Tag: easy recipe

Salmon in Parchment with Julienned Vegetables

Posted in Fish, UncategorizedLeave a comment

This is one of our very favorite fish dishes. And, it ticks lots of boxes – healthy, easy, low carb and, of course, delicious! It is based on an Alton Brown recipe, but I have made many changes in both ingredients a preparation.

There is a bit of vegetable preparation, but the final dish is actually cooked in the microwave in just a few minutes. The salmon steams with the vegetables and comes out perfect. The vegetables should all be about the same size and shape so that they cook evenly in the microwave.

To julienne the carrots, slice them on the bias, or diagonally, so that oblong discs are created. Then, slice those into julienne pieces. I snack on the extra pieces!

To supreme the lemon, see my blog post Bermuda Salad. It shows how to supreme an orange. It is done the same way for a lemon.

Save the center and remove any seeds from it and the supremes.

Put all the ingredients for the vegetables in a microwave safe bowl. Squeeze the left over center of the lemon into them. Chop any unused lemon segments and add them. Now cover and microwave 2 minutes. Stir. Microwave 1 more minute. Set aside.

Mound the vegetables on the parchment, to one side of the center. Top with salmon. If the salmon has a thinner end, tuck that under, so the piece of salmon is all about the same thickness.

Top salmon with vermouth, salt, pepper, dill and 3 lemon wedges each.

Roll and twist the edge of the parchment all around the salmon. Tuck the end under.

Cook each individually on high for 3 to 4 minutes. My husband likes his cooked 4 minutes while I prefer 3 minutes. I make his first and let it sit while mine cooks. Unwrap carefully and use a fork to help slide it onto a plate. Enjoy!

Salmon in Parchment with Julienne Vegetables

  • Vegetables
  • 7 ounces shredded cabbage
  • 3 ounces leeks, julienned
  • 3 ounces snow pea pods, sliced
  • 4 ounces carrots, julienned
  • 2 teaspoons dry vermouth
  • 1 ½ teaspoons fresh dill, chopped
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • fresh ground black pepper, to taste
  • Salmon
  • 2 salmon fillets, 6-8 ounces each, skinned
  • 1 tablespoon dry vermouth
  • 1 teaspoon fresh dill, chopped
  • salt and ground black pepper to taste
  • 1 lemon, supremed
1. For Vegetables: Mix together all ingredients for the vegetables in a microwave safe bowl. Squeeze the juice from the leftover center of the lemon after making supremes into the vegetables. Chop any leftover lemon segments and add those.
2. Cover the bowl and microwave on high for 2 minutes. Stir. Microwave for 1 more minute. Set aside.
3. For Fish: Prepare 2 double layers of 15 x 36 inch pieces of parchment paper.
4. Divide the vegetables evenly between the parchment, mounding them to the side of the middle of the parchment, centered. Top with the salmon fillets. If the fillets have a thin end, tuck that under to make the thickness of the salmon more even.
5. Sprinkle each fillet with 1/2 tablespoon of vermouth, salt and pepper, and dill. Top each with 3 segments of lemon.
6. Fold the parchment in half and fold and roll the edges of the parchment all around the salmon. Tuck the end under the packet. Place on a microwave safe plate.
7. Microwave each plate individually, 3 to 4 minutes, on high. They should read 130 degrees on an instant read thermometer. 
8. Open packets carefully and slide onto the plate. Serve and enjoy!

Bermuda Salad

Posted in UncategorizedLeave a comment

This light, refreshing and easy salad has a bit of a history for me. I had this salad at a resort in Bermuda. I don’t remember the resort name, but I sure remember this salad. The salad wasn’t hard to replicate. It is super easy, delicious and beautiful, even though there really isn’t much to it. See the recipe at the bottom of this post.

There a just 4 ingredients, plus the dressing. This is perfect for a busy weeknight dinner. When I make it, I don’t really measure anything, I just mix until it looks good. But, I have added some amounts to my recipe for a place to start when you make it. Adjust the amounts to your tastes.

I like to make my own Thousand Island Dressing, but store bought could certainly be used. One of the reasons I make my own is that I like dill pickle relish in it instead of sweet. This makes way more dressing than needed for the salad recipe, so if it won’t be used for anything else, cut the recipe in half.

Drain the Mandarin oranges.
Mix the chicken and celery.
Add the dressing to taste.
Add the Mandarin oranges and mix lightly, so as not to break them up too much.
Top with cashews and serve.

If we are going to eat the salad right away and I know there won’t be leftovers, I mix the cashews in with the chicken and celery. But if I am making it ahead or know there will be leftovers, I top the salad with them, so that they won’t get soft in the fridge.

I often serve this salad with my Bran Muffins, as pictured, which are the best I have ever had. They are so moist and delicious. Look for a blog on them in the near future.

Bermuda Salad

  • Salad
  • 2 cups cooked chicken, chopped
  • 2 cups chopped celery
  • 1 cup cashews, approximately, to taste
  • 15 ounces canned mandarin oranges, in juice, chilled, drained
  • ½ cup Thousand Island Salad Dressing, or to taste, see below for recipe (or use store-bought)
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • Thousand Island Dressing
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • ½ cup sour cream, full or low fat
  • ¼ cup mayonnaise, full or low fat
  • ½ cup ketchup
  • 3 tablespoons pickle relish, I like dill relish in this
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1. Salad: Combine celery, chicken, salt and pepper; mix. Add dressing to taste and mix again. Add oranges and mix lightly. Top with cashews and serve.
2. Dressing: In a medium bowl, whisk all ingredients together. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Parmesan Scones

Posted in UncategorizedLeave a comment
Autumn Soup with Parmesan Scones

As promised in the Autumn Soup blog, here is the recipe for the Parmesan Scones. Actually, these are more like biscuits that are shaped like a scones. Nevertheless, they are delicious, and almost as importantly, they are easy. Just a few common ingredients come together to make a savory side that is especially great with salads, soups and stews. The combination of onions and Parmesan really ramp up the flavor. The recipe is at the bottom of the page.

After sautéing some onions, it is just a matter of mixing and forming the scones.
I like to form the dough into 2 smaller discs, to make smaller scones. Be sure to cut them into triangle shapes, but don’t pull them apart. I like to use parchment instead of greasing the pan.
Brush the scones with the remaining heavy cream. This will help them to brown.
Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan after brushing with heavy cream.
Once baked, cut them completely apart for serving.

Parmesan Scones

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 medium yellow onion, chopped (3/4 cup)
  • ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese , 4 ounces
  • 2 cups Bisquick
  • 1 large egg
  • ⅓ cup heavy (whipping) cream
  • 1 tablespoon heavy (whipping) cream
1. Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Coat a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray ( I prefer to use parchment paper instead).
2. In small skillet, over medium-high heat, heat oil. Add onion; sauté 5 minutes or until translucent. Remove from heat; add black pepper.
3. Set aside 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese for top. Place remaining Parmesan in large bowl with biscuit baking mix. In small bowl, with fork, beat egg with 1/3 cup heavy cream until blended. Stir onion and egg mixtures into dry mixture until soft dough forms.
4. Knead 10 times; shape into a ball. Place on prepared baking sheet; pat into 8-inch round. Cut into 8 wedges but do not separate. I sometimes make 2 4-inch rounds, cut each of them into 6, making 12 smaller scones. Brush top with remaining 1 tablespoon heavy cream; sprinkle with reserved Parmesan cheese.
5. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes or until golden. Cut through wedges; separate. Serve warm or at room temperature. .

Autumn Soup

Posted in UncategorizedLeave a comment

Homemade soup can be very easy to make, and so much better than soup from a can.  With a few fresh ingredients and store bought stock, delicious soup can be made by even novice cooks.

I started making this soup right after I got married, and have been making it ever since.   I really had not cooked much at all up until then.  The original recipe came from a Betty Crocker recipe card.  Remember, this is way before the internet was around, and I used to get a set of these recipe cards each month in the mail. I have updated and changed the recipe some over the years, but it remains a favorite, especially for my husband. Recipe is at the bottom of this post.

The ingredients for this soup may be in your kitchen right now. You might be wondering about where we get the ground beef. We are fortunate to know an organic farmer, from whom we get our beef. A butcher processes it to our specifications. Store bought unsalted beef stock or Better than Bouillon can be used for the liquid (1 teaspoon per cup of water). Either basil or oregano can be used as an herb – I prefer oregano.

First, brown the ground beef.
Then add the onions and saute until softened.
Add the remaining ingredients and simmer.

It’s as easy as that! How much better can soup be – easy, healthy, fresh, and, most important, delicious!

The recipe makes quite a bit, but I often double it because it freezes really well. I like to freeze it in single portions. I can always make more than one if I need it. You may have noticed the Parmesan Scones on the plate. Look for a future post about how to make these really, really easy savory scones.

Autumn Soup

1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef

2 cups chopped onion

2 quarts beef stock, low or no salt

2 cups carrots, chopped

2 cups celery, chopped

1 large can chopped tomatoes

1 1/3 tablespoons salt (less if using salted stock)

1/2 teaspoon pepper

2 bay leaves

1/4 teaspoon dried basil or oregano

Heat a Dutch oven over low to medium heat; add a little olive oil and brush around to make pot almost non-stick.  Add beef and brown, breaking it up as it cooks.  Stir in the onions and cook until softened.  Stir in the remaining ingredients.  Bring the soup to a boil, reduce the heat to simmer, cover, and simmer for 1 hour.  Remove bay leaves before serving. Enjoy!