Citrus-Basil Salmon

We have been on a mojor seafood kick lately (probably because preparing chicken grosses me out right now) and this is one of the all-time best seafood recipes I have found. It was from Eating Well magazine, so as you serve it to your family you can be brimming with pride that you are serving a really easy, delicious and healthy meal. Or, at least you won't feel bad when you eat something fattening and delicious for desert!

We serve with lemon pepper rice and a veggie. You can also convert this recipe to work with chicken but make sure to marinade it for 15 minutes or longer since it takes more time to soak in the flavor - we did ours on the grill and it was yummy too).

2 Tbsp. basil olive oil (since I don't have any of this, I just mixed some chopped fresh basil in with regular olive oil and it worked great)
4 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice (bottled works fine too, but fresh is more flavorful)
4 Tbsp. fresh lime juice (bottled works fine too, but fresh is more flavorful)
1 1/2 tsp. grated lime zest (you can do without it, but again it is more flavorful with)
1 1/2 tsp. grated lemon zest (you can do without it, but again it is more flavorful with)
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. fresh ground pepper
4 7-8oz. salmon filets (I use about 1/2 of a giant filet from Costco)
Garnish: julienned strips of fresh basil leaves, lemon zest and lime zest

In a large shallow dish*, whisk 1 Tbsp. basil olive oil, 3 Tbsp. lemon juice, 3 Tbsp. lime juice 1/2 tsp. grated lime zest, 1/2 tsp. grated lemon zest, 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper. Add salmon to dish, turning to coat filets.

Spray large non-stick pan with cooking spray. Heat over med-high. Add salmon, rounded side down and cook 4 minutes. Turn and cook 3-4 minutes or until desired doneness.

Spoon remaining ingredients over filets, dividing evenly. Add garnish.

(*I have followed the recipe exactly as it says and my own "lazy" way and both turn out about the same. Now, I always do it the "lazy" way, which is: mix the full amounts of basil olive oil, lemon juice, lime juice, lemon zest, lime zest, salt and pepper in a salad dressing shaker and shake until mixed. Pour 2/3 of mixture into a shallow baking dish and add filets, turning to coat. After cooking according to directions above, pour the remaining mixture over the filets and then garnish and serve.)

Zucchini Chocolate Chip Cookies

Zucchini Chocolate Chip Cookies
By Erin Taylor

1 ½ C. Sugar
1 ½ C. Grated and finely chopped zucchini
3/4 C. Butter
2 ½ C. Flour
1 tsp. Each: baking powder, baking soda, cloves
1 TBSP + 1 tsp. Cinnamon
1 Tbsp. Baking cocoa
¼ tsp. Salt
1 ½ C. milk chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 deg. Spray cookie sheet with pan spray. Beat sugar, zucchini, and butter until creamy. Add remaining ingred. and mix just until flour is incorporated. Bake 1 test cookie- (this is a MUST as this type of cookie can be difficult to gauge the flour. If it spreads out too thin in the oven, add a little more flour to the batter a few tablespoons at a time, if it remains in a ball while cooking, thin with a bit of water) Drop by tablespoonfuls onto cookie sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until puffed up in the middle and barely darkening on the edges. (do not cook until tops are brown!) Remove from oven and let sit for 3 minutes before removing from cookie sheet. Enjoy warm with ice cold milk!

Yam or Sweet Potatoe Fries

If you like fries, and you want them healthy, this is the way. Even my kids, who would never eat a yam, love these. They dip them in fry sauce. We eat them plain.

Ingredients:
3 or 4 Yams-Peel and cut them into thick sticks then toss them with olive oil.

Mix the following and sprinkle on fries:

1 t. cumin

1/2 t. paprika

1/2 t. chili powder

1/2 t. garlic salt (or more)

1/4 t. ginger

salt/pepper to desire

Bake 450 degrees for 30 minutes (check after 20 because it depends on their thickness) We cooked them in foil on the grill and it worked just the same. I just check them until they are barely tender. Don't get them mushy!

Oriental Cabbage Salad

This is what I made for the neighborhood BBQ last week and

Ruth asked that I post it...so here ya go!

Salad:
1 head of cabbage chopped
1-2lbs of cooked cubed chicken (can chicken works just fine too!)
1 bunch green onion chopped
1/2 cup slivered almonds
2 pkgs Ramen Noodles

Dressing (refrigerate over night, or put in the freezer for a couple of hours to let it set up)
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 Tbs sugar
2 Tbs Vinegar
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt
2 flavor packets from the Ramen Noodles

After the dressing has set up nicely, toss everything together and let it marinade for an hour before serving. **Note: the noodles absorb the dressing and get softer the longer they marinade...so adjust depending on if you like soft or crunchy noodles**

Barbecue Chicken Salad

I made this for a shower last night and it was so yummy! I had lots of requests for the recipe, but one doesn't exist because I just threw a bunch of stuff that sounded yummy together. However, for everyone who asked and anyone else who wants to try it out, this is a general idea of what I did. If you make it and have any measurement suggestions or additional ingredient suggestions, let us know in the comments. The chicken is also great alone if you need a quick and easy crockpot BBQ chicken recipe. Also, this is a party-sized recipe, so if you are making it for the fam, reduce the recipe or you will have leftovers for days.



1 head Romaine lettuce, washed and chopped
1 head Red or Green Leaf lettuce, washed and chopped
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
1 cup roma tomatoes, chopped (I'm sure other tomatoes would work fine too)
1 can corn, rinsed and drained
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup jicama, peeled and chopped
1.5 - 2 lbs. chicken tenders
1 container BBQ sauce
1/2 can chicken broth
Ranch Dressing


Chicken:
Arrange chicken in a crockpot. Pour in chicken broth and BBQ sauce and stir to mix and coat chicken tenders. Set crockpot and let it cook all day. When finished cooking, remove from crockpot with a slotted spoon and shred or cut into bite sized pieces. Leave sauce in crockpot to be used for the dressing.


Dressing: Depending on how much dressing you want/need/like, combine about 1 part ranch dressing with 2.5 parts BBQ sauce. Adjust the ratio to taste. You will not use all of the BBQ sauce. Some people like just the BBQ sauce as dressing, so you can leave out the ranch entirely if you like.


Salad: (I arranged everything on a platter so it would look pretty, but you could also toss everything in a bowl.)
Toss green or red leaf lettuce and romaine together and arrange on a platter. Top with corn, beans, jicama and tomatoes. Top with shredded or chopped chicken. Sprinkle basil and cilantro on top. Pour dressing over top of salad and serve immediately. Goes great with breadsticks or rolls.


Serves 15 - 20.

Mandy's Zucchini Bread

I am sure everyone has their own version of Zucchini bread to utilize the giant zucchini's from yours or your neighbors harvest, but Mandy brought me a loaf of this wonderful bread and it was so good I had to get her recipe. I haven't made it myself yet, but I have eaten it.

P.S. Thanks to Erin, I didn't make 15 loaves of Zucchini bread with ONE giant zucchini - instead I shreded it, measured it out and froze it in ziploc baggies and now have enough zucchini ready to go for 2 loaves a month all winter - I haven't even used my zucchini's yet! Brilliant!

2 2/3 cups sugar
2/3 cups shortening
3 cups zucchini (I usually add 1 - 1 1/2 cups extra zucchini)
2/3 cups water
4 eggs
3 1/2 cups white flour
2 teas. baking soda
1 1/2 teas. salt
1 teas. ground cinnamon ( usually add a little more of this)
1 teas. ground cloves ( add a little more than this, not alot though)
2 teas. vanilla
1/2 teas. baking powder
2/3 cup chopped nuts (optional)
2/3 cup raisins (optional)

Heat oven 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients and pour into loaf pans.

If using small loaf pans bake about 40-50 minutes.
If using regular bread pans bake 60-70 minutes.