Over the last few years, my husband and I have moved too many times. Since 2014, we have lived in five different apartments/houses. Somehow in one of those many moves, I lost (or threw out) my paella pan. Sigh.
Paella is a favorite of mine. I love the combination of crispy rice, seafood, and spice. So when I saw this Epicurious recipe for a sheet pan version, I knew I had to try it.
I didn’t exactly stick to the original recipe, given what I could find in my post-snow supermarket. But one of the best parts about paella is you can basically throw in whatever you may have on hand to make the recipe yours! So here’s my adapted version – Sheet Pan Paella!
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup rice
1 3/4 cups chicken broth
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
3/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/8 teaspoon saffron, crushed
1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
2 links of Spanish chorizo (about 6 oz)
1 shallot, thinly sliced
6 ounces medium shrimp, peeled, deviened, tails left intact
~2 dozen clams, scrubbed
1 (14 oz can) fire roasted diced tomatoes, drained
I’m not going to lie, the idea of a salad in the winter is not exactly appealing to me. I prefer warm food when it’s cold out, so hooray for this Warm Salmon Salad!
I have the unnecessary “skill” of setting off my smoke alarm almost every time I use my oven or stovetop. I’m going to blame it on my house having an overly sensitive smoke alarm (which I guess is better than one that doesn’t work at all). So in the summer, I basically turn every recipe into a grilling recipe so I can cook outdoors.
This recipe is adapted from Cooking Light. Making it on the grill means I didn’t get as crispy skin on my red snapper (mainly because it stuck to the aluminum foil), but that’s ok. Feel free to check out the original recipe to make indoors.
I am not shy about my love of Cooking Light magazine. Their recipes are what got me started on my cooking journey. Not only are their recipes on the healthier side, but most are also great for weeknight meals. This recipe for Dijon Herb Crusted Salmon with Creamy Dill Sauce is no different.
Seafood in general is a great weeknight option because it tends to take less time to cook. If you haven’t noticed, I’m a big fan of seafood, particularly salmon; I have almost 40 recipes for salmon alone on this blog!
So when I spotted a new salmon recipe in my most recent Cooking Light, well, I had to make it.
This weekend, I cooked my little heart out. I realized Labor Day is only a couple of weeks away, so it’s time to stock my freezer with ready-made meals for busy nights in the fall, like this freezable Jambalaya!
If I was forced to eat one food for the rest of my life, I wouldn’t be terribly upset if it was salmon. That probably isn’t much of a surprise to those that follow this blog, I have almost 40 Salmon Recipes on here! So, I might as well add another one to the list, this recipe for Pistachio Crusted Salmon with Roasted Mustard Potatoes!
For whatever reason, I had a hankering for pistachios recently, so I figured I might as well crust my favorite protein in a pistachio-panko mixture, how bad could it be? Not bad. Not bad at all. In fact, delicious!
I made this salmon with some baby potatoes roasted in a stone ground mustard, so I added the mustard to the salmon as well to keep the flavors consistent. Since I whipped this up the first time, I’ve already made it twice more!
Ingredients:
For the potatoes:
1.5 lbs baby potatoes (I used a baby potato “medley”), halved
I have been doing my best to pack myself lunches for work. One of my favorite “lunch meals” is a bowl (either rice or another grain) topped with veggies and a protein. My latest creation, this Shrimp Barley Bowl with Tomato Radish Salad was inspired by some nifty new tools I had sent to me from OXO.
The Rice & Grains Washing Colander is great for tiny grains that require rinsing to wash impurities and starch from the grains, like rice, quinoa, buckwheat, and barley. The small holes in the colander allow water to drain slowly, while preventing the grains from falling through.
The Large Hand-Held Mandoline Slicer has seven thickness options to get the perfect slick thickness depending on what you need. The food holder can be placed on top of whatever you are slicing for safety, and the non-slip notches allow you to slice directly over bowls if needed. For this recipe, I used the lowest setting to make paper thin radish slices.
The Grape & Tomato Cutter quickly and easily quarters grape tomatoes, pitted olives, and grapes, just insert the produce and push down to use.
This recipe combines nutty barley with peppery arugula, sweet tomatoes, crunchy radishes, and grilled shrimp for a really tasty meal, cold or hot!
This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #ShrimpItUp #CollectiveBias
We all have nights that you don’t have time to run to the grocery store before heading home for dinner. These nights happen to me more than I’d like to admit, but I try to keep myself prepared for them by keeping my freezer stocked and my pantry full.
This recipe for Butterfly Shrimp over Asparagus Pasta is a great “pantry meal;” almost all of the ingredients are made with things from your freezer or ingredients you almost always have on hand. The star of the recipe is those deliciously breaded SeaPak® butterfly shrimp on top of the pasta, because, let’s be honest, most dinners are better with a little bit o’ shrimp!
I picked up a Party Size box of SeaPak Butterfly Shrimp from my local Walmart, which you can find in the freezer section. (There are a few SeaPak varieties available, so for good measure, I also grabbed a Party Size box of Coconut Shrimp, yum!) Walmart may not typically be your first thought for frozen section seafood products, but SeaPak delivers solid quality seafood in a bunch of varieties (plus, they are super tasty). To save even more, there is a coupon for $0.75 off any SeaPak product available now!
The party size is great because you can either serve a crowd easily, or make as much as you want and freeze the rest for later. One box delivers 7 servings, so my fiance and I have them on hand for multiple meals!
Ingredients (serves 4):
1/2 of the party size box of Seapak Butterfly Shrimp
1/2 box (~6 oz) spaghetti
1 8 oz package frozen asparagus spears
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 cup chicken or vegetable broth
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup shaved Parmesan cheese
the juice of 1/2 lemon (save the other 1/2 for serving)
1/4 cup parsley, chopped (optional)
Cook pasta according to package directions for “al dente.” Drain, saving about 1/3 cup of the pasta water. Set aside.
While waiting for the pasta to cook, bake the butterfly shrimp. Preheat your oven to 425°f. Add half of the shrimp in a single layer to a baking sheet. When the oven is preheated, add to the oven on the middle rack. Bake for 11-12 minutes, turning the shrimp over half way through.
frozenflipped after 6 minutescooked
Steam the frozen asparagus according to package directions, but cook for only half the time given on the package (they will finish cooking in the dish). Remove, and when cool enough to do so, chop into bite sized pieces (about 1 inch long).
Add the butter to a large saute pan over high heat. When melted, add the asparagus, stirring to coat.
Season with salt and pepper and cook for 2 minutes. Add in the broth and pasta. If there doesn’t seem to be enough liquid, add a bit of the reserved pasta water until you think there is enough liquid. Cook for another minute, stirring to combine.
Add in the heavy cream and Parmesan cheese, stirring to evenly coat everything in the mixture. Remove from heat and squeeze the lemon juice over the dish.
If using, sprinkle with parsley and mix to combine. Spoon into 4 separate bowls and top with the SeaPak butterfly shrimp.
What I like best about this recipe is that you can adjust it to substitute whatever you have on hand! Throw in some frozen peas or broccoli instead of the asparagus, or use a different type of pasta (rotini? bowties? whatever you want!). Just don’t forget the shrimp on top!
1/2 of the party size box of Seapak Butterfly Shrimp
1/2 box (~6 oz) spaghetti
1 8 oz package frozen asparagus spears
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 cup chicken or vegetable broth
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup shaved Parmesan cheese
the juice of 1/2 lemon (save the other 1/2 for serving)
1/4 cup parsley, chopped (optional)
Instructions
Cook pasta according to package directions for "al dente." Drain, saving about 1/3 cup of the pasta water. Set aside.
While waiting for the pasta to cook, bake the butterfly shrimp. Preheat your oven to 425°f. Add half of the shrimp in a single layer to a baking sheet. When the oven is preheated, add to the oven on the middle rack. Bake for 11-12 minutes, turning the shrimp over half way through.
Steam the frozen asparagus according to package directions, but cook for only half the time given on the package (they will finish cooking in the dish). Remove, and when cool enough to do so, chop into bite sized pieces (about 1 inch long).
Add the butter to a large saute pan over high heat. When melted, add the asparagus, stirring to coat.
Season with salt and pepper and cook for 2 minutes. Add in the broth and pasta. If there doesn't seem to be enough liquid, add a bit of the reserved pasta water until you think there is enough liquid. Cook for another minute, stirring to combine.
Add in the heavy cream and Parmesan cheese, stirring to evenly coat everything in the mixture. Remove from heat and squeeze the lemon juice over the dish.
If using, sprinkle with parsley and mix to combine. Spoon into 4 separate bowls and top with the SeaPak butterfly shrimp.
This recipe is a staple in my house, I make it almost every week! This salad is a great way to get dinner on the table quickly while still delivering a healthy meal.
I found this recipe in the Cooking Light Real Family Food cookbook, but adapted it slightly.
The real star of this dish is the lemony Caesar dressing, which is so simple to make!
I absolutely love scallops. My fiance on the other hand does not. So I rarely make them. But when I found myself with a fiance-free dinner recently, it was clear what I was going to make!
This recipe for Seared Scallops with Chestnut Puree from Cooking Light makes use of winter-y ingredients such as chestnuts and blood oranges to make a simple but seemingly fancy dinner.
The scallops are seared and placed on a chestnut puree, then drizzled with a blood orange vinaigrette. I added some dandelion greens, which have a subtle bitterness to them that is a nice contrast to the sweet chestnut puree.
Ingredients:
1 cup packaged precooked chestnuts
1/2 cup packaged precooked chestnuts, finely chopped
I don’t think I’ll ever have enough 30 minute weekday recipes, especially healthy ones! Here’s another one from Cooking Light, that includes salmon, brown rice, snow peas, and quick pickled radishes for a bunch of flavor, crunch, color, and a little tanginess.
Have you ever made an Armenian-style pilaf? This style of pilaf adds toasted spaghetti or other noodles to the rice. This recipe for a Browned Butter Hazelnut Pilaf is really stellar. The cod recipe that goes along with it is also tasty, but the real star is the pilaf. The recipe, from the latest Cooking Light, is a quick meal, so it’s great for something a little different for a weeknight dinner!
Ingredients
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
2 ounces uncooked thin spaghetti, broken into 2-inch pieces
This weekend, my fiancé went fishing with a friend and his friend’s father. They had quite a successful trip, and came home with a ton of Rockfish! Rockfish, also known as striped bass, is a mild whitefish that can be prepared many different ways, so I was jazzed!
We had some that night on the grill (yum!), but there was plenty left over, and my fiance’s friend was nice enough to send us home with more fish. I had a hankering for fish tacos, so these Rockfish Tacos are the end result! Rockfish, or striped bass, is the perfect balance of flaky and meaty, so it works wonderfully in tacos.
Ingredients:
1 cup cherry tomatoes, diced
1 tablespoon minced jalapeno
1 tablespoon minced shallot
1 tablespoon cilantro chopped, plus more for garnish
the juice and zest of 1 lime
salt and pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large fillet rockfish (striped bass), skin removed (~1.5 lb)
I’m in another busy period of work, so expect a lot of quick weeknight dinner meals! Seafood is always a favorite quick meal of mine, and this recipe from Cooking Light’s latest issue is ready in no time! I paired it with an adaptation of a Bon Appetit Couscous recipe.
The trout is pan seared and then topped with a chunky warm parsley-caper vinaigrette. I’d suggest doubling the recipe so you have some to toss into the couscous!
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)
