Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Some Recent Eats

We've had some travelling, houseguests, and sicknesses around the Discovery household, so the cooking took a bit of a sidebar, but here are some recent eats. :-)

Spicy Chipotle Meatballs, Real Simple Magazine

Buffalo Chicken Salad, Clean Eating Magazine, March 2011
 Ingredients:
-1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
-Olive oil cooking spray
-1 tsp smoked paprika
-1 tsp chile powder
-1/8 tsp salt
-1/2 sweet onion
-1/2 cup nonfat plain Greek-style yogurt
-5 tbsp low-fat buttermilk
-1 to 1 1/2 tbsp all-natural hot sauce
-1 head romaine lettuce, thick spines removed
-1 head red leaf lettuce, thick spines removed
-1 yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
-1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
-1 cup peeled and shredded carrots
-2 oz blue cheese, crumbled (I omitted)

Directions:
1. Preheat broiler to high. Place chicken on a baking sheet coated with cookign spray. Lightly mist chicken with cooking spray and sprinkle both sides with paprika, chile powder, and salt. Broil 6-8 inches from heat until center is no longer pink, about 6 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to a cutting board and let rest for 3-5 minutes before cutting into bite sized chunks.
2. In a blender, puree onion, yogurt, buttermilk, and 1 tbsp hot sauce. Taste and add remaining hot sauce if you want more heat. Divide romaine and red leaf lettuce among four plates and top with bell pepper, tomatoes, carrots, and chicken, dividing each evenly. Serve yogurt mixture on the side or drizzle evenly over each plate. Sprinkle with blue cheese and serve immediately.

The Verdict: Very tasty. Will make again.

Orange Salmon with Asparagus, Clean Eating Magazine, June 2011
Ingredients:
-Zest one orange
-1/4 cup freshly squeezed OJ
-1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
-2 tsp grated ginger
-4 6oz boneless, skinless salmon fillets
- 16 asparagus spears, trimmed

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a small bowl, combine first four ingredients and set aside.
2. Cut 4 large pieces of parchment paper and place 1 salmon fillet onto each piece. Divide asparagus spears among pieces of parchment, topping the fillets. Pour orange juice mixture over each fillet, and, working with one piece of parchment at a time, wrap fillets in parchment packets.
3. Place parchment packets onto a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes, or until salmon is solid and firm and asparagus is cooked through but al dente. Serve with quinoa, whole-wheat couscous, or wild rice, if desired.

The Verdict: Very tasty. I've never de-boned a fish, so that was an adventure! :-) Next time, I might marinade the salmon in the juice for a little while. I don't feel like the flavour permeated the fish enough. I will definitely make again!

Have a great day! I start running again tomorrow after a month's hiatus! Gotta get in shape for that half!