This recipe was originally featured on EatingWell.
Total Time: 30 minutes
Dijon Salmon with Green Bean Pilaf
Ingredients:
1 1/4 lb salmon, skinned and portioned
3 Tbsp olive oil, divided
1 Tbsp minced garlic
3/4 tsp salt
2 Tbsp mayonnaise
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp ground black pepper, divided
12 oz thin green beans
1 small lemon, zested and cut into wedges
2 Tbsp pine nuts
4 servings brown rice, cooked
2 Tbsp water
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
Brush salmon with 1 Tbsp oil and place on prepared baking sheet. Mash garlic and salt together to form paste (to the best of your ability). Combine a scant tsp of the garlic paste in a small bowl with the mayonnaise, mustard, and 1/4 tsp black pepper. Spread the mixture evenly on top of the fish.
Roast the salmon until it flakes easily with a fork in the thickest part. This is will about 6-8 minutes per inch of thickness.
Meanwhile, heat the remaining 2 Tbsp oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add green beans, lemon zest, pine nuts, the remaining garlic paste, and 1/4 tsp pepper. Cook, stirring, until the beans are just tender. Reduce heat to medium. Add rice, water, and cook, stirring until hot, a few, 2-3 minutes more.
Serve salmon over rice and green beans with lemon wedge.
This recipe was originally featured on Food Network. While you could make your own spaghetti sauce, we opted for store bought. An adventure for another day!
Place ground meats, bread crumbs, parsley, Parmesan, salt, pepper, nutmeg, egg and water in a large bowl. Combine very lightly with a fork. Using your hands, lightly form the mixture into 2-inch meatballs. Use an ice cream scoop to help portion the meat mixture. You will have somewhere in the 15-20 range depending on the meatballs’ final size.
Pour equal amounts of vegetable oil and olive oil into a large, 12-inch skillet to a depth of 1/4 inch. Heat the oil. Very carefully, in batches, place the meatballs in the oil and brown them well on all sides over medium-low heat turning them carefully with a spatula or fork. It will take about 10 minutes per batch. Don’t crowd the meatballs.
Remove the meatballs and place them on a wire rack over a baking sheet with paper towel underneath to catch the excess oil. Discard the oil but don’t clean the pan.
Add the meatballs back to the pan and add your spaghetti sauce. Simmer on low heat for about 25 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked through. Serve with noodles and additional Parmesan cheese.
Tips & Tricks:
Since we went with store-bought sauce, we ended up a bit short on sauce with only one 24-oz jar. If you can get somewhere in the 40-oz range I think it would work out well. Alternatively, use the leftover meatballs for meatball subs which would require less sauce and noodles. Extra sauce could be utilized for other meals too though!
Prep Time: 15 min Cook Time: 20 min Total Time: 35 minutes
Ingredients:
Healthier Blueberry Muffins
2 cups whole wheat flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 cups blueberries, tossed with 1 Tbsp flour to coat
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a muffin tin with liners and set aside (yields 12 muffins).
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon; set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the yogurt, milk, vanilla, eggs, and honey.
Gently fold the dry mixture into the wet with a spatula until just mixed. Be sure not to over mix. Fold in oil then blueberries.
Divide the batter evenly between muffin liners. Bake for 16-18 minutes.
Allow muffins to cool in pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.
Tips & Tricks:
Why should you coat fruit with a bit of flour before adding it to the batter? The flour will help keep the fruit suspended while baking so everything doesn’t even up at the bottom of the muffin/cake/etc.
6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs or 1 package chicken breasts, cut into thin strips
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 green onions, trimmed and chopped
1-inch piece of ginger, peeled and chopped
2 Tbsp Hoisin Sauce
2 Tbsp light soy sauce
5 Tbsp honey (approximately – adjust for your preference)
6 Tbsp hot water
Brown rice for serving
Instructions:
Steam broccoli until a bit firmer than you would normally & set aside. If microwaving a bag of frozen broccoli, stop 1 minute short of suggested time.
Heat a wok or large pan over high heat and add oil. Add chicken and brown on all sides. Remove chicken and set aside (will not be fully cooked yet).
Fry the garlic, green onion, and ginger for 30 seconds, adding a little more oil if necessary.
Put the chicken back in the pan. Add the soy sauce, hoisin sauce, and hot water. Bring to a boil. Drizzle with some of the honey (recommend about 3 Tbsp), cover, and simmer, turning & drizzling with more honey (until you reach the sweetness you like), now and again until the chicken is cooked through and sauce is reduced (about 7-10 minutes).
Add the broccoli and toss with the sauce until cooked through.
Tips & Tricks:
To thicken sauce, add 1 tsp to 1 Tbsp of cornstarch in an equal part water, and stir until paste is formed. Add into the sauce and simmer for a few minutes to thicken.
Smoked Ham, Gruyere and Caramelized Onion Frittata
Ingredients:
8 extra-large eggs (10 large)
2 Tbsp heavy cream
1 cup grated Gruyere cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 small onion, diced
4 small red potatoes, diced
1 cup diced smoked ham
1 cup grated Parmesan (for serving)
1/4 cup sour cream (for serving)
1 bunch chives, chopped (for serving)
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, cream, Gruyere cheese, salt and pepper until foamy. Melt butter in a 10 to 12-inch cast iron pan over medium heat. Add the onion and potatoes and cook thoroughly. Pour the egg mixture over the top. Pull the edges away from the sides of the pan with a spatula so the eggs flow to the bottom of the pan. When the frittata is half set, add the ham.
Transfer the pan to the heated oven. Bake for 10 minutes until puffed and golden. Shower with grated Parmesan and serve garnished with sour cream and chives.
Shredded meat from 1 rotisserie chicken (preferred) or 1 lb chicken breasts or tenders
Salt & Ground Black Pepper
4 cups chicken broth
2 cups water (plus more for boiling eggs)
4 eggs
3 packages ramen noodles, seasoning packet not needed
2 Tbsp soy sauce
4 stalks scallion, white parts into 2-inch pieces, green parts cut into rounds for topping
Vegetable Add-in Options: 8 oz bok choy, stem removed, sliced into pieces (about half a head), 1/2 bag of matchstick carrots, 1 can bean sprouts
Additional optional toppings: sesame seeds, chili oil
Instructions:
If using uncooked chicken, season with salt and pepper. Turn the Instant Pot to saute mode and add oil. When pot is hot, brown the chicken pieces. If you are using rotisserie chicken, start on next step.
Add chicken broth, water, soy sauce, and the white parts of the scallion to the Instant Pot (or large stock pot) with the chicken. Cover the pot and select Manual, set to high pressure, for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the eggs by bringing a small pot of water (enough to cover the eggs) to a boil. When the water boils, VERY carefully add the eggs and cook for 7 minutes. You may have some eggs crack, it is usually fine and makes those easier to peel. They just aren’t as pretty. When the 7 minutes is up, place the eggs in an ice bath or run under cold water until they no longer feel warm to the touch. Peel and set aside until the ramen is ready.
When the Instant Pot manual cycle is complete, use quick release and turn Instant Pot to saute mode. Remove the white parts of the scallion. Add the box choy or other vegetables you are using. Open the package, discard the seasoning packet, and stir in the noodles until just soft.
Top bowls of ramen with the eggs (cut in half just before serving so the yolk makes it into the bowl, and other toppings of your choice.
Tips & Tricks:
Leftover noodles do not keep very well. You may get one more day out of them. If you don’t plan on finishing the whole meal at once, I recommend making two packets of noodles the first day and the third packet on the leftover day.
9 oz shell pasta (little over half an average box)
1 lb boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
12 oz broccoli florets, diced into bite-size pieces (or 1 bag frozen broccoli florets)
2 1/2 Tbsp butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
Salt & pepper (to taste)
3 cups low-fat milk
1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/3 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese
Instructions:
Boil pasta in a large, over-sized for just the noodles pot according to package directions. If using fresh broccoli, add florets during the last 3 – 4 minutes. Reserve 1/4 cup pasta water in case you need to thin sauce later). If using frozen bag of broccoli florets, microwave following package instructions. You will be mixing all ingredients together in this pot which is why you want to use one larger than necessary for just making the pasta.
Heat oil in large sauce pan, season chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Brown chicken. Set aside in bowl for later or if noodles are done, place in the pot with noodles to keep warm. Add broccoli from microwave to this pot as well.
In the same pan used to cook the chicken, melt butter over medium heat then stir in flour. Cook mixture stirring constantly to avoid clumps about 2 minutes until it is slightly golden and smooth. Add 1 cup of milk, stir constantly until fully incorporated with the roux. Repeat twice with the remaining two cups of milk. Season with onion powder and garlic powder and salt and pepper to taste. Increase heat to medium-high and continue to stir mixture continuously until it comes to a boil and thickens.
Remove from heat, allow to cool for 1 minute, then add in cheeses. If necessary, thin sauce with 1 Tbsp reserved pasta water. Add cheese sauce mixture to pot with noodles, chicken and broccoli. Mix to coat.
Tips & Tricks:
Go ahead and use the full bag of cheddar cheese. You just may need to thin the sauce more towards the end. Enjoy that cheddar goodness.
This meal is very basic yet comforting. What to enhance it a bit? Try roasting broccoli florets and adding some heat to the cheese sauce with red pepper flakes or even a bit or cayenne pepper.
Kitchen and Workshop 