Maple-Mustard Salmon with Quinoa & Roasted Broccoli

I gotta remember this one, 'cause it was super easy and the ingredients are all frozen/pantry items. Good healthy dinner even when you don't have fresh fish/produce. I was a little skeptical about roasting broccoli from frozen, but The Internet Said It Was OK - and it was. I still prefer fresh broccoli for roasting but this was decent.

I picked up cheap frozen salmon at Aldi, which I always forget to go to and have to be reminded that they have awesome cheap things. Their quinoa was only $3/bag, too.

About the air-dried shallots - this was a freebie from Penzey's in my last order and I love them! You could leave them out, or probably used minced dried onion, or not. Just plain cooked quinoa is fine.

I totally did not measure the sauce ingredients - this is a guesstimate and I also had extra sauce.

I cooked the broccoli in the regular oven, and the salmon in my toaster/convection oven (easy to see when it's done) - but you could do both in the regular oven. Also, if you foil-line the pans, easy cleanup!

Serves two, with leftover quinoa.

For the broccoli:

- Preheat oven to 425. Line a sheet pan with foil.

- Dump out 1 package of frozen broccoli. Drizzle with a couple tablespoons olive oil and some salt, pepper & garlic powder.

- Roast for about 20 minutes, until browned (broil for a couple minutes at the end if it's not browned).

For the quinoa:

- Rinse 1 cup quinoa & add to a pot with 1 1/2 cups water.

- Bring to a boil, add some salt and a handful of air-dried shallots (optional).

- Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.

For the salmon:

- Thaw two frozen salmon filets (you can probably cook from frozen too, just takes a little longer) & place on a foil-lined sheet pan greased with a little olive oil.

- Mix sauce in a small bowl: 1 Tbl dijon mustard, 1 Tbl maple syrup, a dab of mayonnaise (I'll probably try this without the mayo next time; not sure if it made a difference), a dash of salt & pepper, and some smoked paprika.

- Spoon a thin coating of sauce onto each filet.

- Bake at 425 til just done (my filets were thin and only took about 7 minutes).

Serve the salmon over the quinoa and drizzle with more sauce.

[another] Mac & Cheese with Roasted Cauliflower

I think this is the 4th mac & cheese recipe I've posted here - and the second one with roasted cauliflower (here's the first one). But this one is quite a different technique. I'd run across this recipe from the NY Times awhile ago, and it was intriguing: no white sauce, contained cottage cheese, and you put the pasta in uncooked. I never have cottage cheese on hand though, so I filed it away...

A couple weeks ago I randomly decided to buy cottage cheese at the grocery store, having not exactly a craving, but a curiosity as to whether I'd enjoy eating it again as a healthy snack - it's been years. I had it with some fresh pineapple, and...meh. No desire to make that a snack habit. So most of the container sat at the back at the fridge until...

We're on our 5th day shut in from Snowzilla and we've eaten our way through the chili I made on Day 2. I had cheese, and plenty of milk and half & half. So mac & cheese sounded good...and behold! I can try the recipe with cottage cheese! I adapted the original recipe as follows:

- used half milk and half half & half (hah!)

- dijon instead of dry mustard

- probably did not use quite a pound of cheese...I used a mix of sharp cheddar, some kind of odd cheese with peppedew peppers, and 3 slices of American cheese, 'cause that always adds to creaminess.

- I used "mezze rigatoni" instead of elbows. I was a little nervous about throwing that larger pasta in uncooked, but it was fine...in fact, it was almost a little too done for my taste after a full hour of cooking.

- I also blended just the cottage cheese with an immersion blender instead of blending the milk and everything together at once. I thought that way would break up the cottage cheese more.

- And of course, added some roasted cauliflower. Even though I added it halfway through the cooking, it pretty much melted completely into the mix (so this would be a good "hidden vegetable" dish). I had not added the whole head but probably could have.

The verdict - it was tasty, cheesy and creamy, but I'm not sure I'll use this method again. I didn't actually find it any easier than making a white sauce and boiling the pasta separately. But if you stress out about the white sauce method, this one's worth a try. And I think my cottage cheese experiment will not be repeated. Anyhoo, here's my version:

Roasted Cauliflower:

- Cut 1 head of cauliflower into tiny florets. Toss in olive oil, salt and spices - I used roasted garlic powder and oregano.

- Roast on a baking sheet at 425 for about 15 minutes. Stir and pop under the broiler for a few minutes until it gets nicely browned.

Cheese Sauce:

- Blend 1 cup of cottage cheese with an immersion blender (or regular blender) until smooth. I blended it right in its container and then put in a large bowl.

- Mix in two cups of milk (I used 1 cup milk, 1 cup half & half), a squirt of dijon mustard, 1/2 tsp salt and some cayenne and black pepper.

- Grate 2-3 cups of cheese - definitely some sharp cheddar. Hold back a large handful for topping, and add the rest to the milk mixture. I also put in 3 slices of American cheese, torn into small pieces.

- Add 1/2 box dry pasta (elbows or other chunky shape) and stir to combine.

To cook:

- Preheat oven to 375. Butter a 2 qt baking dish. Dump in the pasta mixture.

- Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.

- Uncover and stir. Then stir in most of the roasted cauliflower. You may be able to add it all depending on the size of your baking dish and how big the cauliflower head was. But if it looks like the liquid isn't mostly-covering everything, it's better to hold back some. 

- Top with the remaining cheese and bake another 30 minutes. I also broiled at the end. 

- Let sit for 10-15 minutes before serving.

- The NY Times says this makes 6-8 servings. Uh...maybe more like 3 if this is your whole dinner (and you're a mac & cheese freak).

Ghiradelli Incendio Brownies

I love Ghiradelli brownie mix. LOVE. It beats out most homemade brownies, seriously. It's often on sale at my grocery store for $1.99. There are a few varieties but I like the dark chocolate one. I had a box hanging around and needed a dessert to take to a holiday party...

We also love Patron XO Cafe (a tequila-based coffee liqueur), and they've recently come out with an "Incendio" version that includes arbol chile and Criollo chocolate. Um, YES. 

So, did you know that you can substitute booze for the water in brownie mix? Yup. I've done it before with the regular Patron Cafe, and this one was even better...just a hint of spice. It was almost too subtle, but I didn't know if using more than 1/4 cup liqueur would mess up the texture. Someone should try it and report.

Other boozes I'm guessing would be good: Kahlua, bourbon, amaretto. So if you actually need a recipe:

- Whisk together 1 egg, 1/2 cup of oil & 1/4 cup of Patron XO Cafe Incendio (or other booze).

- Add the dry brownie mix

- Pour into a greased 8x8 pan and bake at 325 for 40-45 minutes (err on the underdone side, because fudgy brownies are delicious).

Pork Tenderloin with Apples & Onions, Potato Gratin & Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Is there anything worse than being sick on Christmas? Well, sure there is...but it still sucks. What was a low-grade cold a week ago has settled into my chest and ears and is not letting go. It's unpleasant. But, at least I can make and eat delicious food. 

The pork dish and potato gratin are conglomerations of various recipes I found online (as is my way). I had some baby bella mushrooms I was going to saute and layer in with the potatoes, but I decided to make things easier and skip that. I also baked the gratin in my new present of a convection toaster oven (thanks rob!)...our old one got a permanently stuck temperature dial. If your regular oven is big enough you can probably put all of these in together if you time it right. 

We drank Brothers Drake "Ginger Verve" mead with this, which I'd ordered online for xmas gifts (and for me). Also used that in the pork dish. Yum!

This meal serves about 3.

Potato Gratin

- Slice 4 medium potatoes very thinly (I used a mandoline). Grate about 1 cup of Gruyere cheese.

- Butter an 8x8 baking dish. Arrange one layer of  potato slices, overlapping. Season generously with salt, pepper and whatever other spices you want (I used Penzey's roasted garlic powder). Top with 1/3 of the cheese.

- Make 2 more layers (including seasoning), but hold back the last third of the cheese.

- Pour about 1 cup of liquid over, which can be heavy cream, half & half, milk or broth. I used a mixture of cream, half & half and broth. Top with the remaining cheese.

- Cover with foil and bake at 375 for about 1 hour. Remove the foil for that last 10 minutes or so (broil if needed to get the top browned).

Pork Tenderloin with Apples & Onions

- Season 1 pork tenderloin all over with salt, pepper and dried thyme. Heat a Dutch oven or cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add some olive oil and sear the pork on all sides, about 5 minutes total. Remove the pork to a plate.

- Cut 1 onion in half, and then into large pieces. Add to the pan and stir frequently. Peel 1 apple & cut into chunks. Add apple to pan and saute a few minutes, until tender.

- Deglaze pan with a splash of mead or white wine, then add about 3/4 cup chicken broth (or just use all broth). Scrape up the browned bits.

- Lay pork back on top of onions & apples, and put in a 375 degree onion until it reaches 150 (mine only took about 20 minutes). 

- Using a slotted spoon, scoop out the onions & apples onto a serving platter and lay the pork on top. Put the pan back over medium heat, add about a tablespoon of dijon mustard, and let the liquid boil/reduce for a few minutes (if I'd had more broth I would have added some to make more sauce).

- Slice the pork and spoon the pan sauce over.

The Brussels sprouts are easy - just trim and halve the sprouts, toss with olive oil, salt & pepper, and roast on a baking sheet until browned - about 15 minutes. I had some cooked bacon so I diced a slice and tossed with the cooked sprouts.

Broccoli Parmesan Fritters

So our CSA's over, and I've been eating kinda crappily. Quelle surprise. Definitely overdue for a grocery trip, too. I bought some broccoli last week, and discovered some spots of mold had started on the head, but figured I could salvage it (I also ate some yogurt today that expired two weeks ago. Livin' on the edge!!). Also had some good parmesan cheese, and I remembered a Smitten Kitchen recipe for Broccoli Parmesan Fritters that I'd bookmarked years ago and never got around to making. Bazing!

Had some leftover quinoa, and I figured it'd be good over that, topped with a runny egg of course. And sriracha. 

Yup - trimmed away the questionable parts of the broccoli, steamed it, mashed a bit and then mixed with some other stuff. Quick pan-fry in a bit of olive oil.

Here's the recipe!

I bet even broccoli-haters would go for these.

Autumn Rainbow Quinoa Salad

The food blogosphere is littered with quinoa salad recipes...I'm almost embarrassed to post one. Almost. I would like to be eating more quinoa, but every time I think about buying it I wince at the price. I probably need to go to the bulk bins at the co-op more often. Anyhoo, I have this family gathering tomorrow and there are plenty of veggies from the Last Week to use, so I thought this would be a good thing to bring. 

We do have almost a full rainbow going on here: red (cranberries & red quinoa), orange/yellow (acorn squash), green (watercress & green onions) and purple (cabbage). And it's got sweet, sour, salty and bitter tastes going on. Some nuts and/or apples would be good in this too, and you can nix the cheese for a vegan salad.

- Cook 1 cup of quinoa in 2 cups salted water. When cooked, toss in a good handful of dried cranberries and let cool.

- Cut an acorn squash in half and scoop out the seeds. Slice into wedges (don't bother peeling). Toss with some olive oil, salt & pepper and about a tablespoon of maple syrup. Roast on a baking sheet at 400 until soft. I broiled mine for a bit at the end. Cool slightly and cut the wedges into smaller pieces (or you could leave them whole and top each serving with a couple of wedges).

- Combine quinoa, squash, 2 chopped green onions, some thinly sliced purple cabbage, a handful of chopped watercress or spinach, and some cubed or crumbled feta cheese.

- Dressing: whisk a dab of dijon mustard, a dab of pomegranate molasses, juice of 1 lime, some pepper and around 1/3 cup olive oil. Pour over the salad and mix well.

Tastes pretty good now and I'm hoping it'll improve in the fridge overnight!

Stuffed Acorn Squash

Recent fridge assessment found a lot of odds & ends & leftovers, and two acorn squash waiting patiently. I only used one squash for two of us (and have plans for the other) and ended up with leftover stuffing, but...put an egg on that and it's breakfast!

You can use whatever cooked grains, veggies/fruits and spices you want for the stuffing. This was an odd conglomeration of leftover rice, an onion, half a red pepper, a small carrot, some Russian kale, and a handful of dried cranberries, with some random spices. Saute the veggies, add the grains, moisten with a little stock or water. Some kinda protein would be good too, but I didn't bother.

For the squash: cut in half along one of the ridges (you can microwave it a bit first to soften, but if you use a sturdy sharp knife and go in stages, it works well). Scoop the seeds out. Rub the cut sides with a little oil and bake cut-side down at 400 until softened - mine took a little over 20 minutes.

Turn the squash over, sprinkle with salt and fill with the stuffing. Top with some cheese and bake for a few more minutes, til all is hot and melty.