Grilled Salmon with Mango Cilantro Salsa

I'm not sure what it is, but the combination of salmon, mango, and cilantro is DIVINE! It's mango season and grilling season! This is a great, healthy dinner.

Serves 2.
What you need:
 1 mango, peeled and chopped
1/2 T minced garlic
1/2 T minced jalapeno (more or less to taste)
1 T lime juice
1/8-1/4 C chopped cilantro
3 green onions, green part only, chopped

2 salmon filets, mine were skinless (scale-less?) and about 7 ounces
salt and pepper
1 t. olive oil

If possible, make salsa ahead of time. Peel and chop mango, getting as much flesh off the pit as possible. Mix first 6 ingredients in a bowl and put in the fridge to chill.

Rub salmon fillets with olive oil and a dash of salt at pepper. Let them warm up as you preheat the grill to medium heat. I have a thing about scales so I buy fillets without-but if your fish has scales, put it scale-side down. I cook it on foil so it doesn't fall through and because I lost the neat cedar planks I bought. Cooking time will depend on the thickness of your fish, but it should be pink and flake easily. I like my meat pretty well-cooked, and I'd say it took mine about 10 minutes per side.

Top cooked salmon with salsa and enjoy!

Suggested side: any veggie, especially one you can throw on the grill. Look, no dishes to wash! (Well, not too many)

Verdict:
Totally delicious. I could eat this just about every night. This time my mango salsa seemed to make more than the first time I made it; could possibly cover 3 salmon pieces.

Simple Roasted Vegetables

This recipe is meant to inspire you, not necessarily to be followed exactly! I've never made it the same way twice- just use the vegetables you have on hand. It is a delicious and healthy vegetable side to any dish.

What you need:
-1-2 t. olive oil
-variety of roasted vegetables: some good ones are: broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, brussel sprouts, sweet potatoes, turnips, carrots, zucchini, cubed squash, bell peppers.....

What to do:
-Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Chop all veggies into bite-size pieces. I just cut asparagus in half, though.
-Toss the vegetables, oil, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Heck, toss them right in the pan if you don't want to dirty a bowl! I'm extra lazy so I line the pan with aluminum foil.

-Spread veggies out in the pan and put in the oven. Stir around about every 10 minutes.
-I usually cook for about 40 minutes. It depends on how crisp/cooked you like your veggies.

Enjoy! Feel healthy!
I'm pretty sure this would be approved for any diet out there. :) It's hard to define nutrition information for it, because it just depends on the veggies you use. For weight watchers, using 1 sweet potato, 1.5 t. olive oil, and the veggies pictured above it is 2 points for 1/8 of the veggies on the pan.

Portabello Pizzas

This is a great snack or light meal when served with a salad or some veggies! Serves 2.

What you need:
-2 large portabello mushrooms
-2 T. pizza sauce
-1 oz. shredded mozzerella cheese
-fresh basil (optional but highly recommended)
-veggies of your choice-I used a bell pepper and pepperoncinis

What to do:
-Preheat oven to 375.
-Use a spoon to gently remove the gills from the mushrooms,and cut off the stem. Wash.

-Spray pan and both sides of mushroom with cooking spray. Cook for about 35 minutes, turning halfway through.
-When mushroom has reached desired doneness, remove from oven and turn it up to broil. Put 1 T of pizza sauce and half of cheese on each mushroom. Top with desired veggies.

-Put back in oven on top rack and cook for 1-2 minutes, until cheese is melted. Remove and top with chopped fresh basil. Enjoy!

Nutrition Info:
WW Points: 3
South Beach Friendly: Yes, all phases

Turkey, Pumpkin, Bean Soup/Chili!

After I read this original recipe on Gina's Skinny Recipes, http://www.skinnytaste.com/2011/10/crockpot-turkey-white-bean-pumpkin.html, I knew I'd have to try it! Since I love black beans, had all ingredients on hand, AND people in the comments wondered how to make it with dried beans instead of canned, I decided it was worth posting my adaptation. I've made it twice so far and it's hearty, filling, and healthy. Also, I've had pureed pumpkin in my freezer with nowhere to go for who knows how long. Also, you really can't taste the pumpkin at all, but I'm pretty sure it's good for you. Here it is!

What you need:

• A little olive oil
• 1.25 lb. of ground turkey
• 1 can of dried beans, presoaked overnight.  I used 1/2 cup of Great Northern beans and 1/2 cup of black beans. Forget to soak your beans ahead of time?
• 2 C chicken broth/stock
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1 can of pureed pumpkin. NOT PUMPKIN PIE MIX. Just plain old pumpkin!
• 1 4-oz can diced green chilis
• 1-2 chopped bell peppers (I added an extra red pepper after I took the picture.)
• 2 tsp. of minced garlic, or 4 minced garlic cloves
• 2 tsp. cumin
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp. oregano
• 2 bay leaves

Optional toppings:

• Sour cream or Greek yogurt
• Green onions and or cilantro.

What to do

• Soak beans overnight or quick soak, using the method above. Try not to be alarmed by the purple beans greeting you in the morning. Rinse.
• Brown and drain ground turkey.
• While the turkey is browning, dice onion. Add beans, broth, pumpkin, green chilis, and spices to the crockpot. (You can also dice the peppers, but won't add them yet)
• Add browned turkey to crockpot, and cook on low for 7-8 hours, or high for 3 1/2-4 hours.
• I don't care for super soggy peppers so I added them in at the end., about 1/2 hour before serving.
• Serve with sour cream or Greek yogurt, green onions, and cilantro.

Verdict:
Yum! You could even add some more broth if you want this to be "soupy" but I liked the thick consistency. Add more chili powder if your family likes some kick! I liked it just the way it was.

Coconut Bison (or Beef) Curry with Vegetables

It's a cool, drizzly day and I've had some bison stew meat in the freezer for awhile. I was sick of the typical stew: meat, potatoes, carrots. This creation is what I came up with! It definitely doesn't fall under the "quick & easy" or "5 ingredients or less," but if you have the time, it's so worth the effort!

You don't HAVE to make the coconut rice, but it takes care of the "what to do with a 1/2 can of coconut milk?" question.

This is versatile as far as vegetables go. Use what you've got, and let me know what was good in the comments!

What you need:
For the curry:
1.5 cans (3 cups) light coconut milk
1 can beef broth
3 T/3 minced cloves garlic
3 T green curry paste (I actually intended to use red but green is all the store had!)
1 lb. stew meat: I used bison but beef would work Note: This turns out to have a LOT more vegetables than meat-so it's good if you're trying to stretch your meat, but you may want fewer veggies or 2 lb. meat if that's your style!
3 T lime juice
zest of 1/2 lime
1/2 t turmeric
1/4 t salt
1 T soy sauce
 2-3 cups chopped veggies. I used a parsnip, a turnip, 2 carrots, a bell pepper, green beans, and snow peas. Broccoli, cauliflower and sweet potatoes are good in curries too!
2 T each of chopped cilantro and basil leaves
toasted coconut

For the rice:
1 C basmati rice
1 1/4 C water
1 C (1/2 can) coconut milk

What to do:
Chop up veggies and, if not already cubed, meat
Bring coconut milk and broth to a boil, lower heat and let simmer for a few minutes
Add curry paste and garlic and let simmer a few more minutes
Add stew meat and bring back to a boil
Add lime juice, lime zest, turmeric and salt
Add vegetables
Lower heat to a simmer and cover

Start rice: put all rice ingredients in a pot, bring to a boil, remove from heat, cover, and let sit for about 20 minutes.

Let curry cook until meat is cooked through and vegetables soften: 20-30 minutes. Stir in basil and cilantro

Serve over rice. Top with toasted coconut (to toast coconut, a few minutes before you're done, put shredded coconut in a dry pan over low heat and watch it like a hawk until it's lightly browned!)

Verdict/Changes for Next Time:



This was very delicious! I loved the coconut flavor of the rice! A few small changes: I'd use a red pepper if photographing, better colors. :) And it ended up quite liquid-y, even with a bit of corn starch added in. I think I'd let the coconut milk/broth mixture reduce down a bit more before adding the other ingredients. But, overall, it was really, really tasty and I can't wait for the leftovers tomorrow!

My new favorite shrimp recipe!

Thanks again to Kalyn's Kitchen for this delicious shrimp recipe! I've been eating it a couple times a week since I found it, and actually looked online to see if you can get sick from eating too much shrimp (you know, like tuna with mercury?). Good news: you can't! The great news is this takes about a minute to prepare and 8 minutes to cook-love it!


http://www.kalynskitchen.com/2010/02/recipe-for-quick-and-easy-spicy-broiled.html

You'll have to excuse my lousy cell phone picture, I was too eager to eat to bother with my real camera!
*It turns out I'm not able to upload from my cell phone at the moment. Check out Kalyn's pictures, they're mouth-watering!*

Easy Crockpot Chicken Taco Soup/Chili/Taco Filling

It's not exactly a soup. It's not exactly chili. It could be put in a taco shell or burrito, served over rice, or on top of a salad. Whatever it is, it's delicious and SO easy! I love to make something like this on a Sunday night because it can be made into many different meal during the week!

What you need:

-3 chicken breasts (I threw mine in frozen)
-2 cans black (or any) beans, drained
-1 can diced tomatoes, undrained
-1-2 cans diced green chilis
-1 cup frozen or canned corn
-1 T. chili powder, to taste.
-1 T. taco seasoning, to taste
-2 t. cumin, to taste.


-grated cheese and cilantro to top

What to do:
Dump. Cook. I put the chicken in the bottom to make sure it was covered by the other ingredients. Cook on high for 4-5 or low for 8-10 hours.  I cooked mine on high for 4.5 hours. Thawed chicken would take less time. Before serving, pull out chicken and shred with a fork, then mix back in.

Garnish with cheese and cilantro, and serve. Or use it to stuff tacos or tortillas, or have it in a salad...the possibilities are endless! How did you use your leftovers?