Speaking of vino … in light of my current healthy eating kick and all, I’ve been trying to keep my nightly wine consumption to just one glass instead of one whole BOTTLE (progress!).  But that’s a whole different issue we won’t go in to today.

“Hello, my name is Leah and I have issues.”

Speaking of issues, does this ever happen to you?  When I decide to go on a ‘diet’, something bizarre happens in my brain, and things tend to go really badly for me.  I get all resentful, crabby, and stressed out if I think something is being taken away from me, like foods and cocktails I love (see what I mean?  ISSUES.).    That’s why I’m trying to fool myself by simply ‘eating healthy’ and not attempting to follow a dreaded ‘D word’.  I call this the Jedi Mind Trick.

“Help me Obi Wan, you’re my only hope!”

Gosh, I’m so glad I have you all as my sounding board bored!    Thanks for reading.  You guys are like therapy for me.  And now that I’ve annoyed you to itty bitty pieces, let’s talk about the salmon, shall we?

I absolutely LOVED this dinner.  I can’t say enough about it, in fact.  The glaze is sweet, salty, and tangy, and the sear-roasting process gives the salmon the most delightful crust.  We enjoyed it over plain jasmati rice, with a simple side of wilted spinach.  It would be lovely over wild rice too; I might try that next time.

Company worthy?  Check.  Healthy at the same time?  Check that too.  I can’t wait to make it again!  ENJOY!

HONEY & SOY GLAZED SALMON

Serves: 4

Source:  epicurious.com

• 4 T. honey
• 4 T. soy (La Choy is on sale if you’re running low!)
• 3 T. fresh lime juice (yes, I said FRESH!), plus additional lime wedges for garnish if you’re in to presentation!
• 1 T. Dijon mustard
• 2 T. water
• 1 ½ t. cornstarch mixed with 2 t. water (optional; I like a thicker glaze)
• 1 T. neutral cooking oil
• 4 – 6oz. salmon fillets, skinned (Premium Alaskan Coho fillets are on sale this week)

• Your favorite cooked rice, for serving (I like Jasmati or a wild rice blend)

Preheat the oven to 400.

In a small bowl, whisk together the honey, soy sauce, lime juice, mustard, and water.  If you like a thicker glaze, give the cornstarch and water a little stir and add it in to the honey mixture.  Whisk well to blend.  Set aside.

In a large oven proof skillet, heat the oil over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking.  Cook the salmon, skinned side up, for three minutes.  During this three minutes do not poke, fiddle with, or scoot the salmon around in any way.  Just let it form a lovely golden brown crust.  After three minutes, flip the salmon and transfer it to the oven.  Continue to cook for an additional 5-6 minutes, or until the salmon flakes easily with a fork and is just cooked through.  Transfer the salmon to a plate.  Place the pan over medium heat, reminding yourself that the handle of the pan is still extremely hot.  Give the glaze one last whisk and add it to the pan.  Simmer, stirring, for about a minute.  Place a scoop of rice in the middle of each serving plate.  Place a salmon fillet atop the rice, and drizzle with the glaze.  Garnish with lime wedges if desired.

What I mean to say is, YOU WILL LIKE IT!  Even No-Thank-You-Boy digs right in, and he doesn’t usually eat anything that doesn’t say JIMMY JOHNS somewhere on the label.  This stuff is good, baby.  Really good.

Now before I get you all excited, a slight confession:  I am fully aware that this dish is going against my ‘let’s lighten up’ rule but I had to make an exception.  I’m delivering dinner to a good friend who just had a baby (Hi, Baby Chloe!), and this is my standard “I’m-taking-dinner-to-a-sick-or-newly-unpregnant-friend” dish, so it is what it is.  It’s not light, and if you over-indulge it will definitely add to your, uh – bottom line, shall we say.  But let’s don’t worry about that today.  Bikini season is a long way off.  If you’re having calorie angst, add a few minutes to the old treadmill when you’re at the gym tomorrow.

Chicken and Rice.  It’s what’s right with the world!

Note:  Here’s the fine print.  This isn’t the kind of dinner you can throw together in a skinny minute; it’s a little time consuming to make.  I recommend it for Sunday dinner when you’ve got a little extra time on your hands!  On the bright side:  this freezes beautifully!  If you freeze it, be sure to thaw it completely before baking.  Enjoy!

CREAMY CHICKEN & RICE WITH PEAS, CARROTS, & CHEDDAR

Serves:  8

Source:  The Best Make Ahead Recipe, by the Editors of Cooks Illustrated. Pp. 248-249

• 4 T. butter
• 1 medium onion, minced
• Salt
• 3 medium cloves garlic, minced or pressed
• 1/8 t. cayenne pepper
• ¼ c. flour
• 6 c. chicken broth (Imagine broths are on sale)
• 1 c. heavy cream or half-and-half
• 2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 5; Value Packs are on sale)
• 1 ½ c. long grain white rice
• 1 – 1lb. bag frozen peas and carrots medley (about 3 cups)
• 8 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (about 2 cups)
• Ground black pepper
• 1 recipe (2 ¼ cups) Toasted Bread Crumb Topping (see below)
• Chopped fresh parsley for garnish

Preheat the oven to 400.  Melt the butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat.  Add the onion and 1 teaspoon of salt and cook until softened and lightly browned, 5 to 7 minutes.  Stir in the garlic and cayenne and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until golden, about 1 minute.  Slowly whisk in the broth and the cream.

Add the chicken breasts, partially cover, and bring to a simmer.  Reduce the heat to low, cover completely, and cook until the thickest part of the chicken breast registers 160 degrees on an instant read thermometer, 10-15 minutes.

Remove the chicken and set aside to cool.  Stir the rice into the pot, cover, and continue to cook over low heat, stirring often, until the rice has absorbed much of the liquid and is just tender, 20-25 minutes.  When the chicken is cool enough to handle, shred it into bite-sized pieces.

Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the shredded chicken, peas and carrots, and cheddar.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Pour mixture into a 9 x 13” pan and sprinkle with the crumb topping.  Cover tightly with foil (freeze at this point).  Bake until the casserole is bubbling and hot throughout, about 1 hour.  Remove the foil and continue to bake until the crumbs are crisp, 15 minutes longer.  Sprinkle with chopped parsley before serving.

Note:  I love to keep an extra batch of this in my freezer.  I try to make a batch whenever I have on-the-verge-of-stale bread hanging around my pantry.  These crumbs are great to have on hand!

TOASTED BREAD CRUMB TOPPING

Makes enough for 1 9 x 13” casserole

Source:  The Best Make Ahead Recipe, by the Editors of Cooks Illustrated. P. 242

• 4 slices good quality white sandwich bread, quartered
• 2 T. butter, melted
• 2 T. minced fresh parsley leaves
• Salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 325.  Pulse the bread and butter in a food processor to coarse crumbs, about 6 pulses.  Spread the crumbs out over a rimmed baking sheet.  Bake, stirring occasionally, until golden and dry, 20-30 minutes.  Let the crumbs cool, then toss with the parsley; season with salt and pepper to taste.

Yesterday was one of those days… I just. Couldn’t. Do it.

Fried rice is my standard fall-back dinner on days like yesterday. The whole DamFam LOVES fried rice! If you keep a few staples hangin’ around your pantry, fridge, and freezer, you’ll be able to throw together a huge batch of fried rice any day of the week — without having to waste good lipstick and hairspray so that you look presentable at the store!

Now, brace yourselves for a bit of life changing information. I’m about to give you a few tips for perfect fried rice. Here we go!

First of all, it is highly important (and this really can’t be stressed enough) to start out with cooked rice that is both cold and dry. You can’t make good fried rice out of a batch freshly cooked, steaming hot rice. It just won’t work; trust me, I know these things. Hot rice will stick together in a big, yucky, starchy glob and will only lead to dinnertime disappointment and untold sorrow.

Luckily, a wee bit forethought will help you avoid such dreadful issues. I like to make my rice in the morning. Immediately after it’s finished cooking, I spread it on a cookie sheet to let the steam escape and cool it down quickly, then I put the cookie sheet in the fridge (uncovered) for the whole day.

My favorite types of rice are basmati or jasmati, although sometimes I use jasmine if I have it on hand. Definitely do not use converted rice (like Uncle Ben’s), and absolutely, positively do not use Minute Rice.

Repeat after me: Minute Rice is from the devil. It’s true.

Ideally you’ll need a wok, or at the very least a giant sauté pan. Have everything prepped and ready to go before you start cooking, because once you start the stir-fry process, things will happen very quickly — you won’t have time to stop and finish slicing and dicing! I like to have all of my ingredients organized in separate bowls on a cookie sheet. I’ve used this system for years. Makes me feel quite organized and efficient.

Lastly, maintain a screamingly hot pan throughout the entire cooking process. You might have to wait a minute in between cooking the various ingredients so that the pan comes back up to temperature before continuing. That’s okay.

And there you have it. Economical, delicious, and a great way to avoid driving to the store!

If I don’t have shrimp on hand, I also love to make this with diced ham steak. Actually, my kids prefer it with ham over the shrimp! If you choose to use ham, skip the cornstarch/salt step.

SHRIMP FRIED RICE

Serves: 5 Hungry Damrons, plus a little leftover for lunch the next day.

Source: ??

• 8 oz. raw shrimp, peeled and deveined, cut into small pieces
• ½ t. cornstarch
• ¼ t. salt

• Neutral cooking oil

• 1 medium onion, diced
• 3 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1 can diced water chestnuts, drained

• 3 eggs, beaten with a splash of dry sherry (about a teaspoon)

• 4 c. cold cooked rice

• 1 c. frozen peas and carrots, thawed
• Fresh bean sprouts, big handful (optional)
• 1 T. soy sauce (or more to taste)

Toss the shrimp with the cornstarch and salt and set aside for 10 minutes.

Place a wok or a very large sauté pan over high heat. The wok will be ready when a drop of water sizzles and evaporates almost immediately upon contact with the pan. Pour 1 tablespoon of oil into the wok and swirl around to coat. Add the shrimp in one layer. Allow them to cook undisturbed for a minute or so. Flip them over (I like to use a pair of tongs) and allow them to cook undisturbed for another minute or so on the second side. Remove to a plate and set aside.

Pour an additional tablespoon of oil into the wok and swirl to coat. Pour in the beaten eggs, and scramble them very quickly until nearly done. Slide eggs out onto the plate with the shrimp. Cut the eggs into small pieces.

Pour another tablespoon of oil into the wok, and swirl to coat. Add the onion, scallions, and water chestnuts. Stir fry for three to four minutes, or until onion is softened. Remove vegetables to the plate with the eggs and the shrimp.

Add one more tablespoon of oil to the wok and swirl to coat (hey, I never said this was a low fat recipe). Add the rice to the wok. Spread it out so that as much rice as possible is touching the surface of the pan. Cook the rice undisturbed for two minutes or so (it should definitely be sizzling). Using a wooden paddle or spatula, flip the rice over and continue to cook on the other side for another minute or so. Add to the pan the shrimp, eggs, onions, peas and carrots, bean sprouts, and soy sauce. Toss everything together; cook for a few minutes so that everything is warmed through. Scoop in to bowls and serve, passing additional soy sauce at the table.

We’ve been eating a lot more fish at our house since I started writing this blog.  It’s been good for our family, too.  Not only does fish feel much lighter than meat, it’s given me a great chance to experiment with different preparations, and my kids have decided that salmon (“yay, pink fish!”) is all right — except for No Thank-You Boy, of course … but if you’ve been following along, you know that we’ve determined there’s not much in the way of food that he enjoys these days.  Teenagers.  Let’s not talk about him please.

Let’s talk about dinner!  This meal comes together in a skinny minute; there’s minimal prep work followed by a short cook time.  The sauce of red onion, lemon juice, and capers is light and bright at the same time.  If you’re not crazy about those flavors, you could easily pass on the sauce.  Truth be told (and keepin’ it real), my husband wasn’t nuts about the sauce.  I liked it though, and thought it was a nice compliment to the fish.

You could also punt and whip up a box of rice pilaf if you weren’t feelin’ it for the risotto, but as far as risotto goes, this one is a cinch, and a perfect recipe to get the hang of the technique if you’ve never made risotto before.  Give it a try!

Enjoy your Monday, everyone!

ROASTED SALMON & ASPARAGUS WITH LEMON-CAPER SAUCE

Serves:  4

Source:  epicurious.com

• 2 T. fresh lemon juice
• 2 T. minced red onion
• 1 T. olive oil
• 1 T. capers, chopped
• pinch dried thyme
• ½ t. grated lemon zest

• 1 ½ lb. skinless salmon fillet (on sale)
• 1 lb. asparagus (also on sale)
• 1 T. olive oil

Preheat oven to 450.  Whisk first six ingredients in a small bowl.  Season with salt and pepper.  Set aside.

Cut three ½” deep slits crosswise in top of salmon (as if dividing into 4 equal pieces but don’t cut all the way through).  Arrange asparagus in an even layer on a rimmed baking sheet.  Drizzle with oil and turn to coat.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Place salmon atop asparagus; sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Roast until salmon is just opaque in center, about 20 minutes.

Transfer asparagus and salmon to platter.  Spoon sauce over salmon.  Cut into 4 pieces along slits and serve.

RISOTTO WITH PARMESAN

Serves: 6 as a side dish

Source:  epicurious.com

• 5 c. chicken broth
• 4 T. butter (I cut this to 2 T. with no trouble)
• 1 ½ c. finely chopped onion
• 1 ½ c. Arborio rice
• 1 c. grated Parmesan (if you opt for the green can, I’m afraid we can’t be friends anymore.)
• 2 T. chopped fresh Italian parsley
• Shaved Parmesan cheese (on sale)

Bring broth to a boil in a medium saucepan.  Reduce heat to low; cover saucepan.

Melt the butter in a heavy medium saucepan over medium low heat.  Add onion, sauté until very tender but not brown, about 15 minutes.  Increase heat to medium.  Add rice and stir 1 minute.  Add 1 ½ cups of broth.  Boil gently until broth is absorbed, stirring frequently.  Add another cup of broth; stir until broth is absorbed.  Add remaining 2 ½ cups of broth, ½ cup at a time, patiently allowing broth to be absorbed before adding more and stirring frequently until rice is tender and mixture is creamy, about 25 minutes.  Patience, people.  Stir in 1 cup of grated cheese.  Season with salt and pepper.  Transfer to serving bowl, garnish with parsley and shaved Parmesan.

Anyway, I LOVED school supply shopping as a kid.  What girl didn’t – it was the best part of going back to school, right?  How fun to unpack and label (in best cursive, of course) the unblemished notebooks and shiny folders, my box of 24 perfectly sharpened Crayola Crayons, and a spotlessly pristine pencil case.  Everyone loves a fresh start, right?

And speaking of fresh, before the Pickle requires me to find her more menial labor, I’ll tell you about this fabulous pork chop recipe!

I’ve been doing a little bit of research about the three main types of Asian cuisine:  North East (China, Japan, and Korea), South West (India and Pakistan, for instance), and South East (Thailand, Vietnam, and Singapore).  Today’s recipe, as you can tell, has a definite South East Asian flare, and it is deeeeee-licious!

You can recognize a South East Asian – inspired dish by these key ingredients:  citrus juice (usually lime); fresh herbs (basil, cilantro, and mint); salty, pungent fish sauce (as opposed to soy sauce used in NE Asia); and the all-important fiery chili pepper.  A normal SE Asian meal has no ‘courses’; all of the foods are served and eaten together, which is why I shot the whole she-bang for you today.

The pork chops (on sale, did you really have to wonder?) are pounded thin before they take a swim in an incredibly flavorful marinade of honey, garlic, onion, and fish sauce. Sweet, salty, and sour all at the same time – trust me, this stuff is AMAZING!    I can’t wait to try this on pork tenderloin, or chicken thighs and wings.

After a quick turn on a very hot grill, the chops are served alongside steaming hot Jasmine rice, and topped with a cold carrot slaw.  I thought my kids would turn their noses up at this dinner, but would you believe – there aren’t ANY LEFTOVERS?  My youngest ate every last bite and pronounced it to be “really good chicken”.  Go figure.

I hope you enjoy it as much as we did – let me know what you think!

SOUTHEAST ASIAN PORK CHOPS

Serves:  5

Source:  Adapted from foodandwine.com

• 2 T. vegetable oil
• ¼ c. honey
• ¼ c. Asian fish sauce (find this on the top shelf in the Asian aisle)
• 4 cloves garlic, pressed or finely minced
• ¼ c. minced yellow onion (the original recipe called for shallots, but I forgot them!)
• 2 t. ground black pepper
• 6 boneless pork chops (on sale), pounded to about ¼ to ½” thick
• Jasmine Rice and Carrot Relish

In a large glass measuring cup, combine the oil, honey, fish sauce, garlic, onion, and pepper.  Place the pounded pork chops in a large ziplock bag and pour the marinade into the bag.  Press out the air and refrigerate overnight (I only had 7 hours and they still turned out great).

Fire up your grill.  Brush the grill with oil and cook the pork chops over high heat until nicely charred and just cooked through, about three minutes on the first side and two on the second.  Serve immediately with the rice and the carrot slaw.

JASMINE RICE AND CARROT SLAW

• 1 1/3 c. jasmine rice
• 2 1/3 c. water
• 2 T. lime juice (please use fresh lime juice and pass on the green bottle, blech)
• 1 T. vegetable oil
• 1 ½ t. honey
• 1 T. chopped fresh mint, plus additional for garnish if desired
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• ½ jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
• 4 medium carrots, peeled and shredded

In a saucepan, combine the rice and water and bring to a boil.  Cover and cook over low heat for 12 minutes.  Quickly remove the lid and wipe off any water that clings to it.  Immediately recover the rice and let stand off the heat for 5 minutes.  Fluff the rice with a fork and cover.

In a bowl, combine the lime juice with the vegetable oil, fish sauce, mint, garlic, and chili.  Add the carrots and toss to coat with the sauce.  Serve the carrot slaw over the rice.

I fully admit that I revert back to the mid-80’s when I’m with this particular group – we tend to eat a lot of junk food, and imbibe on a few more cocktails that we typically do in our normal daily lives.  Of course, we put on our 80’s music; this year, our playlist for the weekend was (naturally) monopolized by Michael Jackson.  We stay up ENTIRELY too late (3:10 a.m, thank you very much), dance around in our pajamas, laugh our faces off, and of course, enjoy every minute we have together.

I usually come home from our annual get-together completely exhausted and yes, slightly hungover, needing an alcoholic / caloric detox. So it’s no surprise I was craving ‘light and healthy’ for dinner on Monday night, and decided to go with the Wild Caught Alaskan King Salmon that’s on sale this week.  Limes are also on special, 5 / 1.00, so I chose a Soy Lime Sauce to go along with the fish.  I served it on a bed of Coconut Rice with Scallions and Cilantro, and it was a big hit with the Husband and the kids.

The salmon was ‘sear-roasted’, which is a simple, two step technique that restaurant chefs use to get a gorgeous brown crust on different cuts of meat, poultry, or fish.  The food is quickly seared in a hot, hot pan before going into the oven, where it finishes cooking evenly.  If you can master this skill, you will look like a total pro in the kitchen!  This salmon is the perfect recipe for learning the sear-roasting process.

First of all, you’ll need a heavy, oven-proof pan, preferably not non-stick.  The coatings on non-stick pans generally ‘can’t take the heat’ of a super-hot oven.  You’ll want to heat up your pan over a pretty hot flame (I would call it ‘medium high’); it should be hot enough that a drop of water will evaporate almost immediately on contact with the pan.

Next, add in your oil, and give it a swirl to coat the bottom of the pan. I don’t ever measure; I just add enough oil so that the bottom is nicely coated.  Please don’t skimp, or your fish might stick to your pan, and I would hate to see that happen.

Making sure your salmon is completely dry and nicely seasoned, add the fish to the pan, skinned side up (or, ‘pretty side’ down).  Please, please, please don’t crowd your pan.  Crowding your fish will cause them to steam instead of sear.  If you have to sear the fillets in two batches, that’s okay.

Now.  Here is the secret, and it is a big one.  The key to your searing success is to … are you ready?  Listen closely, please.

DO NOT FIDDLE WITH THE FISH.  Do not touch it, do not scoot it around, do not play with it for a full three minutes.  Got it?  I’m serious.  ‘Cause if you’re lookin’, you ain’t cookin’!

I didn’t make that up, I heard a chef say it once and it’s become my searing motto.  Catchy, right?

When three minutes have passed, you may gently peek at the underside of the fish.  Your salmon should have a beautiful, golden brown crust.  Gently flip the fish over, drizzle it with a bit of sauce (as indicated in the recipe), and place the pan in the oven.  Proceed with the next few steps, then sit back and enjoy the praise that your family will heap upon you at the dinner table.

Oh, one last note:  since I never seem to learn, I give myself a big red flag reminder that the pan (which came out of the oven just a short while ago) is still really, flippin’ HOT.  I now like to leave the potholder on the handle of my pan so as not to burn the heck out of myself… which I’ve done before, and it’s pretty awful.  Just a little tip, for what it’s worth.  Safety first, my friends!

Enjoy!

Sear Roasted Salmon with Soy Lime Reduction

Adapted from Epicurious.com

Serves:  4

• ½ stick butter (try the Alcam, it’s on sale this week)
• 1 small shallot, minced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• ½ t. red pepper flakes
• ¼ c. brown sugar, packed
• ¼ c. fresh lime juice (please, for goodness sake, do not use bottled lime juice. Blech.)
• ¼ c. soy sauce
• 1 t. cornstarch dissolved in 1 t. water
• 4 – 6 oz. skinless Wild Caught Alaskan King Salmon fillets, cut from the thicker end; room temperature
• Slivered scallions or lime wedges for garnish, optional

Coconut Rice with Scallions and Cilantro for serving, optional.

Preheat oven to 400.

Place a small saucepan over medium low heat and melt the butter.  Add the shallot, garlic, and red pepper flakes and sauté for a few minutes until the shallot begins to soften.  Whisk in the brown sugar, increase the heat a little bit,  and cook for about five minutes, until the sugar is completely dissolved and mixture begins to bubble.  Add in the lime juice and the soy sauce, and bring up to a boil.  Boil gently until mixture is reduced to about ¾ c.  (this usually takes me about 7 minutes or so).  Stir the cornstarch and water mixture, then add to the soy / lime mixture.  Simmer gently until sauce thickens a bit, about three more minutes.  Set sauce to the side and keep warm.

Next, place a medium sized, oven proof sauté pan over medium high heat.  Allow the pan to come up to temperature while you pat the salmon fillets dry and season to taste with salt and pepper.  You’ll know the pan is hot enough when a drop of water evaporates almost immediately.  Add enough neutral cooking oil (canola, etc) to coat the bottom of the pan.  Add the salmon fillets, skinned side up.  Leave them there for a full three minutes without fiddling or scooting them around.  After three minutes, gently turn the salmon with a long spatula.  Spoon a bit of the reserved sauce over the fillets, and place them in the oven for 5 minutes to finish cooking.

Remove salmon from the oven.  Place scoops of rice on to four dinner plates, top with salmon fillets and an additional drizzle of sauce (I pass it at the table).  Garnish with slivered scallions or lime wedges if desired.

Coconut Rice with Scallions & Cilantro

Serves 4

• 1 ½ c. water
• 1 c. coconut milk, very well stirred
• 1 ½ c. basmati rice
• 1 t. salt
• 2 scallions, minced
• 1 T. fresh cilantro, minced

Place a medium sized saucepan over medium heat. Add the water, coconut milk, rice, and salt and stir to combine.  Bring to a boil over medium heat.  Cover tightly and simmer for 20 minutes.  Remove from heat and allow to stand covered for five minutes.  Fluff with a fork, and stir in the scallions and cilantro.  Serve with the Salmon dish.