Salad with Pan-Fried Salmon

Like mentioned earlier this week, today's recipe is a salad that includes yesterday's Pan-Fried Salmon recipe (http://alwaystrynewthins.blogspot.com/2014/02/pan-fried-salmon.html).  D. said this main dish salad is filling and delicious.  He said that the combination of the fresh salad and the fresh salmon made it light but filling and that it was a delicious meal that he wouldn't mind having every day.  That's a win for me!

I used a spring blend salad mix for our salad and filled our plates with a generous amount of lettuce.

Then I cooked the salmon (see yesterday's post for that recipe).

Then place the salmon (one filet per salad) on the lettuce.  As you can see, I cut the salmon in half during the cooking process to be able to see if it was fully cooked easier, so each of my salads got two pieces.  Then drizzle Italian salad dressing over the salad and enjoy!

Salad with Pan-Fried Salmon
Ingredients:
Salad Blend or Lettuce of your choice
Salmon
Italian Salad Dressing

Steps:
1.  Cook salmon according to recipe (http://alwaystrynewthings.blogspot.com/2014/02/pan-fried-salmon.html).
2.  Place generous amount of salad or lettuce on plate.  Place salmon on top and drizzle with Italian salad dressing.

Pan-Fried Salmon

This salmon recipe is really simple, but delicious.  It can be served as a main dish, or as part of tomorrow's main dish salad.

Rinse salmon filets under cold water.  Then gently rub both sides of each filet with salt and pepper.

Drizzle oil on griddle or in frying pan.  Place fillets in and cook about 5 minutes on each side until cooked through and golden brown and lightly crispy on both sides.

Pan-Fried Salmon
Ingredients:
2 Fresh Salmon Filets (about 6 oz. each)
Pinch of salt and pepper
Olive oil (to drizzle on pan)

Steps:
1.  Rinsh each filet under cold water.
2.  Rub both sides of each filet with salt and pepper.
3.  Drizzle olive oil on griddle or frying pan and place filets on/in pan.
4.  Cook over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes on each side, or until cooked through and lightly brown and crispy on each side.

Asparagus with a Lemon-Mayonnaise Sauce

When D. and I got married and went on our first grocery shopping trip together, I tried to buy some asparagus, but he wouldn't let me saying that he didn't like asparagus.  We've now been married almost 3 years, and he's found very few things that I make that he doesn't like, so he's started letting me make more variety now, including a couple of recipes that include asparagus.  When he ate this asparagus recipe, he gave it a rating of 5 out of 5 stars.  This dish can be served by itself as a side dish, or can even be served over rice (as pictured) for a simple healthy main dish for lunch or dinner.

First, trim the ends of your asparagus, to remove the discolored, woody part of the end of the asparagus (where the green starts to fade).  I also decided to make all my asparagus the same length after I had done this and laid them next to each other, lining up the tops and cutting the ones that were longer to make them the same.  Then lay your asparagus in a shallow casserole dish, or a 9x13" pan.  Drizzle with melted butter.

Next make your lemon-mayonnaise sauce by mixing together mayo, lemon juice, salt, pepper, dry mustard, and minced garlic.  Then drizzle this sauce evenly over your asparagus.

Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese.  Bake at 400 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until asparagus is crisp-tender and Parmesan and breadcrumbs are lightly browned.

Asparagus with a Lemon-Mayonnaise Sauce
Ingredients:
1 lb. fresh asparagus
2 Tbsp. melted butter
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/8 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1/8 tsp. dry mustard
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
1/2 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese

Steps:
1.  Trim asparagus and place in greased shallow casserole dish or 9x13" pan.
2.  Drizzle melted butter over asparagus.
3.  Blend mayonnaise, lemon juice, seasonings, and minced garlic.  Pour evenly over asparagus.
4.  Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and then Parmesan cheese.
5.  Bake at 400 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until asparagus is crisp-tender and Parmesan and breadcrumbs are golden brown.

Baked "Fried" Pickles

A couple of years ago, a friend introduced me to fried pickles when we went out to lunch together.  I thought they were okay, but not so much that I would want to try them.  Then when I was visiting my family last summer, my mom stopped at the local Sheetz gas station to gas up the car and get some lunch.  They had what I guess you would call it a fast food spot inside, where you could get burgers, hot dogs, salads, fries, and many more items, including fried pickles.  This time, I thought they were actually pretty good and I might like to try to make some sometime.  However, a couple of months later, while making homemade corn dogs, I burnt my fingers with the oil I was frying them in and D. said he doesn't want me to fry things.  At least for now, I'm making him happy by not frying foods for my own health.  However, if I ever find a long handled strainer, or get a deep fryer with a basket with long handles, or find some other way to ensure I won't burn myself, I might start trying to fry things again.  There are so many delicious fried foods I want to try to make, including actually frying pickles.  But in the meantime, I decided to try to make a baked version of fried pickles.  I decided to do this by breading the pickles and then baking them at a high temperature so they would hopefully still stay perfectly pickle-y on the inside, but get crispy on the outside.  And my idea actually worked.  They were delicious.  Not as amazing as pickles that have been deep-fried, but a pretty good alternative.

You can either slice whole dill pickles yourself, or you can use pre-sliced pickles.  I sliced my own, because I had an open jar of pickles in my fridge.  I ended up making 3 dozen, but still had plenty of flour, egg, and breadcrumbs left over, so I could have made more.  (I think I will do that later this week.  They were so delicious!  At least in my opinion.  D. said they were okay, but that he doesn't really like fried pickles to start with.)

Once you have your pickle slices, your next step is really easy, but really important.  Use a paper towel or napkin and blot them dry.  You want to remove some of the salty brine so your "fried" pickles aren't super salty.

Next, coat in flour.   I just dropped each slice in the flour, and flipped them to coat the other side and this step was done.

Then you need to do an egg wash.  Beat an egg in a separate bowl and dip both sides of the pickle slices in the egg to coat them completely.

Then using another bowl with seasoned breadcrumbs, coat each pickle slice again.

Lay each of your pickle slices on a greased baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees for about 5 minutes.  Then flip them over and bake for an additional 5 minutes until both sides are crispy and golden brown.

And there you have it.  Crispy.  Salty.  Delicious!  Baked "Fried" Pickles!  You can eat them with Ranch dressing, or just the way they are (how I prefer mine).

Baked "Fried" Pickles
Ingredients:
3 dozen pickle slices (about 4 whole pickles)
1 egg
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup seasoned breadcrumbs

Steps:
1.  Slice pickle slices if using whole pickles.
2.  Blot each pickle slice dry using a paper towel or napkin.
3.  Coat each pickle slice in flour, followed by a coat of egg, and then breadcrumbs.  Place on a greased baking sheet.
4.  Bake pickle slices at 400 degrees for 5 minutes.  Flip each slice and bake for an additional 5 minutes.
5.  Serve immediately either by themselves or with ranch dressing.

Citrus Blast Smoothie

M., A., and I all caught a cold recently, so I decided to share this delicious smoothie with you.  D. and I love it because it's healthy and full of Vitamin C at the same time.  M. loves it because it's "juice", which he would drink all day if I'd let him.

I found a frozen fruit mix that I love at Walmart that contained pineapples, strawberries, peaches, mangos, and bananas.  You can make your own frozen fruit mix like this by cutting fresh fruits and freezing on a baking sheet lined with wax paper.  When fruits are individually frozen, remove from the baking sheet and place in ziploc bags until ready to use.

Combine fruits, and orange juice in blender and blend until smooth.  Adjust thickness of smoothie by adding more or less juice to achieve your desired thickness.

Citrus Blast Smoothie

Ingredients:

2 cups frozen fruit mixture (pineapples, strawberries, peaches, mangos, and bananas)

1 cup orange juice

Steps:

1.  Combine frozen fruit mixture and orange juice in blender.  Blend until smooth.

2.  Add more juice if thinner smoothie is desired.  Add less juice if thicker smoothie is desired.

Salsa and Black Bean Scrambled Eggs

D. asked for eggs for breakfast the other day, but I didn't want to make plain scrambled eggs.  I looked in the pantry to see what I had that I could add to the eggs and found a can of black beans and a jar of salsa.  Perfect!  The beans and the eggs would make a protein filled breakfast and the salsa would add some flavor and spice.

This was a really easy breakfast that was full of flavor.  First I cooked my scrambled eggs.

Then I added the can of black beans.

At this point, I scooped out some for M. because he doesn't really like salsa yet.  Then I added salsa and mixed it all together before dishing it out for D. and myself.

You can sprinkle some shredded cheese on top and eat with a dollop of sour cream if desired.

Salsa and Black Bean Scrambled Eggs
Ingredients:
8 eggs
15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
16 oz. jar salsa
Shredded cheese (optional)
Sour cream (optional)

Steps:
1.  Cook scrambled eggs.
2.  Mix in black beans.
3.  Mix in salsa.
4.  If desired, sprinkle shredded cheese on top and eat with a dollop of sour cream.

Recipes for the week of February 23

This week will still consist of 7 recipes like usual, but like last week, one of the recipes is a part of the main dish recipe.  And technically the recipe that is a part of the other could be a main dish on it's own.

I will share a breakfast recipe today, a drink recipe tomorrow, an appetizer recipe on Tuesday, and a vegetable recipe on Wednesday.  Thursday's recipe will be a recipe for salmon, that could be served as a main dish on its own served with some rice and the other recipes from earlier in the week.  Or you can use it as a part of the main dish salad that will be shared on Friday.   Then, of course, I will share a dessert recipe on Saturday.

D. doesn't really enjoy salads for dinner, but said that the Taco Salad (recipe from last Friday), and the Salad with Pan-Fried Salmon (this Friday's recipe) are both great for dinner.  He especially liked this week's salad because it tasted so fresh and healthy, and just the one plate was filling enough that he didn't ask for more.

Banana Split Ice Cream Pizza

I love banana split sundaes.  The combination of the ice cream with the bananas, and the different toppings, including nuts, sprinkles, chocolate and caramel sauce, whipped cream, and of course a cherry on top.  Well, I've had an idea in my head for a while to try to make a dessert pizza that would be inspired by an ice cream sundae, so I created it.  It was so delicious and the best part is that everyone eating can top it however they want!  Here are some examples of the finished slices:

First I made the cookie crust by breaking up a roll of Pillsbury Sugar Cookie dough and pressing it evenly onto a greased pizza pan.

Then, I baked the crust for 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees or until it was golden brown.  I then let it cool for about 30 minutes until it was completely cool.

After it had cooled, I spread my softened ice cream onto the crust and put it in the freezer until the ice cream was hard and we were ready to eat.  (Apparently I didn't put it in flat, because as you can see in the picture the ice cream slid to one side before refreezing.  Oops.)  Then, I used a pizza cutter to cut it into 8 equal slices.

Then everyone topped their own slice with the toppings of their choice.  I forgot to have sprinkles available, but we had chopped nuts, chocolate syrup, caramel syrup, banana slices, whipped cream, and maraschino cherries.

Banana Split Ice Cream Pizza
Ingredients:
1 roll Pillsbury Sugar Cookie Dough
2-3 cups vanilla ice cream, softened
Bananas, sliced
Chopped nuts
Chocolate syrup
Caramel syrup
Whipped cream
Maraschino cherries

Steps:
1.  Break up cookie dough and spread on well-greased pizza pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown.
2.  Let crust cool completely, about 30 minutes.  When crust is almost cool, remove ice cream from freezer so it can soften.
3.  Spread softened ice cream on cookie crust and place flat in freezer to refreeze ice cream.  
4.  Remove pizza from freezer just before serving and slice.
5.  Each person can top their slice the way they want with their desired toppings.

Taco Salad

One of our favorite salads for dinner is Taco Salad.  It is full of vegetables and is filling.

We put a small handful of corn chips on our plate and then a generous amount of lettuce.  (I usually chop of head of lettuce fresh when making taco salad for dinner.)    Then we'll top our salad with our toppings.  The toppings vary each time, and we can choose how much of each topping we want.  Toppings we use include:  kidney beans, refried beans, taco meat, freshly chopped tomatoes, freshly chopped onions, sliced black olives, sliced cucumbers, chopped bell peppers, chopped avocado, salsa, and sour cream.

Taco Salad
Ingredients:
Corn chips
Lettuce
Taco Meat (Ground Beef and Taco Seasoning)
Kidney Beans (optional)
Refried Beans (optional)
Tomatoes, diced (optional)
Onion, chopped (optional)
Black olives, sliced (optional)
Cucumbers, sliced (optional)
Bell peppers, chopped (optional)
Avocado, chopped (optional)
Salsa (optional)
Sour cream (optional)

Steps:
1.  Make taco meat by browning 1 lb. ground beef and mixing in a packet of taco seasoning or 2 Tbsp. homemade taco seasoning.  (Find my recipe for homemade taco seasoning at http://alwaystrynewthings.blogspot.com/2014/02/homemade-taco-seasoning.html.)
2.  Place a small handful of corn chips on plate.  Top with a generous amount of lettuce and a small amount of taco meat. Top with additional toppings as desired.

Homemade Taco Seasoning

Since D. wants to eat healthier, I've been looking into ways to make some of our favorite foods healthier for us.  One of the ways I'm trying to do this is by making things by scratch, that I might have previously bought from a store, including pre-packaged seasonings.  Many store bought seasoning packets contain high amounts of sodium as well as many preservatives that are not so good for our bodies.  By making my own seasonings I can eliminate these preservatives and I can limit the amount of sodium in them.  Today I will share with you my recipe for my homemade taco seasoning.

Taco Seasoning

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp. chili powder

1 Tbsp. ground cumin

1 Tbsp. garlic powder

1 Tbsp. onion powder

1/4 -1/2 Tbsp. crushed red pepper

Steps:

1.  Mix well and store in an airtight container.  Stores for a longer length of time if stored in the freezer.

2.  To use, use 2 Tbsp. per pound of meat (or in place of a packet of taco seasoning when called for in a recipe).

Green Bean Bundles

This recipe for green beans is delicious and has just a hint of sweetness.  And it's really easy to make.

First, trim the ends of your green beans, so you don't have any stems left on them.  Separate your green beans into piles of 5 or 6 beans.  I got about 10 piles with  in each pile.

Then wrap a slice of bacon around each bunch of green beans.  If cooking right away, place each bundle in a 9x13" pan.  Sprinkle salt and pepper over each bundle and sprinkle 2 Tablespoons of brown sugar evenly over all the bundles.  Bake at 400 degrees for about 15-20 minutes, or until bacon and beans are cooked all the way through.

You can also freeze these for a future meal.  Instead of placing the bacon-wrapped bean bundles in a 9x13" pan, spread them out on a wax-paper lined baking sheet and freeze.  Then transfer them to a gallon-size Ziploc bag labeled with the date and cooking instructions.

When ready to cook, place in 9x13" pan directly from the freezer and bake at 400 degrees for 20-30 minutes, or until bacon and beans are cooked through.

Green Bean Bundles
Ingredients:
1 lb. fresh green beans
1/2 lb. bacon slices
Salt and Pepper
2 Tbsp. brown sugar

Steps:
1.  Trim ends of green beans and separate into piles of 5 or 6 beans.
2.  Wrap one piece of bacon around each pile of beans.
3.  Place in 9x13" pan and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and brown sugar.
4.  Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes, or until bacon and beans are cooked through.
5.  TO FREEZE:  Place uncooked bacon-wrapped bean bundles on a wax paper lined baking sheet and freeze.  Transfer to gallon-size Ziploc bag labeled with cooking instructions.  Bake in 9x13" pan, directly from freezer, sprinkled with salt, pepper, and brown sugar, for about 20-30 minutes at 400 degrees, or until bacon and beans are cooked through.

Loaded Nachos

This is a fun appetizer for a party, or can be turned into a meal for one or two people.

First cook your ground beef until browned.  I cooked my ground beef for another recipe at the same time, so if you're only cooking the meat for the nachos it won't look like as much as mine.

Spread your chips on a baking sheet.

Empty a can of refried beans into a microwave safe bowl and microwave for about a minute until you can stir it smooth.

Spread your ground beef along the top of the chips.

Drop small scoops of the beans on top of the chips in random places so they're spread out.

Sprinkle olives around on top of the chips.  Top with 1 cup of shredded cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes until heated through and cheese is melted.  Top with another cup of cheese and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes until cheese is melted.

To serve, let each person put some on a plate and have salsa and sour cream available for on top of the nachos.

Loaded Nachos
Ingredients:
1/2 bag tortilla chips
1/2 lb. ground beef
1 can refried beans
1-2 oz. can sliced black olives
2 cups shredded cheese of your choice (I used 1 cup mozzarella and 1 cup cheddar), divided
Salsa
Sour Cream

Steps:
1.  Cook ground beef until browned.
2.  Heat refried beans in a microwave safe bowl for about 1 minute or until warm and able to stir smooth.
3.  Spread chips on baking sheet and top with beef, beans, olives, and half of shredded cheese.
4.  Bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees until heated through and cheese is melted.
5.  Top with remaining cheese and bake an additional 10-15 minutes until cheese is melted.
6.  Serve with salsa and sour cream.