Crock Pot Oatmeal & Shrimp Puttanesca

This weekend marked an early end to my gluten free experiment. I am glad I tried it, and I think I had good reasons for being curious if it would be helpful for me, but I do not think that I suffer from a true intolerance. After the cookies and chicken fried steak on Friday, I had another cookie Saturday, some beers Saturday night, then breakfast tacos (flour tortillas) on Sunday - so obviously I didn't remain gluten free at all this weekend. I also noticed very little change once I began eating gluten again. I felt a little bloated by Sunday, which was likely a combination of unhealthy choices and gluten. I think, from here on, I will continue to try to avoid gluten - but not focus on being gluten free. Overall I learned some great ways to replace gluten, and I think that generally led to healthier eating. But I am not going to avoid cookies and english muffins like the plague, or utilize replacement ingredients.

Now I am no longer doing gluten free, I am trying to focus on whole and healthy foods.

Last night I combined everything to make these overnight, slow cooker, pumpkin pie steel-cut oatmeal to eat in the mornings this week. I've been on an oatmeal kick, and this recipe seemed like a great option. It was easy to pull together, and was quite delicious and filling this morning. I used the "double broiler way" that she mentions in her post, which was particularly easy because I just pulled the bowl of oats out this morning and put a lid on it to save the rest of the oats for later this week (it makes a ton).

I added some almond milk and pecans on top this morning. When I first removed the bowl from the slow cooker it needed quite a good stir, and it smelled amazing! I will definitely make this, and variations of this recipe again.

Tonight I tried another recipe I had recently pinned on Pinterest, it was a guest post on Against all Grain for Shrimp Puttanesca with Sweet Potato Noodles. I got to use my fun little spiralizer thingy again, and Mr. X wasn't here for dinner, so I didn't have to worry about subbing something for the sweet potato (he isn't a fan...)

Mine turned out soupier than the recipe, maybe I didn't let it reduce long enough. My fun spiralizer also was a bit too small for the sweet potatoes, so my noodles were a little small (don't worry, I've already found a bigger/better one). I am really loving making "noodles" from veggies, and this sauce was amazing. I tripled the garlic and added at least twice the red pepper flakes...in the end I am kinda glad it was soupy,  I was slurping the "broth" right out of the bowl! And there is plenty for lunch tomorow! Mmmmmmm.....I can't wait for lunch!

Confession

Today is day 21, and I have a confession. I cheated this weekend. Hardcore. I just couldn't resist a bowl of amazing pasta at Olive and June, along with some super amazingly yummy bread Saturday night. I don't regret it AT ALL. It was amazing. And, interestingly, I didn't have any ill-effects...I don't think. Although, in all honesty, my stomach was a teensy upset yesterday.  I actually assume it was the bottle of wine I decided to drink (ok, not a full bottle...), it felt similar to other nights where I had a bit too much to drink. But I have also decided to go back to gluten-free for the next 10 days (one extra day to make up for the cheat day), and really monitor my experience when I go back to having gluten. And it is good timing, I will be back on gluten just in time for Valentine's day!!

Tonight I made a spicy shrimp dish, based loosely on this recipe for Shrimp Fra Diavolo. I tossed the shrimp and tomato sauce with some gluten-free pasta. It was a pretty quick and easy dinner to pull together, which was great because I also put together a crock pot of jambalaya for tomorrow night!

Now that I did a killer workout at Crossfit (21 pull ups, 14 kettle bell swings, 7 box jumps - all times three), prepared two dinners, cleaned the kitchen, folded the last of the laundry, and straightened up the house - I think it is time for a glass of wine, and some Veronica Mars!

Pink Peppercorn Mahimahi with Tropical Salsa

I have had this recipe in my cookbook binder for a long, long while. I have never made it because I never think to pick up pink peppercorns. When Mr. X and I were in New Orleans, we stopped in a spice shop, I was looking for cajun-food spices, but saw the pink peppercorns and picked them up! So awhile back, I finally made this recipe for dinner (I literally pulled it out of Cooking Light in 2008...so it only took four years).

I started out grinding the peppercorns. They are very pretty and pink! I did some quick research and discovered that pink peppercorns originated in Peru. Apparently they aren't actually peppercorns, but called that due to their size and shape. They are actually berries from the shrub Schinus molle, some people have allergies to this berry and trade was briefly banned due to allergic reactions (obviously it has been lifted, since I could find them in a spice shop). In very large amounts, they can be toxic. These little berries have a spice that is closer to a chili  than a peppercorn, with a touch of fruitiness.

I then mixed together the ingredients for the tropical salsa. Pinapples, red onion, cilantro, (lots and lots of cilantro. I love cilantro. We are trying to grow cilantro in our garden. I feel horrible for the small percentage of people that think cilantro tastes like soap. That must suck. My step-sister is one of those people. Anyway, I am rambling, back to the topic at hand.) flaked sweetened coconut, fresh lime juice, (I always think you should use fresh, the stuff kept in a fridge in a lime-like bottle is never as good.) jalapeno pepper and pink peppercorns. Just chop and mix together, just like with any other salsa.I like the pineapple salsa, then again, I really like any sorts of pico de gallo varieties.

Next up I chopped up the macadamia nuts, I did it in the food processor so it was super quick and easy. I mixed together the panko, chopped macadamia nuts, the rest of the pink peppercorns and the sea salt. In another bowl I mixed together the light coconut milk and the low-sodium soy sauce. I used cod instead of mahimahi, because that is what was available at the market. I pulled the fillets through the liquid and coated them in breading.

I heated some oil in my skillet and added the fish, cooking on each side for about 3 minutes -- long enough for the breading to get browned and crispy. I then transferred the skillet to a 400 degree oven for it to finish cooking.

Serve the salsa over the fish. It is really delicious. Crispy, sweet yet spicy. YUM! I served ours with some basic black beans.

Get the recipe here!

Blackened Shrimp Salad

This was a quick and easy dinner I threw together the other night. We had recently gone to New Orleans, and I picked up some blackening spices in a spice store I wandered into. I covered the shrimp in the spice and sauteed it on a very high heat until the shrimp was cooked. The high heat is part of the trick of getting the crispy, blackening technique without overcooking the shrimp (or whatever else you may be blackening). 

Once the shrimp were blackened I placed them on a bed of greens with some avocado. I whipped together a quick cilantro lime vinaigrette (recipe below) and drizzled it over both salads. It turned out delicious and it only took about ten minutes!

Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette

• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
• 1  garlic clove, minced
• 1  shallot, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper

Whisk all ingredients together.

Shrimp, Avocado and Grapefruit Salad

This recipe is one of our newest favorites. I have been making it about once a week. It all started when my mom-in-law gave us a few grapefruits at Christmas time. They were these delicious Texas Ruby Red grapefruits. According to my hubby, they are special. And I would have to agree. They are amazingly tasty. I have never liked grapefruits and I love these.

When we first had them I went searching for recipes and found this salad. Although these grapefruits could really just be eaten on their own, this salad is amazing. The sweet of the grapefruit complements the shrimp and the avocado offers a nice fatty taste that works perfectly.

I peeled the grapefruit into a bowl and pulled the pieces into smaller pieces. Being a non-grapefruit lover, typically, I wasn't sure how to go about this. But I quickly found you can easily tear aside the white skin, that can be quite bitter. At that point the grapefruit naturally pulls into smaller pieces. I find I have to set a few pieces of fruit aside to juice for the salad dressing.

I didn't get many pictures, unfortunately.  Simply whisk together the dressing ingredients: grapefruit juice, olive oil, salt, pepper, tarragon, brown sugar, and shallots. Toss the dressing with romaine lettuce (or, whatever your lettuce of preference, we often use a combination of romaine and spring mix).

Sprinkle shrimp with salt and pepper and cook in a pan with a small amount of olive oil. Keep an eye on it, shrimp cooks fast. It only takes a few minutes, until the shrimp is in a nice "c" shape and is no longer translucent.

Serve with avocado slices and grapefruit.

Enough lead up. You can find the recipe here. The tarragon adds a nice flavor, I wouldn't skip it if I were you...

Valentine's Day Dinner

Hello folks!

Sorry for such a delay in posting. The holidays really caught me off guard, and I received a new camera for Christmas! That's right! I got a big-girl camera. I have been eagerly teaching myself to use it. But it has taken me longer than usual to upload my pictures. Hopefully I am getting better every day.

I have lots of recipes to share with you all, but before it gets too outdated, I thought I would start with the Valentine's dinner I made for me and the hubby.

We prefer to stay in on Valentine's day, as opposed to fighting all the crowds. So I came up with a surf and turf, so to speak. Steaks, scallops and veggies. I found some beautiful purple kale, green beans and broccolini at the store. I thought I may be able to trick my hubby with the broccolini, he doesn't like broccoli but does like asparagus. To me it is a cross between the two. It didn't work.

I purchase four scallops, and patted them dry with paper towels.

The steaks were filet mignon medallions. With all the other food, I didn't think huge steaks were necessary.

I wanted to give the scallops, steaks and veggies a bit of asian flavors. So I planned to do a wasabi crust on the steaks and a seasme-soy-ginger sauce for the scallops and veggies. Here is the cast of ingredients: Olive oil (hiding in the back), rice vinegar, toasted sesame oil, sesame seeds, crushed red pepper, ginger and garlic along with some wasabi and panko.

I drizzled some olive oil in a grill pan for the steaks, and it turned out in this cute little heart shape. Total accident, I swear!

I then rolled the edges of the steaks in the olive oil, panko and wasabi to get a nice crust on the edge.

I started off searing the steaks on a grill pan. However, I made a mistake by then finishing them in the oven. I would recommend cooking the steaks entirely on a grill or in a grill pan.

I then sautéed thinly sliced garlic and sesame seeds in some olive oil. I added the green beans, broccolini and kale -- tossed to coat and cooked until cooked through but still crunchy.

I sautéed the scallops in very hot olive oil, just a couple minutes a side -- they will continue to cook when removed from the heat. I set the scallops aside and focused on the sauce. For this I combined  rice vinegar, toasted sesame oil, crushed red pepper and grated ginger. I threw the sauce into the pan which the scallops cooked in, stirred and brought to a boil and reduced. I then strained the sauce to remove the garlic. 

In the end everything, aside from the steaks, came together very well. The steaks were overcooked and the crust was not crunchy. Again, I would finish the steaks on a grill or grill pan if I were to make this again. I drizzled the sauce over the veggies and scallops. All and all, a pretty tasty Valentine's dinner!

Scallops with sesame-soy-ginger sauce and veggies

Ingredients
2 tbs - Rice vinegar
1 tbs - Toasted sesame oil
1/2 tbs - Sesame seed
To taste - Crushed red pepper
1 tbs - Ginger - grated
3 cloves Garlic - thinly sliced
1 tbs and 1 tsp (separated) - Olive Oil
Scallops
Veggies (I used broccolini, kale and green beans)

• For the veggies - sauté seasme seeds and garlic in 1 tbs olive oil. When seeds and garlic are slightly browned, add veggies, toss and cover. Stir occasionally until vegetables are to desired tenderness.
• Heat 1 tsp of olive oil in pan over medium-high heat. Sauté the scallops, 2 minutes per side, in hot oil. Set scallops aside.
• Combine rice vinegar, sesame oil, crushed red pepper and grated ginger. Add to pan where the scallops cooked. Scrape any scallop bits in sauce, bring sauce to a boil and reduce slightly. Strain liquid to remove ginger solids.
• Pour liquid sauce over scallops and veggies.

Lemon-Splashed Shrimp Salad

This is a perfect summer dish. Cool and refreshing, which is important when it is 105 degrees outside. (Literally). I picked up the cherry tomatoes and poblano pepper from the Farmer's Market. The peppers add a nice spice, while the avocado and tomatoes offer the perfect balance. It would be easy to tailor this recipe to whatever is in your fridge. I have done similar dishes with sugar snap peas, corn, red bell peppers -- just whatever I have lying around.

I boiled the pasta until tender and threw in the shrimp the last few minutes, then ran both under cold water. While the pasta and shrimp cooked I chopped up the other veggies.

I used the tri-colored rotini, simply because I thought it would look prettier in pictures.

I tossed the shrimp and pasta with the remaining ingredients (cherry tomatoes, celery, avocado, poblano pepper, cilantro, lemon juice and olive oil).

And that is all there is to it! The pasta salad is such a great, easy dish for a busy summer night.



Personally I don't think you can beat the combination of tomato, avocado, cilantro and some sort of pepper...

Sautéed Striped Bass with Lemon-Caper sauce

It has been awhile since I have last posted. The hubby and I took a wonderful trip to Napa/Sonoma valley and San Francisco. We enjoyed cooler weather, a lot of wonderful wines and some amazing food. It has taken me awhile to get back into the swing of things...but I am finally getting around to some posts.

When the hubby and I were in Sonoma we went to a wonderful restaurant on the Sonoma square: The Girl & the Fig. Along with some delicious wine and cheese, hubby had a particularly amazing fishdish. The fish was cooked spectacularly, but even better was the yummy lemon-caper sauce that was on top of the fish!

When we came back home, what better to cook than a dish that reminded us of our wonderful trip! I found a recipe for sautéed striped bass with lemon-caper sauce. The dish was fairly easy to prepare and definitely took us back to the cool weather and beautiful views of Sonoma.

I started out sprinkling the striped bass with salt and pepper. I threw it on the skillet with some basic olive oil for about four minutes a side. It could have browned slightly more, but it cooked nicely.

I placed the fillets in the oven to keep them warm, and started in on the sauce. (Sometime during this I also blanched some asparagus, leaving it in ice water).

I threw the capers in the pan, added the clam and lemon juice and boiled until reduced. I then whisked in the butter.

Serve the sauce over the fish and that is it! That simple! I served ours with a very basic side of asparagus (that at some point I had warmed back up in a pan with some olive oil).

The Girl & the Fig served the fish and sauce over a bed of steamed spinach. This was smart. The sauce was delicious and wasn't soaked up well by the asparagus. In the future I would serve this over rice or noodles (or spinach if I could get the hubby to eat it - I am not sure I have the power that the nice restaurant in Sonoma seemed to have -- he did eat some of the spinach that night). I am definitely going to experiment more with capers. The little round yummy bits add a delicious sharpness to the dish, and I can imagine it working well with many other sauces. I have always had capers with smoked salmon and cream cheese on bagels...but never tried it in a fish sauce. I am glad I have now!

Salmon with spicy sweet soy sauce

Salmon is one of our favorite fish, and this sauce is perfect. I make this dish quite often. It is quick and easy, and super-delicious. I often recommend it to friends who are nervous about making fish at home.

The sauce is the key. It is only four ingredients: Sirracha, soy sauce, honey and lime juice. You can vary the amounts of each depending on your tastes (if you prefer spicy: more Sirracha; sweet: more honey). I tend to do about two part honey and soy sauce to one part Sirracha and a splash of lime juice.

Simply whisk all four ingredients together to taste.



Bake the salmon in a 425 degree oven -- I sprinkle the salmon with ground coriander and pepper. On this particular night I served the salmon with asparagus and buckwheat noodles. Once it is all ready, simply drizzle the sauce over the fish, noodles and vegetables and top with some chopped green onions.

I have served this with a variety of vegetables, including green beans, carrots and sugar snap peas. I have also done other noodles, quinoa and rice. It is a fairly versatile sauce and overall the dish is extremely easy to pull together. Definitely one of the staple, go-to recipes in our house.

Salmon Burgers

It had been awhile since hubby and I had last had fish for dinner, typically we try to have salmon at least once a week and often another seafood during the week as well. I decided to try my hand at salmon burgers for something a little different.

I looked online, but didn't find a recipe that was what I really wanted...so after picking up a couple tips I decided to wing it. I went with some Asian inspired flavors. I picked up some fresh salmon and Thai basil. I chopped up the basil and about one-fourth of a red onion and threw it in a food processor (I am sure you could do this part by hand, but I opted for the ease of the food processor).

First lesson learned, the onion didn't really get chopped well in the food processor, although it did grind the salmon and basil together well. In the future I would chop the onion finer. I also opted not to take a picture of the salmon once it was ground, ground meat never really looks that appealing. I mixed together the ground salmon mixture with egg white, sirracha, salt, pepper and panko breadcrumbs. Second lesson learned, one egg white was actually overwhelming for the half-pound of salmon I was using. If only doing a half-pound I would use less egg.  I added some extra panko to soak up some of the excess moisture and equalize the mixture. I refrigerated the meat for about 30 minutes, then shaped the salmon into patties.

I sprayed a grill pan with nonstick olive-oil spray and grilled the salmon for five minutes on each side.

Obviously I threw some red peppers on there too, for some extra flavor.

The salmon burgers held together really nicely and five minutes over medium-high heat on each side led to a nice crispy grill outside, keeping the "burger" moist inside.

I served them on a toasted english muffin with some torn Thai basil, grilled red peppers and some sirracha.

We had ours with baby carrots on the side, but I am sure any veggie would go well with this. Final lesson learned, the salmon burgers were really good but it could have used some extra condiments. Some mustard or even more sirracha would have gone a long way; but overall, it was pretty successful for my first attempt at salmon burgers.

Salmon on a bed of potatoes, fennel and leeks

It has been awhile since I cooked something from a recipe, but this past week we received potatoes, fennel and leeks in our Farmhouse Delivery box and I discovered a great recipe with all those items and salmon. Our favorite fish!

This recipe turned out very well -- aside from an early misstep this recipe was fairly easy to make. I followed it almost exactly, although my grocery store did not have salmon steaks so I used sockeye salmon instead. I also added extra garlic (surprise, surprise).

The recipe has you crush the garlic and black peppercorns in a mortar (or with a spice grinder). This was my mishap. My mortar is really tiny -- the garlic and peppercorns was almost too much for it. This didn't go very smoothly. And at some point I cut my thumb open. So in the end the garlic-peppercorn-lemon juice paste wasn't very smooth or pasty. However, I still think it worked out fine. I rubbed the chunky paste on the sockeye salmon and set it aside.

Next I chopped up the potatoes, leeks and fennel bulb.

I layered the leek and fennel at the bottom of an oven-safe pan, with the potatoes in a layer on top. I ground some fresh black pepper on the top.



I placed the salmon fillet on top of the layer of vegetables and potatoes. I put the lid on the pan and placed it in a 425 degree oven to bake for 20 minutes or so.

Once the dish comes out it is nicely steamed. The recipe calls for reducing the liquid on the stovetop, but there was no reserve liquid in my dish.

I then cooked the salmon in a lightly greased frying pan for about two minutes on each side. I was unsure about this part of the recipe -- if it would really be necessary. But just as the recipe states, it finishes up the salmon really nicely. It adds just a bit of crisp to the fish that is really nice.

I served the dish just the way it was, although if you wanted some extra it would be really nice with a little side salad.

Both the hubby and I thought this was really good. He is not a big fan of leeks, but he did think the potatoes were yummy. I would definitely make this again if the ingredients appeared in my Farmhouse box!