Friday, August 23, 2013

Simplest Salmon

I am getting better at making dinners that can be cooked easily and quickly while baby-wearing little D! Yesterday I went to the grocery store to restock after our trip to Mammoth, and the only thing I could find that we weren't sick of restaurant eating was salmon-which luckily all of my kids love too! While I have many yummy salmon recipes, my fave being cedar-plank salmon, my oldest likes it plain and simple, grilled or baked, no sauce. Since that takes the fun out of some of my recipes, I decided to try the most simple recipe for summer salmon last night and it was DELISH! Maybe all of our new favorite! So here's the thing-it's embarrassingly easy. It's hardly a recipe. But you must try it!! And thank me tomorrow for a new great one for your repertoire. We enjoyed this with homemade rice pilaf and crispy baked homemade kale chips.

INGREDIENTS:
  • 2 lbs. Salmon fillet, skin off (halve, double, triple, etc this recipe to fit your family!)
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • parchment cooking bag (I use the Paper Chef Culinary Cooking Bags)
  • 2 tablespoons butter
DIRECTIONS
  • preheat oven to 400 degrees
  • sprinkle salmon with kosher salt and pepper to taste
  • cut the butter into 6 small cubes and dot the top of the salmon with the butter
  • place salmon into parchment cooking bag and place bag on baking sheet
  • bake for 25 minutes
  • let sit for 5 minutes then cut open the bag and EAT AND ENJOY!!!

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Fabulous fajitas!

With a 4th little monkey added to the mix these days, dinner has to be fast (and possibly made while baby-wearing!) while still healthy and delicious! I find myself pinning all sorts of recipes and fantasizing about making them, then often forgetting to actually go back and look at them! I pinned this one a while ago, which originally came from the website eatinonthecheap.com and had been adapted from Taste of Home magazine, but I adapted it even more to fit my family size and tastes-so here you go! These are absolutely the best fajitas I have ever made, and the easiest by far! I have made them on a grill, in an electric skillet, in a cast iron pan, you name it. Each time took more oil, more time and more work. These fajitas are a mix of fresh yummy veggies and boneless skinless chicken combined with traditional seasonings-then BAKED in the oven! No more standing in front of the stove! And while they are in the oven, I made some rice (brown would be yummy too), reheated some vegetarian refried beans, mashed up a batch of fresh guacamole and created a new salad recipe. Maybe I should share it. Ok, I will!

INGREDIENTS


  • 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut in strips (I used tenders and then halved them)
  • 2 red bell peppers, sliced
  • 1 orange bell pepper, sliced
  • 1 yellow bell pepper, sliced
  • 1 purple onion, sliced
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable/canola/grapeseed/coconut (not olive) oil
  • 2 tablespoons chili powder
  • 2 tablespoons cumin
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder or granulated garlic
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
DIRECTIONS

  • Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
  • In a 9 x 13 baking dish combine the chicken and the veggies.
  • Mix together the oil and the spices and pour over the fajita mixture. Toss well to coat.
  • Bake uncovered for 30-40 minutes until the chicken is cooked through-I gave it a stir after abouut 25 minutes.
  • While the fajitas are baking away, make this simple and delicious and refreshing salad:
  1. peel, halve and grate a medium jicama
  2. peel and grate 3 medium carrots
  3. combine vegetables with the juice of a lime, 1 tablespoon agave, salt and pepper to taste
  • Serve however you like! We used flour tortillas and the other yummy sides I mentioned above.
Eat and enjoy!