WW: Honey Teriyaki Salmon

I’m finally getting back into my kitchen groove with a healthy twist! Tonight I’m solo for dinner while the hubby is working. So for dinner, I enjoyed a flavorful and healthy dish of honey teriyaki salmon which I served with sauteed spinach and caramelized mushrooms. So simple and delicious! Oh… and with an effort to get better quality pictures, hopefully some of the changes I’ve made will try to do a little justice to the recipes I prepare!

Honey Teriyaki Salmon
courtesy of Weight Watchers Best Eats Cookbook

4 (1/4 lb) skinless salmon fillets
1/4 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon chopped, peeled fresh ginger
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 garlic clove, minced

Place all the ingredients in a zip-close plastic bag. Squeeze out the air and seal the bag; turn to coat the salmon. Refridgerate, turning the bag occassionally, at least 6 hours or up to 24 hours.

Spray the grill rack with nonstick spray. Preheat the grill to medium-high or prepare a medium-high fire. Alternatively, spray a large nonstick skillet with nonstick spray and place over medium-high heat.

Remove the salmon from the marinade; discard the marinade.

Place the salmon on the grill rack. Grill until the salmon us just opaque in the center, 4-5 minutes on each side. Alternately, place the salmon in the skillet and cook until the salmon is just opaque in the center, 4-5 minutes on each side.

Serves 4
Serving side: 1 fillet
WW Points value: 4 points

Project Pastrami…

I love spices… probably too much. I have a whole drawer full of spice jars and another shelf of random spices. I came across this recipe for Pastrami-Style Salmon and thought the spice mix was rather interesting.

Since I didn’t have any salmon on hand, I did have some ground turkey to use for dinner. Combining the pastrami spice mixture and ground turkey was truly an experiment that turned out to be delicious! I decided to use this spiced ground turkey and stuffed some large portabello mushrooms and voila… dinner is served. I accompanied my stuff mushrooms with roasted asparagus and tomatoes.

Here’s my recipe for Spiced Turkey Stuffed Portabello Mushrooms:

2 large portabello mushrooms
8 oz. ground turkey
garlic, minced
onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
cooking spray for browning turkey
2 green onions, sliced
1/4 cup feta cheese (I used fat free)

Remove stems from mushrooms and gently brush off any debris.
In a large bowl, combine garlic, onion, sugar, and the spices and mix thoroughly.
In a saute pan, brown seasoned turkey.
Once browned, remove from heat and toss in cheese and green onions.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Place mushrooms gill side up and top with the turkey/feta/onion mixture.
Bake stuffed mushrooms in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes.

*I’m also submitting this to the “Go Ahead, Honey – It’s Gluten-Free” blog event started way back in the wintry depths of February by Naomi of Straight into Bed Cake-Free and Dried. This month, Rachel of The Crispy Cook is hosting and the focus is seasonal veggies. Be sure to check out Rachel’s site in early September for the round up!*

The Nutty Tilapia…

If there is a recipe that I’ve been so delayed in making, it’s this one. Something always came up – dinner out, errands, laziness… But finally, tonight’s dinner will be the long awaited Macadamia Nut Crusted Tilapia. The last time I had prepared this was for my birthday luau about 3 months ago. We loved it back then that we wanted to make it again. This time, I served it with sesame bok choy and king oyster mushrooms. It’s light, flavorful and great for hot summer nights.

Here’s my recipe for Macadamia Nut Crusted Tilapia:

4 frozen tilapia fillets
1-2 eggs
1 tablespoon water
1/2 cup crushed macadamia nuts
1/2 panko breadcrumbs
salt & pepper to taste

In a small bowl, whisk eggs with water for egg wash.
In a shallow baking pan, combine the nuts, breadcrumbs, salt & pepper.
Dip each tilapia fillet in the eggwash and dredge in the nut/breadcrumb mixture until fully coated.
Plate coated fish on a plate and chill for 10-15 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
Place coated fish on a light greased baking sheet and bake in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes.

Here’s my recipe for Baby Bok Choy & King Oyster Mushroom Saute:

3-4 baby bok choy bunches
1 1/2 cups king oyster mushrooms (or any kind of mushroom)
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
3 gloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 tablespoon lite soy sauce
1-2 teaspoons sesame oil

Heat large skillet or wok over high heat.
Meanwhile, prep your veggies by cutting bottoms of the bok choy and rinsing any debris between the stalks. Cut off the green tops and set aside.
For the mushrooms, slice them and if you prefer, remove stems.
When skilley or wok is hot, add oil to coat the bottom.
Add garlic, ginger and bok choy bottoms (not the green leafy tops!).
Stir until stalks are softened; then add mushrooms.
Stir until mushrooms start to brown and soften.
Add the oyster sauce, soy sauce and salt & pepper to taste.
Stir and then add bok choy greens.
Remove from heat, add sesame oil and toss until greens wilt.

*I’m also submitting this dish to the Original Recipes blogging event hosted by Lore of Culinarty. This is one of my fave blogging events each month because it showcases the creativity of so many bloggers. Check out the round up mid month!

Salmon w/Ginger Balsamic Glaze

The follow recipe was shared at my Balsamic Vinegar Tasting Event. You can read and view links to other recipes that were featured HERE.

Salmon w/Ginger Balsamic Glaze
shared at the event by Semeena
recipe adapted from Recipezaar

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon grated ginger
1 tablespoon brown sugar, packed plus
1 teaspoon brown sugar, packed
4 salmon fillets, skin on (center cut)
salt & freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons olive oil

Stir together balsamic vinegar, water, lemon juice, ginger and brown sugar in a small bowl.

Pat salmon dry and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium high heat, not smoking. Increase heat to high, add salmon skin side up, and sear until well browned, about 4 minutes. Turn fish over and sear until just cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes more.

Transfer salmon to plates and carefully add vinegar mixture to skillet (liquid will bubble vigorously and steam). Simmer, stirring, until thickened and reduced to about 1/3 cup, about 2 minutes. Spoon glaze over salmon. Serve and enjoy!

Spicy, Sweet & With an Attitude

I was in the mood for something fruity & sweet for dinner and found this recipe for Apricot Honey Chicken. The recipe looked like it needed a bit more complexity and attitude. So with a few changes noted below, we had success! Dinner definitely hit the spot because the sweet flavors of the honey and apricot preserves paired well with the bite and kick of the ginger and chili paste. I served this with brown jasmine rice and steamed broccoli.

Here’s my adapted recipe for Spicy Apricot Honey Chicken:

1/3 cup dijon mustard
1 tablespoon honey
3 tablespoons apricot preserves
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
4 bone in chicken breasts
1/4 teaspoon of Thai chili paste
salt & pepper to taste

1. Blend mustard, preserves, ginger and chili paste. Marinate chicken in mustard mixture for at least an hour or even overnight.

2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line baking sheet with foil or parchment. Place marinated chicken on lined baking sheet and baste with marinade.

3. Bake chicken in preheated oven for 30-35 minutes or until juices run clear.

*You can also grill the chicken if you’d like!

Sixteen Spice Chicken w/Cilantro Cream Sauce

So what’s for dinner? Well, we couldn’t decide on whether to have burgers or BBQ. I figured chicken would be our best bet and decided on Bobby Flay’s recipe for 16 Spice Chicken. This was the entree I ordered when I visited his restaurant, Mesa Grill, in Vegas this past January. It was so wonderfully seasoned, I definitely wanted to try recreating it at home. Why not today?
Here’s Bobby Flay’s recipe for Sixteen Spice Chicken:

3 tablespoons ancho chile powder
3 tablespoons pasilla chile powder
3 tablespoons ground cumin
3 tablespoons ground coriander
3 tablespoons ground ginger
2 tablespoons garlic powder
2 tablespoons onion powder
1 tablespoon allspice
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon ground cloves
1 tablespoon ground fennel seed
1 teaspoon chile de arbol
3 tablespoon brown sugar
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons coarsely ground black pepper
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Boneless skinless chicken breasts
Canola oil

Combine spices in a bowl. Rub chicken breasts on both sides with rub. Marinate at least an hour or overnight. Oil up the grill until well coated (so it won’t stick) and grill for 10-12 minutes.

With the chicken entree I ordered, I recall having a cilantro cream sauce. So with that, I also made this great Cilantro Cream Sauce.

My husband is a big fan of cilantro and it worked out perfectly with the chicken! Eek, blurry pic, but trust me with how well it tastes! It would work as a great dip with chips and salsa too.
Here’s my slightly adapted recipe for Cilantro Cream sauce, using some of the great Florida food gifts I received:

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon sour cream
1 cup prepared salsa verde
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon celery salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
1 tablespoon bottled or fresh key lime juice

Combine cream cheese, sour cream, salsa, pepper, celery salt, cumin, garlic powder, cilantro and lime juice in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth and creamy. Place in a serving bowl.

Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes

This recipe was featured in my Springtime Cupcake swap event, which you can read about HERE.

Lara’s Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes

2 cps. all purpose flour
2 cps. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
4 eggs
1 can (15 oz) solid-pack pumpkin
1 cp. vegetable oil
1 cp. raisins

Frosting Ingredients
1/3 cp. butter softened
1 package (3 oz) cream cheese, softened
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cps. confectioners’ sugar
1/2 cp. chopped walnuts (optional)

1. In a large bowl, combine the first 8 ingredients.

2. In another bowl, beat the eggs, pumpkin, and oil. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in raisins. Fill paper-lined muffin cups 3/4’s full.

3. Bake at 350 degrees for 28-32 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely. For frosting, in a small mixing bowl, beat butter and cream cheese. Beat in vanilla. Gradually add confectioners’ sugar. Frost cupcakes; sprinkle with walnuts. Store in refrigerator. Yield: 20 cupcakes.

Orange You Hungry?

With the Tasty Tools event finished, I guess I should submit a recipe using my microplane grater too! But before I get to the recipe…. Everyday on my commute home on the days I’m in the office, I pass the popular Chinese food chain, Panda Express. One of their popular dishes is the Orange Chicken (sometimes you’re lucky if an employee waves a sample morsel for you on a toothpick as you walk past). So why is it so popular? Better yet, how can I recreate it successfully at home? The answer that I found was in the book, Cooking at Home With America’s Test Kitchen (2006). (I’ve been on a cookbook spree to revive some recipes I have stashed in my bookshelves.) Here’s what ATK has to say about the recipe: We prefer the flavor and texture of thigh meat for this recipe, though an equal amount of boneless skinless chicken breasts can be used. It is easiest to grate the orange zest and remove the strips of orange peel before juicing the oranges; use a sharp vegetable peeler to remove the strips. For extra spiciness, increase the cayenne added to the sauce to 1/2 teaspoon. The whole dried chiles are added for appearance, not for flavor, and can be omitted. To fry the chicken, use a Dutch oven or a straight sided saute pan (with at least a 3 quart capacity): do not use a 12 inch skillet with sloped sides, as it will be too small to contain the oil once the chicken is added. White rice and steamed broccoli are good accompaniments.

Here’s the recipe for Orange Flavored Chicken:
Cooking at Home With America’s Test Kitchen (2006)
page 204

Marinade & Sauce:
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skineless chicken thighs, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
3/4 cup low sodium chicken broth
3/4 cup juice, 1 1/2 teaspoons grated zest and 8 strips orange peel (each about 2″ long by 1/2″ wide) from 2 oranges
6 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup darn brown sugar
3 medium garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1/4 cayenne (I omitted)
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons cold water
8 small whole dried red chiles (optional)

Coating & Frying oil:
3 large egg whites
1 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon cayenne (I omitted)
3 cups peanut oil (I used canola oil)

• FOR THE MARINADE & SAUCE: Place the chicken in a 1-gallon zipper-lock bag; set aside. Combine the chicken broth, orange juice, grated zest, vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, and cayenne in a large saucepan (with at least a 3 quart capacity); whisk until the sugar is fully dissolved. Measure out 3/4 cup of the mixture and pour into the bag with the chicken; press out as much air as possible and seal the bag, making sure that all the pieces are coated with the marinade. Refrigerate 30-60 minutes, but no longer.
  Bring the remaining mixture in the saucepan to a boil over high heat. In a small bowl, stir together the cornstarch and cold waterl which the cornstarch mixture into the sauce. Simjmer, stirrig occasionally, until thick and translucent, about 1 minute. Off the heat, stir in the orange peel and chiles, if using (the sauce should measure 1 1/2 cups); set the sauce aside.
• FOR THE COATING: Place the egg whites in a pie plate, using a fork, beat until frothy. In a second pie plate, which the cornstarch, bakig soda and cayenne until combined. Dran the chicken in a colanger or large mesh stainer; thoroughly pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Place half of the chicken pieces in the egg whites and turn to coat; transfer the pieces to the coenstarch mixture and coat thoroughly. Place the dredged chicken pieces on a wire rack set over a baking sheetl repeat with the remaining chicken.
• TO FRY THE CHICKEN: Heat the oil in an 11-to 12-inch ducth oven or staight sided saute pan with at least a 3 quart capacity over high heat until the oil reaches 350 degrees on an instant read or deep fry thermometer. Carefully place half of the chicken in the oil; fry to golden brown, about 5 minutes, turning each piece with tongs halfway through cooking. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Return the oil to 350 degrees and repeat with the remaining chicken.
• TO SERVE: Reheat the sauce over medium heat until simmer, about 2 minutes. Add the chicken and gently toss until evenly coated and heated through. Serve immediately.

Karl’s Ginger Pear Crisp

I made the following dessert during my Crisps & Cobblers cooking class, which you can read about HERE.

Karl’s Ginger Pear Crisp

6 pears, peeled and sliced
1 tablespoon finely chopped ginger
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup raisins
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 tablespoons butter, cut into bits
Topping:
1/4 cup flour
3/4 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
6 tablespoons butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Toss first six ingredients together in a bowl.
Pour into a buttered baking dish.
Using a fork combine the remaining six ingredients.
Spoon topping across pears.
Bake for 30 minutes or until brown and bubbly.

Ron’s Nectarine Raspberry Crisp

I made the following dessert during my Crisps & Cobblers cooking class, which you can read about HERE.

Ron’s Nectarine Raspberry Crisp

TOPPING:

1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup rolled oats
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

FILLING:
1 1/2 pounds raspberries
1/2 pound peeled, thinly sliced nectarines
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger, or to taste
1/3 cup sugar, or to taste
2 teaspoons cornstarch

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Butter a 10 by 8-inch casserole dish.

Prepare the topping: In a food processor, pulse the flour and butter until the texture of coarse cornmeal. Remove to a bowl and toss with remaining ingredients until mixed.

Prepare fruit filling: Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well.

To assemble: Place the fruit filling in the buttered dish. Cover the filling with a 3/4-inch layer (or more) of the topping.

Bake until bubbling and the fruit in the middle is tender, 25 to 30 minutes.
Serve warm for best flavor or with ice cream, if desired.