Using leftover salmon--tacos!

David and I are happy shareholders in Sitka Salmon Shares.  This means that we received 15 lbs. of very high quality Alaskan salmon this summer, and will this fall be getting 5 lbs of black cod and 5 lbs. of halibut.  The salmon is usually packaged in pieces of about 14-16 ounces.  This is more than David and I eat in one meal; there's some leftover, but not enough for a second meal with a regular portion of fish.  So, I'm on the lookout for things to make with the smaller amount of salmon for a second meal.  Standards have been a Nicoise Salad or an omelet.  Last night I tried fish tacos, using baked salmon from the night before.  They were great!!  I'm sure this would be tasty with other fish also.  I havn't specified amounts, except for the sauce--I just estimated enough to fill the 4-5 tacos that the two of us would eat.  This is my own version, after looking at a variety of different recipes.

FISH TACOS

leftover cooked salmon (or freshly cooked salmon, or other fish)
small flour tortillas
finely shredded cabbage (I sliced off about a 1-1/2" from the edge and cut into thin threads)
diced onion (red or yellow, or scallions)
diced tomatoes (or cherry tomatoes, halved)
avocado, diced (optional--I meant to include this, but forgot; it would have been nice)
Sriracha sauce (optional--I like this for a little bit of heat)
sour cream sauce, below

Sour cream sauce (enough for about 7 tortillas)
1/4 c. chopped cilantro
1/2 c. sour cream (I used lite)
1/2 lemon, juiced

Mix the sauce ingredients together.  Heat tortillas in the microwave; do enough for one taco for each person, then do another round when needed.  (In my microwave, about 15 seconds per tortilla.)  Have other ingredients in small bowls at the table, and assemble tacos individually.

Fish with spicy tomatoes and capers

This is my go-to fish recipe—simple and delicious.  I usually make it as an ordinary-day dish, but last night I served it to guests, and was reminded that it was definitely a good meal for company too.  Really nice when something so easy is good enough for company!  The sauce can be made ahead of time, and then just put the fish in about 10 minutes before you want to serve it.  I generally serve this with a side of rice and a salad.  Last night, I also served a cold carrot-parsnip soup.

FISH WITH SPICY TOMATOES AND CAPERS

(4 servings)

adapted from Weightwatchers Simply Delicious

Be sure to use the fresh lime—it really perks up the flavor.

2 t. olive oil

1 onion, halved and then sliced

3 garlic cloves, minced (from a jar of minced garlic is fine)

1/4 t. crushed red pepper or a couple of squeezes of Sriracha sauce (recipe calls for 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and chopped, but I use these easier substitutes )

1 28-oz can diced tomatoes

2 T. drained capers

1/4 t. salt

1/4 cup chopped parsley

1 t. dried oregano

1-1/4 lb. cod or halibut fillets (I generally use cod; any white fish is likely to be fine)

1 lime, cut into 4 wedges

Part 1 of the recipe can be done well ahead of time and set aside.

1) Heat the oil in a large skillet, then add the onion.  Sauté until translucent, 3-5 minutes.  Add the garlic and hot pepper and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute.  Add the tomatoes, capers, and salt; bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, until the sauce is slightly thickened, about 15 minutes. 

2) Stir in the parsley and oregano.  Add the fish, spooning the sauce over it; cover and simmer until the fish is just opaque in the center, about 8 minutes.  Serve with the lime wedges.  (The freshly-squeezed lime is a key part of the success of this dish.)

Per serving: 215 calories, 5 g fat, 3 g fiber

Thai cucumber salad

Here's a nice cucumber salad for the last days of summer--simple and refreshing, with a bit of jalapeno heat.

RICK'S THAI CUCUMBER SALAD

adapted from http://www.food.com/recipe/ricks-thai-cucumber-salad-126039

serves 5-6

2 cucumbers, peeled, seeded, and sliced (if using English cucumber, can leave unpeeled)

1 onion, sliced very thin

1 large jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped

1/2 c. cilantro, chopped

3/4 c. rice wine vinegar

1/4 c. water

2 T. sugar

1 t. kosher salt

Put in a serving bowl the cucumber, jalapeno, cilantro, and onion. 

Mix together the wager, vinegar, sugar, and salt, and then pour over the salad. 

Refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving.

Frozen Fruit Yogurt

I sometimes buy small containers of yogurt with fruit, intending to have one for lunch or a snack, but then they just sit in the refrigerator uneaten.  I saw a post about home-made frozen yogurt on the angry chicken blog, and thought I'd try it.  It's great!  Now I'm buying a tub of non-fat yogurt each week, and enjoying this often for lunch.  The angry chicken post (and the recipe it's linked to) talk about eating it either right after it's made (soft) or freezing it for a while, when it will be more like ice cream.  I haven't had any luck with the frozen variation--it gets too hard.  So, I just make up one serving at a time, and enjoy it right then.  So far I've made it with mangoes (photo above) or blueberries.  I'm sure it would also be delicious with strawberries, raspberries, and peaches.  Maybe I'll also try plums.  Here's how I make it--recipe for one serving:

1)  The day before, freeze small pieces of fruit.  Blueberries are fine left whole.  Below is a photo of a mango that I've cut into small pieces and laid on a piece of parchment paper (so that they don't stick to the metal tray when freezing).  Yes, you could skip this step and just use fresh fruit, but the point of the recipe is that using the frozen fruit lowers the temperature and thickens the consistency of the resulting yogurt, and this is what makes it more pleasing to eat than regular fruited yogurt.

 2)  When you're ready to make the frozen yogurt, mix up the following in a blender or food processor, or use an immersion blender:

• 2/3 cup of non-fat plain yogurt
• a squirt of honey or agave syrup
• 1/2 to 1 cup of fruit (e.g., I used half a mango)

If you're using an immersion blender, mix up the fruit and yogurt a little bit before you blend.  Here's what mine looks like in the beaker that came with the immersion blender:

Press the immersion blender down slowly into the yogurt, and then move it up and down a few times to blend.  You may need to stir with a spoon once, if some of the fruit gets stuck on the bottom of the beaker.  Although I show the finished yogurt at the top in a bowl, I usually eat it directly from the beaker--one less dish to wash :-)

An abundance of cherry tomatoes--Puttanesca!

When the cherry tomatoes first start ripening in mid-July, they are a great treat, and are mostly eaten directly in the garden.  At this point in August, they've reached the stage of abundance at which I turn to recipes to try to keep up with them.  I had Spaghetti alla Puttanesca in an Italian restaurant earlier in the week, which gave me the idea to make it at home.  I used a recipe that called for canned tomatoes, but substituted fresh cherry tomatoes.  Delicious!  I also have fond associations with this dish as something my mother made later in life, after decades of making her regular, excellent, spaghetti sauce with meatballs (recipe from Mrs. Vilano, our neighbor 60 years ago).  My mother was a great cook, but tended to stick pretty close to her repertoire.  It was a bit of a thrill to have her serve something else!

SPAGHETTI ALLA PUTTANESCA

adapted from 365 Ways to Cook Pasta, by Marie Simmons

1 T. olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 28-oz can of diced tomatoes, undrained (or 28 oz. of cherry tomatoes, cut in quarters)

1/2 c. pitted, chopped Kalamata olives

2 T. small capers, rinsed

1/2 t. crushed dried red pepper (recipe called for 1 t., but I found 1/2 t. to be enough)

1/2 t. dried oregano

pinch of coarsely ground black pepper

1/4 c. chopped flat-leaf parsley, divided in half

1 2-oz can anchovies, drained, blotted dry, & cut into small pieces

1 lb. spaghetti

Heat oil in a large skillet.  Add garlic and sauté over low heat about 1 minute; do not brown.  Stir in tomatoes with their juice, olives, capers, crushed red pepper, oregano, black pepper and 2  T. of the parsley.   Cook over medium heat until the sauce thickens, about 15-20 minutes.  Stir in anchovies and other 2 T. of parsley; simmer 2 minutes.

While sauce is simmering, cook spaghetti in boiling salted water until al dente; drain.  Toss with the sauce.

Great Greens

I've been trying to make a point of cooking greens more frequently.  They're good for you, and taste great too!   I planted both chard and kale in my garden this year, and the chard is just about ready to harvest.  Here are a few recipes I've really enjoyed.

EGGS NESTED IN SAUTEED CHARD AND MUSHROOMS

adapted from http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/eggs_nested_in_sauteed_chard_and_mushrooms/

Serves 2

1-1/2 T. olive oil

1 c. chopped onion

1 lb. fresh chard

8 oz. mushrooms, sliced 1/4" thick

salt and freshly ground pepper

4 eggs

Cut out the center ribs of the chard leaves.  Chop the ribs into 1/2-inch pieces.  Cut the remaining chard leaves crosswise into 1-inch ribbons and set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a non-stick pan (with cover) on medium-high heat.  Add the chard ribs, chopped onion, and sliced mushrooms.  Sauté for about 5 minutes, until the onions are translucent and the mushrooms are a little browned on the edges and have started to give up their moisture.

Add the sliced chard leaves to the pan.  Turn the leaves over in the pan so that they get coated with some of the oil and mixed in with the onions and mushrooms.  Cook until the leaves are wilted a bit.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper. 

Spread the mixture evenly over the bottom of the pan.  Crack the eggs onto the mixture, spacing them around the pan.  Lower the heat to low and cover the pan.  Cook for about 4 minutes, until the whites are cooked.  Serve immediately, two eggs per person.  Cut into the egg yolks so that the runny yolks run over the chard and mushrooms, making something of a sauce.  With a salad, this is a meal in itself.

BRAISED MUSTARD GREENS WITH GARLIC

adapted from http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Braised-Mustard-Greens-with-Garlic-231195

Serves 2

1 lb. mustard greens, center ribs discarded and leaves coarsely chopped (4 cups packed)

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 T. olive oil

2/3 c. water

Blanch mustard greens for 1 minute in a large pot with boiling salted water to cover.  Drain greens in a colander and wipe pot dry.

Heat the olive oil over medium heat, add garlic and cook about 30 seconds, until pale golden.  Add greens and water, and simmer, partially covered, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 6 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.

GREENS WITH LEMON ZEST

(neglected to note source of this recipe)

Serves 2

1 t. olive oil

2 green onions, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 bunch of greens (chard, spinach, or kale)

1-1/2 T. Balsamic vinegar

1 T. grated lemon zest (or lime)

1 t. sesame seeds, toasted

Heat olive oil in a large stockpot over medium heat.  Add green onions and garlic, and cook until softened slightly.

Add the greens, packing them in.  Cover the pan tightly and cook, stirring once or twice, until the greens are wilted and tender, but still bright green--about 3-5 minutes.

Remove from the heat.  Add the vinegar and lemon zest and stir until combined.  Transfer to serving platter and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.  Serve hot or cold.

SWISS CHARD WITH OLIVES RECIPE

adapted from http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/swiss_chard_with_olives/

Serves 2-3

• 1 oz. pitted green olives (about 10 medium), roughly chopped or sliced [if the olives have pimentos, those can be used too]
• 1/2 t. minced fresh rosemary
• 1 green onion or shallot, chopped
• 1/2 t. capers
• olive oil
• 1 large bunch of Swiss chard, rinsed and patted dry
• freshly ground pepper to taste

Mix together the olives, rosemary, green onion, and capers with 1 T. of olive oil, and let sit while preparing the chard.

Cut out the stems of the chard,and then slice the stems into half-inch pieces and set aside.  Cut the leaves into 1" thick ribbons.  Leaves and stems will be cooked separately.

Heat a large non-stick pan on medium high heat.  Coat the bottom of the pan with 2 t. olive oil.  When the oil is hot, add the chard stems.   Cook for a couple of minutes, stirring often, until they begin to soften.  Then stir in the olive mixture.  Cook for a minute more, and then add the chopped chard leaves, tossing them in with the rest of the mixture.

Cover the pan and reduce heat to low.  Let cook a few minutes, lifting the cover a few times to turn the leaves over in the pan.  Cook until the chard has all wilted.  Sprinkle with black pepper to taste.

And just to put related recipes in one place, here are links to two previous posts on soups that star kale:

http://penny-inthekitchen.blogspot.com/2013/02/butternut-squash-soup-with-kale-and.html

http://penny-inthekitchen.blogspot.com/2011/02/another-great-soup-kale-bean.html

Barbecue chicken pizza

I've had the pizza and flatbread book by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoë François (authors of Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day) for quite a while, but hadn't gotten around to trying anything out.  The other day I saw a recipe for Barbecued Chicken Pizza on the Recipe Girl blog (Lori Lange), and it called out to me.  I studied the basic pizza dough method in the Artisan Pizza and Flatbread book, which also had a recipe for barbecued chicken pizza.  I combined elements of the two recipes, as given below.  It was very, very good.  I put one leftover piece in the fridge, and had part of it for a late night snack--delicious cold also. The second pizza is in the fridge for tonight's dinner.   This is not my usual low-fat fare, but I will be making it again!  

BARBECUE CHICKEN PIZZA

combination of

http://www.recipegirl.com/2013/05/24/barbecue-chicken-and-bacon-pizza/ 

and the recipe for Barbecued Chicken Pizza in ArtisanPizza and Flatbread in Five Minutes a Day

This recipe is for two 12" pizzas, each made with 1/2 lb. of Artisan pizza dough.  With a hearty salad, one pizza serves 3 people.

The ingredients below are for TWO pizzas, made sequentially

2 balls pizza dough (each a 1/2 lb. of dough) (I used the artisan recipe, but you can use any pizza dough 

       recipe)

olive oil for greasing baking sheet

about 1-1/2 c. barbecue sauce (Recipe Girl recommends Bull's Eye Original, which is what I used)

1 red onion, sliced very thinly (I used a mandolin)

several chicken thighs, skinned and boneless, grilled or otherwise cooked (I used a Foreman grill)

most of a basket of cherry tomatoes, cut in half

6 strips bacon (I used turkey bacon)

a couple of large handfuls of arugula or fresh spinach (can substitute a few tablespoons of fresh cilantro)

about 6 oz. smoked Gouda cheese, diced in 1/2" cubes

Preheat oven to 550 (or 500 if your oven only goes that high); have baking stone on rack in bottom third of the oven.  Preheating this high can take a while—about as long as it took me to prepare all the toppings, which need to be prepared and at hand before rolling out the dough.

Roll out the dough for one pizza into a 12" circle, 1/8" thick; a rectangle also fine, and fits well in the heavy-gauge baking sheet with short-rimmed sides that I used (one option recommended by Artisan Pizza book, easier than transferring the pizza from peel to baking stone.)

Transfer the dough to the baking sheet.  Spread half the barbecue sauce on top, enough to lightly cover the dough.  Take half of each of the toppings, and put them on the pizza, cheese last.

Place the baking sheet on the baking stone.  Bake for 8-10 minutes.  While the first pizza is baking, assemble the second one.

When first pizza is done, put on a wire cooling rack to cool for a few minutes.  Put the second pizza in the oven.