Salmon and Zucchini With Shallot Vinaigrette

Ingredients: 

1 shallot, finely chopped

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

1 tablespoons chopped fresh sage

3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon olive oil

kosher salt and black pepper

1 1/4 pounds skinless salmon fillet, cut into 4 pieces

1 1/2 pounds medium zucchini (about 3), cut into thin sticks

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, combine the shallot, vinegar, sage, 2 tablespoons of the oil, and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Set aside.

2. Heat 1 teaspoon of the remaining oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat

3. Season the salmon with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Cook until opaque throughout, 3 to 5 minutes per side.

4. Add the zucchini and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Cook, tossing frequently, until just tender, 3 to 5 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.

6. Serve the zucchini with the salmon and vinaigrette

Soba Noodle Salad with Salmon and Asparagus

Asparagus season is here! I see fresh asparagus on sale every where. Here is a great dish you can make with it!

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon finely grated peeled fresh ginger
Fine sea salt
5 1/2 ounces soba (Japanese-style noodles)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
12 ounces wild salmon fillet, skinned
9 ounces thick asparagus spears, trimmed, cut on diagonal into 1-inch pieces
3 1/2 ounces baby spinach leaves (5 to 6 cups)
1 avocado, peeled, pitted, coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon sesame seeds

Directions:
1. Soba noodles can be found in the Asian foods section of most supermarkets and at Asian markets.
Preparation
2. Whisk first 5 ingredients in small bowl. Season dressing to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
3. Cook soba noodles in large saucepan of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain. Transfer to bowl of ice water to cool. Drain well; transfer to large bowl. Pour dressing over; toss to coat.
4. Heat vegetable oil in heavy medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle salmon with sea salt and pepper. Cook until browned but still deep pink in center, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer salmon to plate; cool slightly. Wipe skillet clean. Add enough water to skillet to reach depth of 1 inch. Bring to boil. Sprinkle sea salt over and add asparagus. Simmer until crisp-tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Drain. Add spinach and asparagus to noodles; toss to incorporate evenly. Season to taste with sea salt and pepper. Divide noodle salad among plates. Break salmon into bite-size pieces. Tuck salmon and avocado into noodles on plates. Sprinkle sesame seeds over and serve

Blackened Fish with Mango Salsa

Yay for eating healthy! This is a recipe you can use any white fish. You can try yellowtail snapper, cod, rockfish, halibut, or catfish. I used fresh rockfish tonight. This dish definitely had a kick! The spiciness from the jalapeño pepper and the blackened seasoning was on fire!

Ingredients:

1 cup cubed ripe mango
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1 jalapeño pepper, minced
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 (6-ounce) skinless fish
1 tablespoon melted butter
2 tablespoons prepared blackened or jerk seasoning

Directions:
1. Combine mango and next 4 ingredients in a bowl. Cover and chill until ready to serve.
2. Brush fish with melted butter, and coat both sides with seasoning.
3. Heat a large cast-iron or heavy-bottom skillet until hot. Cook fish 2 minutes on each side or until opaque. Serve with mango salsa.

Vietnamese BBQ Beef Vermicelli

This dish takes some work to prep but taste so refreshing on a hot summer night. I often make a large batch of the Fish Sauce Dip (Nuoc Cham) and store it in the fridge for making this dish a few times a week in the summer time. You can substitute the meat with firm tofu. This is such a healthy dish with lots of fresh veggies.

Ingredients:
1 lb beef sirloin flank steak sliced into thin strips
1/2 lb shrimp
1 package of fish ball
12 bamboo skewers
1 tablespoon oil, for brushing
7 oz rice vermicelli noodle (cooked as package direction)
1/2 head lettuce, leaves washed and separated
1 medium cucumber cut into matchsticks
1 small carrot cut into matchsticks
1/4 cup basil
1/4 cup cilantro
1/2 cup unsalted peanuts

Marinade:
1 medium onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic
2 stalks lemongrass, thick bottom part only, outer layers discarded, inner part sliced
1 teaspoon slat
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon fish sauce

Fish Sauce Dip (Nuoc Cham):
2 finger-length chilies, deseeded and sliced
3 cloves garlic
3 tablespoons lime juice
3 tablespoons fish sauce
1/2 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon vinegar

Directions:
1. Make the marinade first by grinding the onion, garlic and lemongress to a smooth paste in a blender. Add salt, black pepper and fish sauce into mix until well blended. Transfer the marinade to a large bowl, place the beef in the marinade and mix until well coated. Allow to marinate for 1 hour.
2. Prepare the Fish Sauce Dip by grind the chilies and garlic to a coarse paste in a blender, then combine with lime juice, fish sauce, vinegar, salt, water and sugar. Mix until the sugar is dissolved.
3. Thread the marinated beef strips onto the bamboo skewers and brush with a little oil, then grill it with the shrimp and fish ball.
4. To serve, place the rice vermicelli into the individual serving bowls and top with the grilled beef, shrimps, fish balls, lettuce leaves, cucumber, cilantro, and carrot. Sprinkle with peanuts and serve immediately with a bowl of Fish Sauce Dip on the side.

Acapulco-Style Shrimp Cocktail

This recipe was from Rick Bayless' website. This is my first time trying out his recipes and it turned out great! I brought this to my friend Erin's Mexican tamale pot luck dinner. Thanks for having us over Erin!

Ingredients:
1 pound cooked shrimp
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
3/4 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons hot sauce (Tabasco Chipotle Pepper Sauce)
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 small white onion, finely diced
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1 ripe avocado

Directions:
1. Place the shrimp in a large bowl and add the lime juice. Measure in the ketchup, hot sauce, Worcestershire, onion and cilantro. Mix well.
2. Cut the avocado in half, running a knife around the pit from stem to blossom end and back again. Twist the two sides apart and scoop out the pit. Scoop each half out onto your cutting board, cut gently into small cubes, then scoop the avocado on top of the shrimp mixture. Carefully fold in the avocado, then divide the mixture between 4 to 6 serving dishes (martini glasses make a dressy presentation). Garnish with sprigs of cilantro and prepare for a taste of beach-side dining.

Soy-Glazed Fish With Sautéed Summer Squash

Sizzling summer in finally here! Here is another RealSimple recipe that's great for hot summer nights. It only takes 15 minutes to make and it taste amazing. You can use any white fish for this recipe. I used halibut cheek this time.

Ingredients:
2 tablespooons brown sugar
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
4 6-ounce pieces white fish fillet (such as cod or halibut)
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon canola oil
kosher salt and black pepper
1 1/2 pounds small zucchini and summer squash (about 4 total), thinly sliced
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint

Directions:
1.Heat broiler. In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, soy sauce, and ginger; set aside.
2.Place the fish on a foil-lined broilerproof rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with 1 teaspoon of the oil and season with ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Broil until the fish is opaque throughout, 5 to 7 minutes, basting with the soy mixture twice during the last 2 minutes of cooking.
3.Meanwhile, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the zucchini, squash, crushed red pepper, if using, and ½ teaspoon salt and cook, tossing frequently, until just tender, 5 to 7 minutes; fold in the mint. Serve with the fish.

Honey Ginger Prawns

This recipe was from one of the cook books I bought on our trip to Vietname. It was super easy to make and super tasty.

Ingredients:

1 ½ pound fresh large prawns
2 tablespoons oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 ½ tablespoons honey
2 spring onions cut into lengths

Marinade
½ tablespoon rice wine, sherry or sake
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon ginger juice
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
1. Combine the marinade ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Place the prawns in the marinade and mix until well coated. Allow to marinate for at least 15 minutes.
2. Heat the oil in a wok over high heat and stir-fry the garlic until fragrant and golden brown, about 30 seconds. Add the prawns and the marinade stir-fry 1 minute, Season with soy sauce and honey, and spring onions and mix well. Remove from the heat, transfer to a serving platter and serve with steamed rice.

Coconut and Basil Steamed Mussels

Last’s night dinner was from Cooking Light Magazine. It has became one of our favorite seafood dishes. It only takes 20 minutes to make and the mussels are amazing! I serve this dish with warm toasted French Baguette. Dipping the Baguette in the coconut and basil sauce is heavenly.

Ingredients:
2 teaspoons canola oil
1/4 cup minced shallots
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 cup light coconut milk
1 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup torn fresh basil
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon fish sauce
1/2 to 1 teaspoon Sriracha (hot chile sauce)
2 lbs mussels scrubbed and debearded

Directions:
1. Heat a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add oil to pan, swirling to coat. Add shallots and garlic to pan; cook 2 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently. Stir in coconut milk and next 7 ingredients (through Sriracha); bring to a boil. Add mussels to pan; cover and cook 5 minutes or until shells open. Discard any unopened shells.

2. Remove mussels from pan with a slotted spoon, reserving broth mixture. Divide mussels between 2 serving bowls; keep warm. Bring broth mixture to a boil; cook 5 minutes. Pour 1 cup sauce over each bowl. Sprinkle with sliced basil, if desired.

Skillet Jambalaya

This recipe was from Cooking at Home with America's Test Kitchen. American Test Kitchen’s mission is to develop the absolute best recipes for all of our favorite foods. To do this, they test each recipe 30, 40, sometimes as many as 70 times, until they arrive at the combination of ingredients, technique, temperature, cooking time, and equipment that yields the best, most-foolproof recipe.

Come on, don’t you want to try the recipe out knowingly this is going to the best of whatever you are making? Going into this I know it will not be a simple task. This is not going to be some Rachel Ray 30 minute meals you can cuts corners. I planned to make the Jambalaya on a Saturday so I can have enough time. This is going to be some serious cooking! 12 ingredients and 3 hours later the Jambalaya was perfect! It tasted amazing! It was all worth it! Just a small warning the yields of this recipe could feed a small army. Pete and I still have a ton of leftover. It’s good to know all that hard work will last us a while to enjoy!

Ingredients:
4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, trimmed of excess skin and fat, salt and ground black pepper
5 teaspoons vegetable oil
8 ounces andouille sausage , halved lengthwise and cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1 can diced tomatoes (14 1/2-ounce), drained
8 ounces clam juice
2 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 medium onion, chopped medium
1 medium red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and chopped medium
5 medium cloves of garlic, minced or pressed
1 1/2 cups long grain white rice
1 pound large shrimp
2 tablespoons fresh parsley , minced

Directions:
1. Dry the chicken thoroughly with paper towels, then season generously with salt and pepper. Heat 2 teaspoons of the oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering but not smoking, about 2 minutes. Lay the chicken thighs in the skillet, skin-side down, and cook until golden brown, 4 to 6 minutes. Flip the chicken over and continue to cook until the second side is golden, about 3 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and transfer chicken to plate. Using paper towels, remove and discard the browned chicken skin.

2. Pour off all but 2 teaspoons of the fat left in the skillet and return to medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the andouille and cook until lightly browned, about 3 minutes; transfer the sasage to a small bowl and set aside.

3. Add the remaining 3 teaspoons oil to the skillet and return to medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion, bell pepper, garlic and ½ teaspoon salt; cook, scraping the browned bit off the bottom of the skillet, until the onion is softened, 5 minutes. Add the rice and cook until the edges turn translucent, about 3 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, clam juice, and chicken broth; bring to a simmer. Gently nestle the chicken into the rice. Cover, reduce heat to low, and cook until the chicken is tender and cooked through, 30 to 35 minutes.

4. Transfer the chicken to a plate and cover to keep warm. Stir the shrimp and sausage into the rice and continue to cook, covered, over low heat for 2 more minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat and let it stand, covered, until shrimp are fully cooked and the rice is tender, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, shred the chicken using two forks. Stir the parsley and shredded chicken into the rice and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

Crazy Shrimp Rice Noodle Stir-Fry

This recipe was inspired by chef Ming Tsai's cookbook Simply Ming: Easy Techniques for East-Meets-West Meals.

The way to use this cookbook is to look for dishes that call out to you, then work backward to find the "Master Recipe" for the dish. For example, one of the recipes in the book is called Green Curry Chicken Noodle. In this recipe the master ingredients is the Green Curry Paste. In order to make the Green Curry Chicken Noodle you have to make the Green Curry Paste first then start to work on the recipe. I found it very hard and time consuming to make the dishes in this cookbook. I choose to make the Crazy Chicken Rice Noodle Stir-Fry because the master ingredient was Traditional Spicy Sambal (Asian Chili Paste). I already had some ready made chili paste at home. I modified the recipe by replacing the ground chicken with shrimp. You can also use tofu instead of ground chicken.

Ingredients:

8 ounces transparent rice noodles (rice sticks)
2 tablespoons Asian fish sauce
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon Traditional Spicy Sambal (Asian Chili Paste)
3 tablespoons oil
1 shallot, sliced 1/8 inch thick
1 pound ground chicken or shrimp
1/2 cup scallions, green and white parts, sliced 1/8 inch thick
1/4 cup Thai basil leaves cut into 1/8 inch ribbons
1/4 chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:
1. Boil 4 coups of water. When the water starts boiling place the noodles in it until the noodles are tender. Drain and set aside
2. In a small bowl combine the fish sauce, lime juice, sugar, and chili paste, and stir until the sugar is dissolved.
3. Heat a wok or large, heavy saute pan over high heat. Add the oil and swirl to coat the pan. Add the shallots and stir-fry until brown. Add the shrimp and stir-fry, about 3 minutes. Add the noodles and sauce mixture and heat through, stirring. Add the scallions and basil and toss well. Garnish with the fresh cilantro and serve.