Gingered Quinoa Salad (or Cous Cous)

I sent my other half to the grocery store to get quinoa and it didn't work out so much. He couldn't find it so I had him just grab plain cous cous. Works either way. Both YUMMY and healthy. The quinoa I believe is a little healthier. No biggie.

If you use quinoa then boil 1 1/3 cup water and then add 2/3 quinoa. (It's like a rice type food. A little ball just like cous cous.)Cook covered 12 minutes and then remove from heat and last stand 15 minutes. Then fluff and add the following:

- 1/2 cup chopped up grapefruit. Gets messy. Just cut up into pcs. No peel. The juice from cutting can go into the quinoa/cous cous.
- 1/4 cup chopped up green onions. Cut them kinda smaller so you are not chomping on big onion pcs.
- 3 tbls Balsamic Vinaigrette dressing. A must have in your fridge!
- 1/2 tsp grated ginger. Or ground. Whicever. Member when I said ginger is used often in my house!?


Mix it all up. Supper yummy. Throw some raisins on top if you are a raisin fan.

150 calories and a perfect little side...especially in the upcoming summer months.

Goes great with the lemon crusted halibut!

*** If you buy cous cous instead just follow the directions for cooking it on the box. It generally takes under five minutes to cook that so it's a ton faster. Get plain though if you are adding the ingredients above!

Glazed Hereb Carrots.

If you like carrots then you'll like these.

-16 oz bag of baby carrots (produce section)
- 1 tbls dark brown sugar
- 1/4 cup broth (I use veggie but you can use chicken broth)
- 2 tbls light butter. I use my butter spray so its liquid and easily mixed in.
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger (Another great spice investment I use A LOT.)

1. Pour the carrots and broth into a 10 inch skillet and bring to boil over high heat.
2. After its boiling cover and cook for 8 minutes reducing heat to med-high. (Carrots need to be tender)
3. Add your brown sugar, ginger and butter. Cook another 2-3 minutes. Done!

90 calories.

Halibut with Lemon Herb Crust.

OK. I'm SOOOO gonna toot my own horn here. By far one of the best meals I've EVER made.

Once again. We know me and the 'fishy' taste. Not fishy at all. So scrumptious I wanted more!

- 3/4 cup whole wheat bread crumbs.
- 2 tbls grated parmesan cheese. I just get the bag where all the cheeses hang.
- 1 tbls lemon peel grated. I just hold the grater over a bowl and take a lemon to it. Generally the entire lemon skin grated equals about 1 tbls. Keep the lemon for later use or cut it up and put it in your disposal for a clean smelling garbage disposal. Maybe the plummber wouldn't say that....so don't call me if it breaks. But I always do it. :o)
- 2 tbls light mayo
- 1/2 tsp dried tarragon leaves. Don't skip this. You can get a little container from the spice section...not expensive and I promise you will want to make this again!!
- 4 (or however many) Halibut fillets. I'm sure this recipe would be great with any white fish but trust me try the Halibut. BOMB DIGGITY!
- 2 tbls lemon juice. I have a container I keep in my fridge. I use it for lots of things. Or member that lemon you had..................?? This is optional though. I've forgotten it once. Still amazing.


1.Set oven at 425.
2.Mix the mayo and tarragon leaves in a bowl.
3.Bread crumbs, cheese, lemon peel in another bowl.
4.Put your halibut on a baking sheet (cookie sheet) and don't use oil or pam or anything.
5. Spread mayo mixture on halibut and then press the bread crumb mixture on.
6. Bake 10 minutes.

ENJOY!

I made it with glazed herbed carrots and gingered cous cous salad. All a perfect trio!

Grilled Salmon with Citurs Salsa

This meal is healthy and quick and did I mention super de-lish?!

I love fish. But I hate ANYTHING that has a strong fishy taste. I'm super picky about the fish I cook and eat so if you are not sure just trust me. If I eat it - it is not 'fishy'. Salmon is one type of fish I will not eat anywhere. I will not order it EVER. I have to cook it at home myself. Places usually cook it with a lot of oil when really none is necessary b/c it has a lot of oil already. Anyways....moving forward.

I got two beautiful pcs of salmon at the Ralphs on Ventura and Topanga. My new preference when I'm in that area. The Ralphs on Sherman Way and the one on Victory do not have a great seafood collection. Albertons on Victory is where I will usually go but this Ralphs on Ventura is actually really nice and has a very big seafood selection.

Anyways. The salmon seriously cooks in under ten minutes. So I'd cut up the salsa stuff first. Don't want to overcook the salmon.

-2 Naval Oranges
-2 Medium Tomatos
- 2/3 cup slided up green onions (the long green things with the white balls at the end)
- 1/4 cup cilantro. (I'm really glad I added this b/c it adds a lot of flavor)
- However many pcs of salmon you want to make. The salsa works for 4 pcs. I always cook 2 though since it's just me and the man.
-Spray butter. Regular butter is fine but the spray is easy. Esp if you cook a lot.


Yes that's it.

Cut up the oranges, tomatoes and green onions. (No peel for the oranges). Pour it with the cilantro in a bowl and set aside.

Spray a couple sprays of butter on the salmon fillets and cook over medium heat in a skillet (no need to use oil or pam or anything like that) for about 10 minutes total. Only flip it once. So about 5 min each side.

Pour your salsa on top and wa la! So YUMMY!. And like I said you are not adding any oils or sauces so it's super healthy. The salsa is juicy enough with the juices from the oranges and tomatoes. Literally has about 250 calories total.

The sides I did were roasted cauliflower and broccoli along with cous cous.

The pic has lots of salsa b/c I poured extra on with having just two pcs of fish.

Balsamic Chicken & Peppers

30 Minutes Start to Finish - and absolutely delish!

Balsamic Chicken & Peppers
Serves 4

4 Skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (about 1 1/2 lb.)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
4 Tablespoons olive oil
1 Red bell pepper, seeded and sliced
1 Yellow bell pepper, seeded and sliced
1 Yellow onion, large thinly sliced
3 Garlic cloves, minced
3 Tablespoons Balsamic vinegar
1/4 Fresh basil, minced
1 Tablespoon Fresh thyme, minced

1. Cook the Chicken
Season the chicken generously with salt and pepper. In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, warm 2 tablespoons of the oil. Add the chicken and cook, turning once, until golden brown, about 7 minutes total. Transfer to a plate.

2. Cook the Vegetables
Add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil to the same pan over medium-high heat. Add the bell peppers and onion and sauté until softened, about 6 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute.

3. Finish the Chicken
Add the vinegar and half of each the basil and thyme and stir, scraping up the browned bits on the pan bottom. Return the chicken and any juices from the plate to the pan, spooning the peppers over the chicken. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the chicken is opaque throughout, 2-3 minutes. Stir in the remaining basil and thyme and season to taste with salt and pepper. Divide among 4 plates.

Great side dish with this entreé:
Roasted potato wedges. Cut russet potatoes into wedges, toss with olive oil, salt, pepper and a little garlic salt. Roast in a 375* oven until tender, about 30 minutes

Bon Appétit!
-Katie

Pasta with Roasted Pepper Sauce

2 Bell Peppers (I like red and yellow but red and green are also good)
1 small yellow onion (sliced)
3 garlic cloves (chopped)
1 cup vegetable broth
1 handfull basil leaves
1 tbls italian seasoning
2 tbls tomato paste
salt and pepper
crushed red peppers optional

Lightly coat bell peppers with olive oil (keep peppers whole). Place in broiler and roast. Takes about 10-15 minutes, every couple minutes turn the pepper when you see that it has a nice charred outside. When the peppers are charred all over place them individually in ziplock plastic bags for ten minutes to steam. Meanwhile, chop onion and garlic- it doesnt need to be perfect because you are going to puree them after cooking. Sautee onions till soft, about 10 minutes, add tomato paste and garlic. Saute about 2 minutes then transfer to food processor or blender. When peppers are done steaming, remove the outer charred skin, you can do this by hand. Carefully cut the top off and remove seeds. Rough chop peppers and add to food processor. Puree for about 2 minutes until it starts to get smooth. Add vegetable broth slowly and puree again. Add basil and puree. Place the sauce in a sauce pan to heat and add italian seasoning. Add salt, I usually try to stay away from salt but since peppers tend to be a little bland the sauce will definetly need it. just taste as you go. At this point you can add crushed red peppers for some heat if you like spicy. Toss with your favorite pasta. I like to mix whole wheat and regular. I have found that if you use all whole wheat, the pasta taste masks the sauce since the sauce is subtle. This dish is great because its very low in calories! Enjoy!

Herbed New Potatoes

I made these babies as part of our Valentine's dinner. They were a huge hit - even the kiddos devoured them!!

8-10 red potatoes
4 Tbsp. melted butter
2 Tbsp. minced chives
2 Tbsp. minced green onions
soft "real" bacon bits

Peel 1/2 inch strip around the center of each potato and place immediately in pot of cold water. Add enough additional water to cover potatoes by a couple inches. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook until potatoes are easily pierced with a fork (about 25 minutes). Do not overcook or you'll end up with mashed potatoes!!
Melt butter. Stir in minced chives and green onions. Pour mixture over new potatoes. Sprinkle with desired amount of bacon.

~From the kitchen of Ellen~