Honey Dijon Salmon with Green Beans

I’m always looking for different ways to cook fish.  We are big fish fans and I’m always afraid we’ll get bored with the same preparations over and over.  So when I saw this in a pile of recipes I had pulled from old magazines, I thought I’d give it a try. 

Now here’s a salmon recipe with an added bonus – leftover honey Dijon vinaigrette to use with salad or veggies later in the week!  A quick whisk of oil, mustard, honey, and vinegar makes a good amount of dressing and for this salmon you only use a couple tablespoons. 

I had never thought of baking the salmon right on top of onions before, but it really worked well.  The onions came out so tender and sweet and gave the salmon an extra hint of flavor.  Mixed with some steamed green beans and a little drizzle of the vinaigrette and this dish packs a sweet and subtle flavor not to be missed. 

Quick, easy, and light, this salmon recipe is a good base to try lots of different flavors.  And best of all – when all was said and done – my recipe looked just like the one in the magazine photo, so I was pretty damn excited!

Honey Dijon Salmon with Green Beans

 

Honey Dijon Salmon with Green Beans

What You Need:

• 2 tsp honey
• 4 tsp Dijon mustard
• 3 tbsp white-wine vinegar
• 1/2 c olive oil
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 4 tbsp panko breadcrumbs
• 2 6-oz pieces salmon
• 1 pound green beans, trimmed

How You Do It:

1. Whisk together honey, mustard, vinegar, and oil; season with salt and pepper.
2. In a deep baking dish, toss onion with 2 tablespoons vinaigrette and bake at 425* for 5 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, stir 1 tablespoon vinaigrette into panko. Coat fish with 1 tablespoon vinaigrette and season with salt and pepper; top with breadcrumb mixture and add to baking dish. Bake until fish is cooked to your liking, about 12-15 minutes.
4. While the salmon cooks, steam green beans to desired tenderness.
5. Remove salmon from baking dish and set aside. Drain green beans and toss with onion and 1 tablespoon vinaigrette. 

Honey Dijon Salmon with Green Beans recipe adapted from Martha Stewart Everyday Food.

Chicken with Balsamic Onions over Sautéed Spinach and Mushrooms

This week my husband has been on a no-carbs, no dairy kick.  And you know what, he’s done a really great job of it.  It has, however, been a bit of a cooking challenge at night, as I like to have rice or a little cheese or some sort of carb (in moderation, of course) with dinner.  And while I've managed to pull off a week of no-carb, no-dairy dinners, last night’s was noteworthy. 

Added bonus – I found another opportunity to use the Herbs de Provence I snagged on our honeymoon last summer! 

Anyway – the chicken was so tender, and took only a few minutes to cook on the stove-top, thanks to slicing the breasts in half.  The onions on top – yum!  While I don’t love a super strong balsamic flavor (even on salad), they offered just enough flavor to give the chicken just the right kick.  I served this over some sautéed fresh spinach and mushrooms for more vegetables and a good balance.

Super easy, super quick – this is a no-carb, no-dairy keeper!

Chicken with Balsamic Onions over Sautéed Spinach and Mushrooms

Chicken with Balsamic Onions over
Sauteed Spinach and Mushrooms

What You Need:

• 1/4 c flour
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, sliced in half to make 2 thin cutlets each
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 1/4 c water
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1/3 tsp Herbs de Provence*
• 1 package sliced mushrooms
• 2 bags fresh baby spinach

How You Do It – Chicken with Balsamic Onions:

1. In a large Ziploc bag, combine flour and pepper. Add chicken, one piece at a time, and shake to coat.
2. In a large skillet, cook chicken in oil over medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes on each side or until juices run clear. Remove and keep warm.
3. In the same pan, cook onion until tender.
4. Add water, stirring to loosen browned bits.
5. Add balsamic and Herbs de Provence; cook and stir for 3 to 4 minutes or until sauce is slightly thickened. Serve over chicken.

How You Do It – Sautéed Spinach and Mushrooms

1. While the chicken and onions cook, in a separate large skillet, cook mushrooms until soft.
2. Slowly fold in spinach by the handful, until wilted.

* If you don’t have Herbs de Provence or cannot find them in the store, the original recipe calls for 1/2 tsp dried thyme and 1/8 teaspoon crushed dried rosemary.

Chicken with Balsamic Onions recipe adapted from HeritageSchoolhouse.

Beer-Braised Chicken Tacos

I probably have mentioned before I have a love for Mexican food.  We don’t have it often, but every once and a while I can't resist.  So, here’s a quick and easy taco recipe a bit different from chopped meat with a packet of seasoning. 

Other than the hard shells and enchilada sauce, I had everything for this recipe on hand.  I always keep shredded/diced cooked chicken in the freezer in 2-cup packages, usually leftover from making chicken soup, but could easily be pulled from a store-bought rotisserie chicken.  The seasonings are staples in my cabinet and I almost always have an onion or two in the pantry.  And with all the beer left from my birthday bash a couple weeks ago, there was no shortage there.

One pot does the trick for this one and really you need only about 20 minutes from start to finish – a quick and easy Mexican fix.  While there is a little beer in the recipe, didn't taste it much at all and the chili powder (which next time I would reduce) and enchilada sauce gave this a nice heat.

And – I cannot close out without a shout out to the hard shells.  We don’t normally go the hard taco route, but I saw an ad for these “fiesta flats” and had to see for myself.  Let me tell you – they are genius!  You can fill them and set them without tipping.  And while I still stand by the soft shell and feel hard shells get stale while they sit on the table (and most often than not, are stale when you take them out of the package) these were a rare treat.

Beer-Braised Chicken Tacos

Beer-Braised Chicken Tacos

What You Need:

• 2 c diced cooked chicken
• ½ large onion, diced
• 1 can enchilada sauce
• ¾ c beer
• 1 tbsp chili powder (I might try ½ tbsp next time)
• ½ tsp cumin
• Shells and toppings as desired (We topped ours with sour cream and a little shredded cheese)

How You Do It:

1. Sauté chicken and onion in rimmed skillet until onion starts to soften, about 2-3 minutes. 
2. Add seasonings, beer, and enchilada sauce.  Stir to combine and bring to a boil.
3. Reduce heat to an almost-simmer, and cook an additional 15 minutes uncovered, until the sauce reduces to desired consistency.  (Note:  I added a little slurry to thicken at the end).

Beer-Braised Chicken Tacos recipe adapted from Betty Crocker.

Ramen Vegetable Lo Mein

Sometimes the best cure for a rough day is dinner with friends.  So when I got a text from a girlfriend that she was going to be around tonight and wanted a hug, I offered to ease up the rest of the of the night with dinner at our place. 

Knowing I had to make a meat-free meal (she’s a Chopra, look it up!), I stopped at the store on my way home to pick up some vegetables to make a stir-fry and remembered yet another pin for a recipe using Ramen noodles. 

I couldn't believe how quickly the HUGE bowl of stir-fried vegetables and noodles cleared.  While I thought the meal was just mediocre, apparently I was in the minority.  I thought the sauce I used was a little sweet and could have used a hit of red pepper flakes, my dinner “guests” said not to tweak a thing. 

So, here’s the recipe, without tweaking a thing.

Ramen Vegetable Lo Mein

 

Ramen Vegetable Lo Mein

What You Need:

• 4 packages Ramen noodles
• 2 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 large onion, thinly sliced
• 1 package shredded carrots
• 1 package broccoli florets
• 3 large cloves garlic, pressed
• 1 c chicken broth
• ½ c teriyaki sauce (I used this)

How You Do It:

1. Boil noodles according to package, discarding seasoning packet.  Drain and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, heat sesame oil in large skillet.  Add onion and sauté until slighted softened.  Add broccoli and carrots and continue to sauté until tender.
3. Add garlic and sauce, stirring to combine and soften garlic.
4. Add noodles and chicken brother, toss to combine and heat through.

Baked Chicken Fajitas

Over the weekend we were chilling at some friends’ house watching the Packers beat the Vikings (WOO!).  When we hang out, we almost always have dinner together.  We usually order a chicken marsala pizza (oh so good, but oh so bad) and make a huge salad, but since we’re all on a healthy kick-start to 2013, we decided to make dinner instead.  Usually I bring the recipe and handful of not-so-common ingredients, and we whip something up together.

I dug out of the first Pinterest recipes finds I tried and we got to it.  We chopped some veggies, sliced some chicken, tossed it in a large Ziploc bag with some seasonings, and let it sit for an hour or two.  When ready, we dumped the contents, liquid and all, into a baking dish, popped it in the oven, and 30 minutes later, had an awesome meal.

I’m telling you – this is the way to do it!   And… another Green Bay WIN!

Baked Chicken Fajitas

Before & After:
Baked Chicken Fajitas

What You Need:

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 2 bell peppers (I used orange and yellow)
• 1 large onion
• 2 tsp cumin
• 2 tsp chili powder
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• ½ tsp dried oregano
• 1 (15oz) can diced tomatoes with green chilies
• Toppings such as tortillas, rice, sour cream, shredded cheese, etc.

How You Do It:

1. In large Ziploc bag, combine chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, and oregano.  Shake to mix.
2. Thinly slice chicken, peppers, onion, and add to bag. 
3. Drain tomatoes and green chilies and add to bag.  Shake to combine.
4. Let mixture sit in refrigerator to marinate, 1 hour to overnight.
5. Dump mixture into baking dish and bake 350* 30 minutes.

Baked Chicken Fajitas recipe adapted from RealMomKitchen.com.