Honey Glazed Salmon

It's easy to categorize foods as tasty OR healthy, but my goal, when creating new recipes is to combine the two so that one's dining experience can be both pleasurable and good for you. This honey glazed salmon recipe is so delicious and easy; it’s also a nice variation from the plain jane baked variety. I prepared it Friday night for the first time for three - Jen, Zach and me.

To prepare, you'll just need one small lemon, three pieces of salmon (I selected Scottish Salmon to celebrate Zach's Scottish heritage), honey, three pieces of unsalted butter, Worcestershire Sauce and sea salt. 


• Place salmon in a glass or other baking dish, skin down
• Squeeze fresh lemon juice all over salmon pieces
• Cut and place three slices of butter on top of salmon then drizzle with honey
• Douse with Worcestershire Sauce to taste

Broil salmon on high for 20 minutes until slightly crisp around the edges. Enjoy!

Rustic Chicken Minestrone + Extra Greens

Along with smoothies, I’ve found soups to be an easy way to pack extra greens (spinach, kale, collards, etc.) into my diet. Dear ole Martha never fails to provide new ideas for recipes, home décor and crafts. I came across this recipe in January/February’s Everyday Food and made a few nutrient-enhancing tweaks:

• Reduced chicken broth to eight cups (32 ounces)

• Used whole grain pasta shells

• Doubled kale to eight cups

• Added another chopped zucchini

This recipe makes 10 servings and is delicious frozen and reheated.

Buttermilk Oven-Fried Pork Chops

No two words express southern cooking like "fried" or "butter- milk." Now you can enjoy the indulgence of this delicious pork dish without the heavy caloric load of its pan-fried version. This is the first of two autumn recipes featured in the fall issue of Shelbyco Magazine (out next week!)

Ingredients:

2 cups non-fat buttermilk 

4, 6-oz boneless, skinless porkchops 

2 cups dried bread crumbs 

1 1-oz packet mushroom onion soup mix 

1/2 cup Dijon mustard 

1 cup flour + 1 tsp salt mixture

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

• Coat a non-stick baking sheet with cooking spray.

• Pour buttermilk in a deep baking dish. Submerge chops in buttermilk for at least five minutes.

• Create a "dipping station" with three separate plates.

Plate 1: Flour + salt mixture 


Plate 2: Dijon mustard 

Plate 3: Bread crumbs + soup mix

• Transfer each chop from Plate 1 to Plate 2 to Plate 3, dipping chop on both sides in each mixture.

• Place chops flat on baking sheet. 

• Bake 15 minutes, flipping each chop over halfway through baking time.

• Let chops rest before serving.

Recipe created and tested in the On.a.Whim kitchen.

Easy Red Beans, Rice & Sausage

As soon as the temperature begins to drop, I get an itch for certain types of comfort dishes. My mother’s variation of red beans and rice, which called for black-eyed peas rather than red beans, was a staple in our home when we were growing up. This is my easy, lighter and spicier red-beaned variety.

Ingredients:

1 package Hillshire Farm Lite Polska Kielbasa

2 cans light red kidney beans, drained

1 package Uncle Ben’s boil-in-the-bag brown rice

2 cups water (more as necessary)

1 white onion, finely chopped

2 TBSP olive oil

1 TBSP minced garlic

1 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. salt

• Heat olive oil in Dutch Oven over medium heat. Add and sauté onions and garlic. 

• Add beans, two cups of water, salt and chili powder.

• Bring water to a boil then turn to medium heat and cover.

• Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring frequently and adding water when needed.

• Add sausage. Stir and cook an additional 15 minutes.

• In the meantime, cook rice as directions indicate.

• Plate rice; then pour red bean mixture on top.

Grilled Zucchini in Moments & Other News

As a true southern woman, I considered dipping, battering and frying these miniature zucchinis which were served alongside homemade burgers. Then I remembered my oath to eat healthier and headed to the grill. I was surprised with what ease was required in turning the raw veggies into a flavorful, healthy side dish.

Rinse 

Chop off ends.

Slice in half length-wise

Sprinkle with salt, and then it's show-time!

Set face down on top shelf of grill.
Grill on low heat 10 minutes or to desired doneness. 

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In other news, I’ve been tucking away some fun post ideas that will be cranked out in the coming week (end). Get excited about the following:

• Womble/Keller Wedding Follow-up Post (Here’s a sneak peek photo of Jen and I):

• Feather Pen Craft How-to:

• Attic Antiques Shelbyco teaser

• Rit dye: transforming spring/summer clothes to fall/winter with just a couple drops of dye 

• Slumber party with this little wild man:

HAVE A WONDERFUL DAY FOLKS!

Strawberry Cobbler

Few fruits scream "summer" quite like sweet, sunkissed strawberries, but have you ever tried strawberry cobbler? Serve with a spoonful of vanilla ice cream and you'll be wishing this season lingered all year long!

Rinse two cartons fresh strawberries with cold water.

Combine 1/3 cup sugar , 6 TBSP softened butter, 1 large egg yolk, and 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract.
Beat with a mixer on low speed until combined (about 1 minute).

Finely chop 3/4 cup whole almonds.

In medium bowl, combine nuts, 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour,
1/4 tsp baking powder, 1/4 tsp. salt and 3 TBSP salt.
Add to wet ingredients and mix until well incorporate.

Flour hands. Roll dough into two disks.

Wrap two dough disks in Saran wrap and place in refrigerator for 1 hour.

Cut and core strawberries to desired size.

Place strawberries in pie dish.

Sprinkle with 1/3 cup sugar, 2 TBSP corn starch & 1 TBSP lemon juice.

Remove dough disks from refrigerator and roll onto a
floured surface with a rolling pin, one disk at a time.

Cut dough in strips lengthwise.

Lattice dough strips on strawberries. 
I had a remnant of dough and cut out a heart shape for kicks.

Place cobbler in 375 degree oven and bake for 50 minutes.
Let cool for about 10 minutes before serving with ice cream.

Independence Day Blueberry Scones

To commemorate the 4th of July weekend, I made these delicious blueberry scones. Scones are a lovely breakfast item, a nice mid-day snack to be enjoyed with coffee or a light evening dessert. Oftentimes considered an English treat, they serve as the perfectly ironic choice to celebrate our independence from Mother England.

In a medium bowl, combine 1/2 cup milk, 1/4 cup sugar,
2 tsp. grated lemon rind, 1 tsp. vanilla extract and 1 large egg.

Whisk away!

Add 2 cups flour, 1 TBSP baking powder, 1/2 tsp salt.
Cut in 3 TBSP chilled butter with two knives.

Cover hands with flour to prevent sticking.

Place dough on a floured surface.
Pat into a small mound.

Fold in 1 cup fresh blueberries.

James Oliver, Kitchen Supervisor

Folding

Beware of escaping blueberries.
Some light wrangling may be required.

And more folding.

This is what happens when you forget to reapply flour to fingers.

Create a round disk with blueberry enfolded dough.

Cut in half with floured knife.

And then in eighths.

Place on greased cookie sheet.
I detest cooking spray which explains the liberal smathering  of  butter.
Bake at 375 for 18 minutes or until golden. 

Happy Independence Day On.a.Whim Friends!