Guacamole, Ole!

Courtesy of Plated Perfection

One thing I love about summer -- the avocados and the ability to make fresh guacamole on a whim! This is another recipe that I eyeball a lot of the ingredients, but it's super easy to throw together and it's great with chips or on just about anything :) in my opinion!  Enjoy! This made about 3-4 cups.

Ingredients:
2 avocados, cored, scooped, and diced
2 tb shallots, diced
1 cup fresh tomatoes, diced
2 tb fresh cilantro, chopped
dash of salt
dash of hot sauce (optional)
1/2 lime, juiced

Directions:
Mix together all ingredients and adjust as necessary to your liking. ENJOY!

Arlington Cheesesteak

Courtesy of Plated Perfection

I call this the Arlington Cheesesteak, mainly because it's my own concoction. This was super fast and easy to make -- and I'm pretty sure it's healthier than ordering it from a greasy spoon (not that those aren't delicious!). I only made one of these since it was for my lunch the other day, but you could easily make 2-3 of these with 1 package of sliced steak (which is what I used and just saved the rest). This is one of those recipes where you use as much of each ingredient as you prefer :) Enjoy!!!

Ingredients:
Package of sliced angus steak
Olive oil
Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper
Your favorite cheese (I used a mix of melted cheddars)
Creamy horseradish
Mayo (again, however much you want -- I just used the low-fat mayo)
Fresh chicago roll (or any bread of your choice)

Directions:
Heat approx. 1 tsp olive oil in a skillet, over medium-high heat. Throw in the steak and season with a dash of salt and pepper. Toss in some Worcestershire sauce (I used about 1 tb) and then stir around until the steak is cooked through to your liking. This steak is usually cut thin, so should only take about 4-5 minutes at the most. Toss in the cheese of your choice and let it melt together. In the meantime, toast your roll. Place the horseradish and mayo on the roll and then the delicious steak + cheese mixture and enjoy! You could also broil the roll with the cheese, and then add the steak (instead of putting the cheese in the skillet).

Spaghetti Squash with Lobster & Vodka Sauce

Courtesy of Plated Perfection

Oh spaghetti squash -- you're wonderful and in season again! In an attempt to eat healthy during the week, this was a fantastic option for dinner! I tried to figure out how to spice it up a little, so I bought two smaller lobster tails and some yummy vodka sauce! You could definitely make the sauce yourself, which I usually do, but I didn't have time this go around. This was very easy to whip up and super delicious and healthy!

Ingredients:
1 spaghetti squash
1 cup of your favorite spaghetti sauce/vodka sauce
fresh basil (1/2 tb -- optional, but freshens it up)
1 garlic clove, diced -- optional, also freshens it up)
1 tb olive oil
1/2 lemon, juiced
salt + pepper
approx. 8 oz. lobster meat (I bought two smaller tails)

Directions:
There are MANY ways to cook a spaghetti squash, but this is just how I did it -- it seemed to be the quickest route for such a large squash! I cut the squash down the middle lengthwise and scooped out the seeds, set it in a casserole dish that can go in the microwave (preferably where it's snug), and put the first half down, cut side up. Place 1/4 - 1/2 cup water in the hole of the squash and then place the other half on top, as if you're putting it back together. Cook in the microwave for about 10 minutes, depending on how large the squash is. Mine was huge, so it took about 12 minutes. You'll know it's good to go when the flesh is somewhat flexible. In the meantime, heat the oven to broil (high). You'll cut the shell of the lobster tails down the middle. Pull the meat away from the shell just a tad and season with salt, pepper, lemon squeeze, and a dab of butter. Broil on a baking sheet for approximately 10 minutes. Once done, it will have pulled away from the shell more and be firm to the touch. Remove the meat from the shell and cut into large pieces.

Saute the garlic in a saucepan with a tb of olive oil, for about 3 minutes. Add the sauce, lobster, and the basil. Stir until all flavors are mixed and warm over low heat.

Pour any excess water out of the spaghetti squash. Take a fork and scrape in long strokes -- this will separate out the "noodles". Place these in bowls, or in one big bowl/plate if you prefer. Top with the sauce and enjoy!

Roasted Salmon with Soy-Marmalade Glaze

Courtesy of Cooking Light

I saw some gorgeous salmon last week, so I knew I had to give this a whirl. I had saved this recipe a couple of weeks back and just hadn't had the chance to cook it up. This was a pretty easy week night meal and wasn't complicated! It really was delicious and I'm definitely adding this to my Favorites list! Enjoy :)

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup orange marmalade
• 1 1/2 teaspoons lower-sodium soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 4 (6-ounce) skin-on salmon fillets
• Cooking spray 
• 2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onions (I left this out because I didn't have them)
• 4 lemon wedges 
• Broccolini (I added this myself on the side; simply steamed)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 450°.
2. Combine marmalade, soy sauce, salt, black pepper, and garlic in a small bowl. Arrange salmon fillets, skin sides down, on a foil-lined baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Brush fish fillets evenly with half of marmalade mixture. Bake fish fillets at 450° for 4 minutes.
3. Heat broiler to high (do not remove fish from oven); broil fish 6 minutes. Spoon remaining marmalade mixture onto center of fillets. Broil fish an additional 3 minutes or until desired degree of done-ness. Sprinkle fish evenly with green onions; serve with lemon wedges.

 

Scallops with Ginger & Lemongrass

Courtesy of Gourmet Garden

I have a new favorite grocery store item -- Gourmet Garden fresh herbs (http://na.gourmetgarden.com/us/). I don't know about you, but I always buy fresh herbs and then waste them because they don't all get used. Well, these handy dandy tubes are refrigerated and last up to 3 months. You use the same measurements as fresh herbs, and it's just super easy! I bought quite a few of these last week and tried my first recipe with them last week -- it was quite tasty! This was a really easy recipe to prepare, again, perfect for a week night meal! I served it up with some bok choy, which I love. The plate looks a little sparse, I apologize -- the bok choy didn't go as far as I had hoped. This would also go great with rice. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp Gourmet Garden Lemon Grass
• 2 Tbsp Gourmet Garden Ginger
• 1 tsp Gourmet Garden Chili Pepper
• 1 Tbsp Gourmet Garden Cilantro
• 1 tsp Sesame oil
• 2 Tbsp Dry sherry
• 1 Tbsp Fish sauce
• 2 whole Limes
• 12 large Scallops

Directions:
Make marinade from juice of one lime and add all other ingredients. Retain one lime to make wedges for garnish. Marinate scallops for 15 minutes. Discard marinade. Sear scallops in hot pan for approximately 2 minutes each side (or until cooked through). I like mine with a good sear on them.

Pan-Grilled Lamb Shoulder Chops

Courtesy of Food Network Kitchens

Lamb is a new thing for me. I never enjoyed it until this past year -- I guess taste buds can change! There were some shoulder chops on sale at Teeter, so I figured this was a great time to try it out. I also have this wine that is amazing and goes well with certain foods. It went nicely with the lamb -- Dark Lady Pinotage. I highly recommend the wine, if you can find it! I have to get it special ordered from a wine store, but very worth it! The lamb chops came out very well and were very tender. The marinade also was a hit; I think I'd even try it on pork!  Yum. The key to this was marinading the chops for about 12 hours...it's a great meal to put in the marinade in the morning and then they're ready for grilling when you get home! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Four 8- to 12-ounce lamb shoulder chops

 

Directions:

To make the marinade: whisk the lemon juice, mustard, rosemary, garlic, and 1 teaspoon of the salt together in a medium bowl. Gradually whisk in the oil and season with pepper. Transfer the marinade to a large sealable plastic bag. Put the lamb chops in the bag, seal, and shake vigorously to evenly coat the meat. Marinate at room temperature for 1 hour or in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours and up to 12. Remove the chops from the marinade and transfer them to a plate. Discard the marinade. Using a spoon, lightly scrape the remaining marinade off the chops and pat them dry. Preheat a large cast-iron grill pan over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes. Raise the heat to medium-high. Season the chops with salt. Place 2 chops on the grill pan, and cook until the chops have distinctive grill marks, about 3 minutes. To make crosshatched grill marks, re-position the chops, moving them about 45 degrees on the ridged pan, and continue to cook about 3 minutes more. (The chops will have only cooked on one side at this point.) Set the chops aside and repeat with the remaining 2 chops. Return the first set of chops to the pan to cook them on the other side. Reduce the heat to medium low, and cook the chops until medium-rare, about 2 minutes. Repeat with the other chops. Let the chops rest for about 5 minutes and serve.  NOTE: This did take me a bit longer to cook because I wanted them Medium -- just cook a few more minutes on each side until the desired temperature.

 

Greek Chicken Thighs with Lemon, Capers, and Feta

Courtesy of For the Love of Cooking.net

Wow -- my last posting was in June. I apologize for being MIA this summer! Life has been busy with work and some vacations thrown in there :) It has flown by as usual! This specific recipe, I have had on my list for a while, and finally got around to making it last week. It was so delicious. The sauce was so savory that I was eating it with a spoon at the end! This is a great week night meal :) If you're trying to be healthy, it's already a nice recipe, but you could even leave out the cheese if you really wanted to and it would still be yummy. I served this with some steamed broccolini (one of my faves). Enjoy!

Ingredients - Chicken:
5 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, flattened & trimmed of fat
Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
Garlic powder, to taste
Dried oregano, to taste
2 tbsp flour
1 tbsp + 1 tsp olive oil
1/2 sweet yellow onion, sliced thinly
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups of chicken broth
3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
Feta cheese
Fresh parsley

Ingredients - Broccolini:
Bunch of broccolini
Soy sauce
Lawry's seasoning salt
Olive oil
  
Directions:

Flatten out the chicken thighs and remove any excess fat. Season both sides of the chicken thighs with sea salt, freshly cracked pepper, garlic powder, and dried oregano, to taste. Lightly dredge both sides of the chicken in the flour, set aside. Heat the tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once the pan is hot, place the chicken into the skillet and cook for 5 minutes; flip and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Remove from the skillet and place onto a plate loosely covered by a tin foil tent. Add a teaspoon of more olive oil to the skillet then add the onion. Cook, stirring often, for 3 minutes; add the minced garlic and cook, stirring constantly for 1 minute. Add the lemon juice and chicken broth then bring to a boil. Boil the sauce for 2 minutes then reduce to low; season the sauce with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste, then add the chicken thighs and their juices back to the pan along with the capers. Cook for another 7-10 minutes. Serve the chicken with some sauce spooned over the top followed by a sprinkling of feta cheese and fresh parsley. Serve immediately.

Broccolini -- Place in a saute pan with a splash of olive oil. Cover and steam for about 5 minutes. Splash some soy sauce and seasoning salt and cover for an additional minute or two.