Month: June 2015

Grilled Citrus Salmon

 This post is #sponsored by LongHorn Steakhouse. All opinions are my own.

With summer in full swing, it’s time to get grilling! As I’ve mentioned before, I unfortunately do not have any outdoor space at my apartment for a grill, but that hasn’t stopped me! I use my trusty grill pan as often as possible to bring the flavor of summer indoors.

 

This yummy recipe for Grilled Citrus Salmon was sent to me by LongHorn Steakhouse, and a version of this is actually available in their restaurants as part of their Summer Chef’s Showcase menu. I adapted it slightly to include ingredients I had on hand, so be sure to stop in to your local LongHorn Steakhouse to try their version as well!

 

 

 

As we all head out to grill this July 4th, LongHorn Steakhouse will have their Grill Us Hotline open Thursday, July 2 through Saturday July 4 from noon to 5 pm to answer grilling questions via phone and text. At-home grillers can call 1-855-LH-GRILL or text LHGRILL to 40679 (wait for a response & follow the prompts) to be connected with a grilling expert to answer questions live in real-time.

 

LongHorn Steakhouse was also kind enough to offer to give away a LongHorn Steakhouse Summer Grilling Party Pack to one winner! The grilling pack includes various grilling tools, koozies for your outdoor grill-out and a $25 gift card to visit LongHorn Steakhouse. More details after the recipe.

 

 

Ingredients:

Salmon

  • 4 (7-oz.) salmon fillets
  • Salt and Pepper, to taste
  • 8 oz. crumbled feta cheese
  • 1 tablespoon freshly chopped parsley

Citrus Glaze

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 3 tablespoons fresh orange juice
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 tablespoon freshly chopped flat-leaf parsley

Summer Vegetables and Pearl Couscous

  • 4 cups cooked Israeli (pearl) couscous (~1 cup dry)
  • 1/2 batch of fresh asparagus spears
  • 1/2 pint grape tomatoes, halved lengthwise
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

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Pulled Pork Lettuce Wraps

I am a carb fanatic — I’d eat pasta with some day-old bread every single day if I could. But on really hot summer days, sometimes you need something that feels lighter while still filling you up. Cooking Light’s Pulled Pork Lettuce Wraps are a nice filling meal that are perfect on warm days; pulled pork is wrapped in Boston Bibb lettuce rather than added to a roll. The result is a super yummy and crunchy dinner!

I use my slow cooker year-round and this adaptation is no exception. Slow Cookers are such a simple way to get an awesome meal on the table in no time. Plus, it gives your oven a break!

 

Ingredients:

  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 2 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 white onion, quartered
  • 1 (2 1/2-pound) boneless pork shoulder, trimmed
  • 1 tablespoon grated peeled fresh ginger
  • 2 tablespoons sherry
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted chicken stock
  • 1 tablespoon gochujang (Korean chile paste) (gluten free is available)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce (or coconut aminos to make gluten free)
  • 1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
  • 30 Boston lettuce leaves (about 2 heads)
  • 1 cup thinly sliced radishes
  • Lime wedges (optional)

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Grilled Shrimp on Sugarcane with Coconut Rum Glaze

I live in an apartment that has no outdoor space, so we clearly do not have access to a grill, which is causing me to only want grilled food! Luckily, I have a grill pan so I can get my fix, and I’ve been using it nonstop!

 

 

A really simple weeknight favorite of mine is to grill up some shrimp and serve over rice. This recipe is quick and easy to make, but delivers on flavor! Blue Chair Bay Rum sent me a bottle of their Coconut Rum that I knew would be perfect for a glaze on grilled shrimp. The glaze caramelizes beautifully, adding a nice char and sweetness to the shrimp.

 

I adapted this recipe from a Cooking Light recipe, adding more hints of coconut to play off of the Blue Chair Bay Coconut Rum.

 

Ingredients:

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • the juice of one lime
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 24 jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined (about 1 1/2 pounds)
  • 6 sugarcane swizzle sticks, each cut into 2 pieces
  • 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup Blue Chair Bay Coconut Rum
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon coconut oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • Cooking spray
  • Coconut rice, if desired

Continue reading Grilled Shrimp on Sugarcane with Coconut Rum Glaze

Father’s Day Gift Options from GourmetGiftBaskets.com

Last month, I shared some great Mother’s Day Gift Ideas from GourmetGiftBaskets.com, so it only seems appropriate to do the same for Father’s Day, don’t you think?

 

 

Here’s a round up of some great gifts dads would love:

 

  • I was sent the Fathers Day Gift Tower, which is filled with yummy sweet and salty snacks within a 4-tiered tower. Snacks include popcorn, candies, roasted honey peanuts, and more.

 

 

  • New this year, GourmetGiftBaskets.com is offering Pops’ Top Popcorn Picks Tin.  The tin of popcorn features the three top popcorn flavors chosen by (and for) Dads over the past year at GourmetGiftBaskets.com: hickory maple bacon, honey mustard and buffalo.

 

 

  • If your dad can’t get enough of the sweet, savory, tangy, smoky goodness that is all things barbeque,the Barbecue Boss Grilling BBQ Gift Basket is the perfect gift. This basket is includes an assortment of grilling products, like authentic fiery sauces and deliciously zesty rubs.

 

 

  • Praise Dad for all his hard work in the sweetest way possible!  The Celebrate Dad Berries  includes a dozen extra large strawberries hand-dipped in Belgian chocolate.

 

 

  • And for the beer-loving Dad, this year, there’s the Cigars and Beers For Dad Bucket — with three Torpedo Barber Cigars in a cedar case, a high-end cigar cutter, and beers from around the world

 

 

 

There are dozens of other offerings on the site, ranging from 25 flavors of cheesecake to Dad’s Day Towers, so if you’d see the full range of what’s featured, click here.

 

Happy Father’s Day to all the dad’s out there!

Fish Tacos and How to Use a Fillet Knife

This month, Zwilling sent me a fun challenge: use a fillet knife.  June’s knives of the month are boning and fillet knives, so Zwilling sent me their ZWILLING Pro 7″ Fillet Knife to try out. I have never used one before so I was so excited to learn how to use one; gotta love learning a new technique!

 

 

Fillet and boning knives are exactly what they sound like: knives used to cut meat off of the bone (to fillet something is to remove it from the bone). The knife is long, thin, and super flexible to allow it to get as close to the bone as possible.

 

You can fillet anything with a bone — chicken, beef, etc. but most people immediately think of fish, so I decided to revisit an old recipe on my blog to try out this lovely new knife!

 

This recipe for fish tacos with lime cilantro crema is a Cooking Light recipe and a favorite of mine. I switched it up a touch this time, just to try something a bit new.

 

Ingredients:

Crema:

  • 1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • 3 tablespoons fat-free mayonnaise
  • 3 tablespoons reduced-fat sour cream
  • the zest of one lime
  • the juice of one lime
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 garlic clove, minced

Tacos:

  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1/2 teaspoon  paprika
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 1/2 pounds white fish (I used 3 branzino)
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 8 (6-inch) corn tortillas
  • 2 cups shredded cabbage (or romaine lettuce)
  • 1/2 cup chopped red onion

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New Jersey Style Loco Moco

One of my favorite cookbooks is Love and Olive Oil‘s Breakfast for Dinner. (I did a post highlighting their Huevos Rancheros Tacos a while back.) So it’s probably not surprising that I make a few recipes from this cookbook on a regular basis. One that I love to make in particular is their version of the Hawaiian dish Loco Moco.

 

 

Typical Loco Moco is usually made with white rice, topped with a hamburger patty (or spam), a fried egg, and brown gravy. Love and Olive Oil’s version substitutes coconut sticky rice for the white rice, uses ground pork instead of the hamburger patty, and finishes the dish off with a sweet-spicy-salty soy sauce reduction rather than brown gravy.

I decided to alter their recipe slightly to give it a local spin; this version is topped with pork roll (or Taylor ham) instead of the ground pork, and this recipe for New Jersey-style Loco Moco was born!

Pork Roll is originally from Trenton, New Jersey (hence the name of this post), but can also be found in parts of Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Maryland. The pork product is thinly sliced and pan fried and is a staple in most breakfast places in the area.

adapted from Love and Olive Oil’s Loco Moco Recipe

Ingredients:

Coconut Rice:

  • 2 cups white sticky rice
  • 1 cup coconut milk

Soy Reduction:

  • 1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce (or low sodium coconut aminos to make gluten free)
  • 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 1 teaspoon sriracha

Toppings:

  • 4 slices pork roll
  • 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
  • 4 large eggs
  • ground pepper, to taste
  • 4 green onions, thinly sliced
  • 4 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh cilantro

 

Note: White sticky rice is sold as sweet rice and can be found at specialty grocers and Asian food stores. I was able to find it at Wegman’s.

 

Continue reading New Jersey Style Loco Moco

Quick Meatball and Pasta Bake

Most Sunday nights in my house are Pasta Night. Typically, we just thaw a batch of homemade tomato sauce from the freezer to mix in with the pasta, but I am all out of my tomato sauce at the moment! Cooking Light to the rescue!

 

 

This recipe from Cooking Light is really quick and easy — it takes about 30 minutes to make. I adapted the recipe a bit, but the general concept remained the same. For the original recipe, visit myrecipes.com.

 

 

Ingredients:

  • 8 ounces uncooked mini bow tie pasta (or ziti, rigatoni, etc.)
  • 1/3 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
  • 2 tablespoons minced garlic, divided
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 8 ounces 90% lean ground sirloin
  • 8 ounces sausage, removed from its casing
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil, divided
  • 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
  • 1 (28-ounce) can unsalted crushed tomatoes
  • 2 ounces part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded (about 1/2 cup)

 

Continue reading Quick Meatball and Pasta Bake

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