salmon with roasted veggies and orzo

ingredients:

1 fillet of salmon (as much or as little as you like)

2 lemons, quartered

2 zucchini sliced into quarter inch thick pieces, then halved

6 cloves garlic, more if you like

1 tsp dried oregano

2 cups orzo

1 tsp dried dill

coarse salt and black pepper

olive oil

directions:

1.  in a medium bowl toss together the lemon, zucchini, garlic and oregano with about 2 tsp of olive oil.  salt and pepper to taste.

2.  place on a rimmed baking sheet and roast at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes, tossing about half way through. lemons should start to brown just a little.

3.  while mixture is roasting, cook orzo according to package directions.  drain, add olive oil, dill and salt and pepper to taste.  

4.  cook salmon however you like, i use my george forman grill.  then chunk into medium sized pieces.

5.  place orzo on a large serving dish, top with veggies and lemon mixture and then top with salmon.

Hummus

ingredients:

2 1/2 cups cooked or canned and drained chickpeas

2 1/2 T tahini

1/2 tsp sweet paprika

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/2 bunch flat-leaf parsley, coarsely chopped, about 1 cup

juice of 1 lemon

1/2 cup diced onion

4-5 T water

directions:

1.  In food processor combine the chickpeas, tahini, paprika, cumin, garlic powder, pepper, parsley and lemon juice.  mix for about 30 seconds.  add the onion.  pulse until all the ingredients are nearly smooth.

2.  taste the hummus and add as much water as necessary for the correct consistency.  process until the mixture is as smooth as you like.

3.  serve hummus at once or transfer to a glass or plastic container and refrigerate for up to 3 days.  let hummus reach room temp before serving.  

Tex-Mex Turkey Burgers with Zucchini Salad

Ingredients:

2 T. vegetable oil

2 yellow squash, sliced

1 zuchinni, sliced

1/2 medium red onion, finely chopped

3 T. fresh lime juice

coarse salt and ground pepper

1 1/2 lbs ground turkey

2 tsp chili powder

3 oz. pepper jack cheese, thinly sliced

4 thick slices country bread

1 avocado, halved, pitted peeled and thinly sliced

salsa for topping

directions:

1.  Heat grill to medium high (i cooked mine on the george foreman and they turned out great!).  In a medium bowl combine zucchini, onion, lime juice, and oil.  season with salt and pepper.  let salad marinate at room temp 15 minutes, or refrigerate for several hours.

2.  Form turkey into 4 patties.  using thumb, make an indentation in center to prevent burgers from rounding on top.  sprinkle with chili powder, season with salt and pepper.  cover and grill until an instant read thermometer inserted in center of burger reads 155 degrees, 4-5 minutes per side.

3.  Top burgers with cheese.  continue cooking until cheese has melted and  burger reaches internal temp of 165.  top with avocado and salsa, place on top of toasted bread.  serve with zucchini salad.  

1

black bean and sweet potato salad

yummy side to any tex-mex meal.  it was really simple but super flavorful (and pretty too).

Ingredients:

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

2 sweet potatoes, diced into 3/4 inch cubes

1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

1/2 medium red onion, finely chopped

coarse salt and ground pepper

2 T. vegetable oil

directions:

1.  preheat oven to 450.

2.  toss sweet potatoes in oil, season with salt and pepper.  place on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until tender. 

3.  remove from oven and toss with black beans, cilantro and onion.  

Shrimp Scampi with Spaghetti

i made this dish for jer for fathers day.  it turned out really yummy.

ingredients:

20 shrimp, uncooked, shelled

5 T. extra-virgin olive oil

1 carrot, chopped

1 celery stalk, chopped

1/4 medium white onion, chopped

4 garlic cloves, sliced plus 1 clove, minced

1 1/2 cups dry white wine

coarse salt

1 lb spaghetti

4 T. unsalted butter

1 1/2 T. chopped flat-leaf parsley

directions:

1.  place 1 T. oil, carrots, celery, onion and minced garlic in a medium saucepan.  cook over medium-high heat for 1 minute.  add 1 cup wine, and cook until reduced to about 1/3 cup.  strain through a fine sieve; discarding solids. 

2.  bring a large pot of water to a boil.  add salt and spaghetti, and cook until al dente according to package instructions.  

3.  in a large skillet, heat remaining 1/4 cup oil over medium-high heat.  add sliced garlic, and cook stirring occasionally, until just beginning to turn golden brown.  Add shrimp, and remaining 1/2 cup wine.  cook, stirring, until almost cooked through.  add strained cooking liquid adn cook until shrimp are just firm.  stir in butter and parsley.  

(i also added about 1 T. cornstarch dissolved in about 2 T. cold water to thicken up the sauce a little bit)

4.  drain spaghetti, and place on serving platter.  top with shrimp mixture and serve immediately.  

Twist on the Waldorf Salad

we made this salad for dinner one night when em was here.  it turned out really good.

ingredients:

1 head red leaf lettuce

1 head romaine

1 container of crumbled blue cheese

red seedless grapes

2 apples diced as you like

red onion to taste

candied pecans (emily did this in just a little butter and brown sugar, yum)

1 rotisserie chicken, pulled

Briannas real french vinaigrette dressing

directions:

combine all ingredients in a large bowl and toss with dressing.