Sesame Crusted Salmon

 

I have always loved salmon but I have never really experimented with different preparation and flavor combinations. Then I saw this recipe over on Annie's Eats and knew I had to try it. It was so simple, although there is a bit of prep work, the meal comes together relatively quick. I could not stop talking about how much I loved this salmon! I really love sesame and obviously if you don't like sesame seeds this is not the recipe for you, but otherwise I highly recommend giving this a try. 

  I have been extremely busy the past month or so and have had no time to bake. I am so eager to try some new fall baking recipes, they will all probably include pumpkin, but hopefully I can post some of those soon. Im hoping to try a pumpkin scone recipe and baked pumpkin oatmeal which I also found over on Annies Eats :) 

Sesame Crusted Salmon

For the glaze:

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth

1/2 tsp sugar

1 1/2 tsp grated ginger

1 clove garlic, minced

2 tsp cornstarch

3 tbsp cold water

For the Salmon:

1 larger egg white

2 tbsp cornstarch

4 salmon filets

1/4 cup sesame seeds

1/4 vegetable or canola oil

Directions:

  To make the glaze, combine the soy sauce, chicken broth, sugar, ginger, and garlic in a small bowl, whisk to blend. In another small bowl, combine the cornstarch and water, whisk until smooth.

  To make the salmon, combine the egg white and cornstarch in a shallow dish, whisk to blend. Brush the skinless side of each salmon fillet with the egg white mixture. Place the sesame seeds in a second shallow dish and dip the side of the salmon fillets with the egg mixture in the sesame seeds and press gently to coat completely. 

  Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, once the oil is hot place the salmon in the pan, sesame seed coated side down, and cook for about 5 minutes or until the sesame seeds are golden brown. Turn and continue cooking an additional 3-4 minutes or until cooked through. Remove to a plate, cover with foil to keep warm, and set aside. 

  Pour off any remaining oil in the skillet and lower the heat to medium. Add the soy sauce mixture to the pan and simmer for 2 minutes, while stirring constantly. Whisk in the cornstarch-water mixture and continue simmering about 1 more minute, until the sauce has thickened. Drizzle over the salmon fillets and serve over brown rice or veggies :)

  Recipe slightly adapted from Annie's Eats

Baby Back Ribs

  I have never ordered ribs in a restaurant and to be honest I am not a huge fan of them...except when they are cooked like this! My dad works in the grocery industry and a butcher once told him the key to tender, fall of the bone ribs is removing the membrane on the bone side of the ribs. He started to make his ribs using this recipe and my brother and I loved them! I had never attempted making them myself and normally left that to my dad, so I ate ribs maybe once or twice a year when I saw him. A few months ago I asked him for the recipe and thought I would give them a try. I recently went on a family vacation and thought these would be a great crowd pleaser, so I wanted to try them out before my trip. When I made them the first time Trevor loved them, when I made them for my family they loved, so I figured the recipe was blog worthy :) 

Lime Cilantro Fajitas

 I am going on vacation this week with my family to visit some of our family in Florida. I will be going with my mom, grandma, aunt, uncle, and cousin from California to visit my aunt, cousins and second cousins in Florida, so we are by no means a small clan (we are actually missing a few immediate family members from this trip but even without them we are still a huge group!). We are planning on spending everyday together at the beach, afternoons at the pool and of course as many dinners together as possible! I was really excited to go on the trip and really wanted to cook a few meals for my family. I needed to think of recipes that were simple, needed minimal ingredients, did not need any specials tools/techniques and meals that were also cost effective since I would be feeding so many people. I also did not want to spend half of my vacation in the kitchen so I wanted to bring some recipes along that really didn't take too long. This recipe is one that made the cut because it is simple, has unique flavors, requires very few ingredients, can easily feed a crowd, and of course is not too expensive. The original recipe had you grill the fajitas and veggies, but I used my george foreman grill instead, which actually made cooking the sliced veggies much easier than trying to cook them on a grill and prevent them from falling through.

Penne Alfredo with Spinach

 
  I apologize for the lack of posting the past month or two. Life caught up to me and posting on the blog took a back seat to finishing up my job in June, yoga class, and enjoying the beach. I was lucky enough to have about 5 weeks off in between my old job ending and new job starting, and although some might look at those weeks as 5 weeks of unemployment, I felt they were 5 weeks of much needed rest and time to do things that I had not been able to do for months. Although I have not been posting, I have still been cooking and have so many recipes to share, including some great summer dishes. 
  Last summer in north county was dreary and we were cursed with June gloom for months, but this summer has been so so so HOT! So my version of hot can not compare to the heat waves that the east coast has been experiencing, but when it hits the 80s near the beach here that is considered pretty hot. I do love all the sun, but it has made cooking a little challenging. I have barely used our oven since May because our house faces west and between 3p and 6p it is boiling in here...sometimes even hotter than outside. So I have been using the george foreman grill (we do not have a space for a BBQ unfortunately) and making a few pasta dishes every week in an attempt to avoid using the oven. It really is challenging to not use the oven at all...no pizzas, no baked chicken, no enchiladas, i could go on for days..!
  Anyways this dish was something I first made about a year ago and for some reason I think I have only made it once or twice since then. I am not sure why because it really is a great recipe, so simple, and a really healthy alternative to your standard Alfredo sauce. I added the spinach in because I truly believe spinach can be added into anything, but especially pasta, for a little added nutrition. I have never really eaten too much Alfredo pasta, so I am not sure how this stacks up to the full fat version, but I think the flavors and creaminess of the sauce are excellent considering the low calorie and fat content of the dish. It also requires no oven and whips up quickly..perfect for a summer meal or even for a warm winter comfort food!

Orange Scones

 Well the GRE is finally over! I took the test April 30th and could not be happier with the results. After almost 2 1/2 months of studying I was able to score 20 points higher than my goal score on the Verbal/Quantitative section and score 1 point higher on the essay section. Although my scores definitely would not get me into a Biology graduate program, they are strong scores for the types of programs I will be applying to in the Social Sciences. Now I get to breathe a little easier for a few months, then I will get my applications together and submit them this fall for admission for fall 2012. I am so glad I have taken time after graduating to deal with the whole process of graduate school, because it really is a part time job to go through the testing process, researching schools/programs, and completing the applications. It is exciting to think I am now one step closer to finally going back to school. This stint in the real world has been fun but I am definitely ready to go back to being a student! I have started to realize that I would rather be on a tighter budget, work less hours, and have more time to do the things I enjoy such as cooking, reading, and even getting back into researching and scholarly type things. So I am hoping over this summer I might be able to make a change that will give me more time, maybe a little less money, but definitely more happiness. 
  Now enough about the completely unexciting GRE (but my very exciting scores!!) and lets talk about scones. This is my first ever adventure into making scones, and I have to say I am hooked. The wonderful taste of these baked goods would have been enough to pull me in, but when you couple that with the fact that they are incredibly easy to make it makes me feel I should be making scones every week. The ingredients are very simple ( I think I had every ingredient on hand and did not have to buy anything extra at the store), the preparation is so easy, and they come together so quickly without making any sort of mess in the kitchen. Not to mention they taste melt in your mouth good, and I mean they really do melt in your mouth. 





Orange Scones


3 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2-3 tablespoons orange zest
3/4 cup chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 cup chilled buttermilk


Glaze:


about 3/4 cup powder sugar
fresh orange juice


*you can add 3/4 cup of dried fruit such as cranberries, raisins, currants, etc. Trader Joe's has some orange flavored dried cranberries that would be so tasty in these...


Preheat Oven to 400 degrees. 


  Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in a large bowl. Mix in orange zest. Add the butter pieces and rub in with fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal. If adding dried fruit mix in now. Gradually add buttermilk, tossing with a fork until moist clumps form. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead about 4 times to bind the dough. 


  You can do these as drop scones and just scoop out onto baking sheet. For wedge shaped scones, form dough into 1 inch thick round, cut into 8 wedges, then transfer wedges to prepared baking sheet, spacing about 2 inches apart. Bake until tops of scones are golden brown, about 25 minutes. Let stand on baking sheet 10 minutes.


  Gradually add orange juice (use the orange that you zested) to the powdered sugar until a thick glaze forms. Drizzle over warm or cooled scones. 


  I cooled the scones on a cooling rack then store them in an air right container. They did not last more than a few days before they were all eaten but I probably would recommend eating them within 2-3 days. I have yet to try it but I have heard that scones freeze well and can be reheated easily so if you cant eat them all within 2-3 days I would recommend freezing them. 


Recipe adapted from Epicurious.com