Creamy Piccata Sauce topped Salmon

This looks like a great, healthy way to ring in the new year. 

Poached Salmon With Creamy Piccata Sauce


Ingredients

•1 pound salmon filet, skinned and cut into 4 portions
•1 cup dry white wine, divided
•2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
•1 large shallot, minced
•2 tablespoons lemon juice
•4 teaspoons capers, rinsed
•1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream
•1/4 teaspoon salt
•1 tablespoon fresh dill weed, chopped

Preparation
Place salmon in a large skillet. Add 1/2 cup wine and enough water to just cover the salmon. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce to a simmer, turn the salmon over, cover, and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add shallot and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Add the remaining 1/2 cup wine; boil until slightly reduced, about 1 minute. Stir in lemon juice and capers; cook 1 minute more.

Remove from the heat; stir in sour cream and salt. To serve, top the salmon with the sauce and garnish with dill.

Makes 4 servings.

Filet Fish Sandwich

This is the first time I have ever made this sandwich and the first time I didnt have it at a fast food resturaunt. I thought it came out pretty good. I would probably have done a few things differently like using an egg instead of just butter to help coat the fish. I would also have made my own breadcrumbs with wholewheat bread just so the sandwich had more fiber, but all in all it was a good first attempt at a fish filet sandwich. Im thinking I will do it again sometime. Ingredients
4 fllets fish -flounder, orange roughy, haddock, even tilapia
1 tbsp lemon
1/2 tsp paprika
3 tbsp butter
1 1/2 tbsp flour
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
1 tbsp parsley
place fish in greased pan and sprinkle with lemon, paprika, and dash of salt and pepper
in sauce pan heat 1 tablespoon butter, flour, s and p and add milk, stirring all the while until sauce is thick
pour over fish
melt remaining butter add to breadcrumbs and coat fish
bake fish at 350 for 35 minutes

Fish Taco

I love shrimp tacos and have never had a fish taco before, but I suspected I would like, and I did! I decided a good cilantro/lime flavoring would really give good flavor and keep it light and fresh tasting. Coupled with some very light tasting condiments, the meal was light and flavorful and the perfect combination of tart and fresh.
ingredients:
4 pieces of any whitefish, orange roughy, tilapia
2 limes
1/4 cup cilantro packed
medium onion chopped
2 medium tomatos diced
optional avacodo, sourcream, salsa

in a bowl squeeze contents of lime and mix with cilantro and salt and pepper
marinate fish for a few minutes
in baking pan or skillet cook fish, making sure to include all the marinade
if baking, bake at 350 in preheated oven for about 10 minutes
flake the fish with a fork when done cooking
fill 8 taco shells with fish
top each with tomato and onion
add sourcream or salsa if desired and enjoy!

Broccoli Pesto Pasta

I found this recipe in a magazine, and thougth it sounded and looked great. I love bright colorful food, especially on a dark winter night, it lights up the night and the dinner table. I couldnt find my recipe, so I just made it up, and it came out pretty good I thought. I just dont know how one can go wrong with pesto. A few of the key ingredients are garlic, olive oil, parmesean cheese, nuts(optional, but we like) and then main ingredient of choice-basil, olives, roasted pepper, murshroom etc....broccoli sounded healthy and flavorful, and it was.
Here is my less then 5 minute recipe:
1 lb tubular pasta
boil according to direction
2 cups frozen broccoli thawed
2 cloves garlic
1/3 cup olive oil
1 half cup parm
1/4 cup almolds
salt and pepper
put all in food processor or blender and pulse until creates a paste(keep in blender until pasta is boiled)
when noodles are cooked, drain and keep 1/2 cup water for reserve
pour 1/2 cup pasta water into pesto and pulse for 20 seconds
toss pesto and pasta together, serve with fresh parm


and that's your simple broccoli pesto pasta meal.

Chicken Parmesean Stacks

This is a unique way to bring chicken parm back and yet not be repetitive. Because I am certain we have had chicken parm before on the blog and it has got to be one of the faves of my son. This version doesnt involve lots of sauce and cheese, just a much lighter, fresher version that got second helping requests from my boy.
Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts sliced in half
1 small tomato
1/4 cup grated parm cheese
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1/2 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper
fresh parm cheese grated

Preheat oven to 350
season chicken with salt and pepper and place on baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes
in meantime combine all dry ingredients
when chicken is done coat each tomato slice very well with dry ingredients both sides place slice of tomato on each breast of chicken
turn broiler on high
place chicken and tomato under broiler for 1 minute
remove from broiler and top with fresh grated parm cheese

Menu and Shopping List for 12/12-12/18

Here's what Barbara and I have in mind for the week.
Barbara's in a fish mood - and it's evident this week!
There are only three weeks left in the year - that includes a week capped off with Christmas and another capped off with New Year's.  WOW, we've nearly done it... and there are still things that I'd like to make that we haven't done.

How about...
Chicken Parmesan stacks (more about presentation than a unique entree', but gonna be GORGEOUS!)
Broccoli Pesto on Fusilli w/ Almond Slices
Fish Tacos (hard shell tacos)
Gnocchi with Basil Pesto (homemade gnocchi?)
Flounder Fish Sandwich with Cucumbers and Coleslaw
Chicken with Vodka Sauce and Spinach
Carmalized Onion, Prosciutto & fresh parmesano pizza on Cauliflower Flatbread Crust

Now that's a great looking week. 

Raw – unsalted Almonds or pine nuts

Olive oil
Canola or vegetable oil
Vinegar
Sugar
Brown sugar (1 tbsp)
Salt
Cumin
Cayenne pepper
Flour – low/no carb options are fun to try here.
Garlic powder
Onion powder

Fresh Parmesan shavings or slices

Breadcrumbs
Hard taco shells
Fusilli or Rotini pasta
Grated parmesan
Good, high-end Vodka sauce
(a salad in a bag or two to match up with these dishes)

Tomatoes for slicing
Garlic
Avocado
White and red onion
Cilantro
Lime
Cucumbers
Red cabbage
Spinach (can be frozen)
Cauliflower (can be frozen)
(a nice veg mix to go with the Chicken Parm stacks)

Prosciutto or similar meat (canadian bacon or bacon can poorly substitute)

Chicken tenderloins (2.5 lbs)
Tilapia
Flounder
Broccoli
Corn
Frozen gnocchi – or Barbara’s fresh, homemade…

Fresh basil

Tilapia with sage butter

Once in a while, not often, butter just seems right for a recipe, and something about sage and butter fits. I was right, the tilapia was delicious and not heavy. I definitely went light on butter and heavy on the sage spice.
ingredients
4 tilapia pieces
1/4 cup butter melted
1/4 cup sage chopped
salt and pepper

brush butter on fish, salt and pepper fish
top with fresh sage and bake at 350 for 15 minutes
remove and serve with sides of choice

Pasta with Spinach, Brocolli and Cherry Tomato

Once in the while I have to clean out the fridge. I didnt intend on1 1 making this pasta dish, I had another one in mind, but I dont always buy fresh vegetables, I usually buy frozen, but we had a catering job, and had these foods left over, so I thought, a primavera type pasta on a cold night would hit the spot, and it did. Meal was quick, easy and healthy!
12 ounces pasta(your choice)
1/4 cup olive oil
4 cloves garlic minced
1 lb fresh or frozen spinach
2 cups brocolli
2 cups cherry tomatos
heat skillet with olive oil add garlic on low, saute for 5 minutes - careful not to burn
add spinach if fresh, and saute on low until it begins to wilt
add brocoli and cherry tomatoes
saute together
drain pasta
saute pasta and vegetable together
serve with fresh parmigiano

Roasted Cauliflower

Yum!! I saw this recipe in http://www.skinnytaste.com/, a while back and I thought it looked so good. I am a big fan of cauliflour. I love the taste and I love the versitility. That reminds me of a pizza crust made with cauliflour that is gluten free that I will have to make for the blog. In the
meantime, this is very easy, and super good.

medium cauliflower washed and cut into florets
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 garlic cloves minced
juice from 1/2 medium lemon
1/4 cup fresh parmesean

preheat oven to 450
in a baking dish mix cauliflower, oil, garlic and lemon
bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown
top with cheese, bake 5 more minutes
serve

pizza Blackbean Burger

Back again, to finish out the calender month/year of cooking on a budget- our blackbean burger. This meal has proven to be one of the most economical and healthy meat replacements we have discovered. Beans are one of the healthiest foods one can eat. They contain high amounts of fiber which is amazing at lowering cholesterol, and protein which is a very needed building block for our healthy bodies, but they are virtually fat free! I like to bake my burgers and then at the end of cooking, I throw them under the broiler to give them that crisp kindof bbq flavor.

1 can blackbeans(drained and rinsed thoroughly)
1/cup bread crumbs
1 egg
1 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp redpepper flakes
1 tsp oregano(optional)
1 cup diced tomatos
4 slices mozarella or provolone cheese

In food processor or blender mix all ingredients except tomatos and cheese
when thoroughly mixed for into 4 patties(I usually like to stick them on a tray and put them in freezer for an hour, so they arent so mushy to work with)
bake in a preheated oven for 15 minutes at 350
top with cheese and tomato and cook another 5 minutes until cheese is meleted
serve with or without bread, if eating with bread or bun, stick to wholewheat and get all the grainy goodness