Category Archives: Healthy

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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Basil and Goat Cheese Egg Scramble

16 Wednesday Jul 2014

Posted by in Breakfast, Healthy, Quick and Easy

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Basil and Goat Cheese Egg Scramble

I have a confession:  I cannot make omelets.  I’ve tried for years to make the perfect omelet, I’ve even stared for entirely too long at the professionals showing off their omelet-making skills at breakfast buffets.  I’ve asked for their tips and tricks, but still, after much practice, I simply cannot toss the partially-cooked egg with all its mix-ins into the air and have it and all the mix-ins land back in the pan.  I end up with bits of egg, broccoli, and tomatoes all over my kitchen floor, with splatters of grease streaked across my walls.  So in very un-JanisCakes style, I’ve given up.  Now, when I make “omelets” they are really scrambled eggs with all of the fixings cooked into clumps of egg.  When I ask my husband if he wants an omelet, he now laughs and says “do you mean scrambled eggs, babe?”  Why yes, yes I do.  And quite frankly, doesn’t it taste the same whatever form it takes on anyhow?  My omelets egg scrambles usually contain whatever fresh veggies and herbs I have at the moment, but when I made this one a few days ago it was tasty enough that I decided to share this specific ingredient combo.  Feel free to make it into an omelet if you’re a pro (and please message me with explicit step-by-step instructions of how you create such a masterpiece), or do as I do and turn it into an unattractive, albeit delicious egg scramble!

Basil and Goat Cheese Egg Scramble
Yield:  2 breakfast servings
Total time:  15 minutes

2 whole eggs plus 3 egg whites
3 tbsp. skim milk
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. freshly ground pepper
8 cherry tomatoes, quartered
6 large basil leaves, roughly torn
2 MorningStar Farms sausage patties (I like the Hot & Spicy or Maple Flavored varieties), diced into bite-sized pieces
1½ oz. goat cheese

1.  Whisk together the eggs and egg whites, milk, salt, and pepper.  Set aside.

2.  Place the quartered tomatoes into a small (like 8-inches or so) greased skillet.  Heat over medium heat until they are slightly tender.  Mix in the pieces of MorningStar sausage patties, and cook for another 1-2 minutes.

3.  Pour the prepared eggs into the pan and cook over medium heat for about 3 minutes, until egg begins to cook.  Stir the egg around to cook evenly (or be super fancy and do your omelet-flipping thing when the time is right).  Mix in the basil and half of the goat cheese.  Continue cooking until the egg looks completely cooked through.  When fully cooked, top with the remaining goat cheese and enjoy!

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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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