Here’s an easy and healthy weeknight side dish that’s packed with flavor but only needs a few ingredients. Pair it with your favorite chicken or fish dish.
Serving : 2
Ingredients
2 yellow squash (1/2 in slices)
1/2 small onion
Sprinkle of dried thyme
Sprinkle of red pepper flakes
Splash of Olive oil
Instructions
Wash the produce.
Slice the squash into 1/2 inch coins and slice onion into 1/2 inch rings.
Toss in a bowl with olive oil and herbs
Lay in a single layer on a foil lined pan and roast at 375 degrees for 20 minutes or until slightly browned.
Great for a healthy and refreshing lunch! I sometimes, double or triple it for an outdoor barbecue with friends and family. This is a festive south of the border twist on a traditional quinoa salad. It’s also great served with grilled sliced chicken tossed in.
INGREDIENTS
CUMIN-LIME VINAIGRETTE
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1-2 garlic cloves (minced or pressed)
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
Pinch crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
SALAD
1 cup cooked quinoa
1 cup shredded cooked chicken breast (optional)
1/2 red pepper, 1/4 inch diced
2 green onions, sliced (white and about 1/2 of the green part)
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro (plus a few sprigs for garnish)
1 avocado, thinly sliced (optional)
lime wedges for spritzing
salt and pepper to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
CUMIN LIME VINAIGRETTE
In a blender or food processor, combine all the dressing ingredients.
Blend until combined and smooth.
This recipe makes almost 1 cup of dressing so you will have extra. Leftover dressing stays great in the fridge for a few days! Store it in a sealed container.
SALAD
Cook the quinoa and allow to cool*
Add the chopped ingredients (and shredded chicken if including)
Drizzle with 2-4 tablespoons of the vinaigrette and toss. Taste and add a little more as you like.
Refrigerate the salad for 15-20 minutes if you can, as this allows the flavors to meld together.
Serve the salad on small plates or in bowls.
Top with the sliced avocados and fresh cilantro sprig.
Garnish with a lime wedge.
Enjoy!
* One cup of dry quinoa yields about three cups of cooked quinoa. I often make more than I need as it stores well in the fridge for several days and can be added to other recipes to add additional protein and fiber.
1/4 cup flour (I like cassava flour- gluten free and grain free)
A few shakes of lemon pepper and salt
For the sauce…
1/2 stick butter, softened
Zest of one lemon
1 T fresh Italian parsley, chopped
3/4 tsp lemon pepper
1/4 tsp sea salt (or to taste)
Process:
Prepare the sauce:
Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Add lemon zest, parsley, lemon pepper and sea salt and set aside.
Prepare the fish:
Place the flour in a dish with flat bottom such as a pie tin. Season the flour with salt and pepper.Dredge fish in flour mixture to coat both sides.
Heat a large skillet. Add 2 T olive oil to the pan and sauté fish 3-4 minutes per side or until fish is golden brown and crispy on outside and opaque inside.
I was on the hunt for an easy and tasty Asian Salad Recipe and stumbled upon this one from Fit Foodie Finds. This is one of my new favorites! Take a peak below or go to link https://fitfoodiefinds.com/asian-salad-dressing/
Prep: 20 minutesCook: 0 minutesTotal: 20 minutes
SERVINGS 4
Asian Salad Dressing
This Asian Salad Dressing is made with garlic, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, and a little soy sauce. It’s the perfect healthy salad dressing to top on your favorite kale salad or use as a chicken marinade!
Prep: 5 minutesCook: 10 minutesTotal: 15 minutes
FAT15CARBS3PROTEIN0
YIELD 4
DressingIngredients
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 cloves garlic, roughly minced
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard
Asian Kale Salad Ingredients
4 cups shredded kale, packed
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 cups shredded purple cabbage
2 large carrots, peeled and grated
1 large red pepper, minced
1/4 cup cilantro, minced
1/2 cup onion, minced (any kind)
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
INSTRUCTIONS
Start off by making your Asian Salad Dressing.
Prepare Asian salad by placing kale into a large mixing bowl. Drizzle with 1 teaspoon of olive oil.
Massage the olive oil into the kale with your hands for 2-3 minutes or until kale is soft and broken down.
Add the rest of the kale salad ingredients to the bowl and mix.
Pour entire dressing on the salad and toss until all ingredients are combined.
Skin-on salmon is helpful as the skin helps hold the fish together after baking but skinless salmon works fine too.
Ingredients
4 (6-ounce) salmon fillets or steaks, preferably skin-on
Kosher salt
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2 teaspoons chopped fresh dill
1 thinly sliced lemon, for garnish
Method
Prep the salmon: Remove the salmon from the refrigerator and sprinkle a little salt over it. Let it sit at room temperature. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Make the dill butter: Mix the fresh dill with the butter in a small bowl.
Bake the salmon: Spread 1-2 T olive oil on the fish to coat it. Place the salmon skin side down in a roasting pan. Bake for 12-15 minutes undisturbed (depending on how thick your salmon pieces are). Remove the salmon with a spatula. The salmon should be just cooked through when done.
Serve: To serve, place a few thin slices of lemon on each plate. Remove the salmon pieces from the oven and place on the lemon slices with a spatula. Top each piece of salmon with about a tablespoon of the dill butter and serve at once.
I recently started an herb garden. I love using fresh herbs in my cooking and my indoor AeroGarden allows me to have them year round. This simple egg dish can be whipped up in a jiffy and can be served for breakfast/brunch as well as an easy weeknight dinner with a salad. It’s healthy and bursting with fresh flavors. Enjoy!
Parsley and Chive Potato Frittata
Ingredients
2 medium potatoes cut into cubes (no skin)
1 Tbs olive oil
9 organic brown eggs
1/2 cup chopped chives
1 cup of green peas
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1 package soft herbed cheese (I like Boursin)
Salt & Pepper to taste
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Boil or bake potatoes until tender
Scramble the eggs in a bowl and add all the ingredients. Mix well.
Heat an oven-safe skillet (ie cast iron) on the stove over medium heat with 1-2 Tbs of olive oil.
Pour the mixture into the skillet. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook for about 10 minutes in the pan. Place the pan in the oven for approx. 10-15 minutes more or until slightly brown on top. Allow it to rest before serving. Serves 4.
This is an easy weeknight dinner recipe that is also pretty enough to serve guests at a small casual dinner party. The citrus sauce is the perfect combination of savory and sweet. The leftovers (if you have any) are great for lunch the next day too! Enjoy!
Serves 3-4
Ingredients
4-6 boneless chicken breast cutlets (see notes)
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup Chardonnay (or you can use white cooking wine)
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
6 green onions (white and half of green section, chopped)
4-6 cloves of garlic, pressed or finely chopped
6-8 Tablespoons butter (divided)
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Preparation
For Chicken:
Pat the chicken with a paper towel to dry. Season with salt and pepper as desired.
Lightly flour chicken and place into a large frying pan with approximately 3-4 T. butter melted in the pan and fry until golden brown about 5 minutes per side. Be careful not to burn the butter. Chicken will not be fully cooked. Place chicken in a warm oven while you make the sauce.
For Sauce:
Add 3-4 T butter to pan. Saute the onions and garlic in the butter on low heat. Add wine and lemon juice. Simmer for about 5 minutes. Add the chicken to the sauce, cover and simmer for 5-10 minutes more or until fully cooked. Serve over your favorite rice (I like brown basmati rice). Yummy!
Notes:
Chicken – you can purchase chicken cutlets or chicken breast fillets in your local grocery store or you can cut them yourself but slicing a boneless chicken breast in half to form thin patties.
Flouring Chicken – Place about 1/4-1/2 cup flour in a shallow baking dish. Dip and flip the chicken fillets into the flour to lightly cover them before cooking. This ensures that chicken stays both moist and tender.
This tangy sauce provides the perfect balance of heat, acidity, savoriness and sweetness to dumplings. It can also be used over noodles, wontons or mixed with fried tofu. My dear friend Bini taught me how to make home made dumplings for Lunar New Year several years ago. It’s a lot of work but oh, so fun to do with a big group of friends. I cheat and buy frozen dumplings in the freezer section of my grocery store to save time. They are not as delicious as Bini’s but ALOT easier. Freezer-section dumplings come in chicken, pork or vegetable varieties and are the key to an easy weeknight meal (or a great party appetizer).
Pair the dumplings with this tasty sauce and you’ll be hooked!
2 tbsp water or broth from dumplings (if boiling dumplings)
1 tbsp Chile garlic sauce (I use “Tuong Ot Toi Vietnam” or you can use Go Chu Jang which is a Korean chili pepper sauce)
1/2 tbsp chili oil
1 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp chinese black vinegar (or Worcester sauce)
2 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp toasted sesame seeds
1 tsp minced garlic
chopped fresh scallions (cut on a diagonal)
chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
12 pieces store-bought or handmade dumplings
Instructions
Wash and chop the fresh ingredients (cilantro, scallions, garlic)
2. Mix all except the last ingredient (dumplings) together in a small bowl.
3. Prepare handmade or store-bought frozen dumplings based on your preference (steamed or pan-fried). The package often tells you how to prepare them. Check out the process at the end of this post on steaming and pan frying dumplings.
4. Pour the sauce over the plated dumplings and garnish with more scallions and cilantro. You can also dip the dumplings into the sauce if you prefer. Adjust the chili oil or chili garlic sauce to your heat preference. Enjoy!
Preparing Chinese Dumplings
Boiling (option 1)
Fill a pot two-thirds with water and bring to a boil.
Add the dumplings, so they can fit in a single layer.
Cook them until they float (about three minutes)
Fish them out of the pot and drain them.
Pan Frying (option 2)
Using a small amount of oil, you can pan fry frozen dumplings. Cooking frozen dumplings is a process that takes between 20 and 25 minutes and is best done with a non-stick pan with a thick heavy bottom to distribute the heat best.
Add two tablespoons of vegetable oil to a pan and heat on medium-high heat.
Add the frozen dumplings and cook for 2-4 minutes on each side. Don’t move them too much. You just want them browned.
Add boiling water to cover half the height of the dumplings and bring to a boil.
Cover the pan and let the dumplings steam until their bases are golden and the water has almost evaporated.
Super Simple and Super yummy! This recipe mimics the traditional Thai curry but without so many hard to find ingredients. It’s so easy that it is perfect for a weekday meal.
Ingredients:
10 oz. of Organic Jasmine Rice (found in a 3-pack in the freezer section of many grocery stores like Trader Joe’s. You can also substitute cauliflower rice if you prefer. )
13.5 oz. can coconut milk
1 Tbsp. curry powder
2 Tbsp. fish sauce
2 oz. butter or ghee
1 lb. skinless boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized chunks
2 bay leaves
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro plus four sprigs
1-2 mini red peppers, sliced (optional for garnish)
Procedure:
Place a large frying pan over medium heat and add coconut milk and curry powder. Stir until combined, then add the fish sauce and butter. Stir until the butter is melted.
Add the chicken and bay leaves. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
After the chicken has simmered for 10 minutes, remove the lid and simmer for an additional 15 minutes until the liquid had reduced by 50% and the chicken is cooked through (no longer pink in the middle).
Stir in the fresh cilantro and remove pan from heat.
Pop the bag of jasmine rice in the microwave for 3 minutes or as directed on the package. (Or you can use cauliflower rice)
To assemble, add 3/4 cup of the rice and 1/2 cup of the curry mixture to individual bowls and place a fresh cilantro sprig on top.
Don't Forget the Secret Ingredient 