Salmon with Strawberry Salsa

This is what I call summer food re-defined. Take a simple piece salmon and top it with a fresh and bright strawberry salsa, then serve it along with some beautiful grilled asparagus...looove it!


Now, I know the idea of strawberry and salmon sounds weird but the salsa has balsamic vinegar, tomatoes and green onions that really help tie everything together. This is a really delicious dish and I can't wait to make it again.


Ingredients:

For the salsa:
2 cups fresh strawberries, rinsed, hulled and diced
1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
4 scallions, white and green portions, sliced thin
1 tsp. fresh parsley, minced
1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
Drizzle of olive oil
Drizzle of honey
Salt and pepper, to taste

4 salmon fillets (about 6 oz. each)
Freshly squeezed lemon juice
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:
To make the salsa, combine the strawberries, tomatoes, scallions, parsley, vinegar, lemon juice, olive oil, honey, and salt and pepper to taste in a medium bowl. Mix well to blend, then cover and refrigerate while you prepare the salmon.

Preheat the broiler. Line a baking sheet with foil. Place the salmon fillets on the foil. Squeeze a bit of fresh lemon juice over each fillet, and season with salt and pepper. Broil about 6-8 inches away from heat source (in my oven, this is upper middle rack). Cook about 10-12 minutes, depending on your oven and the size of the fillets, checking for doneness. Transfer the salmon to serving plates and top with strawberry salsa. Serve warm.


Source: Annie’s Eats

Rustic Roasted Tomato and Garlic Salsa

I spotted this recipe on another blog early last week and couldn't wait to try it. My regular go-to salsa is AWESOME but I wanted to try this one because of the technique of pan roasting the jalapeno pepper and garlic.

This salsa did need a little adjusting for me, mainly because of the spiciness. I've realized I'm more of a mild salsa kind of girl. But that is the great thing about salsa. If you make a batch following a recipe and it isn't to your tasting, simply add a little more of what is missing. If too much spice is the problem, just add a little more tomato to mellow out the heat. Chances are you will not have a problem with the extra amount of salsa you just made :)


Homemade salsa is so much better than anything you can buy in a jar. The fresh cilantro makes it so good! Which reminds me... I can't wait to start planting my herbs this season. I actually know very little about gardening but I sure do love having fresh herbs on hand. I typically grow cilantro, basil, parsley, mint, rosemary,chives, oregano and dill.

Here are some pictures from last year's mini harvest.

basil


mint


chives


parsley


I love flat leaf parsley. I use it in so many recipes and as a garnish. Plus, this hearty plant usually lasts for me till mid-December...not bad for a little packet of seeds.


Ingredients:

2 fresh jalapeño chiles (or 4 serranos, 1 or 2 habaneros or practically any fresh chiles)
2 cloves garlic, unpeeled
1/2 cup finely chopped white onion
1 15-oz can diced tomatoes in juice (preferably fired-roasted)
1/3 cup (loosely packed) roughly chopped cilantro
Lime juice to taste
Salt

Directions:

Set a small skillet over medium heat. Lay the chiles and garlic in the skillet and dry-roast until soft and blotchy black in spots, about 10 minutes for the chiles, about 15 minutes for the garlic.

While the chiles and garlic are roasting, scoop the chopped onion into a strainer and rinse under cold water. Shake off the excess water and pour into a medium bowl.

Pull the stems off the chiles and peel the papery skins off the garlic. Scoop them into a food processor and pulse until they are finely chopped. Add the tomatoes, with their juice, re-cover and pulse a few more times, until the mixture is as coarse or smooth as you want your salsa to be.

Pour the tomato mixture into the bowl with the onion. Add the cilantro and stir thoroughly. Thin with a little water if necessary to give the salsa an easily spoonable consistency. Taste and season with the lime juice and salt (usually about 1/2 tsp). If not serving within an hour or two, cover and refrigerate. If you don’t plan to serve it within a few hours, wait until you’re ready to serve the salsa before adding the onions and cilantro.


Source: Smells Like Home, originally from Rick Bayless, Mexican Everyday

Restaurant Style Salsa

I adapted this restaurant style salsa recipe from Pioneer Woman and must say that it tastes very good and very much like you would find in your local Mexican restaurant. The changes I made were minor and have to do with how much spice and liquid I like in my salsa. For me, I like salsa that is not too watery or spicy (I'm a wimp...I know).

So, first I drained the tomatoes and Rotel. PW's recipe says to keep all the juices but I think this would make the salsa way too watery, especially after pureeing when the tomatoes release even more liquid. I also removed the seeds from my jalapeno. The salsa was still a little spicy but my kids were able to eat it too.

My version of this recipe is below and for PW's original version, just click on the link in the bottom. Oh, one more thing...I only made 1/2 a batch, which yielded about 1 1/2 cups of salsa.

I know these chips look like Fritos but they are actually Trader Joe's corn chips. They are 4 WW points for 10 chips. If you are watching your weight you might want to stick with baked Tostitos, which are 2 points per serving.

I can't wait for my husband to come home and try this salsa...he is a bit of a salsa connoisseur.

Ingredients

1 can (14 Ounce) Whole Tomatoes ,drained
1 can (10 Ounce) Rotel , either mild or original
¼ cups Chopped Onion
1 small clove Garlic, Minced
1/2 Jalapeno, seeded and chopped
1/8 teaspoons Sugar
¼ teaspoons Salt
¼ teaspoons Ground Cumin
½ cups Cilantro (more To Taste!)
½ whole Lime Juice

Directions

Combine whole tomatoes, Rotel, onion, jalapeno, garlic, sugar, salt, cumin, lime juice, and cilantro in a blender or food processor. Pulse until you get the salsa to the consistency you’d like—I do about 10 to 15 pulses. Test seasonings with a tortilla chip and adjust as needed.
Refrigerate salsa for at least an hour. Serve with tortilla chips.

WW Points= 0 (YAY!!!)

Source: Adapted from Pioneer Woman

Chicken, Mushroom and Spinach Quesadilla

Here is another fantastic recipe from Ellie Krieger. These chicken, mushroom and spinach quesadilas taste like something you might have in a restaurant....they are so good! I like them so much I've actually made these twice in one week!

This can be a great, quick weekday dinner if you do the prep work ahead of time. For me, I grilled up the chicken the night before (though you can use any kind of cooked chicken). I also prepped the veggies and measured out the spices. When it was time to cook the quesadillas, it only took about 15 minutes.

One more look...these were delish!


Ingredients

1 tablespoon canola oil
1 large onion, chopped (about 2 cups)
8 ounces white button mushrooms, (about 3 cups)
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups cooked chopped skinless, boneless chicken breast (1 breast half)
1 teaspoon ground cumin *
1 teaspoon chili powder *
1 teaspoon dried oregano *
2 cups baby spinach leaves, sliced into ribbons
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
4 (10-inch) whole-grain flour tortillas
1 cup shredded Mexican cheese mix or Cheddar
1/2 cup salsa
1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream

Heat the oil in a large skillet over a medium heat. Add the onions and mushrooms and cook until the mushroom water is evaporated and they begin to brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Add chicken, cumin, chili powder and oregano and stir until all spices are incorporated. Add spinach, salt and pepper and cook until spinach is wilted, about 2 minutes.

Lay 1 tortilla on a flat work surface and sprinkle with 1/4 cup shredded cheese. Spoon 1/2 chicken and vegetable mixture on top of cheese, then top with an additional 1/4 cup cheese. Top with another flour tortilla. Heat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray over medium heat. Carefully place 1 quesadilla in pan and cook 3 minutes. Using a large spatula, gently flip quesadilla and cook an additional 3 minutes until lightly browned and cheese is melted. Repeat with second quesadilla. Slice each quesadilla into quarters. Place 2 quarters on a plate with 1 tablespoon sour cream and 2 tablespoons salsa.

*I used a little less b/c the kids aren't huge fans of spicy foods.

Source: Ellie Krieger, Food network

Black Bean Salsa

Black bean salsa recipe from Paula Deen....yes, Paul Deen. No, don't worry it doesn't contain a stick of butter silly :) This is a classic black bean salsa with avacado, onions, tomato and lime juice. So easy, so good!

Great with chips

And over chicken


Ingredients
Makes 12 servings (I only made half)

2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (17-ounce) package frozen whole kernel corn, thawed
2 large tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 large avocado, peeled and diced
1 small onion, diced
1/8 to 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper

Mix all ingredients thoroughly in a large bowl. Cover and chill overnight. Taste and add salt, pepper or more lime juice as necessary.