Asian Inspired Salmon & Broccoli Bake

I'm still looking forward to improving the pics for my blog... This one just really isn't working for me.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup juice from 1 can mandarine oranges
• 2 salmon fillets, sliced in 1 inch strips
• 1 small head broccoli, washed and separated, removing thickest stem
• 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon sriracha sauce
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 1/2 inch chunk fresh ginger, grated
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 tablespoon minced onion
• couple tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Method:

Preaheat oven to 350ºF and spray a baking dish with oil. Combine the juice, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, sriracha sauce, lime juice, fresh ginger, garlic and onion in a bowl. Place the broccoli and salmon in the baking dish and pour sauce over top. Sprinkle with cilantro and bake, covered, for about 30 minutes, making sure the salmon flakes with a fork. Enjoy with some fried rice and the reserved mandarine oranges.

~ "Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." ~

Fruit & Nut "Pilaf"

Whenever my mom would make a flavored rice dish to go along with dinner she would call it a "pilaf, " and this got me to wondering what the origins of the word "pilaf" were. According to Wikipedia, Pilaf is borrowed directly from Turkish but that all these terms (poloپلو , polao, pilau, pilav, pilaff, plov, pilafi or pulao) ultimately derive from classical Persian. Check out this link for more on that.

So, this is a simple rice dish that can be served along side fish or chicken. It's versatile and the rice can be cooked in chicken, vegetable broth, or just plain, salted water. After the rice is cooked, I stir in some fried fruits, nuts, vegetables, whatever I think will go well with what I am serving. This time I was making some baked salmon which I had flavored with onion, garlic, and parsley and potatoes that were roasted with the same flavors. I simply used McCormick's California Style Onion Powder & McCormick's Salt Free Garlic & Herb. I got the idea for the rice from a dinner I had at TGIFriday's which had a Mexican style Chicken breast served along side "slow-cooked coconut jasmine rice with diced pineapple, onion, red pepper, cilantro and green onion." Here's how I made the rice...

• 1 cup Jasmine rice, rinsed, soaked, cooked (in any broth you desire) and cooled
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup nuts (cashews, pistachio's)
• 1/2 cup raisins (golden)
• salt, to taste
• 1/2 cup chopped, fresh pineapple
• 1/4 cup dried coconut
• 2 - 3 tablespoons clarified butter or butter

Heat the butter in a large frying pan and fry the onion until translucent. Add the nuts and raisins and coconut and fry until golden. Add the pineapple and rice and heat through.

~ Where life is colorful and varied, religion can be austere or unimportant... Where life is appallingly monotonous, religion must be emotional, dramatic and intense... Without the curry, boiled rice can be very dull. - C. Northcote Parkinson ~

Salmon with Honey-Mustard Glaze

I found the recipe for this glaze in my Betty Crocker cookbook, but I didn't have any soy sauce or Dijon mustard on hand, so I used fish sauce and regular mustard instead. It turned out excellent and I wouldn't think twice about making this again with the substitutes. I made the rice using a package of fried rice seasoning, and replaced the soy sauce the package called for with fish sauce again.

Honey-Mustard Marinade:

1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon butter or margarine, melted
1 tablespoon olive or vegetable oil
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon fish sauce (or soy sauce)
1 tablespoon mustard (or Dijon mustard)
1 clove garlic, finely chopped

1 pound salmon fillets

Method:

1) In a small bowl, mix all marinade ingredients.

2) Place salmon in a shallow glass dish. Pour marinade over salmon. Cover and refrigerate at least 15 minutes to one hour.

3) Set oven to broil. Place salmon on rack in broiler pan. Broil with top 4 to 6 inches from medium heat 10 to 15 minutes, brushing 2 or 3 times with marinade, until salmon flakes easily with fork.

4) Enjoy!

Butter Mahi-Mahi ?

I was all ready to make some butter chicken and got in the freezer and found only frozen fish...So, here is some Butter Mahi Mahi that turned out well and my daughter didn't know it was fish until I told her :D The recipe is just something I've adapted over time trying different things here and there...though I rarely make it the same way each time.

Ingredients:

• 1.5 pounds Mahi Mahi
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2 Tbs. ginger/garlic paste
• 2 tsp. coriander powder
• 1 tsp. cumin powder
• 1/2 tsp. cayenne powder
• 4 Tbs. oil
• 3 Tbs. dried fenugreek leaves
• 8 ounce tomato sauce

Method:
Marinate fish in sour cream, ginger/garlic paste, coriander, cumin and cayenne for about an hour. Heat oil in pan, add fish and cook about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add dried fenugreek and tomato sauce and cook until fish is done and sauce is thickened.

~ I'm complicated...Nevermind me, just enjoy me - meeso ~

Cajun Tilapia

I order a lot of spices from Penzeys and I always look forward to seeing what extra spice they will throw into my order...This time I received their Cajun Style Seasoning and thought I'd try it on some tilapia fillets. It was super easy and it tasted really great!

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cup rice flour
• 1/2 tsp. salt, or to taste
• Penzeys Cajun Style Seasoning
• Vegetable oil, enough for a shallow fry
  
• 16 oz. tilapia fillets

Method:

Lay tilapia fillets out on paper towels and sprinkle both sides liberally with Penzeys Cajun Style Seasoning. Let sit for a few minutes while you combine both the flours with salt. Next, coat the fillets with the flour mixture, let sit for a few minutes then coat again. Meanwhile, heat some oil in a skillet (I used about 2 tablespoons for an 8 inch skillet) and shallow fry the fillets, about 4 minutes on each side, until they are golden and become flaky on the inside. Occasionally I had to add more oil to the pan. Remove and drain on paper towels.

I served these with some mashed red potatoes and mixed vegetables.

~ If a single man achieves the highest kind of love, it will be sufficient to neutralize the hate of millions.