Cobb Salad with Spicy Salmon

 I have always loved the idea of cobb salads, but didn't think they were very healthy. I was so pumped when I saw this idea in an Eating Well magazine. It's a southwestern take on the cobb, packed with avocado and a healthier creamy dressing. I have tweaked it quite a bit from the original, to make cooking the Salmon easier and make it a meal for 2 because I don't think most of the ingredients would save well. It's a super easy weeknight meal now that I've cut the cooking time for the salmon in half. I use the method I blogged about previously, where you cook the Salmon in the microwave. Seriously don't knock it until you try it. Easy, fast, tender, good flavor and makes peeling the skin off a breeze.  

 

Cobb Salad with Southwestern Salmon and Creamy Chipotle Dressing

 

• 2 Salmon filets, skin on, thawed if frozen (2 filets come in a 12 oz. package at my Kroger)
• 2 tablespoons adobo sauce from canned chipotles (you'll use the chipotle for the dressing)
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
• 6-8 cups mixed salad greens
• 1 avocado, diced
• 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese (I buy reduced fat version)

 

Dressing:

• 1/2 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
• 2 tablespoons white-wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon minced chipotle in adobo, divided

1. Divide lettuce, avocado. tomatoes between two bowls.
2. Sprinkle non-skin side of salmon with a little garlic salt, and brush with part of the adobo sauce. Put that side down on a microwave safe plate ( I use paper) and cover with saran wrap tightly.
3. Cook in microwave for 2 minutes.
4. Pull out of microwave use a fork to remove the skin. It should scrape right off. Then on that non sauced side, sprinkle a little more garlic salt and brush the rest of the adobo sauce on. Flip that side down on the plate. Cover again with saran wrap tightly.
5. Microwave one minute if the fish is less than an inch thick. 1 and a half if its a inch thick.
6. While that's cooling a little mix together your dressing ingredients in a bowl.
7. Layer your salad mixture with the salmon, as much dressing as you want and blue cheese.

 

**Makes 2 servings.

**2 on Bryce's dish scale since we use paper plates for cooking and other than that it's the cutting board and bowls we eat out of!

Roasted Indian Cauliflower and Quinoa Spinach Salad

This is my new favorite meal. I saw it in my latest health magazine and I thought it sounded ok - but it is not just okay - IT'S AWESOME. The smoky flavors from the Indian inspired spices bring something really great to mix and the  crunch from the cashews and grapes are amazing. And it actually saved for leftovers for lunch surprisingly well. The original recipe calls for using plain yogurt and I used Greek. Greek doesn't bother my lactose intolerant stomach as much and I like the tang it gives. The original also says it makes 6 servings and we only got 4 out of it since we made it our meal and didn't have any sides. Even with the bigger portion it's less than 500 calories a serving.   

Indian Cauliflower and Quinoa Salad

 

1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon plus 2 tsp. curry powder

3/4 teaspoons ground cumin

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon garlic salt

salt and pepper to taste

1 head cauliflower (about 2 lb.), trimmed and cut into small florets

1 cup quinoa, rinsed

1/2 cup non-fat Greek yogurt

3 cups baby spinach

1 cup red grapes, halved

1/2 cup cashews, toasted

 

 

1.  Preheat to 450°F.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together oil, 1 Tbsp. curry powder, 1/4 tsp. cumin, half of garlic and 1/4 tsp. each salt and pepper, and garlic salt. Add cauliflower and toss to coat. Arrange in a flat layer on a large baking sheet and roast, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and tender, about 20 minutes.
3. Cook quinoa by bringing quinoa and 1 3/4 cup water to boil. Cover, reduce heat to simmer and cook until all the water is gone, about 15 minutes. Fluff quinoa with a fork, remove from heat.
4. While quinoa was cooking, I threw my cashews in the toaster oven to toast them up a little too.
5. In a small bowl, whisk together yogurt and remaining 2 tsp. curry powder, 1/2 tsp. cumin and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. In a large bowl (I used the one I seasoned the cauliflower in earlier) mix the quinoa, spinach and half of dressing. Top with cauliflower and grapes and drizzle with remaining dressing; toss again. Sprinkle with cashews and serve.

**Makes 4 Servings
**It's a 3 on Bryce's dish scale. Quinoa Pot. Couple of bowls. And a Baking sheet.

Perfect Pot Sticker Soup with Shitakes and Carrots

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I had to hurry and post this one before it gets too warm. This is so very easy to throw together and makes great leftovers too. It's an old Real Simple recipe. The original calls to put watercress in it, which I'm sure would be delicious, but my grocery store has not once had it, so I have never done that, and haven't missed it. If you aren't a Siracha person you can leave that part off, but I love the flavor it gives.

 

 

 

 

Pot Sticker Soup with Shitakes and Carrots 

   

• 2 32-ounce containers low-sodium chicken broth 
• 2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced 
• 16-ounce package frozen pot sticker dumplings or Japanese gyoza 
• 3 medium carrots, halved lengthwise and sliced 
• 4 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stems discarded and thinly sliced
• 2 cups frozen shelled edamame 
• 1  tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce 
• salt
• 1 bunch Scallions sliced
• siracha sauce to top

1. In a large pot, bring broth and ginger and a little salt to a boil.
2. Add pot stickers, carrots and simmer until tender about 10 minutes.
3. Add the mushrooms, and edamame (still frozen) and simmer until heated. About 3-4 minutes.
4. Stir in soy sauce, a little siracha, more salt (and if you find the watercress that here).
5. Sprinkle with scallions before serving. Add more siracha on top based on preference.

**Makes 4 servings
** This is a 2 on Bryce's dish scale. One pot. One Cutting board.

Couscous Stuffed Peppers with Feta and Apricots

 I'm sure you see recipes for stuffed peppers all the time and overlook them. Don't miss this one. It's easy and cheesy in just the right way. The couscous gives it a fluffiness and the apricots add a nice sweetness. I have thought about trying it with ground turkey instead of beef to healthy it up a little, but it's so good I hate to mess with it. The original comes from one of my very first Real Simple magazines, I really only tweaked portions to make things easier. While this is easy for a weeknight meal, make sure you plan ahead, because the peppers need to bake for a while.

Stuffed Peppers with Couscous Feta and Apricots

 

• 4 bell peppers (I do orange yellow and green, be sure you pick ones with flat bottoms)
• 1 lb ground beef (you really need a little less than a pound but most beef comes in a pound package)
• 1 1/2 cups cooked couscous (I sometimes do the garlic flavored one)
• 4 sliced scallions
• 1 cup crumbled feta
• 1/2 cup dried apricots, chopped
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Brown ground beef and season with salt and pepper.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
3. Mix the beef, couscous, scallions, feta, and apricots. Season with a little more salt and pepper.
4. Cut tops off peppers and clean them out.
5. Stuff meat mixture into peppers and bake for 30-45 minutes.

**This is a 3 on Bryce's dish scale. You have lots to cook in separate pans so it adds up.
**Makes 4 servings. One pepper is plenty for a full meal.