Simple Baked Salmon with Avocado Salsa

This has been my favorite way to cook salmon lately. My go-to recipe is my teriyaki salmon , but our family has been doing the whole 30 challenge this month and so sugar is out for us. This salmon is super easy and versatile. You can put whatever veggies you want, even frozen! We have been doing tons of zucchini and summer squash from our garden. Another obsession lately for my kids survival over this month (especially my almost 5 year old) is anything with avocados. Guacamole is the new ketchup around here! lol. This salmon is yummy just with a squeeze of lemon, but even better if you top it with this "avocado pico" as we called it tonight. Y-U-M!

Simple Baked Salmon

Salmon Fillet (about 1 1/2 pounds or as much as you need)

any veggies, fresh and cut up or frozen

garlic salt

pepper

olive oil

lemon slices

Preheat oven to 425. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Place salmon, skin side down, on prepared baking sheet. Season the salmon with garlic salt and pepper. Arrange veggies around the salmon. Drizzle some olive oil over the veggies and season with salt and pepper. Arrange the lemon slices over the salmon and cover entire baking sheet with parchment paper. Bake in preheated oven until salmon and veggies are done, about 15-20 minutes. (The salmon will flake easily with a fork when it's done). Top it with the salsa below for extra flavor

Optional Avocado Salsa

1-2 avocados, diced

1/2 small red onion, chopped fine

juice from 2 limes (about 2-3 Tbsp)

3 Tbsp finely chopped cilantro

salt to taste

Mix all ingredients and chill until ready to use. Grill or broil the salmon to your preference. Top with avocado salsa and enjoy!

My Mom's Fried Rice

Here is a super easy fried rice recipe from my mom. It does call for minute rice, but don't judge. My family swears that's what makes it so amazing! (Plus how do you think it has the easy title right?) But if you have regular rice leftover in your fridge- try it out and let me know how it turns out- I'm sure great! This recipe is very adaptable: use white or brown minute rice, add in green onions, regular onions or both. You can throw in some peas if you want some veggies! Just whatever your family likes. I actually had this leftover rice twice for breakfast this week with an additional egg. Yum!

Mom's Fried Rice

Makes around 3 cups 

2 cups minute rice, white or brown

onion, chopped (1/2 cup-1 cup to your preference)

green onions, chopped (to your preference again)

2-3 Tbsp dairy free butter or margarine

2-3 eggs

salt and pepper, to taste

soy sauce, to taste

Cook the minute rice as directed. While the rice is cooking, melt the butter in a big frying pan and saute the chopped onions until they are about done. Scoot them over to the corner of your pan and scramble 3 eggs. Once the eggs are done mix them up with the onions and add the cooked rice. If you need to add more butter go ahead and do so (I won't tell). Mix everything all together and add lots of salt and pepper. Then drizzle soy sauce over it but don't overkill. You don't want the rice to be brown unless it's brown rice. :) Less is usually more and you can always add later if you need to. And it's done! Enjoy! 

Pico De Gallo

I LOVE pico! So does my 7 year old daughter. In fact when I made steak fajitas last week, we ate all of the pico before dinner was served and ended up having to make another batch! lol For that reason I doubled my original recipe so that you will have plenty for the family. But you could also half it to serve 2-3 people. Super simple. You can also add a chopped garlic clove if you'd like. Sometimes I do and sometimes I don't. 

Simple Pico de Gallo
makes about 3 cups 

6 medium Roma tomatoes
1 small white onion (or red)
1 jalapeno pepper
juice of 1 lime
1/2 cup or so of chopped cilantro
salt and pepper to taste

Cut the tomatoes in half and take out the seeds under running water. Cut the tomatoes into small pieces, and add to a mixing bowl. Finely dice the onion and the jalapeno (remove the seeds if desired). Toss the onion and jalapeno in the bowl with the tomatoes. Add the chopped cilantro and mix well finishing up with the lime juice and salt and pepper. It's better if you can refrigerate it for about 15-20 minutes so the flavors will settle. 

Note: When I want a "kicked up" guacamole, I will make a half a batch of this pico and mix it with 3-4 mashed avocados. Heavenly.

Roasted Veggies

 One goal I have for my family this year is to eat more veggies! I only have 1 of my 4 children who love veggies and so I'm trying to find new ways to cook them to appeal to those other 3. I liked this version of roasted veggies because it had a little zing with the vinegar. A splash of vinegar- who would have thought? (Sorry I can't remember where the recipe came from. It was one of those google it and write it down on scratch paper kind of things!) 

Roasted Vegetables

serves 4-6 (4 if you love veggies, 6 as a small side)

2 red bell peppers, cut into triangle bite size pieces
1 zucchini, cut in half twice lengthwise then into bite size pieces
1 yellow squash, cut into circular bit size pieces
1 vidalia onion, cut up
1-2 cups asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 tsp olive oil
1 tsp vinegar
1/2 tsp basil
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Preheat the oven to 450. Put all the veggies into a big bowl. Add the olive oil, vinegar, basil, salt and pepper and toss to coat them all. Turn onto a greased rimmed baking sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes at 450.

Bruschetta with Balsamic Drizzle

I posted this on my sister's site today, but it's just too good not to share with the dairy free world! The original recipe called for just a 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese, and I know it is just as delicious without any cheese, so here you go! Heaven! Seriously, I could eat it every day! :)

A few notes: I used a grande ciabatta baguette from Sams Club, but any of those baguette type of breads will work. Last night for dinner I sliced the entire baguette, but for the leftovers today I cut off a 6 inch piece and then sliced it lengthwise. I'm telling you this because if you like your bread really thick-do it this way, and if you like thinner bread and heavy on the tomatoes-slice a bunch of thin slices. (If you are confused I have a pic at the end to show the difference). Also only make as much as you will eat because the bread will go soggy. So make what you want and then put the rest of the tomato mixture in the fridge and when you want more, pull it out and slice up more bread. The drizzle is quite rich so use it sparingly (but it is amazing!), and next time I'm going to half the below recipe because I had way too much. Even though it says to drizzle before you toast, next time I will drizzle after so that it looks fancy on the serving platter. :)

Bruschetta with Balsamic Drizzle:
Recipe adapted from Neighbor Julia

Bruschetta:
6 roma tomatoes- chopped (firmer tomatoes are better for this recipe)
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil
2 cloves fresh garlic (use the real thing! minced)
2 T. Balsamic Vinegar
1 T olive oil
salt and pepper (to taste)
1 long skinny baguette sliced thinly (I used chibata, but sour dough or any would work)

Mix all ingredients (except for bread) in a medium sized bowl. Allow to chill in fridge for at least 2 hours for best flavor. (I like to make mine a day ahead if I have time). When ready to serve slice bread and toast bread slightly in oven. Top each piece of toast with bruschetta, drizzle recipe below, and toast again. 

Balsamic Drizzle:
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1 T. corn starch

Stir all ingredients together in a small saucepan. Boil until slightly thickened (add extra corn starch if needed). Let cool 5 min. or until thickened to consistency you would like (don't let it get too thick). Drizzle over bruschetta and toast. Enjoy!

Hopefully you can tell the difference between the slices- the first is for a thinner, more traditional bruschetta

 This one is for a thicker bread- slicing the baguette lengthwise and opening it up

Caramelized Sweet Potatoes and Peaches

This side dish kind of stole the show at dinner the other night. :) I'm thinking it should replace the nasty sweet potato casserole dish at Thanksgiving in so many homes (sorry I'm not a fan of the casserole!) Super yummy and the peach and sweet potato flavors were great together! Definitely going to be a regular side dish around here!

Caramalized Sweet Potatoes and Peaches

Recipe from Daphne Oz in Relish

Serves 2-3

1 Tbsp organic coconut oil, melted

2 Tbsp pure maple syrup, room temperature (it will make the oil go solid if it's too cold)

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

iodized salt

1 medium sweet potato, scrubbed and cut into 1 inch chunks (the orange variety)

2 medium peaches, pitted and sliced into 4 wedges each (I only had canned I just made sure I strained them really well)

1 medium sweet onion, peeled and quartered (I used about 1/2 an onion)

Preheat oven to 450. In a small bowl, whisk the coconut oil, syrup, cinnamon, and salt. Put the potato and peaches in 2 separate bowls. Pour three-quarters of the syrup mixture over the sweet potato and one-quarter over the peaches and toss. Spread the potato in an even layer in a large baking dish and roast for 10 minutes. Toss and roast for 5 more minutes. Add the onion and roast for 15 minutes. Toss the potato and onion, add the peaches in an even layer, and roast 10 minutes, or until the potato and onion are fork tender and the peaches have caramelized. 

Sweet Potato Fries

These fries are so yummy and crispy thanks to the little bit of sugar. I think after I made these I went and bought a big frozen bag of sweet potato fries from the frozen section and they sat in my freezer because I couldn't even get my kids to eat them and finally had to throw them away. My point is that these don't taste like those yucky soggy ones you buy frozen!

Sweet Potato Fries
Recipe from Melanie @ melskitchencafe

3 large sweet potatoes
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Place two rimmed baking sheets in the oven while it preheats and while you prepare the potatoes (about 10 minutes). Peel the potatoes and slice the potatoes into about 1/4- to 1/2-inch strips or wedges. Try to keep most of the pieces the same size so they bake evenly.
Place the potato strips/wedges in a ziploc bag or bowl. Toss the potatoes with the oil. Add the seasonings and mix until the potatoes are evenly coated.
Carefully remove the hot baking sheets from the oven and divide the potatoes evenly among the two sheets, taking care the potatoes are not touching so they have plenty of room for the air circulate to circulate and bake evenly. Also, try to leave any excess oil in the bag or bowl so the potatoes don’t get too soggy while they bake.
Bake the potatoes for about 12-15 minutes, flipping halfway through, if desired, until they are tender and well-browned. Serve immediately.

Sliced Potatoes

This is pretty simple, but it's also the only way my kids will eat potatoes- so I had to post incase any of you have the same problem! :) You can use regular or red but I think reds cook up a bit faster and have more flavor.

Sliced Potatoes

1 potato per person
olive oil
salt and pepper

For reds you can leave the skins on. Slice each potato to about 1/4 -1/2 inch thickness. On the cutting board you can salt and pepper the slices. In a large skillet heat up 1 Tbsp olive oil. Cook the potato slices on medium heat until they are tender, turning after 3 minutes or so. Add olive oil if they are sticking. My kids love these with ketchup of course.

Crispy Red Potatoes

I love love love these red potatoes and make them quite often. My kids just eat them right up dipped in ketchup of course. Perfect complement to any grilled meat this summer. I found this recipe a few years ago, and that's when I realized the trick to getting crispy (and fully cooked) potato wedges- boil them first. Also I make these so much that I make a huge batch of the seasonings and put them in an empty season jar labeled "red potato seasoning". That way you just toss the potatoes in the olive oil and sprinkle to your own liking whether you want the flavors hot or mild.

Crispy Red Potatoes

serves about 4

8 red potatoes, scrubbed and cut into wedges

3 Tbsp olive oil

1 1/2 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp garlic powder

2 Tbsp paprika

1 tsp chili powder

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large pot bring 8 cups salted water to boil. Boil potatoes 2 minutes. Strain and toss the potatoes in a bowl with oil. Add seasonings. Place on greased cookie sheet and bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until golden crisp.

Caribbean Rice

Oh man is this rice good and packed with flavor! Your family will be going crazy over the aroma it causes in your kitchen :) I couldn't find the Mrs. Dash flavor it asked for in my grocery store, so I just used the original blend in mine and it turned out fabulous. If you want a rounded out meal broil some chicken seasoned with 1 tsp of the Mrs. Dash to serve along with the rice. I also love to serve this rice with these Asian Chicken Skewers. I've also made it with green bell pepper and corn instead of peas- you can really use whatever you have.

Carbibbean Rice

Recipe from Family Circle Hometown Favorites

Serves 4

2 cups low-sodium beef broth

1 tsp Mrs. Dash Caribbean Citrus seasoning (or use Original Blend)

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup uncooked brown rice

1 cup frozen peas, thawed

1 small yellow pepper, cored, seeded and chopped

4 scallions, thinly sliced

Place broth and 3/4 cup water in a medium-size saucepan and bring to boil. Stir in 1 tsp of the citrus seasoning, salt and the rice. Reduce heat to low. Cook, covered for 30 minutes. Stir in peas, yellow pepper and scallions (leave some if you want to garnish). Cook for 15 more minutes or until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed.

Aunt Sherry's Spinach Salad

This salad quickly became my favorite Thanksgiving dish this year. I couldn't stop eating it! It will for sure be the salad of choice for our Christmas dinner too. Some of you may have had this kind of dressing before, but for me it was a new and exciting. It seems so simple but it is the perfect balance of flavors.

Spinach Salad
Recipe from Sherry Chapman 

1 package of fresh baby spinach
1 cup fresh ripe strawberries, stems removed and sliced
1 cucumber, thinly sliced
1 cup walnuts or pecans

Dressing:
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup ketchup
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

Mix together and let sit for an hour or until the sugar dissolves. Pour over salad just before serving.

Chicken with Orange Sauce and Quick Rice Pilaf

I tried this recipe tonight and my husband sat down at the table and said, "Wow this looks fancy"... so it was nice to try something different with chicken other than just dunking it in barbecue sauce. I've tried a few different orange sauces that are either too light on the orange flavor or too heavy on other flavors- this one was just the right amount of orange and ginger.

Chicken with Ginger Orange Sauce
Recipe from A Peak at the Springs Cookbook

1 cup orange juice
1 Tbsp vinegar
1 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp cornstarch
1/8 tsp ginger
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1-2 Tbsp olive oil
hot cooked rice (or rice pilaf below)

Combine the orange juice, vinegar, soy sauce, butter, sugar, cornstarch and ginger in a saucepan and mix well. Cook over medium heat until thickened, stirring constantly. Place the chicken between two sheets of waxed paper or saran wrap and pound with a meat mallet until about 1/4 inch thick. Season with salt and pepper. Saute the chicken in the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until cooked through. Spoon over rice and top with the sauce.

Quick Rice Pilaf

Along with my two kids, I love this rice pilaf! It's so easy and you can change the seasonings depending on what you are cooking. I use chili powder with enchiladas, fajitas, etc. and I used garlic salt tonight with this dish and to also to use as leftovers to pair with sweet and sour chicken later this week. I love love love this recipe!

Quick Rice Pilaf
Recipe from Mel @ melskitchencafe

tablespoon canola oil
1 small onion, finely diced
1 cup angel hair pasta, broken into 1/2-inch pieces
1 cup rice
2 cups chicken broth (or make some with boullion cubes)
Seasonings to taste (1 tsp of chili powder, curry, garlic salt, etc.)

Brown onions, rice and angel hair pasta in the oil over medium-high heat. Cook until spaghetti is lightly browned. Add chicken stock (note: if you use jasmine rice, increase chicken stock to 2 1/2 cups instead of 2 cups) and seasonings and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Fluff and serve.