Salmon and Greens over Beans

This originally happened by using leftovers. In my refrigerator I had leftover quinoa and grilled salmon and made it into a summertime dinner with arugula and tomatoes. It was so fresh and zesty, filling and tasty, a feast of color, flavor and texture that a friend asked me for the recipe.

I sometimes plan my weekly menu with grilled fish on the weekend and make sure to have extra to jumpstart a second meal for later in the week. Perfect for a quick summertime dinner or lunch. I use whatever leftover grains I have on hand (quinoa, brown rice, or barley).

Or skip the grains. it’s just as tasty and robust without. The beans, greens, onions make it nutrient-dense.

I’ve even made this with canned salmon.

This can be modified various ways:

  • Capers instead of olives
  • Celery instead of bell peppers
  • Mint instead of parsley (but using mixed greens rather than arugula)

It makes a nice luncheon for girlfriends. Serve with fresh baguette, goat cheese and Epicurious: Olive Tapenade on the side.

For dessert:

Mango Yogurt Mousse OR

Epicurious: Raspberry Buttermilk Cake

 

Salmon and Beans over Greens
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Servings
4 servings
Servings
4 servings
Salmon and Beans over Greens
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Servings
4 servings
Servings
4 servings
Ingredients
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Instructions
Salad Dressing
  1. Place lime juice, water, minced garlic and red pepper flakes in little bowl and mix with a fork until well blended. Mix in 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, whisking constantly with the fork. Add an additional tablespoon or two of extra virgin olive oil to adjust to taste.
Salmon and Beans
  1. Place quinoa in a medium saucepan over medium heat and toast, stirring occasionally until popping sounds begin. Add 1 cup water and bring to a boil. Immediately turn heat low, cover and cook quinoa 25 minutes. Remove from stovetop, uncover and cool.
  2. While the quinoa is cooking, chop red bell pepper, green onion, parsley, cut tomatoes in half and cut pitted olives into quarters. Mix in a large bowl. Add salmon and white beans, toss together.
  3. Add quinoa and toss just until combined. Drizzle with 3/4 of salad dressing and toss until again.
  4. Toss arugula with remaining dressing and spread on a platter.
  5. Spread the salmon and bean mix over the greens, leaving a green border.
  6. I used the leftovers to make wraps for lunch the next day, spreading a wheat tortilla with plain Greek yogurt. Yum.
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Salmon with Orange and Black Olive Salsa

Maybe it is living in the US southwest, maybe it is summer heat, but somewhere along the way, I’ve developed a keen taste for fresh salsa not as a condiment for Mexican foods, but as a zesty way to dress up grilled and roasted fish fillets. Or chicken and pork tenderloin.

In this case, salmon.

Juicy orange, kalamata olives and garden-fresh basil join together in flavorful harmony enhancing the pleasure of every bite atop grilled salmon. No grill? No problem, simply roast the salmon fillet in the oven.

I like to serve this with CMF Rice or CMF Quinoa with the crunch of toasted pecans.

I’ve even served it with Quinoa Tabbouleh for a colorful summertime dinner. Add a spinach salad with sliced red bell peppers or grated carrots and toasted sunflowers seeds and dinner is a visual and tasty delight.

For dessert, Epicurious: Plum Kuchen

Variations:

  • Cilantro or parsley instead of basil
  • With or without olives
  • Green onion instead of red onion
Salmon with Orange Olive Salsa
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Servings
4 servings
Servings
4 servings
Salmon with Orange Olive Salsa
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Servings
4 servings
Servings
4 servings
Ingredients
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Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400
  2. Peel oranges, cut in slices removing center, and dice into small pieces. Place in a medium mixing bowl.
  3. Chop black olives and add to oranges. Add chopped olives, basil, green onions, balsamic vinegar and olive oil.
  4. Mix. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  5. Roast salmon in oven for 12 minutes or until center is barely cooked. Remove from oven and let rest a few minutes.
  6. Serve with orange olive salsa on top.
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Watermelon Arugula Salad with Goat Cheese

Few things sing of summer as enthusiastically as watermelon. Cold, sweet watermelon joins in spectacular harmony with sharp arugula and creamy fresh goat cheese. The crunch of toasted sunflower seeds contrasts deliciously with the watermelon and goat cheese, making this salad a feast of flavor, texture. I can taste the sunshine.

I toss the salad with CMF Basic Salad Dressing using red wine or balsamic vinegar.

It’s a perfect salad to serve with grilled steaks or chicken on a summer night. Add  CMF Quinoa or CMF Rice tossed with 1 or 2 cups of corn and 1 cup of chopped cilantro. For dessert? Mixed Berry Crisp (I reduce the sugar by half)

As beautiful to look at as it is to eat, people always go back for more of this salad.

Hello summer!

Variations

  • Add 1 cup of cherry tomatoes (or plum tomato cut in large dice). It’s especially pretty with yellow tomatoes
  • Reduce watermelon to 1 1/2 cups and add 1 1/2 cups blueberries
  • Use nuts (walnuts, pecans, pistachio etc) instead of pumpkin/sunflower seeds
  • Skip the pumpkin/sunflower seeds
  • Skip the greens
Watermelon Arugula Salad with Goat Cheese
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Variations: - Use baby kale, or finely sliced lacinto or Tuscan kale instead of arugula - Use pine nuts (I lightly toast them in a skillet) instead of sunflower seeds - Use feta instead of creamy goat cheese
Servings
4 servings
Servings
4 servings
Watermelon Arugula Salad with Goat Cheese
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Variations: - Use baby kale, or finely sliced lacinto or Tuscan kale instead of arugula - Use pine nuts (I lightly toast them in a skillet) instead of sunflower seeds - Use feta instead of creamy goat cheese
Servings
4 servings
Servings
4 servings
Ingredients
Adjust servings: servings
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Instructions
  1. Wash and spin arugula.
  2. Toss in a large bowl with watermelon and salad dressing.
  3. Add half of goat cheese and sunflower seeds, toss. Serve on a platter, sprinkle remaining goat cheese and sunflower seeds on top.
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Quinoa Tabbouleh

Love this! It’s a fun twist on traditional tabbouleh, which is made with bulgur. This dish comes out of my kitchen with  frequency during the summer months. It is very versatile; I make it as as a one-dish dinner served over a bed of spinach or as a side to grilled chicken, or roasted pork tenderloin.

It’s perfect for summer dinner parties, enjoyed by vegans/vegetarians and omnivores alike.

I’ve made it as a simple lunch for girlfriends; served on a bed of baby kale tossed with CMF Lime Vinaigrette, along with Olive Tapenade, fresh feta and pita bread.

Finished off with Peach and Blackberry Crisp served with a small scoop of plain Greek yogurt drizzled with honey and voila! Happy tummies filled with Mother Nature’s food.

As usual with my leftover grains, they get rolled into a wrap with greens and a spread of hummus or pesto. Or tossed into a salad with greens, perhaps shaved cabbage or grated carrots, whatever I have on hand.

Variations:

  • Skip tomatoes and cucumber to make it simple side dish
  • Add crumbled feta or goat cheese
  • Add feta and pitted black olives cut in half
  • Replace tomatoes with diced red bell pepper for more crunch
  • Replace tomatoes and cucumbers and add chopped roasted red bell pepper and garbanzo beans

Eat it for pleasure. Eat it for life!

Not just a delight to eat with its bursts of crunch, zing of lemon and aromatic mint, but it is so good for our bodies too.

MindBodyGreen: Why Tabouli is Such a Healthy Dish

Quinoa Tabbouleh
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Servings
4 servings
Servings
4 servings
Quinoa Tabbouleh
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Servings
4 servings
Servings
4 servings
Ingredients
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Instructions
  1. Toast quinoa in saucepan over medium heat until it starts to make popping sounds. Add water and bring to a boil. Immediately reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until quinoa is tender, about 25 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand, uncovered, until cool. Fluff with a fork.
  2. Meanwhile, whisk lemon juice and garlic in a small bowl. Gradually whisk in olive oil. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper.
  3. Transfer to a large bowl; mix in 1/4 cup dressing.
  4. Add cucumber, tomatoes, herbs, and scallions to bowl with quinoa; toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Drizzle remaining dressing over tabbouleh
  5. Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Bring to room temperature before serving.
Recipe Notes

Modified from: Epicurious: Quinoa Tabbouleh

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Sweet Potato and Russet Potato Salad with Greens and Bacon

Skip the bacon and make it vegetarian.

Did you know sweet potatoes are not the same as yams? Sweet potatoes, native of North America, are a superfood loaded with vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals. Yams are starchy roots native of Africa and also grown in tropical parts of Asia, South America and the Caribbean.

Nutritionally, sweet potatoes greatly outweigh yams. They are sweet and moist. Yams are starchy and dry. I recognize sweet potatoes by their tapered ends and thin, smooth skin. Yams have rough, dark skin.

The original recipe calls for yams. I use sweet potatoes instead, and kale rather than mustard greens. For dinner parties, if vegetarians are among the guests I split the potato salad in half and mix bacon into one half only, leaving the other half for the vegetarians. Or leave the bacon on the side, but I find it more flavorful if the bacon is mixed in.

I’ve made this the day before. But it is thirsty and soaks up the dressing. So if I make it the day before, I make extra dressing add additional dressing before serving.

Finally, for a prettier presentation I like to serve it on a platter over a bed of shredded kale (with dressing mixed in prior to putting the kale on the platter).
How to tell the difference between sweet potato and yam?

Sweet Potato and Russet Potato Salad with Greens and Bacon
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Servings
6 servings
Servings
6 servings
Sweet Potato and Russet Potato Salad with Greens and Bacon
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Servings
6 servings
Servings
6 servings
Ingredients
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Instructions
  1. Whisk first 4 ingredients in small bowl to blend. Gradually whisk in olive oil. Season dressing with salt and pepper.
  2. Steam russet potatoes until tender, about 8 minutes. Transfer to large bowl; toss with 1 tablespoon dressing.
  3. In the same pot steam sweet potatoes until tender, about 7 minutes. Transfer to medium bowl; toss with 1 tablespoon dressing.
  4. Fry bacon in large skillet until crisp. Transfer to paper towels. Drain. Crumble bacon.
  5. Add green onions, half of bacon and sweet potato to russet potatoes. Toss salad with salad dressing to coat.
  6. Season with salt and pepper.
  7. Can be made ahead. Cover and let stand at room temperature. If made ahead, add additional dressing and toss again before serving.
Recipe Notes

Source: Epicurious: Yam and Russet Potato Salad with Greens and Bacon

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Roasted Salmon with Tomato Olive Salsa

Something magical happens with this combination of tomato, black olives and basil. The flavors fuse with such harmony it makes every bite a feast for the tastebuds.

For a long time I didn’t bother seeding the tomatoes, but the salsa was so runny I finally did and discovered it is really worth it. Simply scoop seeds out with a spoon (I mix the seeds into salad dressing to put them to good use). Removing the seeds makes the salsa more chunky and prevents it from becoming too runny.

The basil is heavenly in this dish, but the salsa is also quite tasty with parsley or cilantro which what I usually have.

I like to serve this with CMF Rice or CMF Quinua usually adding toasted, chopped walnuts for crunch and that extra nutrient boost. Add an arugula (or mixed green salad) tossed with peas or with blueberries, a couple of sliced green onions with CMF Basic Salad Dressing and dinner is complete.

Make this menu for dinner guests, adding an appetizer and dessert, both of which can be made the day before:

Get an extra meal out of it, lunch or another dinner later in the week:

  • Chop up the salmon and toss with leftover tomato olive salsa, arugula and leftover rice for a one-dish salad lunch (or dinner)
  • Spread plain Greek yogurt on a wrap, place salmon, tomato olive salsa and greens and roll it up. Add leftover grains or white beans to make it a more robust meal.

 

Salmon with Tomato Olive Salsa
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Servings
4 servings
Servings
4 servings
Salmon with Tomato Olive Salsa
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Servings
4 servings
Servings
4 servings
Ingredients
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Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400. Chop tomatoes, olives, basil, onion.
  2. Combine tomatoes, 2 tablespoons oil, olives, basil, capers, garlic, and onion in medium bowl; stir to blend.
  3. Season with with salt and pepper to taste.
  4. Drizzle lemon juice on salmon; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake in preheated oven for 10 -12 minutes until begins to flake. Remove from oven.
  5. Let salmon rest a couple of minutes. Cut into serving portions and transfer to plates. Top with salsa.
Recipe Notes

Modified from Epicurious:Grilled Salmon with-Tomato Olive Salsa

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Orange Marmalade Cookies

In our garden in Cochabamba is a magical orange tree. Magical because of the astonishing amount of fruit it produces, magical because of the intense vivid flavor of not only the juice but also the peel. These oranges make the most amazing orange marmalade, I can taste the sunshine in every bite.

When I bring back a jar of that marvelous homegrown, home-made orange marmalade to Houston, it is too precious to use in these cookies. But the cookies are also so delicious that I use store bought orange marmalade to make them. When our Cochabamba marmalade is gone, these cookies are a flavor from home.

Variations

  • For an extra-special treat, I dip the cookies (baked and cooled) in chocolate. I melt about 4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate with 1 tablespoons of butter or cream. Place the cookies on a silpat or well-buttered cookie sheet until the chocolate hardens.
  • Or add chocolate chunks into the batter
Orange Marmalade Drops
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Servings
36 - 40 cookies
Servings
36 - 40 cookies
Orange Marmalade Drops
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Servings
36 - 40 cookies
Servings
36 - 40 cookies
Ingredients
Adjust servings: cookies
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Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease cookie sheets.
  2. Beat butter until soft, gradually add sugar beating until light and creamy.
  3. Mix in eggs until creamy, add marmalade and mix just until blended together.
  4. Sift flour with baking powder. Stir sifted ingredients into butter mixture.
  5. Drop the batter from a teaspoon onto a greased cookie sheet.
  6. Bake about 8 minutes.
  7. If using chocolate, once the cookies are completely cool, melt chocolate with 1 tablespoon butter or coconut oil. Dip cookies in melted chocolate and place on a silpat until chocolate is solid.
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Soba Noodles with Mushroom and Cabbage

Cabbage does not sound exciting, but the flavors of this dish are marvelous!

I’m always looking for delicious ways to maximize the nutrients in our meals and this recipe fits the bill exceptionally well because it includes 5 of 6 GBOMBs (Greens, Beans, Onions, Mushrooms, Berries, Seeds/Nuts), the most nutrient-dense foods.

Mushrooms and cabbage are powerful anti-cancer foods and this dish is loaded with them. It’s a quick dinner recipe, easily adapted to different ingredients.

Leftovers are even more delicious as the flavors meld and… it’s also yummy cold; double the recipe and voila! Lunch to take to work or to enjoy later in the week. So despite the most unattractive name of this recipe, it is a most attractive dish to make for many reasons.

[su_expanding_quote_book alignment=”right” source_author=”Joel Fuhrman MD” source_title=”Super Immunity” full_quote=”Cruciferous vegetables (such as cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower and turnips) have a unique chemical composition with proven and powerful immune-boosting effects and anticancer activity. A 20% increase in cruciferous vegetables intake corresponds to a 40% decrease in cancer rates…Mushrooms contain many unusual disease-fighting compounds that empower the body to react quickly and powerfully when we are exposed to viruses and bacteria. Frequent consumption of mushrooms can decrease the incidence of breast cancer by up to 60%. The combination of mushrooms and greens is a powerful anticancer cocktail. (Green vegetables include kale, cabbage, collards and cruciferous)” short_quote=”The combination of mushrooms and greens is a powerful anticancer cocktail”]

Variations:

  • For family friendly-dinner, leave the Sriracha out of sauce and have it on the side
  • As is for a one-dish vegan dinner
  • Use any cabbage: purple, Napa, baby bok choy
  • Add other veggies: finely sliced carrot, broccoli, bell peppers etc
  • Replace soba noodles with udon or whole-wheat spaghetti
  • Add frozen shrimp, letting them cook in the steam from the veggies
  • Add leftover chicken, I’ve even added leftover steak, thinly sliced
Soba Noodles with Mushroom and Cabbage
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Servings
4 servings
Servings
4 servings
Soba Noodles with Mushroom and Cabbage
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Servings
4 servings
Servings
4 servings
Ingredients
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Instructions
  1. Stir together water, soy sauce, brown sugar and Sriracha (if using) until brown sugar is dissolved, then set sauce aside.
  2. Toast sesame seeds in a dry 12-inch heavy skillet over medium heat, stirring, until pale gold. Cool.
  3. Heat sesame oil in skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers, sauté ginger and garlic, stirring, about 1 minute.
  4. Add mushrooms and sauté, stirring frequently, until tender and starting to brown, 6 - 8 minutes. Reduce heat to medium, add cabbage and half of scallions, cook, stirring occasionally, until cabbage is crisp-tender, about 6 minutes. Add sauce and simmer 2 minutes.
  5. While cabbage is cooking, cook soba and edamame together in a pot of boiling water until noodles are just tender, about 6 minutes. Drain in a colander and rinse under cool water to stop cooking and remove excess starch, then drain well again.
  6. Toss soba noodles and edamame with vegetables and most of sesame seeds and reserved scallions.
  7. Sprinkle remaining sesame seeds on top and serve.
Recipe Notes

Modified from Epicurious.com: Spicy Soba Noodles with Shiitakes and Cabbage

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Cauliflower “Fried Rice”

Here’s a fantastic way to enjoy cauliflower – a rather-tasteless-boring-white vegetable. Ha! Yeah those were my sentiments; I confess I avoided cauliflower until recently. Discovering how powerful it is to our immune system motivated me to find ways to eat it. And as always in my kitchen – nutritious must also be delicious!

So thank you SkinnyTaste for introducing me to Cauliflower “Fried Rice”! I’ve made multiple iterations; consider this a baseline rather than a precise recipe and go creative with what’s seasonal or in your kitchen.

Cauliflower is a cruciferous along with broccoli, Brussels sprouts and cabbage.

“ Cruciferous vegetables are among the most powerful weapons in our dietary arsenal against cancer. That alone would elevate it to the status of a SuperFood. Cruciferous vegetables boost the immune system, lowers the incidence of cataracts, supports cardiovascular health, builds bones and fights birth defects. They are some of the most nutrient-dense foods known offering an incredible high level of nutrition for a very low caloric cost. Steven Pratt MD and Kathy Matthews” SuperFoods: Fourteen Foods that Will Change Your Life”

Variations:

  • Skip the eggs, add edamame or tofu for protein to make it vegan
  • Or go the other way and add leftover chicken, pork or shrimp
  • Replace peas with edamame or snap peas (cut diagonally in halves or thirds)
  • Add mushrooms; wash, trim stems and slice. Cook with the chopped red onion
Cauliflower “Fried Rice”
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Servings
4 servings
Servings
4 servings
Cauliflower “Fried Rice”
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Servings
4 servings
Servings
4 servings
Ingredients
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Instructions
  1. Coarsely chop cauliflower into large pieces. Put one-third in food processor and pulse just until cauliflower has the texture of rice. Remove from processor and repeat two more times until all cauliflower is “riced. Be careful not to over-process.
  2. Whisk eggs in a small bowl. Heat a large skillet or wok over medium heat with1 tablespoons sesame seed oil Add the eggs and cook, stirring occasionally until done. Remove egg from skillet.
  3. Add 1 tablespoon sesame oil to pan, saute onions, until they start to become translucent, add red bell pepper and garlic and cook another 3 - 4 minutes, stirring.
  4. Add cauliflower and peas to skillet, mix until combined. Mix in soy sauce. Cover and cook over high heat 5 more minutes, stirring frequently, until cauliflower is slightly crispy on the outside but tender on the inside.
  5. Add the egg. Remove skillet from heat and mix in scallions and parsley
Recipe Notes

Inspired by

Skinnytaste Cauliflower Fried Rice

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Moroccan Chicken Tagine with Apricots and Almonds

An authentic tagine is a stew that takes its name from the heavy earthenware pot in which it is slow cooked, traditionally over an open fire, or bed of charcoal.

I don’t have an actual tagine ceramic pot, but I LOVE making tagine stews. The flavors are a feast, with the added bonus that the flavor compounds in spices are powerful antioxidants.

Tagine dishes are slow-cooked savory stews, typically made with meat, poultry or fish together with vegetables or fruit. Spices, nuts, and dried fruits are also used. Common spices include ginger, cumin, turmeric, cinnamon, and saffron.

Although tagines are usually served on their own, I like to serve this over quinoa or couscous along with a green salad.

Chicken Tagine with Apricots and Almonds
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Servings
4 servings
Servings
4 servings
Chicken Tagine with Apricots and Almonds
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Servings
4 servings
Servings
4 servings
Ingredients
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Instructions
  1. Stir together ground cinnamon, ginger, turmeric, pepper and salt in a small bowl.
  2. Heat olive oil in skillet over moderate heat, add onion and sauté until it begins to turn translucent. Add mixed spices and chopped garlic, mix 2 minutes.
  3. Add 3/4 cup water, mix. Add chicken, cinnamon stick and apricots. Tie cilantro in a bundle, add to pot.
  4. Cover and simmer 25 – 30 minutes.
  5. Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a small skillet over moderate heat and cook almonds about 2 minutes just until golden. Cool and coarsely chop.
  6. Discard herbs and cinnamon stick; serve chicken with almonds sprinkled on top.
Recipe Notes

Modified from Epicurious: Chicken Tagine with Apricots and Almonds

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