Asian Grilled Salmon

Salmon is an easy, quick, and healthy weeknight go-to in our house.  It's one of our favorite things to make in our grill pan, and now that it's finally grilling season again, we will likely be moving this recipe outside next time!  

Because we both love salmon (and really pretty much all fish), we are always looking for new recipes.  This one came about because I really wanted to have salad with ginger dressing for dinner and needed something to go with it. We served our fish on some organic jasmine rice, with the salad on the side.

Salmon Marinade Ingredients

1/4 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

2 tablespoons sesame oil

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 cloves garlic, pressed

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger*

1 tablespoon sesame seeds

4 green onions, thinly sliced (reserve 1 green onion for topping)

4 salmon filets

Honey Glaze Ingredients

2 tablespoons honey

1 teaspoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1/2 teaspoon Sriracha, (optional - we didn't use it)

1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger* 

1/2 teaspoon sesame seeds

(*Note: much better with fresh ginger, but you can use powdered if you don't have access to fresh)

Instructions

• To make the glaze, whisk together honey, soy sauce, sesame oil, Sriracha, ginger and sesame seeds in a small bowl; set aside.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together olive oil, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, sesame seeds and green onions.
• In a large Ziploc bag combine marinade and salmon filets; marinate for at least 30 minutes to overnight, turning the bag occasionally We did about 30 minutes and it was great.
• Heat a grill pan on medium low.  Cook the Salmon about 3 minutes on either side, or until fish flakes easily (cooking time depends on the thickness of the piece....our cooked about 7 minutes total).  You can also use a BBQ grill.
• When fish is done, brush with honey glaze
• Sprinkle with sesame seeds and green onions.

 Adapted from Damn Delicious

Apple and Sage Pork Chops

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons rubbed sage
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon paprika
4 boneless pork chops, about 1 inch thick (1 1/4 lbs)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
2 apples, thinly sliced

1/2 cup apple juice or 1/2 cup cider  (more if you want more sauce)
1 tablespoon brown sugar

Directions:

Mix flour, all of the spices and salt (if using) in small bowl. Sprinkle both sides of pork chops with 1 tablespoon of the seasoned flour.

Cook pork chops in hot oil in large skillet on medium-high heat until browned on both sides. Remove from skillet.

Add onion to skillet; cook and stir 3 minutes or until tender.

Add apples; cook and stir 2 minutes.

Stir in juice or cider, sugar and remaining seasoned flour until well mixed.

Return pork chops to skillet.

Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 5 minutes or until desired doneness.

Source: McCormick and Company 
http://www.mccormick.com/Recipes/Main-Dishes/Recipe-Inspirations-Apple-and-Sage-Pork-Chops

Greek Orzo Salad with Red Wine Vinaigrette

We planted our garden several weeks ago, and this year we made an effort to include lots of herbs to use in our cooking.  When I was watering the garden yesterday, I noticed how amazing the purple basil and mint looked and tried to think up a way to use them in our dinner.  Fast forward a few minutes and, I had retrieved mint, purple basil, italian basil, swiss chard, and chives from our garden and was searching through the pantry and fridge to figure out what to do with them!   Once I found some orzo, it was a match made in tastebud heaven.

We served the orzo salad with grilled chicken tenders on top to add some protein and cut down on the amount of pasta we were eating.  Adding garbanzo beans to the salad is a vegetarian option for adding protein.
 

 Orzo Salad

• 1 cup orzo pasta (about 1/2 a box)
• 1 1/2 cups grape tomatoes or grape tomatoes, halved
• 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
• 1/2 cup chopped spinach (we used swiss chard)
• 1 Tbsp capers 
• 1 Tbsp of finely chopped chives
• 3 Tbsp crumbled feta cheese (optional)
• 3-4 Tbsp red wine vinaigrette (adjust the quantity to your taste; we used the recipe below)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper (to taste)

Red Wine Vinaigrette:
(makes about 1 cup)

• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 Tbs honey
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
 

 

Cook 1 cup orzo as directed on package (add orzo to 3qts water and 2 tsp salt; boil for 10 minutes). While orzo is cooking, chop tomatoes, spinach, and herbs, and place them in a bowl.   Make vinaigrette as directed (recipe above makes WAY more than you need for this salad).

Once orzo is done, drain and allow to cool to room temperature, toss in bowl with tomatoes, spinach, and herbs. Add dressing and toss until coated.

We served it with grilled lemon garlic chicken tenders with a little feta on top.   It's a perfect side dish for a BBQ....or even as a meal.

Recipe based on:  Giada De Laurentis' Orzo Salad recipe

Carnitas for Cinco de Mayo.....Better late then never!

Carnitas are by far one of our favorites to order in Mexican restaurants.  However, our tries at duplicating them at home have always been less than stellar....and not worth repeating.    When I came across this recipe from Cook's Country (the cousin show to America's Test Kitchen),  I thought we might as well give it a try.   So, I stocked it away until Cinco de Mayo came around.

I doubted whether the meat would be tender or flavorful, but it was both of those things, and much more.  Mr. S, commented that it was better than a restaurant!  I guess we have a new tried a true carnitas recipe.  It may be 10 days after Cinco de Mayo, but these carnitas are worth the weight!

Ingredients:

• 4 pounds boneless pork shoulder, cut into 2" cubes
• 1½ tsp. salt
• ¾ tsp. black pepper
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 1 onion, peeled and halved
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 2 tbsp. fresh lime juice
• 2 cups water
• 1 medium orange, juiced plus the juiced halves.

Directions:

1. Adjust oven rack to middle lower position and preheat oven to 300 degrees.
2. Combine all the ingredients in a large Dutch oven and bring mixture to a simmer over medium-high heat, uncovered.
3. Once the mixture has come to a simmer, cover and place in oven and cook for 2 hours, or until the pork falls apart when prodded with a fork.
4. Remove the pot from oven when done cooking, turn the oven to broil.
5. Line a jelly roll pan with aluminum foil. With a slotted spoon, scoop out the pork and place it on the foil lined pan. Discard everything in the Dutch oven except for the liquid.
6. Place the Dutch oven on the stove over high heat and boil until liquid is thick and syrupy, about 20 minutes. I noticed that it won't look thick and syrupy until you take it off the heat. So after 20 minutes, remove from heat, and you should see that your liquid has nicely thickened up.
7. While the mixture is thickening, use two forks to shred the pork. When the mixture has finished thickening, place pork back into pot and gently toss pork in the liquid trying not to break up the pork even more.
8. Place the pork back on the lined baking pan and place in the oven under the broiler for 5-8 minutes, then flip the pork and let brown on the other side for another 5-8 minutes. (Watch it carefully so it doesn't burn)
9. Serve immediately!  We served our in tortillas (corn and wheat are our favorite) with shredded lettuce, tomatoes, fresh corn, guacamole, salsa, queso fresco, and cilantro!  We made a black bean, corn, and avocado salad on the side.

1. 
   
   
   
    Don't forget your margaritas!

Source:  Cooks Country