Asian Lemon Vinaigrette

I made this up on the fly when I made my Agave Ginger Salmon.  My sister asked me to create some salad dressings for her college cookbook so I tried to make something to complement the salmon.  This makes 4 servings of dressing so divide it as needed.

1 tbs lemon juice
7 tbs ponzu sauce
1 tbs sesame oil
2 tbs rice vinegar

Whisk the ingredients together in a bowl.

Put in a few handfuls of salad and toss to coat.  I prefer spring mix but feel free to use whatever you like.

Eat it by itself or serve it with dinner.  It's D-E-licious either way and really easy.

Agave and Ginger Glazed Salmon

2 servings- 20 min cooking plus at least 3 hr marinating

Yesterday I had one of those days where I felt like making up a recipe. I made some really good salmon a couple weeks ago from a Giada de Laurentiis recipe that used agave nectar and I wanted to spice it up.  I just started adding stuff from the Asian side of my pantry until I had something delicious.

I forgot to take a picture of the ginger, it was a last minute addition but it totally made the dish.

2 tbs agave nectar
2 tbs low sodium soy sauce
1 tbs rice vinegar
1 tbs sesame oil
1 tbs fish sauce
1 tbs fresh grated ginger  (or a big teaspoon of ground ginger but fresh is better)
Two 4-5oz salmon fillets 

Mix the ingredients in a bowl and pour into a ziploc bag.

Then add the salmon, squish the marinade all over the fillets, squeeze the extra air out of the bag, and refrigerate for a couple hours.

You could put in 4-6 fillets but I wanted to use the extra marinade to make a glaze.

Whenever you can't wait any longer to eat, pour the excess marinade in a saucepan and simmer until reduced by half.  Heat a grill pan (the grill marks are pretty) or a skillet and pour in about 1 tbs oil.  Grill the salmon for a couple minutes on each side until medium rare.  Serve the salmon over some brown rice and spoon the glaze over the top.  It tastes great on the rice.

This was sooo tasty. I couldn't believe I just made it up on the fly but it's going to be one of my regulars now.

I paired it with a fresh salad and lemon vinaigrette.

800 calories, 14.5g fat, 1300g sodium, 7g fiber, 37g protein per serving

Sesame Noodles

I love udon noodles.  They're so soft and chewy and delicious.  I wish I could eat them all the time.  But they're loaded with sodium so I only make them when I find a really good reason to use them.  These sesame noodles are it.  They take a lot of Asian ingredients but they're worth it and I'll show you other ways to use them later.

 
12oz thin noodles, cooked and drained
1/4 c soy sauce
1 1/2 tbs agave nectar
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbs rice vinegar
3 tbs sesame oil
4 tbs canola oil
2 tbs hot water
1 tbs Sriracha sauce
1 tbs fish sauce
2 tbs sesame seeds
1 c edamame

Mmmm...my hands smelled so good after cutting all that garlic!

Mix everything but the noodles and edamame in a large bowl.  I know fish sauce sounds weird, especially when you know it's made from fermented anchovies but it's amazing.  It doesn't taste fishy, it just gives the food a salty, deep, robust flavor.  Just trust me on this. 

Prepare the noodles.  I use frozen edamame so I just throw them in with the noodles when they're about half done.  Udon noodles tend to still be starchy after they're cooked so rinse them with hot water after you strain them.  Pour the noodles and edamame into the sauce mixture and toss to coat evenly.

Serve in individual bowls and practice using your chopsticks!

Graham Streusel Coffee Cake

Let's all take a moment and kneel before the Almighty Coffee Cake.  Amen.  I think this one originated with an aunt and then my mom messed with it and make it my favorite dessert ever.  There have been many birthdays when this was my cake of choice.  Even my father-in-law, a fabulous cook himself, raves about this cake.  It's just too easy not to make for your next party, or dinner, or to hide in the cabinet to keep for yourself.  I won't judge.

20 crushed graham crackers
2/3 c chopped pecans
2/3 c brown sugar
1 1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 c (1 stick) margarine, melted

Melt the margarine in a medium bowl.  Put the graham crackers in a ziploc bag and take out your frustration on it.  Crush them until they're in tiny chunks, not quite crumbs.  Pour them into the bowl with the margarine, add the other ingredients, and stir until it's a homogeneous mixture.

In your mixer:
1 box of yellow cake mix, prepared as per the box directions.

I've made this so many times, I wanted to make it a round, double-layer cake just to play around.

Grease and flour a 9x13 pan (or use parchment paper. I love parchment paper).

 I goofed when it came to filling the pans though...what you see here is TOO FULL.  They came out fine, they just took longer to bake.

Spread half the cake mix in the bottom, followed by half the crumble mix, then rest of the cake mix, rest of the crumble mix.

Bake at 350° for 40 minutes or light brown on top.



You must use this glaze.  I love canned frosting but it won't cut it for this.
1 c powdered sugar
2 tbs milk
2 drops vanilla
1 tsp melted margarine

Mix it all up until creamy.  If it's too runny, add a little more sugar; too thick, add a few drops of milk.
Let the cake cool and drizzle the glaze over the top.

It didn't come out perfect...

but who am I kidding?

I'd eat this cake off the floor if I had to.

Spinach Artichoke Dip

I've had this recipe for awhile.  It's one I found online but I don't remember where.  I've taken it to several parties and every time, it was a hit.  I usually serve it with slices of Pillsbury French loaf but I've recently started using slices of toasted sourdough bread.  Pita chips work well too.

 I actually used mozzarella because I don't eat much cheese and it's all I had.  It still worked just fine.

6oz artichoke hearts
10oz thawed spinach, squeezed dry
3 tbs fat free sour cream
2 tbs fat free mayonnaise or Miracle Whip
2 tbs fat free cream cheese
2 tbs Romano cheese
2 cloves minced garlic
salt and pepper to taste

Pulse all ingredients in a food processor until smooth.

 Hmm, needs just a pinch more salt.

Perfect.

Now spread it out evenly in a baking dish and bake at 375° for about 25 min.  There's a chance I sprinkled just a little cayenne pepper on top.  I'd never tried it before but it gave the dip such a nice hint of spice, I'm going to do it again and again.

While the dip is baking, you can bake the bread too if it needs baking (like the Pillsbury French bread).  If it's already baked (like the sourdough I used), cut it into pieces and broil it until nice and toasty.  Keep an eye on it!  Those broilers are crafty and will burn your bread if you turn your back on them.

I caught mine just in time.

Serve them up on a cute platter and watch them disappear.

Memorial Day

When we had a house in Atlanta, we had a sweet gas grill on a big deck where we had parties every chance we got.  Moving to an apartment, we had to leave the grill.  Something about fire hazard codes in Louisiana, blah blah blah...I was quite distraught.  The residents in the area get around these rules by having small grills that they move to the outside stairwells and cook there.  We bought a cheap grill at Walmart and did the same.  This is how classy our cookout was:  folding chairs in a stairwell, some beers, and a $20 grill on the sidewalk next to the air conditioners.  If our friends could see us now!  Oh well.  It was easy and the food was great.  The company wasn't too bad either ;-)

Is it time to eat yet?

Layla guarding her bone and trying to pretend it isn't 100 degrees outside.

"I know there's something around here I haven't peed on yet."

Happy Memorial Day and thanks to all those who served.  Especially my dad, the Marine.

Smoky Corn and Tomato Bruschetta

This is another one from Food & Wine magazine that looked too good to pass up for Memorial Day.  I made it the other day on the stove to put in fish tacos and it was so awesome that I wanted to make it again on the grill.  (and also because we had a brand new Canon Eos 50D camera to photograph it with!!!)

On the grill:
1 large ear of yellow corn, husked
1 small red onion, peeled and
    halved root to end
4-5 medium tomatoes, halved
1/2 a medium red pepper, seeded
1 small loaf of a hard-crust bread, I used French bread

In a bowl:
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbs fresh lime juice
1/4 tsp smoked paprika
1 tbs olive oil
1 tsp fresh chopped cilantro
1 tsp fresh chopped parsley

I had to throw a jalapeno in there.  It's a disease, I can't help but make things spicier.  You can leave off the peppers if you want but once they're grilled, they're very sweet.

Prepare the grill (medium heat) and brush all the veggies with olive oil then season with a little salt and pepper.  Place them on the grill and turn every couple minutes until there are light grill marks on all sides.

Be careful flipping the veggies, a tomato half might fit through the grill grates.

Cut the loaf of bread into thin slices.  Place on the grill and let cook until there are light grill marks on both sides.  In a medium bowl, mix the garlic, lime juice, paprika, parsley, cilantro, and olive oil.  When the veggies are done, transfer them to a cutting board, chop into chunks (cut corn kernels from the cob and core the tomatoes), and add to the bowl.  Toss to coat and serve with the bread.  You can leave off the cilantro if you want.  I know several people who don't like it but I liked the color and bite it adds to the salsa.

I made shrimp too.  Bruschetta wasn't quite enough for a full meal.  I just skewered and sprinkled them lightly with salt, paprika, and thyme.  They were delicious and had a nice Jerk seasoning flavor.  Just grill them for a minute or two on each side until pink, squeeze a lime wedge over them and you're good to go.