Garlic Balsalmic Soy Glaze

When I'm by myself, I try to eat fairly healthy. That way, I can eat what I want on date nights and on the weekend. I had a bunch of nice veggies from the farmer's market, so I decided to try a new salmon and veggie recipe that I dreamt up while I should have been working. I loved the flavor and savory garlic taste of the glaze over the veggies, but have to play with the type of protein that is best with this; I didn't love the salmon. Maybe next time, I will serve it with a white fish even over pasta.

I served this with a hearty red and a piece of Dove chocolate for dessert. :)

I roasted a double batch of the veggies, and will have the rest over pasta and homemade sauce tomorrow for lunch. I did the veggies in the toaster oven (single girl behavior!) so they weren't as crisp as I would have wanted, but great nonetheless.

Ingredients (salmon):

1 6 oz. salmon fillet, skin removed
24 stalks asparagus, cut into 2" pieces lengthwise
15 grape tomatoes, halved
1 shallot, sliced on the mandolin
1 onion, sliced on the mandolin
1 bunch fresh basil, chopped
2 garlic cloves, smashed
1 Tbsp olive oil
seasoning to taste (salt, pepper, crushed red pepper)

Directions:

Heat an oven to 400 degrees. In a bowl, combine the shallot, onion, garlic, asparagus, tomatoes, basil and olive oil. Add the seasonings to your liking.

Spray an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray, and evenly spread the veggie mixture over it. Put the salmon in the center of the vegetable mixture, making a "hole" in the middle of the tray with a spatula. Bake for about 15-20 minutes. (A note here- the salmon may end up being done before the veggies, but this depends on the thickness and size of the fish.)

Balsamic Soy Glaze

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 garlic clove, smashed
2-3 Tbsp good quality balsamic vinegar
1 Splenda packet (I use Splenda to cut the calories, though this is a fairly healthy dish)

Directions:

While the salmon and veggies are roasting, melt the butter in a saucepan. When the butter has melted, add the garlic clove and simmer about 3 minutes until the garlic has begun to cook through and your house smells delicious. Whisk in the soy sauce, Splenda, and 2 Tbsp of balsamic vinegar.

Let the mixture boil, and then turn to a simmer until the glaze begins to thicken (this won't get really thick). If you want a more sour than sweet flavor, add another Tbsp of vinegar and boil then simmer again. (Try it first!)

When the fish and veggies are done, transfer to a platter and pour the glaze over the veggies and the fish.

Saturday Night Date Night In (And a potatoes au gratin recipe)

Instead of going out tonight, Guinea Pig and I decided to stay in and have a nice dinner here instead. I took the money we would have normally spent on a night out and had filet mignon with a Merlot Balsamic reduction, garlic steamed broccoli, and (I decided to spoil him) potatoes au gratin, which stole the show. My steak was a bit overdone (Guinea Pig liked his), and the broccoli was just okay, but I had to share this potato au gratin recipe! I got another 10 out of 10! Wah hoo! 

Ingredients

• 5 potatoes, sliced on the mandolin
• 1 large yellow onion (I also sliced this on the mandolin)
• 4 Tbsp butter divided
• 1 Tbsp flour
• Salt
• Black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 cup (packed) grated Gruyere cheese (about 4 oz)
• 8 Tbsp (packed) freshly grated Parmesan cheese (about 2 oz)
• 2/3 cup 1% milk
• Panko crumbs

Directions

Preheat oven to 400°F.

1 Boil the potatoes for 4 minutes in salted water. Drain and set aside.
2 Heat the butter over medium-high heat in a large sauté pan and cook the onions, stirring occasionally, until they are softened, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle them with salt, remove from heat, and set aside.
3 Spread half of the sliced potatoes over the bottom of a baking dish (I used 8 1/2 x 11). Sprinkle well with salt and pepper. Sprinkle a bit of the Gruyure and Parmesan cheeses. Top with the onions.
4 In another pan, heat 1-2T of butter. Once that is melted, stir in the flour  (as an aside, I think other herbs could work well here!) and make a roux. (Be careful not to burn the flour! I've done this too many times and it is not a quick fix!) Once the roux is brown and thickened, add the milk and stir quickly. Boil the mixture and then add the cheeses (save a little bit for the top) and nutmeg.   
5 Add the rest of the potatoes over the onions in the pan and pour the cheese mixture over all of the potatoes.
6 Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the potatoes.
7 Liberally sprinkle Panko crumbs over the top.
8 Bake uncovered in 400°F oven until cream thickens and everything is nicely browned, about 25-30 minutes.

Adapted from: http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/onion_potato_gratin/ 

In a Snap Potato Corn Chowder

Even though its close to 60 degrees this weekend, I promised a special lady that I would make her soup. She actually requested that I make her baked potato soup, but I wanted her to try my In a Snap Potato Corn Chowder first. I've made this soup multiple times, and have shared the recipe just as many! It's so comforting and simple, and you can top it with whatever you want. It's lower in fat and calories then real chowders because my recipe uses 1% milk and flour instead of heavy cream.

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons butter (you can use less)
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 stalk celery, minced
• 1 garlic clove smashed
• 2 teaspoons salt (I actually end up using more, but don't add until the very end)
• 4 cups water
• 5 potatoes, peeled and diced (the size doesn't matter, since you will blend this anyway) 
• 4 cup frozen sweet corn kernels
• ¹/₂ cup 1% milk
• freshly ground black pepper
• Toppings (I always serve this with lots of scallions, bacon and cheese)

Directions

In a stockpot or Dutch oven, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion, celery, and garlic. Cook for about 5 minutes or until onion and celery begin to soften.

Add water and potatoes. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Partially cover and simmer gently for about 15 minutes or until potatoes are soft.
Add the milk and stir. Use an immersion blender (or a real blender if you don't have an immersion blender) to blend the potato mixture to a creamy consistency that resembles watered-down mashed potatoes. Return the mixture to the pot. (If the texture is too watery, you can add 1T of flour and cook for another few minutes until the mixture thickens up a bit.)

Add corn and simmer for 5 minutes. If you're using scallions, chop them and add them in at this step. Season with salt and black pepper to your taste.

Ladle into bowls and garnish with cheese, bacon or whatever else you can think of. Get creative! Next time, I may add a dash of cayenne.


Adapted from: http://www.shape.com/healthy-eating/meals-and-menus/holidays-and-entertaining/holidays/easy-delicious-corn-potato-chowder

Sherry Shallot Cream Sauce

A few weeks ago, I wanted a nice, rich sauce to go with some hazelnut-crusted tilapia I bought. Since the fish was fairly healthy, and I had eaten pretty healthy all day, I figured I could splurge. I know I wanted creamy (dairy is my downfall!), and I knew I wanted savory, so I googled some beurre blanc recipes. I ended on this Easy Sherry Cream Sauce, which is just as simple and delicious as it sounds. It was everything I was hoping for, and this earned me a "9/10" on the Guinea Pig scale. (See About Me column.)

Ingredients:

• 2-3 tablespoons butter
• 2 small cloves garlic, smashed
• 1 shallot, chopped
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 3 tablespoons sherry
• salt and pepper, to taste
• Spring thyme

Melt butter in saucepan over medium-low heat. Smash garlic; add to butter. Add the chopped shallot, and saute for 1 minute. Add cream and sherry; bring to a simmer. (I simmered mine with some thyme, which I removed before serving. The taste was just faint enough.) Reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes until sauce reduces and nicely coats the back of a spoon. Taste and add salt and pepper.

Some people strain the sauce so you are left with a creamy sauce, and no lumps from the garlic and onions, but I chose to serve my sauce without straining it.

Adapted from: http://southernfood.about.com/od/saucerecipes/r/bl51026e.htm.