Asian Halibut with Purple Carrots in Parchment Paper

Courtesy of Plated Perfection


Once again, I'm using my Farmer's Market goodies for dinner tonight! I was intrigued by the purple carrots I saw and so I just felt like I had to have them, and then the halibut was fresh at the grocery store, so I figured I'd give that combination a try! The fish turned out great. The only note that I'll remember for next time is to make sure I slice the carrots thin so that they cook in time. Enjoy!


Ingredients:
2-4 fresh halibut filets, depending on the size of the fish (I cooked 2)
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp fresh ginger, grated (or pureed in the bottle)
3 tb low sodium soy sauce
1 tb rice wine vinegar, seasoned
zest of a small lime
half of a lime, juiced
toasted sesame seeds, for garnish
~4 carrots, peeled (you can leave these unpeeled if desired)
parchment paper
nonstick cooking spray


Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Mix the sesame oil, ginger, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, lime zest and juice in a bowl. Set aside. Slice the carrots on a diagonal in thin slices. Cut two squares of parchment paper to be large enough to hold the fish and carrots and fold over. In each square, spray some nonstick cooking spray, lay down equal servings of carrots, drizzle with the sauce and season with salt and pepper. Top with the fish and drizzle the fish with additional sauce. Fold the packets to where there are no openings and bake on a flat pan for approximately 15 minutes.

Eggplant Ravioli with Heirloom Squash & Tomato Sauce

Courtesy of Plated Perfection

This is a bit of a delayed post, as I made this a couple of weeks ago, but it was delicious. Better late than never! I have been trying to hit up one of our many farmer's markets each weekend to buy fresh vegetables. This go around I bought a couple of heirloom squash and some tomatoes - so much color, which I love! I decided to cook them all together and make a pasta sauce. I thought the squash would balance out the acidity of the tomatoes a little, and it was very tasty! Definitely give this a try. I served it over fresh eggplant ravioli which I also picked up from the farmer's market.

Ingredients:
2 heirloom squash/zucchini, cut into chunks - I used pattypan squash and a mexican zucchini
1 pint of heirloom tomatoes, cut in half
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tb tomato paste
2 tb olive oil
1 tb fresh parsley
dash of Italian seasoning
salt and pepper to taste
16 oz fresh pasta of your choice (I used eggplant ravioli)
parmesan cheese (optional)

Directions:
In a saute pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat and cook the garlic for approximately 2 minutes. Add the squash/zucchini and cook for 2-3 minutes and then add the tomatoes. Stir in the tomato paste, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Cook for an additional 3-4 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Remove from the heat and let the vegetables cool for a few minutes. Add the mixture into a food processor and blend until smooth, but a little chunky (or your desired consistency). Toss in the fresh parsley and serve over the pasta with a dash of cheese.
NOTE: Cook the fresh pasta as instructed and drain.

Baked Chicken Tenders with Asparagus and Bok Choy Saute

Courtesy of Plated Perfection


Since I was working from home today, I decided to make a healthy lunch with the chicken tenders I had bought earlier in the week. I also had asparagus and bok choy to use up, so I threw them into a saute. This was a super simple meal to whip up! The chicken tenders were full of flavor, but much more healthy since they were oven baked instead of fried. Enjoy!


Ingredients - Chicken Tenders
1 pound chicken tenders
~2 cups Italian flavored breadcrumbs
~1/2 cup shredded (or grated) parmesan cheese
~1 cup olive oil
nonstick cooking spray, to grease the pan


Ingredients - Asparagus & Bok Choy Saute
3 heads of bok choy, bottoms cut off and then the bok choy cut in halves
1 bunch of asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces
1-2 tb soy sauce (your preference)
salt and pepper, to taste
dash of olive oil
1/2 lemon, juiced
splash of rice wine vinegar (seasoned)


Directions:
Preheat oven to 425. Place the olive oil in a shallow dish, and the breadcrumbs & parmesan cheese mixture is another shallow dish. Coat the chicken tenders in the olive oil and then the breadcrumbs mixture until covered. Place in a greased baking dish. Bake for 10 minutes, turn the chicken tenders over, and bake for another 5-10 minutes. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce.


While the chicken is cooking, heat the olive oil in a saute pan over medium-high heat. Toss in the asparagus and bok choy. Stir and cook for approximately 5 minutes. Add the soy sauce, lemon juice, and rice wine vinegar and cook on lower heat for another 3-5 minutes.

Roasted Chipotle Salmon Tacos with Cabbage Slaw

Courtesy of Ina Garten & The Food Network


I've now made this recipe twice. The first time these got devoured before I could even take a picture, hence the late post! This was a delicious recipe and I highly recommend it. It's also great for a group dinner. The leftovers are also good if you have them. The slaw only held up for about 1 day after, but still delish! The salmon alone was really tasty and could be used on its own as well, instead of as tacos.


Roasted Salmon
olive oil, for greasing the pan
1 3/4 pounds center-cut fresh salmon, skin removed
2 tsp chipotle chile powder
1 tsp grated lime zest
salt and pepper, to taste
3 tb freshly squeezed lime juice
12 6-inch tortillas
4 avocados, seeded and peeled
3/4 tsp sriracha sauce


Slaw
3/4 pound green cabbage, cored and finely shredded (I used Napa cabbage)
1/2 seedless cucumber, unpeeled, halved lengthwise, seeds removed, and thinly sliced
1/4 cup good quality white wine vinegar
3 tb fresh minced dill
salt and pepper, to taste


Instructions:
At least an hour before you plan to serve the tacos, toss the cabbage, cucumber, vinegar, dill, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper together in a large bowl. Cover and refrigerate, allowing the cabbage to marinate.     


When ready to serve, preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Brush a baking dish with olive oil and place the salmon in it. Mix the chile powder, lime zest, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt in a small bowl. Brush the salmon with 1 tablespoon of the lime juice and sprinkle with the chipotle seasoning mixture. Roast for 12 to 15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish, until the salmon is just cooked through.                   


Wrap the tortillas in 2 foil packets and place them in the oven with the salmon. Roughly mash the avocados with the remaining 2 tablespoons of lime juice, the Sriracha, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. To serve, lay 2 warm tortillas on each of 6 plates. Place a dollop of the avocado mixture on one side of each tortilla, then some large chunks of salmon, and finally, some of the slaw. Fold the tortillas in half over the filling (they will be messy!) and serve warm.            

           

Crab Cakes with Red Pepper Chipotle Lime Sauce & Sauteed Vegetables

Crab Cakes adapted from skinnytaste.com
Vegetables courtesy of Plated Perfection


Last night we were craving crab cakes (because why not?!). I wanted to make a healthier version, so I went to one of my favorite blogs - skinnytaste.com. Her recipes are so tasty and healthy at the same time. I was a little short on the crab meat, so mine turned out a little too "liquidy"...make sure you have enough crab meat! The flavor was great though and so was the sauce! Enjoy!


Ingredients:
Crab Cakes

9 ounces lump crab meat, picked free of shells

1/2 cup (about 13) reduced fat Ritz crackers, crushed

1 whole egg plus 1 egg white, beaten

2 finely chopped scallions

2 tbsp finely chopped red bell pepper

1 tbsp low fat mayonnaise (I used greek yogurt)

2 tbsp fresh cilantro (or parsley)

1/2 lime, juiced

salt and pepper to taste

cooking spray

Red Pepper Chipotle Lime Sauce

1 tbsp roasted peppers (jarred)

1/4 cup light mayonnaise (I used greek yogurt)

1 tsp minced canned chipotle chilies in adobo sauce

1 tsp fresh lime juice

Sautéed Vegetables

~1/2 cup zucchini, cut in half lengthwise and then cut into 1/2 inch pieces

~1/2 cup asparagus, cut into 1 inch pieces

~1/2 cup red bell pepper, cut into chunks

1 clove garlic, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

dash of salt-free Italian blend seasoning

1 tb olive oil

Directions:
For the sauce, in a small blender (or magic bullet) puree greek yogurt/mayonnaise, lime juice, roasted pepper and chipotle pepper. Set aside.


In a large bowl, combine crushed crackers, eggs, scallions, pepper, mayo, cilantro, lime juice, salt and pepper. Mix well, then fold in crab meat, careful not to over mix so the crab remains in large chunks. Gently shape into patties using a 1/2 cup measuring cup. Chill in the refrigerator at least 1/2 hour before baking.

In a skillet, heat 1 tb olive oil and toss in the garlic. Cook for about 2 minutes. Add in the vegetables and seasonings and simmer over medium heat for about 10 minutes.


Preheat oven to 400°. Grease a baking sheet with cooking spray. Bake about 8-10 minutes on each side, until nicely browned. Drizzle red pepper chipotle lime sauce over crab cakes and serve with the vegetables.

Lemony Salsa Verde Scallops with Mashed Cauliflower

Lemony Salsa Verde courtesy of Epicurious
Mashed Cauliflower courtesy of Plated Perfection


This recipe was perfect for a healthy weeknight meal, and the sauce was very bright and refreshing. It would also be great on a mild, white fish!


Ingredients:
Lemony Salsa Verde

1/2 lemon (with peel), seeded, chopped (I didn't include the peel)

1 finely chopped small shallot

1 finely chopped garlic clove

Salt and pepper

1 cup olive oil (I adjusted this to about 3/4 cup olive oil)

3/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley

1/2 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro

1/4 cup chopped fresh chives

Lemon juice

1 pound fresh sea scallops

1 tb olive oil

Mashed Cauliflower

1 head cauliflower, cut into florets

1/3 cup reduced fat sour cream

1 tb butter

salt and pepper to taste

splash of skim milk

Directions:

Combine 1/2 lemon (with peel), seeded, chopped, 1 finely chopped small shallot, and 1 finely chopped garlic clove; season with salt and pepper. Let sit 5 minutes. Stir in 1 cup olive oil, 3/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley, 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro, 1/4 cup chopped fresh chives. Season with salt, pepper, and lemon juice, if desired.

In a pot, bring a pot of water to boil. Add the cauliflower and boil approximately 10-15 minutes or until somewhat tender. Drain and add to a large bowl. Using a masher, begin to mash the cauliflower and add the sour cream, butter and salt and pepper. Mash until smooth.

In the meantime, heat the 1 tb olive oil (or butter) in a skillet over medium-high heat. Pat dry and season the scallops with a dash of salt and pepper. Sear on each side for approximately 3 minutes until browned on each side. Serve scallops with the salsa verde on top, alongside the cauliflower.

Prosciutto & Vegetable Frittata

Courtesy of Plated Perfection

It's been quite some time since I've made a frittata, and since we are kicking off "Dry August", I figured a healthy breakfast to have on hand for the next few days would be ideal. In an attempt to lose some weight, we have decided not to drink in August (with the exception of our wedding anniversary and another event), but otherwise, it'll be a lot of staying in and cooking this month! Get ready for more posts! This frittata came out great and will be so easy to heat up the next couple of mornings. You can get creative with your ingredients, but this is what I had on hand and it went great together! Give it a try!

Ingredients:
8 large eggs
1/4 cup skim milk
1/4 cup shredded cheddar (optional)
1/2 zucchini, diced
1/2 shallot, diced
1/2 bunch asparagus, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
1-2 tb olive oil
4 oz diced prosciutto (I buy this already packaged from Citterio - it's much leaner than pancetta)
dash of salt and pepper
non-stick cooking spray
parsley (for garnish)

Directions:
In a saute pan, heat 1-2 tb olive oil and cook the zucchini and asparagus over medium-high heat for approximately 3 minutes. Lower the heat to medium and add in the shallot and cook another 1-2 minutes. Toss in the prosciutto and stir together to blend the flavors. Remove from the heat and place in a bowl to cool off for a few minutes (you don't want to add a hot mixture to the whisked eggs as it'll start cooking them). While the vegetables are softening, whisk together the eggs, milk, cheese, and a dash of salt and pepper. Also add a dash of pepper to the vegetable mixture (you won't need the salt with the prosciutto). Preheat the broiler to high. Once the vegetables have cooled a bit, add them to the egg mixture. Spray a skillet with non-stick cooking spray and pour in the egg/vegetable mixture. Heat the mixture over medium heat for approximately 5 minutes, until the sides are set but there is still a loose egg mixture in the middle. Place in the broiler and broil for 5 minutes on high heat, with the oven cracked. Remove and top with parsley and serve.