What's for dinner? (10/06/05)

Whew - I'm feeling a bit stressed today. I spent all morning cleaning up for our afternoon showing today, then had a bit of a crazy day at work. I came home to relax a bit and realized that I needed to finish up an online course and that the last day to complete it is tomorrow.

While I was finishing up my classes and preparing for the exam (an easy exam, but an exam nonetheless), we got a call that the folks who looked at our house today want to look at it again tomorrow afternoon. Normally that wouldn't be a big deal, but I am leaving before 8 in the morning to go on a field trip with my youngest. DH will take care of everything just fine and the cleaning is really done since we had a showing today, but there are still beds to be made, etc. I'd just rather be here and be in control!

I'd love it if it would all be over after we get home from the field trip, but we have another showing scheduled tomorrow! The other showing is at 6:30. We'll be dropping the kids at the YMCA for Parent's Night Out at 6. It's too bad that we'll be spending the first hour of our alone time together fussing with a showing, but the night out lasts until 10 p.m., so we have plenty of time to fit in dinner out somewhere. I'll SOOO ready to be waited on and to drink a big old glass of red wine (or two)! I'm counting the hours until then......

I'm sad that I haven't had time to bake or play in the kitchen - the weather really cooled off today and that always triggers a baking response in me. However, baking just dirties up too many things (I'm very messy when it comes to flour) when you're trying to keep the house really neat for showing and makes cooking stressful, so I haven't been doing much this week. But just wait until Saturday - as long as no one calls for a showing! I might have to say no even if they do.....

Here's the plan for tonight. I haven't had time to come up with any sides and it's too late to do brown rice, so I'll just have to wing it:

Photo Courtesy of Cooking Light

Honey-Ginger Glazed Salmon with Arugula Salad
Source: Cooking Light, October 2005

If sage honey isn't available, substitute alfalfa or another light-colored, mild honey. For bolder flavor, try a dark honey, such as gallberry.

2/3 cup sage honey
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice, divided
2 tablespoons warm water (100° to 110°)
1 1/2 teaspoons grated peeled fresh ginger
1 garlic clove, minced
4 (6-ounce) skinless salmon fillets (1 inch thick)
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 cups trimmed arugula

Preheat oven to 350°.Combine honey, 2 tablespoons juice, water, ginger, and garlic in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk until blended. Pour honey mixture into a 13 x 9-inch baking pan; arrange fish in pan, skinned side up. Let stand 20 minutes. Turn fish over; sprinkle fish with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Bake at 350° for 7 minutes. Remove from oven.

Preheat broiler.

Brush fish with honey mixture; broil 7 minutes or until fish is browned and flakes easily when tested with a fork or until desired degree of doneness.

Combine remaining 2 tablespoons juice, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, oil, and pepper in a medium bowl; stir with a whisk until blended. Add arugula; toss gently to coat. Serve salad with fish.

Wine note: Honey intensifies the rich meatiness of salmon in this dish, which requires a clean, crisp wine. I love Havens Albariño 2004 from Napa Valley, California ($24). (Albariño is a Spanish white grape.) -Karen MacNeil

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 fillet and about 1/2 cup salad)

NUTRITION PER SERVINGCALORIES 396(38% from fat); FAT 16.6g (sat 3.6g,mono 8.2g,poly 3.6g); PROTEIN 36.9g; CHOLESTEROL 87mg; CALCIUM 56mg; SODIUM 378mg; FIBER 0.5g; IRON 1.1mg; CARBOHYDRATE 25g

Marcia Whyte Smart Cooking Light, OCTOBER 2005

My notes: This dish was quite good. I really got all the great flavors on my first bite, but had a problem tasting after that - I probably just needed to drizzle on more sauce. The sauce glazes the salmon when you broil it, but it also gets thick and syrupy after it's been out of the oven and has cooled down a bit - perfect for drizzling. It didn't knock my socks off, but it was very easy to put together and quite good.

I ended up serving it with some leftover whole wheat couscous and a broccoli slaw salad with cashews.

Prosciutto Rolls with Arugula and Figs

Source: Epicurious

Prosciutto slices are usually paper-thin-but for this dish be sure they are not too thin or they will tear when you spread the cheese on them.

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
4 teaspoons grated lemon peel
12 thin slices prosciutto (not paper-thin)
6 ounces soft fresh goat cheese (such as Montrachet), room temperature
16 dried black Mission figs, quartered
4 large bunches arugula, stems trimmed (1 large bunch will be enough unless your bunches are very small.)

Whisk oil, lemon juice and peel in medium bowl to blend. Lay prosciutto on work surface, spacing slices 2 inches apart. Spread cheese evenly over prosciutto. Arrange figs over cheese, dividing and spacing evenly. Drizzle lemon mixture over. Sprinkle with pepper. Arrange 6 arugula leaves atop each prosciutto slice, alternating stems and tops and allowing tops to extend 1 inch over long sides of prosciutto.

Starting at 1 short end of each prosciutto slice, tightly roll up as for jelly roll. Cut rolls crosswise in half. Transfer to platter. (Can be made 2 hours ahead. Cover with damp paper towels, then plastic; chill.)

Makes 24.
Bon Appétit
December 1997

I talked about this recipe HERE.

Spinach and Arugula Salad with Indian-Spiced Chickpeas and Charred Red Onions

Source: Jack Bishop's A Year in a Vegetarian Kitchen

2 medium red onions, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick rounds
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
salt
3 medium garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons mustard seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin seeds
2 15-ounce cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves
8 cups packed flat-leaf spinach with tough stems removed
4 cups packed arugula leaves with tough stems removed
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

Move an oven rack to the top position and heat the broiler. Place the onions on a baking sheet, brush with 1 tablespoon of the oil, and sprinkle with salt to taste. Broil the onions, turning once, until lightly charred, about 10 minutes. Cool slightly. Coarsely chop the onions and set them aside.

Heat the remaining 3 tablespoons oil in a medium skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add the garlic, mustard seeds, and cumin seeds and stir-cook until the seeds begin to pop, about 30 seconds. Cover the pan and continue to cook until the seeds finish popping, about 30 seconds. Stir in the chickpeas and cook just until warm and coated evenly with spices, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the mint and salt to taste. Cool slightly.

Toss the spinach, arugula, onions, warm chickpeas, and lime juice together in a large bowl. Adjust the seasonings, adding salt to taste. Serve immediately.

I talked about this recipe HERE.

Portobello Mushroom Burgers with Fontina and Arugula

Source: Adapted from several recipes on Epicurious

Makes 4 burgers.

This recipe is a guesstimation.

Mushroom Marinade:
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
(should have used some minced garlic too)

Roasted Red Pepper Spread:
Note: This spread was very good, but came out a little too runny. It needs some tweaking.
1 large roasted red pepper
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
pinch of cayenne
salt and pepper to taste

4 large portobello mushrooms
12-16 large arugula leaves
ounces Fontina cheese, cut into slices
4 crusty rolls
olive oil

Heat grill.

Whisk together the marinade ingredients in a small bowl. Place mushrooms and marinade in a large ziploc bag and place in the refrigerator - marinate for about 1 hour.

Place ingredients for roasted red pepper spread in a food processor and process until smooth.

Brush rolls with olive oil.

Place rolls on top rack of grill and mushrooms on bottom. Grill mushrooms for about 4 minutes on each side or until just beginning to char. When rolls begin to brown, flip them top side up and add cheese - let rolls remain on grill just until cheese melts.

Assemble sandwiches with grilled mushrooms, rolls with cheese, red pepper spread and arugula.

I talked about this recipe HERE.

Lemon Fusilli with Arugula

Source: Food Network, Ina Garten/Barefoot Contessa

1 tablespoon good olive oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic (2 cloves)
2 cups heavy cream
3 lemons (I used two because I didn't add the sliced lemons at the end)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 bunch broccoli (I skipped for my broccoli-phobic son)
1 pound dried fusilli pasta
1/2 pound baby arugula (or 2 bunches of common arugula, leaves cut in thirds) (I used a 5-ounce bag and it was plenty of arugula)
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved

Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat, add the garlic, and cook for 60 seconds. Add the cream, the zest from 2 lemons, the juice of 2 lemons, 2 teaspoons of salt, and 1 teaspoon of pepper. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until it starts to thicken.

Meanwhile, cut the broccoli in florets and discard the stem. Cook the florets in a pot of boiling salted water for 3 to 5 minutes, until tender but still firm. Drain the broccoli and run under cold water to stop the cooking. Set aside.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add 1 tablespoon of salt and the pasta, and cook according to the directions on the package, about 12 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain the pasta in a colander and place it back into the pot. Immediately add the cream mixture and cook it over medium-low heat for 3 minutes, until most of the sauce has been absorbed in the pasta. Pour the hot pasta into a large bowl, add the arugula, Parmesan, tomatoes, and cooked broccoli. Cut the last lemon in half lengthwise, slice it 1/4-inch thick crosswise, and add it to the pasta. Toss well, season to taste, and serve hot.

I talked about this recipe HERE.

Creole Shrimp Rémoulade over Baby Arugula

Source: Cooking Light

Shrimp:
4 cups water
3 tablespoons ground red pepper
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 bay leaf
1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

Sauce:
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
2 tablespoons finely chopped sweet onion
2 tablespoons reduced-fat mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Creole mustard
1 tablespoon ketchup
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

Remaining ingredient:
4 cups baby arugula

To prepare shrimp, combine the first 6 ingredients in a large saucepan; bring to a boil. Add shrimp; cook 2 minutes. Drain; rinse with cold water until cool. Drain; discard bay leaf.

To prepare sauce, combine green onions and next 9 ingredients (through 1/8 teaspoon salt) in a large bowl; add shrimp, tossing to coat. Cover; chill 20 minutes. Arrange 1 cup arugula on each of 4 salad plates; top each serving with 1/2 cup shrimp mixture.

Yield: 4 servings

NUTRITION PER SERVING: CALORIES 160 (24% from fat); FAT 4.3g (sat 0.8g,mono 1.2g,poly 1g); PROTEIN 23.8g; CHOLESTEROL 172mg; CALCIUM 99mg; SODIUM 448mg; FIBER 0.7g; IRON 3.2mg; CARBOHYDRATE 5.7g

Lia Huber
Cooking Light, MARCH 2007

I talked about this recipe HERE.