Lemon-Dill Shrimp & Pasta

This is one of Steve's favorite recipes, and we've made it a few times in the past month so I thought I'd share. I found the original recipe here.

What You'll Need
12 oz Medium shrimp (peeled, de-veined)
1 lemon (zest and then juice)
8 oz dried pasta
2 Tbsp Olive Oil (I use extra-light flavor)
3-4 cloves garlic, minced or thin sliced (I use bottled)
6 C baby spinach
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning and/or dill
Salt and Pepper to taste
Large skillet
zester or fine grater

Cook pasta according to directions. I usually use a whole wheat fettuccine. I REALLY love the flavor of whole wheat pasta. If you haven't tried it... DO IT!
Zest and juice your lemon. Reserve 2 Tbsp of juice. I've used bottled juice and it works fine, but fresh will always taste better. If
In a large skillet (I'm serious, use a large one!), heat your olive oil over medium heat and cook the garlic for a minute or so. Be careful not to burn it! Add your shrimp and cook until the shrimp are opaque (about 4-5 minutes). Turn the shrimp frequently to cook evenly and avoid burning. I cheat here and just thaw some pre-cooked shrimp from Costco and warm it up in the skillet. Makes a quick meal even quicker and is very economical.
Add the cooked pasta and spinach. I know it seems like a LOT of spinach, but it really does need the whole 6 cups. Stir in the skillet until the spinach begins to wilt. You'll want to keep an eye on it so you don't turn your spinach to mush. Add the 2 Tbsp of lemon juice and zest, season with salt and pepper and Italian seasonings, and dill. Stir to coat and serve hot. I've left off the dill, and it is still delicious... so if you don't like dill you can leave it out.

This is such a yummy light but filling meal. This recipe makes about 4 servings at 359 calories per serving (and that's using regular pasta).

ENJOY!

Oven Baked Fish with Dill & Lemon

Here is another of my favorite ways to do fish... and really if you're going to buy a Costco sized bag of anything, you better have a way to switch it up or that bag will sit in the freezer for a long time. This recipe works with all the fish I've tried (Salmon, Tilapia, Mahi Mahi), but my favorite is always a white fish... Salmon isn't my favorite.

What You'll Need
Fish fillets - Frozen or Fresh
Garlic - I prefer the fresh or minced bottled over powdered
Salt
Pepper
Butter
Dill - Fresh or dried
Lemon or lime slices
Foil
Baking dish
Non stick spray

This one is SUPER easy and yummy! Preheat your oven to 350* and spray your baking dish. You really need a dish vs. a pan because you'll need to cover it with foil WITHOUT the foil touching the fish.

If you're using frozen fillets, thaw and pat dry. Fresh fillets could probably use a little pat as well. Place the fillets in your dish. If you're cooking a fish with the skin on (like a fresh Salmon), place the fish skin side down. Put a tab of butter on top of each fish fillet, don't be shy... butter makes everything yummier! Place 1-2 crushed cloves of garlic on top of the butter, and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and dill. Don't be shy on the dill either. It has a great flavor that goes so well with fish. As always, I use kosher or course sea salt, but table salt works just as well.

A couple of slices go on top of each fillet last. Cover your dish with foil and bake for 20-25 minutes. The fish is done when it is completely opaque and flakes easily with a fork.

This pairs GREAT with the lemon rice (recipe here)

The great thing about this recipe is that it is totally flexible to how you like the flavor. Add more garlic, salt, pepper, dill or lemon/lime slices. Try adding different herbs or seasonings per your preference. Plus, it's quick and easy to adjust portions. This idea came from my mom and I ate it A LOT when I was single and cooking for myself.

ENJOY

Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

Now that I've tried this recipe a few times... it's time to share! This is SO extremely easy, and I got a ton of compliments when I took some to a neighborhood pot luck this weekend.

What you'll need:
Dough
Kitchen Aid w/ beater and dough hook
2 c warm water
2/3 c nonfat dry milk powder
2 Tbsp dry yeast
1/4 c sugar
2 tsp salt
1/2 c butter (melted)
1 egg
4 1/2- 5 c all purpose flour

9x13 pan
cooking spray
plastic wrap

jumbo muffin liners

Filling

3 Tbsp Butter
1 C Brown Sugar
3 tsp cinnamon
raisins (optional)
nuts (optional)

Frosting Frosting Directions
1 stick unsalted butter
3 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
milk

In the kitchen aid with a beater attachment (beater, not whisk), mix the water and milk powder til combined. Add the sugar, salt, yeast, egg and butter. Make sure the water and butter aren't too hot or you'll kill your yeast... trust me, I learned the hard way. If you melt the butter in your microwave, just let it sit for a minute before pouring it into the mix. I use instant "Bread Maker" yeast, just because that is always what I have on hand. Keep in mind that this recipe calls for a large amount of yeast. A packet contains about 2 TEASPOONS, and this recipe calls for 2 TABLESPOONS. If you're using the packets, you'll need all three that come in the strip together. Stir the ingredients together til they are mixed pretty good, just a few seconds on low.
Add 2 cups of flour and mix on low or "stir" setting until the ingredients are wet and then mix on medium speed for 2 minutes.
Switch to your dough hook attachment.
Add 2 more cups of four and mix on low until wet, and then 2 minutes at medium speed.

Add 1/2 cup flour again, mixing on low speed until wet, then 2 minutes at medium speed.
Dough should be soft, not overly sticky, and not stiff.
If your dough is still too wet, add the additional 1/2 c of flour, mixing on low until wet and medium for 2 minutes.
Scrape the sides of the bowl so the dough is in a lump at the bottom. Pour 1 Tbsp of vegtable or canola oil around the sides of the bowl to keep it from sticking while it rises. Spray a sheet of plastic wrap with cooking spray and cover the bowl.
Let the dough rise ONCE until it fills the bowl. It usually takes about 1 hour to rise completely.
Turn the dough out onto an oiled or floured surface. You can flour your surface instead, but I prefer to use oil.

At this point the dough is PERFECT for dinner rolls. It is VERY easy to work with, and not too sticky or elastic.

While your dough is rising you can mix together your 1/3 C melted butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon.

Roll the dough out into an even rectangle that is about 12 in x 18 in. and sprinkle your cinnamon mixture in an even layer on top of the dough, leaving about 1/2 in on each of the long sides (this helps keep the rolls together in a swirl later.) At this point you can sprinkle some raisins or some nuts into your rolls as well, but I'm a purist, so I just add the cinnamon and sugar. You can use whatever mixture you like to fill your rolls, but I prefer brown sugar to white. Don't be bashful, if you don't think there's enough sugar, make more!

Roll the dough from the long side carefully into a log, and press the end into the log to keep it from unrolling. Cut into 1 1/2-2 inch thick rolls. I usually stick to 1 1/2 inches and it makes almost 2 full pans of deliciousness. 

Here's a cinnamon roll trick I learned from my mom. Use a piece of string or floss to cut your rolls by sliding it under the log, pulling the ends up, and crossing. Makes a great cut without squishing things. Here's a little clip to show you how.
Cutting Rolls with String

Bake the rolls in a greased pan at 375* for 15-20 minutes. They do NOT get very brown so don't use that as a gauge of how done they are. You can also bake these in a jumbo muffin tin or MY favorite way is to just slip them into jumbo muffin liners and use a 9x13 pan. guaranteed no sticking! (My cousin Morgan gets credit for that amazing idea.) 

 
Top these with your favorite glaze or frosting and ENJOY. 

Leave any questions or success stories in comments!

I found the dough recipe  here. 

Dutch Oven Bread

So it's been awhile... my healthy eating has been hit and miss and I will warn you right now... the recipe I'm about to share is NOT healthy. I found this recipe on Pinterest (here) and, as per the usual, have tweaked it to make it work for me, and I've had a lot of fun playing around with it. This is a VERY simple and versitile recipe so don't get scared off because its bread.

What You'll Need:

A dutch oven (more on this later)

pizza stone (optional)

Large mixing bowl

Saran wrap

3 C Unbleached flour (I've tried bleached, just trust me)

1 3/4 tsp salt (I use kosher)

1/2 tsp instant/rapid rise yeast

1 1/2 C warm water

mix-ins (more on this later)

I made a "loaf" of cinnamon swirl bread over the weekend so I'll be using those instructions and giving hints about other mix-ins along the way. I will say that the "plain" loafs are pretty good on their own and very good for Panini or soup dipping bread.

First, put the flour, salt, and yeast in your large bowl and mix up the dry ingredients.

Also add your mix-ins. For the cinnamon swirl bread I mixed in 2 cups of cinnamon chips

For you Utah folks. I got these at Baker's Cash'n Carry over by IMC. I've heard that you can get them at Orson Gygy, and occasionally around the holidays I see a Hershey's version. 

Next, add your warm water. It does need to be warm, but you do not want it too hot or you'll just kill your yeast. It happens, I've had loaves that don't rise much, and I've had some that surprise me with how much they rise. Anyways, mix in your water until you get a shaggy dough. Yep, it's supposed to look like that. 

 Cover your bowl with saran wrap and let the dough rise for 12-18 hours. I leave mine on the counter, but I've heard it does well in the fridge too. Make sure you cover the bowl well or your dough will kind of dry out.

This is how mine looked after about 12 hours. It rises quite a bit, and stays very sticky.

So here's the dutch oven info. I have an nice enameled dutch oven that I bake my bread in. It's amazing and I love it. BUT, before I owned this lovely grown up looking thing, I used Steve's camping dutch oven. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that! Advice, if you are not using an enameled dutch oven, make sure it is WELL seasoned. If it isn't your bread will stick and you will be sad. I usually throw a circle of parchment paper down anyways, especially with the cinnamon bread because I add sugar (keep reading) and I've had the baked sugar stick to even a well seasoned dutch oven. The enameled ovens can be quite expensive, but I've seen them at Walmart for a reasonable price.

   

Moving on. Preheat your conventional oven to 375. The original recipe says 450, but trust me on this one. This is something you can play around with. If your bread is a little darker or lighter than you like it... just experiment. Once your conventional oven is preheated, preheat your dutch oven AND LID for 1/2 an hour. Just stick it in the oven empty and let it heat up. 

While your dutch oven is preheating, time to get your dough ready. The best part, NO KNEADING! Prep your surface with flour... lots of flour. I use this type of mat

Dump out your dough and form it into a round loaf. (Sorry I didn't get pictures of this part... it can be messy). Don't be afraid of the flour... it is your friend! For the cinnamon swirl loaf I flatten out my lump of dough, sprinkle (generously) with cinnamon and sugar, roll up the rough and kind of tuck the ends so it forms a round loaf. Once you have your loaf formed, lightly cover it with either your saran wrap or a flour sack towel to rise while the dutch oven pre-heats. 

Once your oven(s) are ready. Drop your dough into your dutch oven, place the lid, and set the time for 1/2 hour. REMEMBER THE DUTCH OVEN WILL BE VERY HOT. I only remind you because I needed it before I learned my lesson. I usually open up my oven, pull out the rack as far as it will go, carefully place my parchment paper and literally drop my dough in. I also put a pizza stone on the lowest rack. This helps keep the bottom of the loaf from burning. I highly recommend this trick. If you don't have a pizza stone, put the dutch oven on the highest rack you can .

After 1/2 hour, remove the dutch oven lid, and continue baking for another 1/2 hour. It will look amazingly crusty and delicious at this point, but it isn't done just yet. So to be clear, total cook time is 1 hour. 1/2 hour with the lid, 1/2 without. 

I usually pull my loaf out right away to put on a cooling rack. 

TADA! You just made bread. Without a Kitchen Aid, bread maker, or kneading! 

Here's the fun part. This bread is PERFECT for experimenting. You can use all types of mix-ins to go with whatever you want!. Here are some combos I've tried.

Cheese Bread:

Add 2 C of sharp cheddar to your dry ingredients

Breakfast Bread:

3/4 C dried cranberries

zest of 1 orange

1/2 C sliced almonds

add to dry ingredients

Zesty Lemon Bread: (I've never tried this one)

1 1/2C of Gruyere cheese (I did find this at Harmons)

Zest of 1 Lemon

Chopped fresh rosemary

Nut & Seed Bread:

Any combination of your favorite seeds/nuts, use about 2 c total

added to dry ingreditents

White Chocolate Walnut (or Macadamia, or Almond)

1 1/2 C white chocolate chips

1 c nuts

added to dry ingredients

Herb bread:

Any combination of fresh or dried herbs. Remember that dried herbs are about 3x as potent as fresh.

ENJOY! Please let me know of your successful experiments! Also, let me know if you have questions. I've tried to include all of my "learned it the hard way" tips, but I'll answer your questions as best I can. 

Ups and Downs

I know it has been awhile since I've posted anything... here's my excuse. I decided to really buckle down on this eating better thing, and I've done terribly until this week. I am not great at creative meals that lack carbs and sugar... and if I can't have it, YOU CAN'T HAVE IT! Rather, if I think about it too much, I'll crack and that'd just be sad.

On the up side, I have been experimenting with some healthy home made snacks. Down side, major fails so far. I have yet to successfully dehydrate ANYTHING in my oven. The strawberries were a complete and very sad fail. They were so beautiful... the big ones from Costco... and then they were gross. I'm going to keep trying, though I might have to cave and get a real dehydrator. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE fresh fruit, but I REALLY am feeling the need to switch it up or I might go crazy.

Since I do NOT have a recipe for you today, I do have a tip. Check out Mountain Town Olive Oil. It will change your life. Steve and I found this place at the Gateway in Downtown SLC while we wandered on his birthday. If you live anywhere near there... just go in. You won't regret it and they will give you samples with out pressuring you to buy. You'll probably buy anyways... we did. This place has ALL KINDS of amazing infused oils and balsamic vinegars and we had a tough time choosing. We ended up getting some Persian Lime Olive Oil and Coconut White Balsamic.  I marinated some tilapia in the two, coated it in bread cumbs and coconut flakes and AH-MA-ZING! So light and fresh tasting. Very worth your time, trust me. If you don't happen to live close, check out the website, and if you need an opinion on an interesting flavor... I will happily go down and check it out for you!

Oven Roasted Corn on the Cob

I pinned this on Pinterest awhile back and last weekend got some really amazing roasted corn at an fair event. it was so good I decided to try this out. Excellent decision! 

What you'll need

Corn on the cob - with husks!

Butter

Toppings (seasoned salt, garlic, lemon pepper... Whatever sounds good)

Preheat your oven to 350. Quickly rinse your corn on the cob but leave the husks on! Dry them well and put them into the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes (longer if you are doing lots of corn). That's it! The corn is done when the kernels burst under fork. 35 minutes was perfect for our two ears. 

Pull the ears out with a hot pad or glove. Peel back the husk, silk and all! I loved this part! It has always been my (unfortunate) job to shuck the corn at my house and now it's not a job at all! 

Top your corn with whatever floats your boat and ENJOY!

Don't be afraid of branching out here. I had lemon pepper corn at the fair last weekend and it was so yummy!

Indian Butter Chicken

If you know me and Steve, you know we love Indian food. Before I met Steve I THOUGHT that I loved "ethnic" foods, but he has shown me a whole new world. He showed me how to branch out and try new things... REALLY new things. And now I'm trying new things and home, and its fun. My sister lead me to this recipe on Pinterest and I decided to try it out the other night.

What you'll need
A large skillet - I used the pan on the bottom left. I'd recommend something like that with a little depth to it

Blender

1 1/2 lbs chicken breast, (cut into about 1" cubes)- I tried to go cheap and get thighs. It was okay, but after I trimmed the "hand trimmed" package, I probably only had 1 lb of chicken. Do yourself a favor and spend the extra $1.50 on the breast.

1 medium yellow onion, peeled and diced

1 tablespoon fresh ginger, finely chopped - I used my zester/fine grater and it worked great

2 cloves garlic, finely minced - I keep bottled minced garlic on hand

1 jalapeño, seeded, and finely chopped - I would probably reduce this to 1/2 a jalepeno, it was too strong for me and Steve

1 tablespoon olive or canola oil

2 teaspoons garam masala - I found garam masala in the spices section at Wal-Mart, you can also find a recipe for this spice mix here, or order this online for fairly cheap. 

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon cardamom

1/2 teaspoon coriander - I left this out

1 can (6 oz.) tomato paste

2 cups chicken broth

1/2 cup fat free half-and-half - Steve and I debated substituting coconut milk for this next time for a little more flavor

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons butter

Hot cooked rice for serving.- I recommend Batsmati or Jasmine as they tend to be less sticky. If you have a Winco nearby, BULK BINS!

Chopped fresh cilantro for extra garnish - I really liked the cilantro in mine, Steve didn't even try it.

Ok, I know I usually leave tips for the instruction section, but I figured it would be easier in the list. So to get started, chop (I didn't take the time to dice) the onion, grate the ginger, prep your jalapeno, and garlic. Heat the oil in your skillet and add the onion, ginger and jalepeno. Cook about 4 minutes until the onion is translucent. (PS Your kitchen will start to smell amazing right about now). Add the garlic and spices; garam masala, chili powder, cardamom, and coriander (I left this out). Stir well and cook in the skillet for another minute or so. (The smell is getting better!)

I let this cool for a minute before I threw this in my blendtec with the chicken broth and tomato paste. Blend until smooth. Pour the sauce back into the skillet and bring to a low simmer, slowly stir in the 1/2 and 1/2. You don't have to use the fat free, and can even use heavy cream, but I was looking to save calories. Add the chicken pieces, salt and pepper, cover, and let sit to cook for about 10-15 minutes. Make sure your chicken is cooked through! 

Meanwhile... start your rice. I also bought a package of naan from Wal-mart. I think I'd rather make my own, but I didn't have the time and the store bought was decent.

Before taking off of the heat, cut your butter into chunks and add to the sauce. Stir until the butter is completely melted. 

TA DA! Serve over warm rice and with a piece (or two) of warm naan.

Really I was surprised with how easy this was. It wasn't the BEST Indian food I've ever had, and obviously we though about some tweaks to this recipe, but definitely will be making this again. I would definitely recommend this, and label this experiment a SUCCESS!

ENJOY!

PS: I talked with my Indian friend the other day after making this and she said that if you're looking for a REALLY good, even faster recipe... find an Indian market. They sell packaged curry mixes with directions. If anyone knows of one in Salt Lake please share!