Category: Main Dishes

Salmon & Spinach in Parchment

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I got this recipe from EveryDay Cooking. The original recipe used salt instead of soy sauce, but we like it better with soy sauce and a little Sriracha sauce.

8 cups baby spinach
1 Tbsp grated orange zest
3 oranges, peeled and sliced 1/4″ thick
4 skinless salmon fillets (They say 1.5 pounds total, but we like a little bigger piece.)
2 inches of fresh ginger, peeled with a spoon and cut into matchsticks. (1/4 cup)
1 Shallot, thinly sliced
2 tsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp Sriracha sauce
1/8 tsp black pepper
2 Tbsp olive oil
Parchment paper

Mix ginger, shallots, oil, sriracha, soy sauce and pepper in a large, flat bowl. Marinate fish in it for 10-15 minutes. Meanwhile, take a nice big piece of parchment for each fish, and put 2 cups of spinach right in the middle. Divide zest and oranges on top of the spinach. Lay fish next. Drizzle remaining marinade on the fish.

Bring the two long edges together and start folding them down over each other. You’ll end up with a long, relatively flat tube. Take the open ends and fold them underneath carefully – don’t let the marinade dribble out.

Bake at 350 for 18 – 20 minutes. If the fillets are smaller, bake them for 16-18 minutes. Open one packet to make sure the fish is cooked and flaky and serve in it’s packet. Serve white rice on the side.

Hot Mini Sandwiches

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My neighbor Kate brought this to the block party and it was so good.  I’ve taken it for staff appreciation snacks and other events and it’s always demolished.

2 Tbsp butter
1 onion, diced up
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
Bread or rolls (I often buy whole wheat dinner rolls which come joined together.)
Brie or Swiss cheese
Turkey ham or real ham

Heat butter in a skillet. Add onions and saute until onion is soft and brown. Add mustard and Worcestershire sauce. Stir

Carefully cut the entire package of rolls in half horizontally. Try not to pull the individual rolls apart. It’s okay if some break apart, but easier to reassemble if they’re together. Slide the bottoms into a 9 x 12 baking dish.

Spread half the mustard mixture on the bottom section of rolls, then layer sliced cheese and turkey ham slices over the top. Spread the rest of the mustard on the top half of the rolls, and carefully place them back on the turkey ham. Cover tightly with aluminum foil. Bake sandwiches at 350 for 10-15 minutes until the bread is nice and toasty, and the cheese is melted. Serve warm with a sharp knife to cut through the sandwiches.

Thai Coconut Chicken Casserole

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This is a great quick supper. It’s delicious and so colorful. Red Curry Paste is available at Asian Markets, and online. It may even be in some regular grocery stores.

1 Tbsp Olive Oil
4-5 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
salt and pepper
1 can light coconut milk
1 1/2 cups chicken broth, heated in a small pan or a microwave until just boiling.
1 – 2 tsp Thai Red Curry Paste. (I use Mae Ploy.)
1 cup jasmine rice (regular rice is fine, too.)
2 red bell peppers, chopped and sauteed
8 oz. green beans, trimmed and sauteed

Season chicken with salt and pepper. Add oil to a saute pan and saute chicken until browned on both sides. Cut into smaller pieces and place in an oven proof pot. Add all other ingredients except for peppers and beans. Cover and cook 25 minutes at low heat.

While chicken and rice are cooking, add more oil to the saute pan and cook veggies for a few minutes until soft, but not mushy.

Remove chicken and rice from oven, top with peppers and beans, and serve.

Bean, Corn & Tortilla Salad

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A great vegetarian main dish salad with the crunch of Doritos, sweet bite of lettuce and veggies and a warm element of beans and corn. On July 12, 2011 Kumy rated this an A+!

1 can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups frozen corn (I love Trader Joe’s Roasted Corn)
1/4 cup medium salsa

Heat in a small saucepan until corn is softened. Remove from heat.

1 cup chopped scallions
1 ripe avocado, diced
3 plum tomatoes, cut in chunks
1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
1/8 tsp Black pepper

Toss together gently in a big bowl.

12 oz romaine or iceberg letter, cut for salad
3 cups broken “cool ranch” Doritos
3/4 cup grated pepper-jack cheese

Add lettuce to the big bowl, along with the pinto bean mixture. Top with Doritos and cheese, and toss gently. Serve with extra salsa.

Tex-Mex Pot Roast

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This is a delicious version of pot roast, and made super easy by using a taco seasoning mix.  I like McCormicks.

2 carrots, sliced
1 green pepper, chopped into large chunks
1 onion, chopped into large chunks
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp tapioca
2 1/2 lb chuck roast
1 package taco seasoning mix
1 can Mexican-style diced tomatoes
1 medium-sized jar of salsa

Mix veggies, and tapioca in a crock pot. Add beef and sprinkle with taco seasoning. Mix tomatoes and salsa and pour over everything.

Cook on low heat for 6-8 hours, or high heat for 4-5 hours.

Quick & Yummy Pasta Bake

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Tammy made a version of this for us the first time in Niobrara and for Kumy it was love at first bite. It’s perfect for cooking at a cabin, because it literally only takes one pot.  For a vegetarian version, just leave out the sausage.  (You may want to add a pinch of red pepper flakes if you leave out the sausage.)

1 1/4 lb. spicy bulk Italian sausage
1 24 oz. jar good spaghetti sauce
hot water

1 package rotini
1/2 cup parmesan
2 cups mozzarella

Brown meat in a dutch oven or large pot.

Add spaghetti sauce. Fill the spaghetti sauce jar with hot water, and add to the pot, along with the rotini and parmesan. Stir well, cover and bake at 400 for 30 minutes.

Remove from oven, sprinkle Mozzarella on top, and return to oven for 10 more minutes without a cover.

Spanish Tortilla with Bell Pepper

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First made this on March 27, 2010 and noted that it was great for a Sunday brunch.

1/3 package of turkey or real bacon, sliced into 1″ pieces
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 red bell pepper
1 onions
1 lb. yukon gold potatoes
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp tabasco or other hot sauce
8 eggs
2 tsp fresh parsley, chopped

Preheat oven to 375. Slice pepper, onion and potatoes into 1/2″ thick slices.

Heat oil in a large oven proof frying pan. Add bacon, peppers and onion and saute for several minutes until the bacon is cooked and the onions are soft and translucent. Add potatoes,cover and cook on low heat for 15 minutes, stirring every now and then. Remove from heat.

Beat eggs with salt, pepper and hot sauce. Pour eggs over potatoes and sprinkle with parsley. Bake 15 minutes and serve warm. Delish.

Easy Fajitas

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1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts and thighs, cut thin

1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp chipotle pepper powder (can use more if you like it spicier)
1 Tbsp cornstarch
1/4 cup water
2 Tbsp olive oil

4 red, yellow or green peppers, thinly sliced
1 yellow onion, cut into thin strips
1 red onion, cut into thin strips

Tortillas
Sour Cream
Salsa
Fresh Limes
Guacamole

Mix all spices, cornstarch and water in a medium bowl. Add in chicken, peppers and onions and stir to coat thoroughly. (You can use any kind of pepper or onion – it’s just fun to use different colors.)

Heat more olive oil in a large frying pan. Add everything and saute on pretty high heat for several minutes, until the chicken is cooked and the peppers and onions are soft and starting to brown a bit. You can grill it – which is more traditional, but the chipotle pepper lends a nice smokey flavor even if you just pan fry it.

Serve it with warm tortillas, with fresh lime juice squeezed over it. Top with sour cream, salsa, and guacamole.

Rachael Ray’s Spaghetti

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This is a great recipe for spaghetti, with sausage and lots of peppers and onions  You cook the sausage in the oven, which adds its own great flavor and pan juices.  This is also a good party dish – I’ve made it for our office holiday party at home.  If you really love bell peppers and onions, you can double them. (I always do.)

You’ll be doing three separate parts to this recipe – but you can pretty much do them all at the same time. Preheat oven to 425, start a large pot of water boiling, and heat 3 Tbsp olive oil in a large frying pan.

Step 1:

2 1/2 lbs. hot Italian Sausage
1 Tbsp Olive Oil

Put sausages on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and roast at 425 for 15-20 minutes.

Step 2:

3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 or 2 red peppers cut into 1/2″ thick slices
1 or 2 green peppers, cut into 1/2″ thick slices
1 or 2 onions, cut into 1/2″ thick slices
1/4 cup spaghetti sauce
1 tsp salt
1/4 – 1/2 tsp black pepper

Add garlic, peppers and onions to hot frying pan with olive oil, and saute for five minutes. Add spaghetti sauce, salt and black pepper.

Step 3:

1 lb. spaghetti, linguine or fettuccine
2 Tbsp butter
1 cup good Parmesan cheese (plus a little extra for garnishing)
2 cups good spaghetti sauce
1/2 cup water saved from the boiled spaghetti
Pan drippings from sausage when the sausage is done.

Cook pasta in salted water, saving 1/2 cup water when you drain it. Add back the saved 1/2 cup water and everything else to the pan and blend gently.

2 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
extra parmesan

Put spaghetti mix on a large platter. Next layer on the onion/pepper mix, and finally lay the sausages on top. Garnish with fresh parsley and extra parmesan. Yum-oh!

Spanish-Style Garlic Shrimp

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Made this for Christmas 2009 and it was quick and surprisingly good.

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely diced
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
1/2 tsp hot paprika
1 lb. raw, good-sized shrimp, washed and patted dry (I like the easy peel ones.)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 lemon, juiced
handful of fresh parsley, chopped

Heat oil in a large frying pan. Saute onion for 5-7 minutes until translucent. Add garlic and paprika and saute another minute or two, until the garlic smells cooked. (One of my favorite instructions in a Pakistani recipe was “to cook until a cooked aroma evolves.” No guesswork in that one, no sir!)

Sprinkle salt and pepper over the shrimp, tossing to coat.

Saute shrimp for a couple of minutes, until it turns nice and pink. Add Parsley and lemon juice.  Check seasonings and serve.  This is heaven with smashed potatoes, or serve it with crusty bread to soak it all up.