Honey Salmon in Foil

You know you've found a winning recipe when dad compliments the flavor. Yes, dad. While he was here in Boston for his 24 hours stay this week, I quickly made this before we headed off to a game at Fenway.  I happened to be out of honey (forgot to stock up on Cox's last time I was home), so I used maple syrup instead. Just as delicious!  

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup honey
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar (I've also used apple cider vinegar) 
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 2 pounds salmon 

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil.
• In a small bowl, whisk together honey, garlic, olive oil, white wine vinegar, thyme, salt and pepper, to taste.
• Place salmon onto prepared baking sheet and fold up all 4 sides of the foil. Spoon the honey mixture over the salmon. Fold the sides of the foil over the salmon, covering completely and sealing the packet closed.
• Place into oven and bake until cooked through, about 15-20 minutes.*
• Serve immediately.

Notes

*Baking time may need to be adjusted depending on the thickness of the salmon.

Grilled Salmon and Pineapple with Avocado Dressing

Isaac's parents were in town this past week, and I had to dig up some "heart healthy" recipes for them. This one was one of my favorites we had. It was DELICIOUS and refreshing tasting. I didn't have all the herbs the recipe calls for, so I used what I had... chives, thyme and basil. It still ended up tasty. People pay big bucks for things like this in restaurants. You'll thank me for sharing this. 

grilled salmon and pineapple with avocado dressing

ingredients

4 servings

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 ½ teaspoons chopped fresh basil, plus some sprigs, for garnish 1 ½ teaspoons chopped fresh chives 1 teaspoon chopped fresh tarragon, plus some sprigs, for garnish ½ teaspoon kosher salt ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper Four 4-ounce skinless salmon fillets, each about 1 inch thick Four ½-inch-thick round slices (rings) of pineapple, preferably fresh
Avocado Dressing: ¼ cup fresh lemon juice (from 1 large lemon) 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh chives 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 1 ½ teaspoons finely chopped fresh tarragon 1/8 teaspoon anchovy paste, optional 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1 small clove garlic, smashed ½ avocado, diced

instructions

Place a grill pan over medium-high heat or preheat a gas or charcoal grill. Whisk the oil, chopped basil, chives, chopped tarragon, salt and pepper in a small bowl to blend. Brush the salmon and pineapple slices with the herb mixture. Cook the salmon until barely cooked through and still pink inside, about 4 minutes per side. Cook the pineapple until slightly charred, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer 1 pineapple slice to each plate and arrange a piece of salmon slightly overlapping it. Spoon 2 tablespoons of the Avocado Dressing over each piece of fish. Garnish with basil and tarragon sprigs and serve.

Avocado Dressing: Combine the lemon juice, basil, chives, olive oil, tarragon, anchovy paste if using, salt, pepper, garlic and avocado in a food processor. Add 2 tablespoons of water and process until smooth. Cover the dressing and let stand for at least 15 minutes and up to 1 hour for the flavors to blend.

Italian Shrimp

I've become a bit obsessed with everything coconut oil these days. I supposed I've jumped on the coconut oil bandwagon, and for once, I'm proud of following a trend. Coconut oil is amazing. More on that later. I saw a recipe pinned on pinterest for this delicious sounding shrimp. Where the source came from, I will never know, since the pin doesn't actually lead you to a recipe, just a blog with a bunch of pictures.

I modified the recipe a little and John proclaimed this to be the best shrimp he's ever had, just like the pinned claimed it would be. Note: he didn't know this was supposed to be the best shrimp ever! :)

Image found here

Ingredients:
1 lb shrimp
1/2-1 cup coconut oil (the actual recipe calls for butter)
1 lemon
Italian seasoning

Directions:
Melt coconut oil/butter on a foiled line cookie sheet.
Thinly slice the lemon and place slices on top of the melted butter.
Place shrimp on top of the lemon slices and sprinkle with Italian seasoning to your liking. I used a generous amount. Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes. 

We mixed the shrimp into some leftover fried rice, and it was pretty darn good. This will definitely be a recipe we will recycle over and over again. I'm convinced the coconut oil is what made it SO good, but, you can never go wrong with something soaked in actual butter, either!

Gourmet Shrimp Fettuccine

2 T olive oil
2 tsp. minced garlic
1 large onion, sliced into rings
1/4 c. thinly sliced celery
1 tsp. basil
1 tsp. oregano
1 T. parsley (optional)
1 can cream of celery or mushroom soup
1 jar artichoke hearts - well drained (optional) or
1 c. sauteed mushrooms (optional)
1/2 c. cream
2 T. lemon juice
3 T. butter
1 pound of uncooked shrimp, peeled
1 pound of fettuccine or linguine
1 tsp. oil
1 c. grated Parmesan cheese

In a skillet, saute garlic, onion and celery in olive oil until onion is translucent.  Add seasonings, stir to blend.  Put these ingredients into a saucepan.  Add soup, cream and lemon juice to saucepan.  Cook fettuccine in a large pan with 1 tsp. oil and 1 tsp. salt. While pasta is cooking, melt butter in the same pan that the herbs were in, saute shrimp until no longer pink.  Drain fettuccine, place into a serving dish.  Add 1/2 Parmesan cheese to the sauce.  Stir the shrimp into the sauce.  Pour over pasta and sprinkle on the rest of the cheese.

*I always cut the onion and celery the night before.
*If you're using cooked shrimp, barely warm the shrimp in the sauce.

Curried Scallop-Apple Salad

A girl in my ward made this for a group of people on Sunday and it was one of the best salads I have had in a long time. I think most of you will enjoy this.  The dressing is especially amazing!

4 servings | Active Time: 25 minutes | Total Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients

• 6 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced shallot
• 3/4 teaspoon curry powder
• 1 cup apple cider
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1 teaspoon cider vinegar
• 1 pound dry sea scallops, (see Shopping Tip), tough muscle removed
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 8 cups mixed salad greens
• 1 tart apple, such as Granny Smith, diced
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted (see Tip)

Preparation   

1. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add shallot and curry powder and cook, stirring, until the shallot is beginning to soften, about 3 minutes. Add cider and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil and cook until reduced to 3/4 cup, about 4 minutes. Pour into a large bowl and whisk in 2 teaspoons oil and vinegar. Reserve 1/4 cup dressing in a small bowl. Wipe out the pan.
2. Pat scallops dry and sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper. Add the remaining 2 teaspoons oil to the pan and heat over medium-high. Add the scallops and cook until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.
3. Add salad greens, apple, cranberries and almonds to the large bowl; toss to coat. Top with the scallops and drizzle with the reserved 1/4 cup dressing.

Nutrition

Per serving : 291 Calories; 11 g Fat; 1 g Sat; 7 g Mono; 37 mg Cholesterol; 28 g Carbohydrates; 21 g Protein; 3 g Fiber; 483 mg Sodium; 612 mg Potassium

2 Carbohydrate Serving

Exchanges: 1 1/2 fruit, 1 vegetable, 2 1/2 lean meat, 1 1/2 fat

Tips & Notes

• Shopping tip: Be sure to buy “dry” sea scallops. “Wet” scallops, which have been treated with sodium tripolyphosphate (STP), are not only mushy and less flavorful, but will not brown properly.
• Tip: Place sliced almonds in a small dry skillet and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until fragrant and lightly browned, 2 to 4 minutes.