Roasted Salmon with Avocado and Grapefruit Salsa

Happy Monday!

Today is the start of a long work week for me. I'm working a mix of super early mornings, and super late nights, so I have to figure out what to cook for the few lunches and dinners that I'll be at home for. (That's actually how its going to be for the next few weeks)

The hardest about about working in the food industry is that you're always surrounded by food. I'm sure you're looking at me like "blah blah blah, life is so hard." But really, hear me out. Yes, the food is different every night, but what's being served may be something that you don't like to eat, something that doesn't fit your health regimen, or it's just hors d'eurvres (not even a real meal!)

So here is to putting time and effort into being healthy. Cheers!!


Recipe (makes 2 servings):
1/4 pound salmon fillets
1 large grapefruit
1 avocado, pitted, peeled, and cubed
1/2 jalapeno, seeded and minced
3 tablespoons red onion
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, minced
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
ancho chile powder*
olive oil
coarse kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

*I used Cayenne pepper since I wasn't able to find ancho chile powder, and it still turned out yummy!

Recipe from Williams-Sonoma Weeknight Fresh & Fast Cookbook

Directions: 
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees

2. Place fillets on a baking pan, skin side down. Brush both sides with olive oil, then sprinkle  the fillet with salt, pepper, and ancho chile powder. Place in oven and roast until almost opaque in the center, about 18 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, using a sharp knife, cut off the peel and all of the white pith from all around the grapefruit. Working over a bowl, use the knife to cut between the membranes to release the grapefruit segments into the bowl. Squeeze the juice from the membranes into the bowl. Remove the grapefruit segments from the bowl and cut crosswise into 1/2 in pieces; return to the bowl.

4. Gently mix in the avocado, jalapeno, onion, cilantro, and lime juice. Season the salsa to taste with salt and pepper.

5. Cut the fish in half and divide among 2 warmed plates. Spoon the salsa over the top and serve right away.

Blackberry Cobbler Pancakes

Happy Easter Sunday!

I hope everyone has a fun day and enjoys the lovely spring weather (it's about time!) :)

Easter Sunday is definitely a big brunch day in the city. But sometimes, brunch is better at home - you don't need to wait for a table, you can eat whatever you choose, and it probably costs half of what you would pay at a restaurant. For me, nothing makes Sunday better than eating pancakes for brunch. I found this awesome recipe because I was looking for a new take on pancakes. (There's also Earl Grey Vanilla Pancakes with Honey Tea Syrup) Something different about this recipe is that it uses cake flour in addition to all purpose flour, which makes the pancakes extra fluffy.

The directions below are from the original website, and for me, everything went dandy until it came to actually cooking the pancakes. I noted my alteration and how I ended up making the pancakes, but if the original way works for you, hooray!!

Recipe (makes 7-8 servings):
Cobbler:
2 cups blackberries
1/3 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup quick oats
1/2 cup flour
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Pancakes:
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons cake flour
1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups whole milk
2 large eggs
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Additional melted unsalted butter for cooking

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees

2. Put 1 cup blackberries in a ramekin. Cut the remaining 1 cup blackberries into pea-sized pieces, and set aside.

3. To make the cobbler: In a mixer, combine the butter, quick oats, flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon; mix until clumps have formed. Spread 1/4 cup of the mixture over the blackberries in the ramekin.

4. Bake for roughly 20 minutes, until the blackberries have burst, and the top has slightly browned.

4. Whisk cake flour, all purpose flour, brown sugar, baking powder, and kosher salt in a large bowl. Whisk together the milk and eggs in a small bowl. Add the wet mixture to the dry ingredients. Mix in 3 tablespoons melted butter.

5. Heat griddle or nonstick pan over medium heat. Brush bottom of pan with additional melted butter.

6. Working in batches of 2-3 pancakes, sprinkle 2 tablespoons of the uncooked cobbler on the griddle, then pour 1/4 cup batter on top.

Alteration: I followed the directions above for the first 3 pancakes that I made. It got real messy. I realized that by sprinkling the cobbler onto the pan first, there was nothing to hold the cobbler together for when you flip the pancake over, and the cobbler would end up all over the pan. So moving forward, I put a bit of batter onto the pan first, then the cobbler, then more batter. Essentially, I made a cobbler sandwich with the batter, and it worked out much better.

7. Sprinkle each pancake with a few of the pea-sized blackberries. Cook until bottoms brown, about 1 1/2 minutes. Turn pancakes over and cook until sides brown, about 1 minute. Divide pancakes among plates.

8. Top pancakes with fresh cobbler and syrup.

Care Packages

Nothing makes you feel more loved than receiving a care package in the middle of the week. Am I right? Or am I right? After coming back from Seattle the other week, I've felt a surge in energy and a big sense in motivation (more on that to come later), but a little sad to not see the faces of my lovely friends everyday.

 Fast forward to last night - I was just coming off a long day at work, with an exceptionally early morning today, I was thrilled to see a package from my best friend Renee (who I'd just seen in Seattle)! I got the warm fuzzies, and was absolutely stoked to find what was in the package!

 

 

Local Seattle chocolate in Hazelnut Crunch, Fig Fennel & Almond, Organic Fair Trade 70% Cacao Dark Chocolate, and Organic Salted Almond Dark Chocolate

 

Happy Friday! :)

Turkey Sandwiches with Ginger-Avocado Relish

Sandwiches are synonymous with lunch. But the difficult part is keeping them exciting. There are a ton of different types of deli meats at the meat counter at the grocery, but at the end of the day, cold cuts are cold cuts. You can only add so much lettuce, tomato, mayo, and mustard to keep you wanting more. And thus comes this sandwich! The avocado mixed with wasabi and green onions keeps you wanting more, and the bread grilled with sesame oil is absolutely fantastic!

I didn't make any alterations to this recipe, but there are alternative cooking methods to cook this recipe even faster if you're short on time.

Courtesy of Williams-Sonoma Weeknight Fresh +Fast Cookbook


Recipe (makes 4 servings):
4 green onions, white and pale green parts, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
5 teaspoons rice vinegar
3 1/2 teaspoons fresh ginger, peeled and minced
2 teaspoons wasabi paste
1 avocado, firm but ripe, pitted, peeled, and diced
1 1/4 - 1 1/2 pounds turkey breast cutlets
4 slices country bread
4 large leaves butter letuce
asian sesame oil
coarse kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions:
1. In a bowl, combine the green onions, olive oil, vinegar, 2 teaspoons of minced ginger, and the wasabi. Gently mix in the avocado. Season to taste with salt and pepper; and set aside.

2. Prepare a charcoal or gas grill for direct-heat cooking over high heat. Brush the turkey with sesame oil on both sides, and sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons minced ginger over one side of the turkey. Grill the turkey until just cooked through, 2-3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.

Alternative #1: Instead of grilling, you can broil the cutlets, or even saute the cutlets in a fry pan.

3. Brush sesame oil over one side of bread. Grill the bread, oiled side down, until golden brown, 2-3 minutes per side.

Alternative #2: You can forgo grilling the bread and stick the bread in the toaster without the sesame oil.

4. Arrange 1 bread slice, grilled side up, on each plate. Arrange sliced lettuce over each, and then top with turkey. Spoon the relish over and serve right away.

Birchbox #2

Sometimes I think I secretly signed up for monthly Birchbox's just to get a package in the mail every month...

 Theme of the Month: March Madness

Left to Right: Juice Beauty Stem Cellular Repair CC Cream, Couture La La Perfume, Whish Shave Cream in Blueberry, Seroe Normat Dry Shampoo, and a Madewell Nail File

Avocado & Chorizo Toast

I love sausages. I tend to tune people out when they try and tell me how sausages are awful for you, and that I have no idea what types of meat are in them. In reality, I know what types of meat are in sausages. I just ignore it because they are so delicious! The one that tops my list? Turkey Kielbasa! (I'm drooling just thinking about it) But because they have so much fat in them (and sausages, in general), I really have to watch how often I eat them.

Nothing is better than eating something for dinner that isn't traditionally meant for dinner. Example? Breakfast for dinner or eating appetizers for dinner. This recipe was awesome because it was quick to make, super delicious, and involves all of my favorite foods!

Surprisingly, I had a good amount of avocado leftover. I may just toss that with a salad tomorrow, or have it on another piece of toast without the chorizo! Yum!

Recipe from What to Cook & How to Cook it: Fresh & Easy from Jane Hornby


Recipe (makes 4 servings):
1/2 pound (9 ounces) chorizo sausages*
2 ripe avocados
4 scallions (spring onions), thinly sliced
2 limes
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
4 thick slices good quality bread, such as sourdough or Italian bread
1 clove garlic
1 handful fresh cilantro, optional, for garnish
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
a few drops of Tabasco sauce

*There are two types of chorizo: cooking chorizo, which is soft like a regular sausage, and cured chorizo, which is firm and dry and eaten uncooked, similar to a salami. Both types will work in this recipe, but choose the cooking chorizo if you have the option*

Directions:
1. Cut the sausages into bite size pieces. Heat a skillet or frying pan, add the sausages to the dry pan, then fry for 5 minutes, until golden and crisp around the edges. The sausages will release their own oil as they cook.

2. Cut each avocado in half; then use a spoon to scoop out the pits and the flesh. Roughly chop the meat of the avocado and place in a bowl.

3. Add the juice of one lime and the scallions to the avocados. Add the Tabasco and olive oil, then season with salt and pepper. Cut the remaining lime into wedges.

Alteration #1: I didn't use any Tabasco sauce, just because I find chorizo to be a tad spicy as is. (No need to make my mouth suffer any more than it should!)

4. Preheat the broiler (or grill) and spread out the bread on a baking sheet. Toast until golden on both sides, about 2-3 minutes per side. Cut the garlic in half and rub the cut side over the toast. Drizzle with a little olive oil.

5. Top the toast with avocado mixture, followed by the sizzling sausages and a spoonful of the pan's juices. Tear the cilantro leaves over the top and serve with the extra lime wedges for squeezing.

 

Happy Early Birthday!

My birthday is a little over 4 months away, but my best friend and I (who was born 3 days before me) just bought our birthday gift! I'm so excited to be going to Osheaga this summer in Montreal! In addition to the two of us, we have friends flying out from Texas, Missouri, and New York for the festivities. It couldn't be a better birthday gift :) Check out the line up below. I heard they are also going to be adding another 20 artists soon!