Garlic Teriyaki Edamame

Last night’s salmon left much to be desired, but I’d be doing you all a disfavor not talking about the edamame we had alongside.

First off, edamame are fun – you can eat them with your fingers without being frowned upon, they fun to suck out of the pods, and let’s not forget the amazing nutritional value behind them.

Usually pan seared and sprinkled with sea salt, you’ll find these little gems in most Asian restaurants.  We, however, had them at home last night and they were amazing.

The sauce really deserves all the credit.  A little garlic, teriyaki, and brown sugar goes a long way.  Once the pods are all tossed and covered in the goodness, sprinkle the bowl with some sesame seeds for the added flare and sense of “fancy”.  When you combine it all together, you are left with the perfect combination of sweet and salty.

Garlic Teriyaki Edamame

Garlic Teriyaki Edamame

What You Need:

• 1⁄4 c water
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 16 oz package frozen edamame, in the pod
• 1⁄4 c teriyaki sauce
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 2 tbsp rice vinegar
• Sesame seeds

How You Do It:

1. Bring the water and garlic to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat.
2. Stir in the edamame, and cook until the edamame are hot, and the liquid has nearly evaporated, about 5 minutes.
3. Reduce the heat to medium and stir in the teriyaki sauce, brown sugar, and vinegar.
4. Stir constantly until the sauce has thickened and coats the edamame, about 4 minutes.
5. Sprinkle with sesame seeds to serve.

Garlic Teriyaki Edamame recipe adapted from Kitchme.com. 

Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken

Here’s another one of those recipes that takes 5 minutes to prepare the night before and 30 seconds to set the slow cooker the next morning.  I tossed this one together Sunday night, let it sit in the refrigerator overnight, set the timer on the slow cooker before I left for work yesterday, and when we got home, not only was dinner ready, but the house smelled amazing!

Whip up a quick sauce with ingredients most of which you probably have on hand, toss it over some chicken thighs (though if you prefer, you could probably use breasts), and shred it when you get home – it’s that easy.  The sauce has that garlic-honey flavor we all (or at least we all should) love and though there’s some onion and red pepper flake in there, you’d never know – in fact, I might even kick it up another notch with the red pepper flakes next time.  And don’t be shy about adding that blackberry jam – it adds a certain sweetness and cuts the sharp garlic, onion, and soy – but doesn't make it too sweet even when paired with the honey.

I served this over some rice noodles and spinach, but this would surely make some good sliders for an upcoming party, say Super Bowl?

Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken

Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken

What You Need:

• 3 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 1/2 c honey
• 1/2 c low sodium soy sauce
• 1/4 c blackberry spreadable fruit
• 1/4 c hoisin sauce
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, pressed
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 1 large pinch red pepper flakes
• 3 tbsp cornstarch + 3 tbsp cold water

How You Do It:

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the honey, soy sauce, blackberry jam, hoisin, olive oil, garlic, onion and crushed red pepper flakes.
2. Add chicken to bottom of slow cooker basin and top with sauce.
3. Cook on low 6-7 hours.
4. Using tongs, break apart the cooked chicken – this should happen very easily.
5. Combine cornstarch and water and add to slow cooker.  Carefully mix to combine, cover, and crank the heat to high for about 15 minutes until the sauce has thickened.

Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken adapted from JustATaste.com.

Saucy Chicken and Spinach Skillet

Meeting with the trainer last night, I knew when I got home I was going to be much too exhausted to cook dinner, so I had totally planned on throwing something into the slow cooker yesterday morning.  But, much to my dismay, I had forgotten to pick up the key ingredient for the recipe when I went grocery shopping this weekend.  So I whipped together this one that had been sitting in my stack (ok, mountain) of recipes to try and luckily I had everything on hand. 

Now, I will admit, I would use a different jar of sauce next time since I didn't particularly care for the one I used, or even make my own and measure it out to the 24-oz needed, but overall this was really good, really easy, and a really balanced meal… especially since I about tripled the amount of spinach the original recipe called for.

A quick and easy meal to whip together, even after getting your ass kicked at the gym.

Saucy Chicken and Spinach Skillet

 

Saucy Chicken and Spinach Skillet

What You Need:

• ½ box spaghetti
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into chunks
• 4 cloves garlic, pressed
• 1 jar pasta sauce
• 16 oz fresh baby spinach
• Shredded mozzarella cheese

How You Do It:

1. Cook pasta to desired doneness.
2. While pasta cooks, cook chicken in a deep skillet until no longer pink.
3. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant.  Add sauce, stir to combine, and simmer 8-10 minutes, or until chicken is fully cooked.
4. Add spinach in batches, and cook until wilted, stirring frequently.
5. Serve chicken/spinach mixture over pasta and sprinkle with cheese.

Saucy Chicken and Spinach Skillet recipe adapted from KraftRecipes.com

Honey-Ginger Glazed Salmon

Happy New Year, everyone!

I must say, it’s been a while since anything coming out of the kitchen was blog-worthy.  Probably cranked out some decent stuff in the last month or two if you ask my husband, but nothing I could rant or rave about.

Until last night… which I presume makes a good start for 2014.  Since everyone (including us) goes for a healthy start to the New Year, here’s a really easy and really healthy salmon recipe to start the year off right.

The best thing about this was not only did I have all the ingredients on hand, but it used some of our most prized flavors, and they really shined through.  The honey, ginger, and garlic married perfectly together to balance with the salmon and provided a great, but not too overbearing, flavor with a splash of acid from the lemon juice to cut the sharpness.

I served this over a whole-wheat couscous with peas and mushrooms – which soaked up some extra glaze and added a nice balance of protein, carb, and vegetable.  A good win to kick of the New Year indeed.

Wishing for only good things in 2014…

Honey-Ginger Glazed Salmon

Honey-Ginger Glazed Salmon

What You Need:

• 1/3 cup honey
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp warm water
• ¾ tsp grated peeled fresh ginger
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 (6-ounce) salmon fillets

How You Do It:

1. Preheat oven to 375°.
2. Combine honey, lemon juice, water, ginger, and garlic in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk until blended.
3. Pour honey mixture into a small baking pan; arrange fish in pan, skinned side up, and let stand 20 minutes.
4. Turn fish over, baste with marinate, and bake at 375° for 15 minutes.

Honey-Ginger Glazed Salmon recipe adapted from Cooking Light.

Lemon Garlic Chicken

Over the weekend I made what is probably one of the best chicken recipes in my arsenal: Lemon Garlic Chicken.  I can’t really do this recipe justice without you actually trying it.  The chicken in tender, the garlic and lemon flavor is through the roof, and the house smells amazing for hours after.

Trust me on this one – don’t wait.

Lemon Garlic Chicken

 

Lemon Garlic Chicken

What You Need:

• 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into chunks
• ½ c seasoned breadcrumbs
• 5 tbsp butter
• 4 garlic cloves, pressed
• 6 tbsp lemon juice

How You Do It:

1. While the oven preheats to 350°, melt the butter in the bottom of a deep baking dish.
2. Once the butter melts, and garlic and stir. 
3. Toss chicken chunks in breadcrumbs, place in baking dish with garlic butter.  Toss to coat. 
4. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes, tossing occasionally. 
5. Add lemon juice and bake an additional 15 minutes.

Lemon Garlic Chicken recipe from my mom.

Corey's Honey Garlic Meatballs

Well, it's been a while friends!  After a quick jaunt to Florida for a business conference (including soaking up the sun and hanging in the pool with my childhood BFF and her parents) and a week-long vacation back to Wisconsin to visit my family for Passover and a couple days away with the hubs in Baltimore, we're back at home, which means I'm back in the kitchen!

Not only are we back, but top on the cooking docket is my husband's favorite meal:  Honey Garlic Meatballs.  I'm not sure if it's the honey or the garlic or the meatball he likes best... but he sure does love these.  It's one of the few meals I make every-so-often. 

The sauce is sweet and tangy, combining garlic, honey, ketchup, and soy sauce.  Combine that with a basic meatball recipe (I suppose you could use store-bought, but to me, that's just cheating), and you have the perfect combo. 

Trust the hubs... they might become your favorite too!

Corey's Honey Garlic Meatballs

Corey's Honey Garlic Meatballs

What You Need:

• 1 lb ground turkey
• 1/2 c seasoned breadcrumbs
• 6 tbps milk
• 1 1/2 tbsp minced dried onion
• 1 egg (I used egg whites)
• 1 tbsp butter
• 3 cloves garlic, pressed
• 3/4 c ketchup
• 1/2 c honey
• 1/4 c soy sauce

How You Do It:

1. Combine turkey, breadcrumbs, milk, onion, and egg.  Shape into 1-inch meatballs.  Place in a single layer on a jelly roll pan and bake  at 425* for 12-15 minutes.
2. While the meatballs cook, melt butter in a deep pan.  Add minced garlic and saute until tender.
3. Add ketchup, honey, and soy sauce.  Bring to a boil, then simmer until meatballs are cooked through.
4. Add meatballs to sauce and gently stir to combine.

Recipe adapted from my mom.

Baked Chicken and Spinach Shells

You know the ol' saying "mothers know best"... Well, my mother [almost] always knows best.

You see, last night on my way home (hands-free for all you worriers) we were discussing what we had made for dinner the night before and what was on the menu for last night when I admitted to a flopped dinner two nights ago (one of these times maybe I'll share a flop story) and how I was worried about how dinner was going to pan out last night. After last night's miss and while we waited for the best eggplant parm in the area to arrive at our doorstep, I prepared dinner for last night.

I followed the recipe, adding more garlic of course. I cubed and browned the chicken, added in the minced garlic, wilted the spinach, and added the wine. I boiled and drained the pasta and tossed it all together. Sprinkled the cheese over the top and popped it in the fridge.

My concern - no liquid. Enter mom. Her suggestion: add some chicken broth and bake it covered. So, marching orders were given to the hubs as to how much broth to add and when to pop this sucker into the oven and I twisted my zumba butt off.

When I got home, I pulled the dish out of the oven and tasted to ensure mom's plan worked... SUCCESS!

Thanks mom - you always know the tricks!

Baked Chicken and Spinach Shells

Baked Chicken and Spinach Shells

What You Need:

• 3 chicken breasts, cubed
• 8 large garlic gloves, pressed
• 1 bag baby spinach
• 1/4 c white wine
• 1 box pasta shells
• 1/2 c chicken broth
• 2 c shredded mozzarella

How You Do It:

1. In a large pot, cook pasta as directed.
2. While the pasta cooks, in a large skillet, cook cubed chicken until the juice run clear.
3. Add garlic and cook an additional minute.
4. Add spinach and cook until wilted.
5. Add wine.
6. Once pasta is done cooking, drain and add to chicken and spinach mixture.
7. Pour into deep 9x13 baking dish. Pour broth around edges and top with cheese.
8. Lightly cover with foil and bake 25-30 minutes at 350*.

Baked Chicken and Spinach Shells adapted from Bitchin Camero.

Garlic-Dill Salmon

Both my husband and I are fish lovers (just ask my mother, when I was little she had a book custom made for me and inside it said the character was heading home for fish!), so I'm always looking for new ways to cook fish.

Tonight's recipe was super fast.  The recipe instructs to marinate the salmon for up to three hours; however, since I work full-time and don't love (read: don't let) when my husband uses my kitchen tools, I only had the time it took him to shower after our workout added to the time it took to preheat the oven to let the fish marinate.  Though it was not nearly the amount of time the original recipe called for, the 20-or-so minutes our salmon was in the refrigerator soaking up the marinate was certainly enough.

A keeper in my salmon repertoire for sure.

Garlic-Dill Salmon

What You Need:

• 2 salmon filets (6 oz each)
• 2 garlic cloves, pressed
• 3 oz orange juice
• 1 tsp dried dill
• salt and pepper

How You Do It:

1. Before you preheat the oven, add all ingredients into plastic bag and marinate in refrigerator.
2. Preheat oven to 375*.
3. Place salmon and half marinate in baking dish.
4. Bake 15-20 minutes until salmon is done to your liking.

Garlic-Dill Salmon adapted from EveryDay with Rachael Ray