by zan@zeliciousrecipes.com | Appetizers, Salads
If you are looking for a healthy protein appetizer for the holidays, here is a fun little crostini with some lemon dressed arugula, cannellini beans (white kidney beans), organic chicken breast and slices of parmesan cheese. I actually mainly use organic ingredients for most of my dishes, including this one. I used the Eden organic brand beans as they pack them in bisphenol-A (BPA) free can linings. I also found a great canned organic chicken breast by Valley Fresh Organic White Chicken Breast or you can also use the breast from a baked chicken.
Ingredients:
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
- 1 tsp of sugar or ½ tsp of raw honey for the Paleo fans
- salt and pepper to taste
- 4 cups baby arugula
- 1 can of organic Cannellini Beans (or white kidney beans)
- 1 can (12.5 oz.) of organic chicken breast
- ½ cup sliced Parmesan Cheese
- 16 crostini (Make sure they are not too thick)
Mix the first 4 ingredients into a large bowl. Split the dressing in half. Add in arugula to one bowl lightly toss. Add the beans, chicken and parmesan into the second bowl of dressing and toss. Add some salt and pepper to the bean and chicken mixture. Place a pinch of the arugula onto the crostini, then add a heaping tablespoon of the chicken and bean mixture. For decoration you can also add one slice of the parmesan on top of the chicken. If your crostinis are too thick or hard, I tried spooning some of the dressing on them before stacking ingredients, as it softens up the bread a little. (Be sure to account for additional dressing if you do this). Test it out to see what works best for you before you serve this to your guests.
by zan@zeliciousrecipes.com | Fish
What is Cobia you ask? Cobia is a mild flavored white fish, and a great sustainable substitute for salmon or sea bass. It has also been called black kingfish. Open Blue’s Cobia fish are carefully raised in deep pristine waters and is always sourced from the open ocean. Open Blue Cobia is pure, healthy and safe – free of contaminants, hormones, colorants and pesticides. They raise their fish in a stress free, low density and high-energy environment. This results in healthier fish that is naturally high in protein and very rich in Omega 3 (DHA & EPA), with levels almost 2X as high as farmed Atlantic salmon. There is a great story about Open Blue and their founder Brian O’Hanlon, by Daniel Stone of National Geographic (click here to read more).
Open Blue Cobia is a truly versatile fish that offers a world of culinary possibilities. I have had some amazing Cobia dishes created by one of our favorite restaurants in Boulder, Centro Latin Kitchen on Pearl street. If you want to buy Cobia you can find it at this website: http://www.chefsfreshfish.com/Cobia-Fillet-p/e725a.htm
I will be posting my own recipes for Cobia, starting with this one:
Soy Marinated Cobia
For the Fish:
- 1 ½ pound of Cobia cut into 6 even pieces
- 1/2 cup chopped green onions
- 3 tablespoons minced peeled fresh ginger
- 3 tablespoons Chinese rice wine or dry Sherry, divided
- 2 tablespoons peanut oil or vegetable oil, divided
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
For the Sauce:
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons Asian sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons Chinese rice wine or dry Sherry
- 1/4 cup chopped green onions
PREPARATION
For fish:
Rinse fish and pat dry. Mix green onions, ginger, 1 tablespoon rice wine, 1 tablespoon oil, and soy sauce in 11x7x2-inch glass baking dish. Add fish and turn to coat. Let marinate 1 hour at room temperature (but no longer as you will loose the taste of the fish).
For sauce:
Bring first 6 ingredients to boil in heavy small saucepan, stirring to dissolve sugar. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until sauce is slightly thickened and reduced to 1/3 cup, about 6 minutes.
Remove fish from marinade and place on several layers of paper towels to drain; reserve marinade. Pat fish dry. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a iron skillet, then fish pieces, spreading evenly. Cover and cook 30 seconds. Uncover and loosen fish pieces with metal spatula. Reduce heat to medium and cook 1 minute. Turn fish pieces over; cook 1 minute. Add remaining 2 tablespoons rice wine and reserved marinade from fish. Cover and cook 1 minute. Remove skillet from heat; let fish stand covered until just opaque in center, about 1 minute. Using metal spatula, transfer fish and sauce from skillet to plate. Spoon sauce over fish; sprinkle with green onions.
by zan@zeliciousrecipes.com | Pastas, Vegetables
Yes, another pasta dish. Here is a simple pasta dish to make with some zucchini and pecorino. Makes 4 “european” size portions.
Ingredients:
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 small yellow onion diced approximately ¾” cup
- 5 cloves chopped garlic
- 4 small-medium zucchini chopped in ¼” pieces
- ½ cup pecorino cheese
- ½ cup cream
- ¼ cup chopped fresh basil
- ¼ cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
- ½ tsp pepper
- salt to taste
- 4 servings of pasta – I used spaghetti but I think Fussili or Farfale would have been better
Preparation:
In large pot, boil pasta water. Add pasta to salted boiling water. Zucchini takes about 15 minutes to time your pasta accordingly. In a large sauce pan, on medium-high heat melt the butter. Add in the onions and garlic until translucent. Add in the zucchini and cook until zucchini start to brown slightly. Add in the cream and cook until it thickens. (If sauce gets too thick you can add in some of the pasta water). Add salt to taste and parsley and basil. Drain pasta keeping some water for reserve (to thin out the sauce if too heavy for your liking). Plate pasta onto each bowl, add the zucchini mixture. Add in the cheese to each plate. Toss before eating.
by zan@zeliciousrecipes.com | Meats, Sauces, Vegetables
With recommended pairings from my favorite book, The Flavor Bible by Karen Page and Andrew Dorenburg, I combined Lamb with rosemary & garlic; Potatoes with rosemary, garlic, sour cream and chives, and added in “pea puree”, combined with cooked onions, garlic, chives and creme fraîche.
For the lamb:
- 3 lamb tenderloins
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 tbsp on chopped fresh rosemary
- 5 cloves of garlic
- salt and pepper
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 tsp chopped flat leaf parsley
Place all of the ingredients in a plastic bag and add the lamb and move around to make sure the lamb is covered evenly with marinade. Place in the refrigerator for 24 hours. To cook the lamb place 2 tbsp of butter in iron skillet on high heat. Add salt and pepper to the lamb, and place lamb in skillet, sear all sides and cook until internal temperature reaches 135 degrees (for medium rare). Remove from skillet and allow the lamb to rest for 5 minutes. Internal temperature should be around 140-145 degrees.
For the potatoes:
- ⅓ cup of olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves finely chopped
- 2 tbsp of rosemary
- 3 cups of new potatoes cut in half
- salt
- ½ cup sour creme
- 1 tsp chopped chives
Set oven to bake at 400 degrees. Mix olive oil, rosemary and garlic in large mixing bowl. Add the potatoes and toss so potatoes are covered with oil mixture. Add potatoes to cookie sheet or large oven proof pan. Sprinkle salt on potatoes. Place in oven for 20-25 minutes, or until cooked. If you want to crisp them a bit, turn oven to broil and broil them for a few minutes until browned.
For the Pea Puree:
- 1 bag of frozen sweet peas
- ½ yellow onion finely chopped
- 3 cloves of garlic finely chopped
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp chopped chives
- ⅓ cup créme fraîche
- salt
Cook the peas in a saucepan of salted boiling water for 2-3 minutes. Melt butter in a pan over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic. Cook stirring 3 -5 minutes until softened. Add in strained peas and cook for another minute. Transfer all ingredients including the chives to a food processor with an S blade. (my favorite is the Brevile Sous Chef) and puree until smooth. Place into a bowl, and slowly fold in the crime fraîche. Add salt to taste.
Plating:
Place a nice smear of the pea puree onto the center of the plate. Add the roasted potatoes on top of the puree on one side, and the lamb on the other side. Sprinkle lamb with parsley, add a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of chives to the potatoes. And voilà! Dinner is served!
by zan@zeliciousrecipes.com | Fish, Vegetables
My family loves salmon, not only because of the taste, but the health benefits as well. It’s packed with Omega-3 fatty acids and is an excellent source of high-quality protein, vitamins and minerals (including potassium, selenium and vitamin B12). I like to try different recipes with salmon so that my family doesn’t get sick of it. Here is a recipe I found, but made some modifications to it.
Ingredients:
For the Salmon:
- 4 6-ounce pieces of salmon, skin and bones removed
- 4 teaspoons of soy sauce
- ½ cup minced red onion
- 1 lemon, quartered
For the Mushrooms:
- 2 tbsp salted butter
- 4 cups wild mushrooms (creminis, chanterelles, or oysters)
- 1 tbsp chopped rosemary
- 5 cloves of chopped garlic
- salt and freshly ground pepper
For the Lentils:
- 2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ cup chopped yellow onion
- 2 cups of chicken broth (bone broth is even better – more protein)
- ⅓ cup julienned prosciutto
- 2 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
- salt and freshly ground pepper
Directions:
For the Lentils: Place the olive oil in a medium sauce-pan and warm over medium heat. Add the onions to the pan and cook until onions are translucent (approx. 3-4 minutes). Add the chicken stock and lentils to the pan, boil then reduce heat to a simmer. cook for 20 to 40 minutes (depends on the type of lentils being used – best to follow the package instructions). Once cooked to desired consistency (I prefer a little al dente), remove from heat, fold in the prosciutto and chopped parsley. Season with salt and pepper.
For the Mushrooms: trim the end of the stems from the mushroom and slice into ¼ inch slices. Bake the mushrooms covered in oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Then, Place 1 tbsp. butter in a large sauce pan, on medium heat and add the garlic and rosemary. Cook until garlic is cooked through. With a slotted spoon, remove the garlic and rosemary, leaving any butter in the pan. Add the other tbsp and mushrooms to the pan, and cook. I prefer my mushrooms a little browned. Cook for 5 minutes or until they reached desired consistency. Remove mushrooms and season with salt and pepper.
For the Salmon: Rub the salmon with the soy sauce, place under broiler for 3-4 minutes. In an even coat, add the onions and return to broiler, make sure not to burn the onions, or over cook the salmon. (I cooked my for 7 minutes on the 3rd shelf down from the top, so it did not burn). Remove Salmon and squeeze lemon over it.
Assembly: In the center of each plate, spoon some cooked lentils, place salmon on top, and spoon on the mushrooms. Sprinkle with parsley.
