Move In Day

Move in day has come and gone without anything (or anyone!) getting broken. I was excited/anxious to use my new kitchen. The appliances are all new and nice, but the space is much smaller than my last, which made me pretty nervous. The test run tonight went well though, so I think it will work out!

I had 6 hungry people to feed tonight (my self and my two roommates, the boys in the other half of the duplex, and Christine's friend Mark whose staying with use for a few weeks), so I wanted to make something special, yet substantial. Central Market had a great coupon for salmon, so I decided to make an Herb Crusted Salmon from Cooking Light April 2008 that I had tried once before with great success. I replaced the parsley with fresh basil, but other than that actually followed the recipe.

Fresh basil, oregano and rosemary- mmmmm
Ingredients
1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs
2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
2 teaspoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 (6-ounce) salmon fillets (about 1 inch thick), skinned
Cooking spray
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Preparation
1. To prepare salmon, combine the first 7 ingredients in a shallow dish or pie plate. Lightly coat both sides of fillets with cooking spray, and sprinkle evenly with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Dredge both sides of fillets in breadcrumb mixture.










2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add fillets to pan; cook 3 minutes. Reduce heat to medium; carefully turn fillets over. Cook 4 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork or until desired degree of doneness.

The salmon was very lightly coated giving it the perfect crisp. The fresh herbs filled the house with delicious scents (it was smelling pretty funky in here from the previous tenant...) as well as tons of bright flavor.

Since it was move in day, I made my roommate Rachel's favorite side dish, Herbed Basmati Rice. I realize I posted this recipe last week, but I can't help it if it's her favorite! I served this with a side of steamed broccoli to even out the meal. For dessert there was mango sorbet and/or vanilla ice cream, and some fresh watermelon. It was the perfect meal after a weekend of moving during the heat of August. Be on the lookout for my other culinary adventure this weekend with lamb, coming soon!

All Star Fiesta Salad

I have several go-to ingredients that if I pick them up at the store, I know I can make something delicious out of them. They include:

Avocado

Red Onion
Garlic

Bell peppers

Lime

Cilantro

Mango

Chicken

For last night's thank you dinner, I made salmon. Jacala, my friend and Megan's roommate, doesn't like salmon, however, so I grilled her a nice piece of chicken for the pineapple teriyaki glaze. That meant I had leftovers, so I decided to make a festive salad for tonight! I made sure to pick up my go-to ingredients last night (well, most of them), along with a few other all stars :) This salad is inspired by a recipe for work that our spokesperson Ingrid Hoffmann created, Mango, Chicken and Avocado Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing (shameless plug, but I can't help where inspiration strikes!)

All Star Fiesta Salad

Grilled Chicken, seasoned to taste with salt and pepper (about 1 to 1/2 cups)

2 mangos, peeled, pitted and diced

1 avocado, cubed

1 red bell pepper, halved, seeded and diced

1 ear fresh corn, kernels removed and slightly roasted

1 roma tomato, diced

1/2 can black beans, rinsed

1/4 cup shelled pistachios, lightly toasted

4 ounces romaine lettuce

Olive oil

2 limes

1/2 cup cilantro, chopped and divided

Salt and pepper to taste

Cayenne pepper

Combine first 9 ingredients in a large bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together 1/3 cup olive oil with the zest and juice of 2 limes and 2 tablespoons cilantro. Add in additional olive oil as needed for correct consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste along with a dash of cayenne pepper. Toss into salad and add remaining cilantro. Serve with crushed up tortilla chips for added crunch!

Obviously ingredients can be removed or swapped as desired. I rarely make the same salad twice, but I love trying new flavor combos. I love the pistachios in this recipe for the added crunch!


Now I have a question for you: What's in your all star salad?

Say thank you, with salmon!

Welcome to Apron Adventures!

I've been in between homes for the last 3 weeks as I waited for my duplex lease to begin. Move in day is Friday, and I can't wait! In the meantime, I've been staying with friends who were kind enough to take me in. The best way I can think of to say thank you is by cooking for them.

A trend I've noticed amongst my friends (20-somethings) is that they rarely treat themselves to a nice meal, and they also rarely eat seafood. Not because they don't like it, but they either don't know how to prepare it or are unwilling to pay for it. I try to incorporate seafood into my meals at least once a week, if not more. In light of this, I decided to make a thank you dish for my very dear friend Megan for taking me in during my period of "homelessness." This is a salmon dish that became a favorite of my mom and I when I lived at home a few years ago while interning at an agency in downtown Houston.

Pineapple Teriyaki Salmon
This is a Cooking Light recipe that I pretty much don't deviate from. Tonight was an exception since they didn't have pineapple juice at Whole Foods (really?!), so I exchanged it for orange-- equally delicious!

Ingredients

2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
1 (6-ounce) can pineapple juice
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
2 teaspoons canola oil
4 (6-ounce) salmon fillets (about 1 inch thick)
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Grated orange rind (optional)

Preparation

Combine first 4 ingredients and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a small saucepan over high heat, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer until reduced to 1/4 cup (about 15 minutes). Set aside.

Preheat oven to 400°.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle both sides of salmon with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and black pepper. Add fish to pan; cook 3 minutes. Turn fish over and place in oven; bake at 400° for 3 minutes. Remove from oven; brush 1 tablespoon sauce over each fillet. Return to oven, and cook 1 minute or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork or until desired degree of doneness. Sprinkle with orange rind, if desired. Makes 4 servings.

I love serving this salmon with another Cooking Light favorite in my household-- Herbed Basmati Rice. My roommate Rachel could easily eat the whole pot! (I could too :)) I like to use the fresh herbs I have on hand- tonight was fresh basil and oregano. Also, I like to really up the garlic amount to 4 or 5 cloves (we're definitely not garlic shy at my house!)

Ingredients

1 teaspoon olive oil
Cooking spray
1 cup uncooked basmati rice
1 garlic clove, minced
1 cup water
1 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
3 tablespoons grated fresh Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

Heat olive oil in a medium skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add rice and garlic to pan; sauté 2 minutes or until rice is lightly toasted. Add 1 cup water, broth, and salt to pan; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender. Remove from heat; let stand 5 minutes. Stir in onions, nuts, Parmesan cheese, basil, thyme, and pepper.

Finally to make this meal nice and balanced, I love serving it with steamed broccoli. In order to spice it up a bit, I go a bit heavy on the black pepper, add some orange zest that I've saved from the salmon, and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese leftover from the rice never hurt anyone ;) Check out the final product of a labor of love-,

and my happy friend!