Lemon Asparagus

This recipe is from The Cozy Apron.

Lemon Asparagus

12 oz. fresh asparagus
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
Pinch of fresh pepper
1/2 tsp. fresh lemon juice

Trim the asparagus, discard the hard bottoms. In a medium bowl, toss the asparagus with the remaining ingredients. Roast on a foil lined baking sheet for 10 minutes at 400 degrees.

Recipe shared by Robin.

Roasted Teeny Potatoes

This recipe is from The Cozy Apron.

Roasted Teeny Potatoes

1 lb. teeny potatoes (Or fingerlings)
2 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/4 tsp. fresh pepper

In a medium bowl, toss the potatoes with 1 Tbsp. olive oil, sea salt and pepper. Drizzle the remaining 1 Tbsp. olive oil on a foil lined baking sheet. Place the potatoes on the lined baking sheet and roast for 30-35 minutes at 400 degrees, until golden brown and tender.

Recipe shared by Robin.

Fresh Tomato-Basil Relish

Serve this with the Garlic Crusted Salmon. Or, be creative! This recipe is from The Cozy Apron.

Fresh Tomato-Basil Relish

1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered

2 garlic cloves, pressed

1 tsp. lemon zest

1 tsp. lemon juice

1/4 tsp. sea salt

Pinch of fresh pepper

1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped

2 Tbsp. olive oil

In a small bowl, mix together all ingredients, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Recipe shared by Robin.

Garlic Crusted Salmon

I have had this recipe for years and today I actually looked at it closely and noticed that it came from The Cozy Apron. I love it and want to share this fantastic recipe with you.

Garlic Crusted Salmon

4 skinless, thicker cut salmon fillets

2 garlic cloves, pressed

1/2 tsp. sea salt

1/2 tsp. fresh pepper

1/2 tsp. paprika

1 tsp. lemon zest

1 tsp. lemon juice

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 lemon, cut in 4 wedges

In a small dish, combine garlic, sea salt, pepper, paprika, lemon zest, lemon juice and olive oil, whisk with a fork to combine. Place the salmon fillets on a foil lined baking sheet. Rub garlic-olive oil mixture onto each fillet. Set aside to marinate for 35 minutes, then broil for 8-9 minutes until moist and flaky inside and crust is golden brown.

Serve with Tomato-Basil Relish, Roasted Teeny Potatoes and Lemon Asparagus. Recipes are included on the blog.

Recipe shared by Robin

Crockpot Salsa Porkchops

We are having Salsa Pork Chops tonight for dinner. I thought that I would share the recipe with you. We had this recipe often when I was a child. It is easy to put together and ignore for the day. Or, if you forget to put them in the crockpot, then they can be cooked in the oven for 1 hour, or so.

Crockpot Salsa Porkchops

The picture is from Kalyn's Kitchen.

(Here is the link to her recipe for salsa pork chops, too.)

Pork Chops (I buy one per person plus an extra for lunch the next day.)
Salsa (I look for the cheapest salsa available.)

Pour a little salsa in the bottom of a crockpot. (Spray it with vegetable spray first or you will regret it during the clean-up later. Ask me how I know that!) Layer the pork chops with some salsa on each pork chop. Keep layering until all of the pork and salsa have been used, ending with salsa. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

I have put frozen pork chops straight into the crockpot and topped with salsa and it is always perfect when it is time for dinner. But, I start the cooking on high for 1 hour and then turn it down to low for the remaining 6-8 hours.

If you want salsa porkchops for dinner and you neglected to put the pork chops in to cook in the morning, you can layer them the same way in a 9x13 pan, cover it with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Check it for tenderness and cook a little longer as needed, maybe up to 30 minutes more, depending on the thickness of the pork chops.

I have used boneless and bone-in pork chops, pork steaks, pork loin and pork roast in this recipe and it has always turned out great. It is a very forgiving...and delicious recipe!

Recipe shared by Robin.

Mushroom Quinoa Pilaf

Mushroom Quinoa Pilaf

1 tsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. chopped onions
1/2 cup chopped bell pepper (use any color you desire)
1 cup chopped mushrooms
1 cup quinoa
3/4 cup chicken broth, vegetable broth or water
3/4 cup water

Heat olive oil in a skillet. Saute onions, peppers, mushrooms for 2 minutes. Add quinoa and stir 1 minute. Add liquid and bring to a boil.  Cover and reduce to a simmer for 15 minutes. Serve.

Makes 6 servings.
120 Calories

Recipe shared by Robin

Raspberry Chipotle Grilled Salmon

Raspberry Chipotle Grilled Salmon

1 1/2 lbs. fresh salmon fillet
2 Tbsp. lemon infused olive oil
1/2 tsp. fresh pepper
1/4 cup raspberry chipotle marinade

Brush fillet with olive oil, season with fresh pepper. Place on grill, close lid and grill at 450 degrees for 10 minutes. Brush with more marinade and grill 3 more minutes.

Makes 4 servings.

If you can't find the raspberry chipotle marinade, try:

Tangy Raspberry Sauce

Grilled Salmon:
1 tsp. smoked paprika
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 Tbsp. olive oil
4 salmon fillets

Mix paprika, salt and pepper together. Drizzle oil over salmon and sprinkle on the spices.
Grill about 10 minutes.

Sauce:
2 Tbsp. red raspberry preserves
1 Tbsp. vinegar
1 Tbsp. honey

Whisk all ingredients together and serve over grilled salmon.

Quinoa Breakfast Cereal

While I am on the quinoa kick, here is another recipe using quinoa.

Quinoa Breakfast Cereal

1 cup cooked quinoa
2 Tbsp. sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds or chopped walnuts
2 Tbsp. raisins
2 Tbsp. chopped dried apricots (substitute dried cranberries, blueberries, figs or dates, as desired)
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup almond milk (substitute hemp milk or soy milk- flavored or plain, as desired)
1 Tbsp. maple syrup (substitute brown rice syrup or other sweetner, as desired)

Combine all ingredients in a 2 qt. saucepan. Heat on medium-low, stirring, until the quinoa has soaked up all of the liquid and the dried fruit has plumped up nicely. Add more milk, if needed, until the desired consistency.

Serves 1 hungry person or 2 sor-of-hungry people.

Recipe shared by Robin

Quinoa Fried Rice

Another blog find! This recipe is from Gimme Some Oven.

YIELD: 4 SERVINGS

QUINOA FRIED "RICE"

All of the goodness of traditional fried rice, but made with protein-packed quinoa instead of rice!

PREP: 5 MINS COOK: 10 MINS TOTAL: 15 MINS

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 Tbsp. butter, divided
• 2 eggs, whisked
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
• 1 small white onion, diced
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• salt and pepper
• 4 cups cooked and chilled quinoa (*see instructions here for how to cook quinoa)
• 3 green onions, thinly sliced
• 3-4 Tbsp. soy sauce, or more to taste
• 2 tsp. oyster sauce (optional)
• 1/2 tsp. toasted sesame oil

DIRECTIONS:

Heat 1/2 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat until melted. Add egg, and cook until scrambled, stirring occasionally. Remove egg, and transfer to a separate plate.

Add an additional 1 tablespoon butter to the pan and heat until melted. Add carrots, onion, peas and garlic, and season with a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Saute for about 5 minutes or until the onion and carrots are soft. Increase heat to high, add in the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons of butter, and stir until melted. Immediately add the cooked quinoa, green onions, soy sauce and oyster sauce (if using), and stir until combined. Continue stirring for an additional 3 minutes to fry the rice. Then add in the eggs and stir to combine. Add the sesame oil, stir to combine, and remove from heat.

Serve warm.

DIFFICULTY: EASY CATEGORY: GLUTEN-FREE

Recipe shared by Robin.

Quinoa Salad

I found this recipe on a blog, Grace and Favour, and wanted to try it. She has some great quilts, too!

Quinoa Salad

1 cup of organic Quinoa, cooked  (this fluffs up to quite a lot)
1 small bag blanched almonds, whole or slivered
1 113g (3.9 oz.) bag of organic dried cranberries
1 cup chopped broccoli
1 yellow pepper diced
1 cup diced carrots
1/2  cup feta cheese, chopped small  
1 apple diced

Dressing:

1/3 cup blood orange infused Olive oil
2 tblsp. Organic Apple Cider Vinegar
1 tsp. salt                                                            
1/2 tsp. pepper                                                     
1 clove of garlic chopped fine                             
1 tsp. honey

Whisk all these ingredients together and drizzle over ingredients in bowl.  Gently fold into mixture. Chill and serve.

Recipe shared by Robin.

Mexican Meat Mix

This is a recipe that I received from a friend, Donna A. It is very versatile and delicious! We like to serve it with flour tortillas for burritos or quesadillas or corn tostada shells for tostadas or a green salad for taco salad. Perfect!

Donna's Mexican Meat Mix

1 pound hamburger
onion powder
garlic powder
salt and pepper
Wolf style chili without beans
Ranch style beans

Brown the hamburger and season to taste. Add the cans of chili and beans. (I never have figured out why the recipe says to use chili without beans and then add a can of beans. Crazy!)

Serve on nachos, taco salad, tacos, tostadas, burritos or in a mexican casserole.

Salad Idea:

Mexican Meat Mix

Romaine

Shredded cheddar cheese

Chopped onions

Chopped tomatoes

Corn chips

Recipe shared by Robin.