Category Archives: Dinner

Fiesta Quinoa Salad

27 Wednesday Aug 2014

Posted by in Dinner, Healthy, Quick and Easy, Salad, Vegan, Vegetarian

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Fiesta Quinoa Salad

A few years ago my best friend gave me a recipe very similar to this one and as soon as I made it, I instantly fell in love with it!  It quickly became a staple in our rotation of dinner recipes.  It’s evolved a bit over the years, but the core of it is still intact and just as delicious as ever!

Fiesta Quinoa Salad
Yield:  6 dinner-sized servings (or 12 side-dish servings)
Time:  30 minutes total

2 cups quinoa, rinsed
3 cups water
30 oz. black beans, drained and rinsed
1½ cups grilled corn, cut off the cob (can substitute with thawed frozen corn)
1 red bell pepper, diced into small pieces
1 yellow or orange bell pepper, diced into small pieces
½ cup red onion, finely diced
1 summer squash, cut into bite-sized pieces
20-30 cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1 jalapeño, finely diced
4 avocadoes, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 large bunch cilantro, coarsely chopped
1 bunch of scallions, diced
3 tbsp. lime juice
2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. garlic powder

1.  Place 3 cups of water in a medium saucepan.  Stir in quinoa.  Bring to a boil over high heat.  Boil for 3 minutes, then place a lid on the saucepan, and turn the stove off, leaving the pan on the hot burner.  After 15 minutes, remove the lid and gently fluff the quinoa with a fork.  (Note:  do not touch the pan or remove the lid for the entire 15 minutes for optimal texture.)  Set cooked quinoa aside and allow to cool.

2.  Meanwhile, place the black beans, corn, bell peppers, red onion, summer squash, cherry tomatoes, jalapeño, and cilantro into a large mixing bowl.  Toss together gently.  Once the quinoa is ready, mix it in and gently fold in the avocado.

3.  Whisk together the lime juice, vinegar, salt, and garlic powder.  Drizzle over the ingredients in the mixing bowl and gently toss to coat.

Fiesta Quinoa Salad
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(Original recipe credit:  Shining Health Holistic Nutrition Counseling, and also to Leah for sharing it with me!)

Seared Ahi Tuna with Asian Noodles

25 Friday Jul 2014

Posted by in Dinner, Fish, Healthy, Quick and Easy

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Seared Ahi Tuna with Asian NoodlesThis recipe looks and sounds fancy, but it comes together really easily and truthfully doesn’t take much effort at all.  You can’t beat that!

Seared Ahi Tuna with Asian Noodles
Yield:  Four servings
Time:  30 minutes

For the noodles:
12 oz. soba (buckwheat) noodles (or whole wheat angel hair works just as well!)
½ cup low sodium soy sauce
¼ cup canola oil
2 tbsp. sesame oil
3 tbsp. rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp. hot sauce
3 tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. garlic powder
½ tsp. ground ginger
3 tbsp. sesame seeds

For the tuna:
4 filets of sushi-grade ahi tuna
approximately ½ cup low sodium soy sauce

For garnish:
pickled ginger
wasabi

1.  Prepare the noodles according to the instructions on the package.  Return drained noodles into a medium sized pot.

2.  In a measuring cup, whisk together all of the remaining ingredients for the sauce.  Pour over the hot, cooked noodles.  Toss together.  (I used tongs and was intentionally not gentle, which helped to break up some of the long noodles.)  Place a lid on the pot while preparing the tuna.

3.  Heat a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat.  Pour approximately 4 tbsp. of the soy sauce into the bottom of a preheated skillet, until the base is covered with a thin layer of soy sauce.  Place raw tuna in the pan and drizzle the top of each filet with approximately 1 tbsp. of soy sauce.  Cook for three minutes, until bottom is nicely seared.  Flip and cook for another 2-3 minutes, to desired doneness.  (If the soy sauce thickens too much, add another 1-2 tbsp. during the cooking process.)

4.  Create a bed of noodles on a plate, and place the seared tuna on top.  Garnish with pickled ginger and wasabi.

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Citrus Shrimp Summer Salad

03 Tuesday Jun 2014

Posted by in Dinner, Fish, Fruit, Healthy, Quick and Easy, Salad

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Citrus Shrimp Summer Salad

The first few hot days of the year always make me crave summer-inspired salads filled with fresh berries!  Here’s a salad you can enjoy now and continue making all the way through the end of August!

 

Citrus Shrimp Summer Salad
Yield:  4 dinner-sized salads
Time:  25 minutes total

For the shrimp:
1 lb. raw shrimp (peeled, deveined, and tails removed)
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
zest of one orange
2 tbsp. lemon juice (or orange juice)
¼ cup coarsely chopped fresh parsley

For the salad:
6 cups salad greens
2 avocados, chopped into bite-sized pieces
¾ cup blueberries
10 strawberries, sliced
¼ of a red onion, thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, chopped into bite-sized pieces
6 small tomatoes, quartered
8 oz. goat cheese, crumbled

Dressing:
lemon oil
blueberry balsamic

1.  Wash the salad greens and arrange on four dinner plates.  Top with avocado, blueberries, strawberries, red onion, bell pepper, tomatoes, and goat cheese.  Drizzle the salads with lemon oil and blueberry balsamic.

2.  Place the EVOO and shrimp in a sauté pan over medium heat.  Stir in the garlic, orange zest, and lemon juice.  Cook until the shrimp is opaque, about 5-8 minutes.  Stir in the parsley and cook for another 2 minutes.  Top the prepared salads with the cooked shrimp.

Citrus Shrimp Summer Salad

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Lentil Farro Salad

27 Tuesday May 2014

Posted by in Dinner, Healthy, Side Dishes, Vegan, Vegetarian

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Lentil Farro Salad

This recipe is filling enough to eat alone for dinner, but it also works great as a side dish to any fish, chicken, or meat.  I personally love it paired with a simple honey-mustard glazed filet of salmon, served over a bed of lentils.  (My note on how to cook lentils below will leave you with extra lentils–convenient for creating that bed to serve the salmon on!  I got the idea from one of my favorite restaurants which serves salmon over lentils mixed with sautéed mushrooms and a roasted red pepper glaze….YUM!)

Lentil Farro Salad
Yield:  4 dinner-sized portions or 8 side-dish portions
Time:  10 minutes total (or 50 minutes if you didn’t pre-cooked the farro and lentils)

4 tbsp. lemon juice
6 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
¼ cup basil, chiffonade
6 scallions, diced
5 tbsp. hot sauce (I use Frank’s Red Hot)
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
½ cup fresh parsley, diced
¾ cup cooked lentils*
¾ cup cooked farro** (or quinoa or couscous)
3 roasted red peppers, diced
4 carrots, grated
8 radishes, thinly sliced

1.  In a large bowl, combine the cooked lentils*, cooked farro**, roasted red peppers, carrots, radishes, and scallions.

2.  In a measuring cup, whisk together the lemon juice, EVOO, hot sauce, salt, pepper, basil, and parsley.  Pour over the ingredients in the large bowl.  Toss to coat.

* I always make extra lentils to have leftovers.  Make sure you rinse the lentils first and pick out any small stones that may be mixed in with them.  How to cook lentils:  Combine 1½ cups of rinsed lentils with 2¼ cups water in a saucepan.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for about 15-35 minutes, depending on the type of lentil you’re using (red go quicker, green take a little longer).

** How to cook farro:  Bring 2½ cups of water to a boil.  Stir in 8 oz. farro, and reduce heat to low.  Cover and simmer for 35 minutes.  Remove from the heat, but keep covered so the farro re-absorbs some of the moisture.  Let stand (covered and off the heat) for 10 minutes.

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Lentil Farro SaladLentil Farro Salad

 

Smoked Salmon Burgers

18 Sunday May 2014

Posted by in Dinner, Fish, Healthy, Lunch

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Smoked Salmon Cakes

I created this recipe after buying waaaaaay too much smoked salmon at Costco (because who doesn’t love a deal?!).  I don’t love crab cakes so I experimented with using salmon instead.  I ended up with a winning recipe!

Smoked Salmon Burgers
Yield:  4 servings
Time:  30 minutes active, 60 minutes total

Burgers:
2 cups diced smoked salmon (deboned and skinless)
2 eggs
¼ cup low fat mayo
3 tbsp. Dijon mustard
2 tbsp. lemon juice
½ cup plus 2 tbsp. breadcrumbs
2 tsp. smoked paprika
a dash each of salt and freshly ground pepper
½ of an onion, minced
5 stalks of celery, finely diced
¼ cup red bell pepper, finely diced
¼ cup finely chopped fresh dill
¼ cup scallions, diced
4 tbsp. canola oil
4 hamburger buns (could use hard rolls, ciabatta rolls, Kaiser rolls,… whatever you fancy)

Dressing:
¼ cup low fat mayo
2 tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. lemon juice
3 tbsp. finely chopped fresh dill
a pinch of freshly ground pepper

1.  In a medium mixing bowl, beat the eggs.  Stir in the mayo, mustard, and lemon juice; whisk until smooth.

2.  In a small mixing bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, and smoked paprika.  Pour into the egg mixture, beating the two mixtures well to combine.

3.  Stir in the onion, celery, bell pepper, dill, and scallions.

4.  Gently fold in the smoked salmon.  Refrigerate for 30 minutes (or overnight).

5.  In the meantime, prepare the dressing:  Whisk together all dressing ingredients until evenly combined.  Set aside.

6.  Carefully form patties roughly 4-inches in diameter.  Heat canola oil in a skillet for a minute or two.  Gently place the patties in the skillet and fry over medium heat until golden brown and lightly crispy, about 4 minutes.  Flip and cook on the other side for another 4-5 minutes, until cooked through.

7.  Spread the dressing on both sides of the cut hamburger buns.  Place smoked salmon burger on buns and enjoy!

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