Dijon & Italian Breadcrumb Salmon with Lemon Dijon Green Beans and RR's Sesame Rice

Tonight I put together a meal using three recipes from three different places. We're moving in less than two weeks, so I'm working on building meals with what we have in the house rather than buying specific ingredients. Less to move that way! We're running low on meat, and my only options tonight were hamburger, pork tenderloin, or salmon. (I think I might have one more pack of chicken thighs in the back of the freezer but I didn't feel like digging to look for it.) We just had hamburger chili a couple nights ago (and of course for lunch yesterday) and I'm a bit sick of tenderloin since I've made 4 of them in the past 2-3 weeks, so I opted for the salmon. After a couple of recipe searches I settled on a recipe that combined salmon with Dijon mustard and breadcrumbs; it sounded good and I had all of the ingredients. Well, sort of. The recipe called for Italian-style breadcrumbs. I just had regular ones. So I combined them with Parmesan cheese and Italian seasoning to make my own version of Italian-style breadcrumbs. Yum! I also had beans in the freezer and another online search resulted in finding a recipe that used Dijon mustard to create a flavour tie-in with the salmon. Finally, since rice always goes well with fish, I decided to also make an easy and versatile Rachael Ray recipe that I've made several times, sesame rice (I posted a link to the recipe awhile ago but now you can find it below). I love the crunchy, nutty sesame seeds in the rice and the sesame oil adds a nice level of flavour. Below are all three recipes and the super simple preparation instructions.

Dijon & Italian Breadcrumb Salmon

1/4 cup fine bread crumbs

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 tbsp Italian seasoning

2 salmon fillets (I used wild Sockeye)

2 tbsp Dijon mustard

salt & pepper to taste

3-4 tbsp butter, melted

Preheat oven to 400°F. Combine first three ingredients in a food processor, blending until the Parmesan is processed into fine pieces. Place salmon fillets, skin-side down, in a small casserole dish. Spread about a tbsp of Dijon mustard on each fillet (I used a pastry brush to spread it evenly). Sprinkle salmon with salt & pepper, then cover with the bread crumb mixture. Finally, pour the melted butter over the bread crumbs. Bake for about 15 minutes, until bread crumbs are browned and salmon is flaky.

Lemon Dijon Green Beans

about 2 tbsp butter

about 1 cup fresh or frozen green beans

about 1/2 tbsp Dijon mustard

about 1/2 tsp lemon juice

about 1/2 tsp dried dill weed

salt & pepper to taste

(I totally just eyeballed this recipe, hence the "about" amounts.)

Melt butter in saucepan and add beans, sautéing until tender crisp. (If you're using frozen beans, rinse in warm water first to soften them before sautéing). Add a spoonful of Dijon mustard, a splash of lemon juice, a few shakes of dried dill weed, and some salt & pepper if desired. Stir to combine and warm up the sauce.

RR's Sesame Rice

1 1/3 cup chicken stock

2/3 cup white rice (I used Jasmine)

2 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted

2 tbsp chives, chopped

1 tbsp sesame oil

Cook the rice in the chicken stock (I use a rice cooker. If you don't have one, it is worth your investment, especially since they don't cost much at all - you should have no trouble finding one for under $20). Once the rice is ready, add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine. I like to let it sit for a few minutes to allow the rice to absorb the oil. (Note: I toast my own sesame seeds - a couple minutes in the oven under the broiler - but you can buy them already toasted. If you toast your own, watch them carefully! I've burnt many a batch of sesame seeds...)

And there you have three quick and simple recipes that make a great meal when served together. My hubby raved about dinner tonight, so I guess it was good!

Greek Salad

Here is my signature Greek salad recipe, based on the most delicious Greek salad I've ever had. It was served to us in Santorini, Greece, and I am hoping that I will get a chance to go back one day, if only to taste this little piece of heaven again. My recipe is close, but it can't compare to a Greek salad made in Greece, using fresh Greek ingredients. This serves 4 people, albeit large portions.

Greek Salad

Ingredients

4 medium tomatoes (I used vine-ripened)

1 large green pepper

1 medium English cucumber

1 small red onion

lots of feta cheese, cut into large blocks or strips, not crumbled

1 tbsp Greek spice mix (see below for recipe)

20-24 fresh kalamata olives

1-2 tbsp capers

extra virgin olive oil

balsamic vinegar

Cut the first four ingredients into bite-size pieces. Be careful not to cut them too small. You want a chunky salad with lots of texture and colour. Combine in a large bowl.

Place blocks or strips of feta cheese in a pattern on top of the vegetables, then sprinkle all with the spice mix. Sprinkle the olives and capers on top to finish the look.

Allow individuals to scoop their own salad and then drizzle with as much olive oil and vinegar as each prefers.

Warning: this salad looks appetizing, and is fresh and delicious. It may tempt you to take plenty and you will want to eat a lot of it. But be careful! It is very filling. Start with a smaller portion and see how you feel before loading up your plate. Trust me.

Marinated Fried Chicken with Warm Potato Salad

My husband loves fried chicken and I've been on quest to find the perfect fried chicken recipe. This past weekend, we were visiting his family in the Edmonton area and one afternoon my sister-in-law and I were watching the food channel. On one show, Art Smith's recipe for friend chicken was featured and I knew I had to try it. (For those of you who don't know - as I didn't - Art Smith was Oprah's personal chef for 10 years.) I didn't expect to find the recipe online since he serves it at his Table Fifty-Two restaurant in Chicago, on Sundays only, and charges about $24 for it. I remembered the basic process from the show and thought I'd just wing it, but after an online search, I found several recipes for fried chicken claiming to be Art Smith's. I'm not sure which, if any, is authentic; my guess is they're all close, but the real recipe remains a secret. Regardless, I knew the basic process of brining and marinating in buttermilk would be delicious, so I attempted my version of it for my hubby's birthday. Here's the recipe I followed and below is exactly what I did. My recipe is for 4 pieces of chicken (2 servings) so simply double if you're using a whole chicken to serve 4-6 people.

Marinated Fried Chicken

Ingredients

1/4 cup sea salt

8 cups cold water

2-3 sprigs fresh rosemary

2-3 sprigs fresh thyme

4 pieces of skin-on chicken (I used thighs because they're my hubby's favourite)

2 cups buttermilk

1 tbsp Tabasco sauce

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 tbsp baking powder

2 tsp garlic powder

2 tsp onion powder

2 tsp coarse ground pepper

2 tsp dried thyme

1-2 tsp sea salt

1/4-1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

Canola, or other frying oil

Method

In a large bowl with a lid, dissolve the salt in the water (I dissolved it in about a cup of hot water, then added the rest of the cold water). Add the sprigs of rosemary and thyme, then submerge the chicken. Put the lid on the bowl and place in the fridge for 12-24 hours. Make sure you brine the chicken for at least 12 hours - this is super important for moist, tender chicken. If you really want the flavour of the herbs to get into the meat, brine for the full 24 hours.

After chicken has brined for the appropriate amount of time, drain and rinse the chicken. Reserve the herbs. Transfer chicken to another bowl (or the same one rinsed) or a large ziploc bag. (I prefer a ziploc bag because you can usually get away with a little less marinade.) Add the buttermilk, Tabasco and reserved herbs. Refrigerate and marinate for at least another 12 hours.

Once your chicken is fully brined and marinated, it's time to prepare the breading. This is where I got frustrated because the recipe I used called for Old Bay seasoning which I cannot find anywhere. Perhaps they don't sell it in Canada? I don't know, but if you know where to find it, please fill me in! I did find a "make your own Old Bay seasoning" recipe online, which I will make before I try this chicken again, but I didn't have all the necessary spices on hand. I think that the Old Bay would really make the chicken taste better, as both Bill and I found the breading a little bland. It wasn't bad; it just needed a bit more a kick. SO - if you want a really flavourful breading, try adding some of your own spices to what I've listed above, or use Old Bay or make your own (recipe here).

Combine the flour, baking soda, and spices of your choosing in a shallow bowl. Remove chicken from the buttermilk mixture, shaking a bit to remove excess moisture, and put aside,within reach. Remove the herbs from the buttermilk and transfer buttermilk to a bowl if you were marinating the chicken in a ziploc bag. If you want to, whisk an egg white into the buttermilk to help the breading stick to the chicken. I didn't do it, and it worked okay, but the breading didn't adhere to the chicken as much as I would have liked, so I'd add the egg white next time. If you've added the egg white, dip each piece of chicken in the buttermilk mixture, then dredge in the flour. Then - and this is really important for crispy chicken - dip the chicken in the buttermilk again and re-dredge in the flour. Double dipping is the best for fried chicken!

If you are fully immersing your chicken to deep-fry it, get the oil heating in a large dutch oven on the stove over medium-high heat or in a deep-fryer if you have one, before you begin breading the chicken. If you are going to fry the chicken in a large cast-iron skillet, wait to heat the oil until your chicken is prepared so it doesn't get too hot (and smoke or start a kitchen fire). Once your oil is hot enough for frying, you can begin cooking your chicken.

If you're frying the chicken in a skillet, use about an inch of oil and fry chicken for about 6 minutes on each side (12 minutes total). If you're using a dutch oven on the stove-top, like I do, make sure you immerse the frying basket in the oil before you add the chicken so it doesn't stick to the basket. Fry the chicken for about 12 minutes, keeping the heat on medium-high to maintain the temperature of the oil. For both of these methods, heat oil to about 375°F. If you don't have an appropriate thermometer for this, a couple easy ways to ensure your oil is hot enough is to either drop a couple popcorn kernels in the oil - they'll pop when the oil's hot enough for frying - or place a wooden spoon handle in the oil - if bubbles run up the handle, the oil's hot enough. If you're using a deep-fryer, follow its directions for use.

Once the chicken is fried (you may have to do 2-3 batches - the chicken really plumps up from the brining and double-breading, so you won't be able to fit a lot of pieces in your deep-frying container), drain it on a paper-towel covered plate let it rest for 5-10 minutes before serving. Then prepare to be amazed at how moist, tender, and delicious this chicken is. SO GOOD. (Yes, I'm stealing that tag from KFC because this friend chicken is so much better than KFC's. And I feel I have a right to make that claim, having worked at KFC for 5 - yes, 5! - years.)

I served the chicken with the most delicious Warm Potato Salad, taken from a Company's Coming cookbook entitled Choosing Sides. Of course I've put my own twist on it, adding some ingredients to increase the flavour. Again, this recipe is for 2 generous portions - double it if you're serving 4-6 people. Here's the recipe and method:

Warm Potato Salad

Ingredients

1 lb (half a bag) baby potatoes, quartered

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1-2 tsp cajun seasoning

1/2 large red pepper, cut lengthwise

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup sour cream

1 large clove garlic

2-4 sliced green onions

2-4 bacon slices, cooked crisp and crumbled

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Method

Preheat oven to 400°F

Place red pepper cut side down on a pie plate and place in oven on top rack, roasting for 25-10 minutes, until tender. The skin will turn black in spots; this is fine. When red pepper is done, place in a small bowl and cover with saran wrap. Let sweat for about 10 minutes, until cool enough to handle. Then remove and discard the skin. The skin should just peel right off. Chop the pepper.

Toss cut potatoes with olive oil and cajun seasoning until coated. Spread in a single layer on a baking sheet with sides (to prevent spillage). Place in oven with red pepper, but on the bottom rack and roast until tender, about 30 minutes. When they're almost done (and red pepper is done and taken out of oven), turn off the oven, but leave potatoes in there to keep warm, but for no more than 10 minutes, otherwise they'll dry out.

While potatoes and pepper are roasting, fry bacon in a skillet, cool, and crumble. Or alternately, cut bacon into small pieces before cooking and then you don't have to crumble it afterwards. Combine the bacon pieces with the remaining ingredients in a large bowl. When potatoes and red pepper are done, add them to the bowl, combine well, and serve immediately, while still warm. Delish! Makes a perfect side for fried chicken.

Also, if you're concerned about the fat content of this meal, use low-fat mayonnaise and sour cream for the salad and call it good. Some foods just have to be fatty to taste their best! And trust me, this food is worth every gram of fat in it.

Walnut & Parm-Crusted Chicken with Vegetable Quinoa

I wasn't very inspired to make dinner tonight, and this looked fairly quick and easy, so I put my own twist on these recipes for Walnut-Crusted Chicken Breasts and Quinoa with Veggies. Both of my modified recipes below make 2 servings, since I was just cooking for my hubby and myself; simply double it if you're making this for a family or company.

Walnut & Parm-Crusted Chicken

Ingredients

2 chicken breasts

1 egg

1/4 cup buttermilk

1/4 cup walnuts

2-3 tbsp parmesan cheese

1/4 cup breadcrumbs

1/2 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp coarse black pepper

Method

Preheat oven to 425°F.

Beat egg with a whisk, then whisk in the buttermilk. Place in shallow bowl and add the chicken breasts. Turn the chicken so both sides are coated with the egg & buttermilk mixture. Allow the chicken to sit in the mixture while you prepare the walnut breadcrumb mixture. You can just use egg whites if you're concerned about cholesterol or you want a lighter taste, but I like the added layer of flavour provided by the richness of the yolk.

Put walnuts and parmesan cheese (I just use Kraft parmesan grated cheese) in a food processor and chop/grind until a fine breadcrumb-like mixture is achieved. Then add the breadcrumbs, oregano, salt and pepper and process a bit longer until all ingredients are well mixed. Put mixture in a shallow bowl or on a plate.

Remove chicken from egg and buttermilk, allowing excess to drain off. Then press chicken into the walnut parm mixture, turning to coat the whole breast.

Now comes the "secret" to baking it perfectly. I have to credit Rachael Ray for this trick. Place your cooling rack on top of a cookie/baking sheet and place the chicken on the the cooling rack; this ensures your chicken gets crispy all around, not just on top.

Place chicken in the oven and bake for about 20 minutes, until coating is brown and crispy and chicken is cooked through. Serve on top of Vegetable Quinoa.

Vegetable Quinoa

Ingredients

1/2 cup quinoa

1-2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

3 small cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 green or red pepper, chopped

1/2 large carrot, chopped

1/4 medium white onion, chopped

1/4 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp oregano

salt and pepper to taste

Method

Cook quinoa as you would rice. I use my rice cooker, using twice as much water as quinoa. Since I was adding veggies and spices, I didn't add any flavourings to the quinoa before I cooked it, but I often use chicken or vegetable broth instead of water when I'm cooking quinoa.

As quinoa is cooking, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add minced garlic (I used a garlic press) and cook to soften and mellow the garlic (about 2 minutes, but watch carefully and stir often so garlic doesn't burn). Then add the chopped pepper, carrot, and onion. I used my hand-held food chopper from Pampered Chef, which I love, but you can use a food processor or chop them by hand if you prefer larger pieces of veggies in your quinoa. You can also use any combination of veggies that you choose or have on hand. I'd try celery, red pepper, red onion, zucchini, etc. Sauté veggies until soft, about 5 minutes, then add cumin, oregano, and salt and pepper. Stir and cook about a minute longer. Add veggie mixture to cooked quinoa and combine.

Spread the vegetable quinoa on a plate, and top with walnut & parm-crusted chicken breast. Serve hot, with optional lemon wedges (I didn't have any fresh lemons but I think a splash of fresh lemon juice would taste good on both the chicken and quinoa).

Both my husband and I enjoyed this meal and I'm sure I'll make it again. What's not to like about a dish that's easy to make, tasty, and nutritious?

Pear, Feta and Walnut Salad with Endive and Pea Shoots

I also made a salad tonight that was originally inspired by Rachael Ray, but I made several changes to suit my tastes and the availability of produce at my local stores. So I'm going to call this an original recipe, but give credit to Rachael Ray for the inspiration and the initial idea (you can check out her recipe here - the rest of the meal depicted there is delicious too, by the way).

Here's my recipe, which serves four:

Pear, Feta and Walnut Salad with Endive and Pea Shoots

1 Anjou Pear, sliced into wedges

1/2-3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

1/2 cup toasted walnuts

2 Belgian endive, cut width-wise into small sections

1 package or bunch of pea shoots

2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

pepper to taste

Mix the endive and pea shoots together and separate onto four salad plates. On the bed of greens, arrange pear wedges in a funky design of your choice (I like a starburst pattern). Sprinkle some feta and then some walnuts over the pears and greens. Mix the lemon juice, olive oil, and pepper by shaking them in a small closed container. Immediately drizzle over the salad. (If you like lots of dressing on your salad, double the recipe - this makes about a tbsp of dressing per serving.) Eat right away. It tastes so good you don't want to wait - trust me!

Tip & Trick: You can use bottled lemon juice but it really doesn't taste the same. One lemon will give you approximately 2 tbsp of juice. If it's particularly seedy or full of rind, a good trick is to strain it through some cheese cloth before you mix it with the olive oil.

Note: The picture here shows the salad made with baby spinach because that's what I had in the house tonight, which is also delicious. However, I like the endive and pea shoots better as they just add a unique flavour that the spinach doesn't have.

Rachael Ray's Pork Chops with Plums and Red Onions and Sesame Rice

I have a bit of a Rachael Ray obsession. While I have to admit I find her slightly annoying on her show, I love her recipes and I love trying to make new types of food. I've picked up on some of her techniques, tips and tricks and I've learned a lot about cooking and various cooking tools that have made my kitchen adventures better and easier. I have yet to make one of her recipes and be disappointed. I can guarantee you'll see a lot of her recipes along with my feedback on this blog. Tonight I made a recipe that I've made three or four times in the past couple of months because it's absolutely delicious: Pork Chops with Plums and Red Onions and Sesame Rice. I follow this recipe quite strictly (why mess with perfection?!); you can find it here.

My thoughts after preparing this several times:

• I toast my own sesame seeds by putting a single layer in a pie plate and putting it under the broiler in my oven for a minute or two. Watch closely! They brown quickly and burn even faster.
• You can use green onions instead of chives in the rice, but it's not quite the same. And dried chives won't cut it.
• I'd never even heard of Chinese Five Spice before I made this recipe. If you have, I'm impressed by your spice savvy. If you haven't, go get some and try it. And don't even bother making this recipe without it. It makes the pork chops.
• Once I couldn't find any fresh plums at the store, so I used apricot preserves (jam) instead and it was still good. The plums are better, though.
• I prefer the boneless loin pork chops that are cut really thick. I buy my pork chops from Costco and they're awesome. The key is to cook them a bit longer at a slightly lower temperature so they cook through but stay nice and juicy.
• Tamari is a type of soy sauce - it's darker and more flavourful than regular soy sauce. It's worth the added expense to get some; regular soy sauce won't do this recipe justice.
• Use actual ginger root - the powdered stuff doesn't taste the same. I just run a piece of peeled ginger root over a small handheld grater to get it minced up quickly and easily.

Overall, while this dish seems like a lot of work, it really isn't, and regardless, it's worth the time and energy.