breast, 1 point for 1/3 cup of cilantro-lime quinoa, 2 points for 1 tbsp. of avocado-"cream" sauce.

Grocery List:

• 2 chicken cutlets (already trimmed and pounded thin), halved into four 4 oz. pieces
• 1 tbsp. ground paprika
• 1 tsp. ground cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp. onion powder
• 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp. dried thyme
• 1/4 tsp. dried cumin
• 2 cups low-sodium vegetable stock
• 1 cup quinoa
• Juice and zest from 1 lime
• 1 tbsp. fresh cilantro, minced

Start by preparing the quinoa, adding the vegetable stock to a small pot on medium-high heat. Add the cup of quinoa, bring to a boil and let simmer on low-medium heat until the liquid has been absorbed and the curlicue of the seed is exposed. 

In a small bowl or pinch bowl, combine 1-6 of the herbs and spices for the blackening seasoning.

Rub over one side of the chicken and place on a grill pan over medium-high heat for 5 minutes, then flip to cook for an additional 5 minutes. 

 

In a bowl, grate the lime zest and combine with the juice from one lime. Add the cilantro.

 

Once the quinoa is done, add to the bowl with the lime and cilantro and toss to coat. Season with any additional salt and pepper, as you see fit.

For the avocado cream sauce, dump both avocado halves into a food processor with one heaping spoonful of fat-free, plain Greek yogurt and a sprinkle of garlic salt. Press the grind button until it is smooth and creamy. Add as a topping or set aside in a small bowl to dip as you desire!

Paired with a side of simple roasted broccoli tossed in olive oil, cayenne and garlic powder

 

Tastefully yours,