Maple soy glazed salmon, brown rice, and broccoli

After a week of indulging, I wanted to make a healthy dinner, and one that wouldn't have me spending a fortune on ingredients at the grocery. I settled on maple soy glazed salmon, a brown/wild rice mix, and broccolini. It was tasty, filling, and healthy and definitely a repeat.

Salmon
Ingredients:
2 skinless salmon filets
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tsp adobo sauce from canned chipotle peppers

Whisk together the ingredients and marinate the salmon for 30 minutes to an hour. In a hot non stick skillet, brown the salmon for a few minutes way side. Meanwhile, reduce the marinade in a sauce pan. Serve the salmon the rice and spoon the sauce over the salmon and rice. Yum!




Rice
Ingredients:
2 cups water
1 cup Lundberg wild blend rice
1 tbsp butter

Mix all ingredients together in a small pot, bring to boil, reduce to simmer and cover. Cook for 50 minutes. Turn of heat and let steam a few minutes. Fluff with a fork and salt to taste.






Broccolini
Ingredients:
Broccolini
water
canola oil
salt

I still think the best way to make broccoli (or broccolini) is to steam it, then toss it w/ canola oil and salt. Be careful not to oversteam - you want it crispy and bright green. It's super tasty, and steaming keeps in the nutrients.

The whole dinner was super tasty. Don't get a fancy piece of salmon, because the marinade does kind of take over the flavor, but it's a really great taste. Salty and sweet with a little kick from the adobo. The whole dinner takes about an hour (the rice and the marinating take the longest) and it looks really nice too!

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Wagyu burgers

These burgers taste like burgers did when you were little...but even better. None of the 90% lean beef that dries out. These were juicy, flavorful, and umami-licious. I bought the frozen Kobe beef patties from Trader Joe's. They come with two enormous patties, so I thawed them and split it into three. I salted and

peppered the patties and let them sit until they were room temperature. Meanwhile, I made some garlic aioli.

 


 
(Whisk egg yolk gradually adding olive oil and veg oil until thick and fluffy, then add finely chopped garlic, lemon juice, and salt. Add a little mustard to help it emulsify.) I grilled some onions to top the burgers,




then I grilled the burgers in a grill pan on medium high heat for 5 minutes on one side and about 5 on the other. I toasted the buns w some cheddar cheese on the top, spread the bottom bun with aioli, topped it with the burger, then grilled onions, then slice cherry tomatoes (it's winter and those are the only ones with flavor), a little lettuce, and then the top bun with it's melted cheese. We scarfed these down in minutes. They were incredibly juicy and savory, and the aioli was a great but not overpowering flavor, while the tomatoes gave it a burst of freshness and acidity. Best part? The burgers are $6 at Trader Joe's. Try it!!

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Vermont goodies

We skied in Stratton today and on the way back to the motel I ran into St. Arnold's and got the most amazing snack! Best après ski ever. A growler of local mountain ale from The Shed Brewery in Stowe, blue corn chips from Madhouse Munchies (from VT too), some spicy, smoky, slightly sweet salsa (Fire in the Mountains' forest fire salsa - you can get it here), and awesome, woodsy, Boggy Meadow Farm fiddlehead tomme. I highly recommend all of these things and may be buying out St. Arnold's - the teeniest store with the most amazing beer selection - on my way home. Certainly I'll stop back tomorrow for more après goodies!






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recette

Jamie and I had a great date last night. It started with seeing Branford Marsalis with the New York Philharmonic and it ended at Recette. I'd heard it was super romantic, so we thought we'd go for a little date. When we got there it was bustling and smelled amazing, but we had to wait half an hour for our table even though we had a reservation. Even though it started out a little rocky, I definitely recommend this place!

To start, we got salt cod fritters with a curry aioli and lamb ragu. It came in a teeny cast iron pot and we thought it was too small, but it was just enough. So rich and flavorful, with the soft and crunchy fritters and the tangy, heart ragu. I would never have guessed to pair these together, but the flavors went together very well.

For the next course, we ordered two things to share: Beef carpaccio, burrata, tomato jam, porcini puree, basil and watercress and Branzino, haricots vert and lentils, local greens, and a tomato vinaigrette. The carpaccio looked little, but it was the perfect amount of food. The carpaccio was wrapped around the creamy burrata and topped with everything else. The flavors were so amazing - the creaminess of the cheese and the tart of the tomato jelly, along with the savory taste of the carpaccio. Really a wonderful dish. The Branzino was equally good - the  fish was cooked perfectly, with crispy skin and moist, flaky flesh. The flavor was strong but fresh, and the black lentils were delicious. Since we weren't overly stuffed (in the best way!) we ordered dessert. I ate most of our Snickers Parfait, which was super tasty, although nothing outshined that carpaccio, mmmm.
I will definitely go again, but perhaps planning for a later night and making the reservation for 9:45.

Post Valentine's Day Pick Me Up

The lull after Valentine's Day is creeping in - I've been eating that heart cake for every meal and consequently had a cavity filled this morning and the next holiday isn't until Easter, if that counts. But, to save the day, I still have some absolutely beautiful roses from Jamie on my desk. All is right with the world, I just need to floss more.


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Fondue for two

I wanted to do something special for Valentine's Day and make something we've never had. I got my mom's old fondue pot and we had a cute little fondue dinner. I opted for meat fondue, or fondue bourgignonne. I made four sauces - chimichurri, horseradish, mustard, and mango chutney (this I bought).



To make chimichurri, chop up garlic, cilantro, and parsley, add olive oil, chili powder, cayenne, salt and pepper and a little red wine vinegar. For the horseradish and mustard sauces, start with mayonnaise and sour cream and add the horseradish/mustard (half dijon, half grain) and season w salt and pepper. I also added a little vinegar to the horseradish and some dried tarragon to the mustard.
For the meat, I chopped up filet and pork tenderloin into little cubes and tossed them w olive oil, salt and pepper.
Heat oil (I used half veggie half olive) over the stove w a garlic clove and a bay leaf. Once it bubbles, light the sterno and pour the oil into the fondue pot. Then just cook the meat for 30 seconds or so, less for filet, and enjoy w the sauces!
It was fun and delicious and interactive. Will definitely have a fondue party in the near future.
And of course, a sweet dessert for Jamie!



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hummus

Pretty much every deli, drug store, and street vendor now has hummus readily available, and while I do enjoy a nice thing of Sabra, nothing beats homemade. I've been making hummus for years and it's easy, cheap, and tasty - but I recently found the secret to making it fluffy, and not heavy like homemade hummus can be. It's super easy - water. Instead of just pouring in the olive oil until you having a smooth hummus, I start w/ several tablespoons of water, then supplement with some good extra virgin olive oil. It's lighter, fluffier, and healthier. Below is the breakdown. I just made some for the office so we can have a nice Friday afternoon snack. Janet kindly brought in some pita chips - thanks Janet!

Ingredients:
1 can chickpeas
1 tbsp tahini (sesame seed paste)
quarter or half a lemon to taste
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
several tbsp water
a couple tbsp extra virgin olive oil
pinch of cayenne pepper
salt

Directions:
Put garlic, chickpeas, tahini and water in a blender and blend. Add lemon juice and salt to taste, along w/ enough olive oil to make it smooth. Add salt/lemon juice as needed and a sprinkle of cayenne pepper and blend until smooth.

For roasted red pepper hummus, start w/ roasted red peppers, blend them, then add the rest but don't use as much water - the peppers add a lot of moisture. I also like adding a little chopped basil to the roasted red pepper hummus. It's not a classic hummus, but it's a nice change.

poached chicken with blood orange, avocado salsa

After my superbowl indulgence, I thought I needed something fresh and not wrapped in bacon. My go-to healthy dinner is poached chicken breast with a blood orange and avocado salsa. It's super tasty and the salsa I could just eat with a spoon. It's sweet, tangy, and a little spicy. Poached chicken can be a little boring, so I put orange and lime zest, onions, hot sauce, the interior of the oranges (after I segment them), salt, and anything else I have around/think might inprove the flavor (chili powder, pepper, cumin, dried red pepper/red pepper flakes). It's healthy, but it's really good so you don't feel like your missing out.

Ingredients:
Boneless, skinless chicken breast
blood orange
lime
red onion
avocado
jalapeno

Directions:
Put the chicken breast in a small pot and just cover w/ water. Add in zest, sauce, whatever's in your kitchen etc to flavor it (a bouillon cube is also fine). Bring to a boil, turn to a simmer and let simmer, partly covered, for 10 minutes. Then turn off the heat and let it sit in the water for about 15 minutes,
Meanwhile, segment the blood orange (throw the remainder in the water) and chop into chunks. Finely chop red onion and jalapeno and cut avocado into chunks. (I find it easiest to do this while it's still in its shell - just draw criss crosses through it and scoop it out). Sprinkle w/ salt and lime juice to taste. Add more jalapenos if you want it to be hotter.
Slice the chicken breast, or serve whole, and top with the salsa. It tastes fresh and bright and the flavors are complex (and tasty) enough that you're not craving more food after.

Superbowl nachos

Rob made the tastiest nachos. Roasted chicken, spicy sausage, lots of cheddar cheese, cilantro and secret ingredient BBQ sauce. The BBQ sauce give the chips a great sweetness. The mountain of nachos was devoured immediately. Thanks Rob!

Superbowl wings

I found an amazing wing recipe in Food & Wine last year and have been making them all year for games for Jamie and our friends. After trying several flavors, we decided the maple-chipotle and Jamaican jerk were the best options. For maple-chipotle, you toss 2lb of wings w 2 tablespoons flour, 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp drie sage. Spray w oil and roast for 45 minutes at 500. Melt 2 tbsp melted butter w 2 1/2 tbsp frank's red hot, 2 minced canned chipotle peppers w a little adobo sauce and 2 tbsp maple syrup. Toss the crispy wings and serve. For Jamaican jerk, toss the wings w 2 tbsp flour, 1/2 tsp powdered onion, 1/2 tsp powdered garlic, 1/2 tsp dries thyme, and 1 tsp salt. Roast for 45 at 500. Mix 2 1/2 tbsp franks red hot, 2 tbsp butter, and 1 tsp jerk paste and toss wings and serve. So tasty and way better than bar wings.




We just crushed 4 pounds of wings in 3 minutes. They're so crispy and the flavors are so intense and just totally irresistable.








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Bacon explosion round two

We made a bacon explosion last year but Jamie is really experimenting this year (I like to think it's my influence) and he's added a bunch of ingredients. In addition to the 2+ pounds of sausage (half sweet fennel and half parsley cheese from faicco's) and bacon,






he's added sauteed onions, chopped garlic, and fresh mozzarella. He made a basket weave of the bacon, cooked about 10 strips until crispy, mixed and flattened the sausage on a sheet of wax paper and topping it w the onions, garlic, cheese, and crispy bacon.






He then rolled it up and wrapped it in the bacon weave.
We secured it with some toothpicks and covered it in a spice rub of brown sugar, chipotle pepper powder, onion powder, garlic powder, dried thyme, a little dried sage, chili powder, kosher salt, pepper, cumin, and a little turmeric.






(we have all these things - I you don't, brown sugar, cumin, and some sort of hot pepper powder is fine). Popped it in the oven at 265 and will slice and savor in a few hours during the super bowl!






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mojo pork

It may be because it's Groundhog's Day and I'm told winter's almost over, or how much Dexter I've been watching lately, but I'm in the mood for some citrusy Cuban food. I've always wanted to try to make mojo, and I'm expiramenting on a small scale since it's a Wednesday and only two of us will be eating. I made the marinade last night, then added garlic this morning. Below is my method so far... will add cooking methods and reviews later...
Ingredients:
2 boneless pork chops
3 large oranges
2 limes
6 cloves garlic, divided (4 crushed, 2 sliced into little spears)
1/4 white onion, sliced

Directions:
Juice two of the oranges and zest half of the third into a sauce pan. Squeeze in the two limes, add the crushed garlic cloves and the onion slices and cook until reduced in half. Squeeze in the third orange and salt to taste. Once cool, poor over the pork in a bag or shallow dish and marinate over night. In the morning, flip the pork chops and with a skewer, poke holes in the meat and insert the garlic spears to fill the holes. Put back in the marinade.


Here's the rest!

Take the chops out of the marinade and pat dry. Salt and pepper and then sear them in a hot skillet w/ some olive oil. Take out the chops and pour the marinade and a little water into the pan and scrape up the brown bits. Put the chops back in and cook about 5-10 minutes each side. Serve them with some sauce on top.

These were really tasty and a great, new way way to have pork chops. They had a citrusy, fresh taste and the sauce was a sort of citrus gravy. I served it with a slice of orange and a slice of lime.

best oyster deal

I've written about Fish before, but I just wanted to do a quick post about their amazing Red, White, and Blue deal. For $8, you get 6 clams or blue point oysters and a glass of red or white house wine or a PBR on tap. It's a great place to meet for a drink or for a tasty dinner - tonight I got the oysters and mussels in a lemongrass broth, yum! Super buttery and delicious and great, crispy fries.