Happy 4th of July! It’s been a great weekend so far and I just love the extra day. I hope you are all having a nice holiday if you get the time off. Chris and I have been watching the Tour de France and it was great to see an American win today’s stage 🙂 Go Farrar! I had my own little crash boom bang this weekend and I don’t mean fireworks! . . . (more…)
July 4, 2011
December 28, 2010
wine tasting at milo’s + christmas celebrations
Just as fast as the holidays snuck up on me, they vanished without a trace until next year when I hope to be a little more prepared! A little time off always goes by way to fast though, doesn’t it? While I wasn’t in the normal holiday spirit, certainly the best part about this time of year is getting together with family and friends that we haven’t seen in awhile. That’s really what it’s all about. Yea, we didn’t have too many decorations, or a lavish meal, but we did get to spend time together and that’s what counts. I even got some wine tasting in. wooo! (more…)
July 25, 2010
Buitoni Pasta Party
This weekend is already flying by! It always goes by way too fast, especially when you’re trying to balance work and play 🙂 How was your weekend? I had the wonderful opportunity to host a Buitoni Pasta Party for some of my friends Saturday evening, which included lots of good food, conversation and vino to wash it down. Join me for a tasty re-cap! (more…)
January 19, 2010
some good eats + quality time
The best part about the weekend, aside from getting to sleep in till 7am and getting caught up with life, is being able to whip up some tasty meals and really enjoy the company of family. Usually during the week I rush home to get something on the table, talk briefly about the day’s happenings and then spend the rest of the night trying to catch up on school work, research, blogs, blogging, etc, never being seen again till bed time. I don’t like that, although for the next 3 semesters it’s going to have to suffice somehow 🙂
I just wanted to share a couple tasty recipes that I hope you can enjoy with your family and friends or simply in the solace of your own company . . . (more…)
January 1, 2010
don’t want it to end
HAPPY NEW YEAR! mmm breakfast was lovely . . . After stumbling from our slumber after a late night at 10:30am(!!) Chris made us all some omelets. We still had some leftover spaghetti squash, roasted veggies and meatloaf from the other night, so he threw some of that in there along with some dried oregano which complements eggs very well.
It was a protein-packed breakfast, perfect after a late night and a few drinks 🙂 I also heard them talking on the Today Show this morning about having coconut water for hangovers . . . love that stuff! I actually didn’t have any kind of headache this morning thanks to sleep and lots of water in between drinks 🙂
I’m loving that spaghetti squash and have been thinking of different ways to use it. Here it’s pretty good in the omelet and on top as a garnish 🙂 Alongside I also had 1/2 a pear, 1/4 sliced naner, 1/2 a kiwi and a slice of whole wheat toast.
~~~~~
Now for a little recap of yesterday and New Year’s celebrations! Did you have a nice New Year’s? I can’t believe it’s already 2010, where did it go? I’m hoping 2010 will be a year of new beginnings and aspirations, but that will have to be a different post 🙂
I hope you’ve enjoyed my extra food postage lately because I certainly have! It’s been so much fun and I really enjoy it. I just wish I had this kind of time all the time.
New Year’s Eve morning breakfast included a bowl of TJ’s honey Greek yogurt mixed with pumpkin pie spice. I topped the yogurt with a variety of cereals, 1/2 a pear, frozen blueberries, and about 2 tsp of TJ’s organic peanut butter.
After doing a little window shopping with my mom, we came home for a late lunch. Utilizing the leftovers yet again (can you tell we always use leftovers in this household? lol) I made a meatloaf sammie with roasted veggies and spaghetti squash on the side.
I also decided to have a nice cup of Candy Cane Lane tea to warm up. I couldn’t seem to get warm yesterday since it was rainy and chilly outside. I really like this flavor! It’s nice and minty and warmed me right up!
I also had a TJ’s peppermint Joe Joe cookie. mmm these are awesome with little chunks of real candy cane in the middle.
They are a seasonal product, so get ‘em while they’re hot!
After getting ready for our night out, we headed to a local wine bar/lounge to celebrate the New Year Mardi Gras style. We usually go to a friend’s annual party, but she decided not to have one this year 🙁 The Wine Loft just recently opened and we saw an ad that they were going to have a New Year’s party with live entertainment, so we decided to give it a shot!
It was gorgeous inside and I would enjoy coming here with friends for a relaxing glass of wine and small plate. The menu looked really good.
It was a lot of fun! Tickets included a glass of house cab, red beans and rice, muffaletta sandwiches, various munchies and a glass of champagne at midnight.
The Grand Cru cab that was included was actually pretty nice. It was fruit forward and medium-bodied. While lacking in fullness and finish, I still enjoyed it. And it was only $6 a glass!
I munched on some veggies, about 5 cheese cubes and 5 or so crackers, all while chatting the night away.
I’m not a fan of green olives, and just picked them off the muffaletta. It was yummy! I didn’t have any red beans and rice since it was pretty spicy and kidney beans can sometimes be trouble for me lol Throughout the night I had 2 glasses of the cab. I made sure to have a glass of water during and after each glass of wine. This makes such a difference in the morning 🙂
We also ordered and shared some baked brie en croute mmm gooey cheese is glorious! I had a bit too much cheese!
Poor Chris wasn’t feeling too well, but he was a trooper and tried to have a good time with his water and sudafed.
With the countdown of the New Year, we toasted with some champagne and stayed around a little longer while the band played a few more songs. I had about 2 sips of champagne (I’m not a fan of the dry stuff) and a brownie they provided for dessert.
I had such a wonderfully relaxing time here and I’m not looking forward to leaving early tomorrow morning 🙁 It went too darn fast! I started thinking about it last night and I got all teary eyed. Heck, I’m thinking about it again right now and getting teary eyed! Being away from family is really really tough for me and I’m hoping the shock of getting back won’t be too overwhelming . . . next time we meet I’ll be back in Vegas and back to the grind . . . hope you all enjoyed your holidays! I sure had a nice time and am so thankful for it all.
HAPPY NEW YEAR! Wishing you all the best in 2010!
December 31, 2009
out of this world banana puddin’
I couldn’t really figure out what the heck to title this post since it’s pretty random, but after much contemplation I figured it should be titled after the epitome of all banana puddings I’ve ever had. . .
After breakfast most of my morning was spent doing laundry and catching up on bloggies, so we ended up not getting out of the house till later. My mom wanted to find a new laptop computer so we ventured out to Best Buy and found a pretty good deal on a Dell. My mom is not savvy with computers, so Chris helped her out 🙂
Breakfast was one of my simple staples . . . this one included Nature’s Pride pumpkin granola, TJ’s honey O’s, TJ’s shredded wheat and cinnamon Puffins. I topped it with 1/2 a sliced naner, frozen blueberries (I love how they turn the milk blue!) and 3 walnut halves.
I had a pretty simple lunch too . . . An Orowheat sandwich thin (I think I like these!), spread with some cooked sweet tater, sliced TJ’s tofu, avocado and muenster cheese. Then I pressed it in the foreman grill with some carrots and hummus alongside. It was yummy and just the right size! I love adding cooked sweet taters to pretty much anything because it lends a subtle sweetness 🙂
Among the many food stops that we wanted to try to make on our trip here, one was Gary’s BBQ which is known for their homemade banana puddin’.
Everything is very reasonably priced and the waitress always calls you ‘hun’. I just think this is too cute because we don’t get that Southern hospitality in Vegas! We first found out about Gary’s when it was featured in Southern Living magazine. Chris had a few bites of their pulled pork sammie just to try it and really liked it.
Their pudding is rich, ultra thick and to die for! It’s definitely worth the drive. I wish my mom and I would have shared one because I forgot how mondo they are. I could only finish about 1/3 of it and then I was spent. I ate too much, but this stuff is better than ice cream and just as deadly lol
It’s so mondo, stuff was falling off the sides of the bowl!
After a successful stop at Best Buy, we wanted to look at a few other nearby boutique shops for fun, but Chris slammed his finger in the door as we were getting out and we had to head back home. Ouch! But he is doing fine now 🙂
For dinner I whipped up some hearty meatloaf, roasted squash, parsnips and spaghetti squash.
It was my first time making spaghetti squash and I think I’m in love!! It is so simple to make and is so delish. This will definitely be a staple in our house from now on, especially because it makes a ton and this one squash was only about $3. In one cup of plain, cooked spaghetti squash there is only 42 kcals and a fairly good amount of vitamin C and fiber. Yum!
For this I cut it in 1/2 and roasted it cut side down at 375 F with a bit of water in the sheet pan for about 30 minutes. Then I turned it over, topped it with about 1/2 tbsp of butter in each half along with some salt, pepper, and garlic powder and continued to bake it until soft. I also added some parmesan cheese once it was done. Yum!
Alongside we tried a new Malbec that we found at a local wine store called Total Wine. It was nice and full with rich, chocolate-y undertones, but it wasn’t out of this world. I much prefer the Layer Cake Malbec.
I’m looking forward to New Year’s! We made reservations at a local wine lounge/restaurant that’s going to have some live entertainment which should be fun. Hope you all have a safe and happy New Year’s!!
Do you have any New Year’s plans yet?
December 22, 2009
even more holiday parties
Sorry I’ve been MIA lately! I seemed to have killed yet another hard drive, so I have been without a computer for a little while. While the hard drive that I was using was an old one from Chris’ laptop, he let me borrow yet another laptop from his work. Hopefully I can keep this one functioning until mine comes back again. I anticipate that it will be back today, just in time before I leave to see my mom! I’m actually hoping that it will break one more time though, because if it does I’ll be able to get a new one yippee! I haven’t had the greatest luck with my new laptop, while I had my last one for 7 years with no troubles hmmm
Anyway, I wanted to re-cap on some more holiday parties! On Friday night we were going to have another couple come over for a fun pizza making party. Unfortunately, our one friend got stuck at work till late and they decided to cancel 🙁 But, Chris and I still had a bunch of fun making pizza and drinking a little vino together! It’s a super fun idea for a party though. You simply make the dough and toppings the night before, take the dough out about 4 hours before the party to come to room temperature and then let your guests assemble to their liking. This is also great if you have vegetarian guests because everything can be kept separate too.
Toppings included: chicken sausage, mushrooms, roasted squash, roasted bell peppers, olives and cheese!
I have to say that the Willow Springs cab is THE best I’ve had, and it goes really well with a 5 year aged Gouda that I picked up from Whole Foods for a treat, & at $15.99/lb I don’t get it very often. The cab is incredibly fruity and luscious with a nice balance of tannin and earth. Pretty much any fruity red goes well with gouda though. Chris’ parents got this cab for us from a wine club they belonged to, but I’m not sure if it can even be ordered anymore 🙁
We also had some little munchie things for appetizers, including whole grain crackers, roasted red pepper hummus and bell pepper strips. It was a lot of fun! I had a glass & a 1/2 of the wine and I also downed a coconut water afterwards, I find it helps with hydration and any tummy issues 🙂
The next morning I had prepped this breakfast casserole (adapted from CookingLight) and it was super easy to just plop in the oven. This is great for company 🙂 I use 1/2 the bread it calls for and add in lots more veggies.
The next party was the cookie exchange with the SwankyRD! It was so nice to see Kristen again and chat with everyone there. Oh my goodness, there were cookies and goodies everywhere!! I ended up filling up two plates full of them since Kristen said to take them away hehe I actually didn’t eat too much at the party surprisingly, but did have a glass of red wine, an appetizer sandwich, some veggies and about a bite from 6 cookies. They were all delicious!
I decided to make the gluten-free chocolate chip cookies from Tam, which turned out to be phenomenal in my opinion. I could hardly tell the difference between regular chocolate chip and to tell the truth I liked them better! Check out the recipe here. I also made chocolate baklava from Cooking Light and it was a huge hit too. Even though this recipe is a bit time consuming with all the phyllo layers, I would highly recommend it.
Aren’t they just precious? Yes, I talk to my food and love every aspect that goes into it. It’s just so neat 🙂
The baklava was to die for with every heavenly layer of phyllo, melted butter, nutella, pistachios, almonds, walnuts, cinnamon and honey. Yum!
After the party Kristen and I decided to check out Chef Guy Fieri’s Road Show at the House of Blues. It was a lot of fun to see him in person! I just wish he would have went on sooner because by 10 o’clock, I’m pooped. We left at 11:30 and it still wasn’t quite over. Afterwards, I wanted to grab something to eat and decided on a self-serve yogurt shop next door, I know not the best, but it was sure refreshing! We decided to check out the lounge/club in the Mandalay Bay called the Foundation Room. It was actually a lot of fun and the DJ was playing some great music. Even though there wasn’t much of a dance floor, we
were sure getting our groove on 🙂 I love to dance, especially hip hop, and could dance all night practically, but knew I better head back before my body started to rebel from lack of sleep. I didn’t get to bed until 2am! I haven’t done that in ages.
There sure was a nice view from the top!
I didn’t even have any drinks, but the next day I tried to get up early and my head was throbbing, so I went back to sleep till 11am! I haven’t done that in ages either, geezsh, I think I’m getting old 🙂 It was such a fun night though.
I can’t believe we are leaving to see my mom tomorrow!! I’m so excited to just get away for a little while. We don’t get back till the 2nd, but I still plan on blogging if my computer doesn’t break first.
I may be doing my first blogger meet-up too! I’ve been talking with Laural and Diana who both live in the same area as my mom, so that should be fun. I’m really looking forward to it. I just adore all of you guys and all you do.
In other news . . . I’m hoping to make a final decision on a thesis topic, dun dun dun. . . Here’s what I’m thinking so far, let me know what you think . . . Emily gave me the greatest idea to look at the use of probiotics in athletes and then I want to look at the rates of URTIs/sick days in athletes in a collegiate winter sport. Or I was wanting to look at the benefits of corporate wellness or do something with corporate wellness because I have an interest with this as a future career. I have to figure out how I would even do these studies along with research, research, research. Thanks for all your ideas and encouragement!
I have also finally purchased a new blog template for WordPress!!!! I’ve been wanting to do this and spruce up the blog for a long long time now. I’m a bit overwhelmed with how to use it and transfer everything over, but hopefully I can figure it out over the little break. I also contacted Zesty to see if he can help out, so stay tuned! Maybe I’ll have to do some kind of new blog giveaway? It will be a surprise!
Many thanks for all your support and wonderful comments. I love everything about this blogging community, and while we may get a few negative comments here and there, all the positive ones make all the difference in the world to me. I send you wonderful holiday wishes, yummy food and dishes, and happy new beginnings all year through 🙂
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
November 21, 2009
sticking with it
Happy Friday all! Since we met last my knees were in a bit of a fuss for the 4-5 mile run I decided to put them through last Sunday. I am happy to report that they are feeling much better and Diana introduced me to a training program called ‘Couch to 5k’. It’s a simple training program that combines running and walking, where the running is gradually increased until you can run a full 5k without stopping.
At first I was thinking, well I’m not a couch potato! I need to be running 3 miles right off the bat because I can handle it. Well, you know what, this program is going to be just what my knees ordered I believe. I did the first 30 minute session yesterday morning at 4:30am and was even able to do a weight lifting class that evening at 8pm without any mysterious aches and pains! Yes! The best part is it has an iPhone app too that tells you exactly when to run and when to walk. Yes! I’m feeling empowered already and am actually looking forward to my next lil session. So I guess I’ll be sticking with this running thing a bit longer 🙂
I also signed up for my first 5k Turkey Trot!! I’m really excited, and while it’s going to be way before my C25K training will be over, I figure I can just take it easy and see how it goes. Anyone else doing some planned physical activity on that holiday weekend? Great way to balance out all those good eats, although we will all be practicing proper portion control, right?!
I still can’t get used to this time change!!! The lighting is just terrible in my house now by the time I get home and I think I’m going to have to search for some kind of lighting station or special photography lights?? Anyone know of something like this that is reasonable?
I’ve been wanting to share this casserole recipe because it has become one of my favorites among many. I love casseroles because they can be easily adaptable to a healthier profile and are so easy!
Quinoa Chicken & Broccoli Casserole
Serves 8
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp butter, 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 pound shiitake or other mushrooms, sliced
- 3 tbsp AP flour
- 3-4 cups skim milk (or you could do 1/2 broth, 1/2 milk)
- 3-4 heads of broccoli, chopped
- 2 cups quinoa
- 1-1.5 cups Italian cheese mix, shredded (I used TJ’s Italian Mix)
- 1/2 tsp salt, all purpose seasoning, garlic powder, 1 tsp thyme, 1 tsp herbes de provence, pinch of cayenne
- 2 cups cooked chicken breast meat, chopped
Preparation
1. Heat 1 tsp olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, and cook. Stir in garlic, and cook 1 minute. Add mushrooms, and cook 8 minutes or until softened.
2. Melt 2 tbsp butter in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add flour, and cook, whisking constantly, 1 minute. Slowly whisk in milk, and cook, whisking constantly until mixture thickens. Add broccoli and quinoa to cook halfway. Remove from heat and slowly whisk in 1/2 cup cheese, seasonings, mushroom mixture and chicken. Transfer to a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch (4-quart) casserole dish.
3. Cover and refrigerate overnight, or bake, covered with foil, at 375° for 30 minutes or until bubbly, uncover, sprinkle with the rest of the cheese and brown for 10 minutes.
Great for leftovers too!
As far as the weekend plans . . .
Tonight Chris and I are heading out with some friends to a place called Casa di Amore. They have great Italian food and also a live crooner that sings till the weee hours of the morning and sounds just like Sinatra. I just love that kind of music, especially with a nice glass of wine. We’ll see how pictures go, as you can imagine the lighting is pretty low to ‘set the mood’.
At the Lee’s Wine Experience that we went to a little while ago we found a Pinot Noir that was out of this world called Ritual.
We thought we should order some since it was such a special find. Well, I guess we got a few of them!! We aren’t going to drink all these ourselves, but will take a few bottles for Thanksgiving and for gifts.
Other than that I would like to get another run/walk or ride in and finish tackling my proposal/presentation for Research Methods. I have the lit review mostly done and now have to start working on the methods/statistics, eeek! This is my area of weakness.
Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!!!
November 10, 2009
every once in awhile
You know how sometimes it’s just nice to have a little fun? Let it all go and just sample a few 100 different types of wines? Well, that’s what I did this past weekend and it was a lot of fun! Every once in awhile that is . . .
Prior to the wine tasting event I made sure to get a good chunk of school work done and it served as a very good motivator. There’s nothing like having good things to look forward to, whether it’s a wine tasting, seeing my family, or getting to go on a long bike ride, to make me get things done in order to fully enjoy the occasion. I still have tons of school work to do mind you, but I still made progress at least!
Saturday afternoon we headed over to the Hilton and made it to the Lee’s Wine Experience around 5pm. We also decided to get a room there so we wouldn’t have to worry about driving home. There were about 1,000 wines for sampling! They gave quite the pour just for a sampling too! Of course we couldn’t make it to every table, or else risk alcohol poisoning, but we did make it to quite a few. Here Chris was sampling the Hilltop J. Lohr Cab . . .
We both were feeling it by about the third sample since we haven’t been drinking all too much lately with biking and its detriment to performance. The only bad thing about a big tasting like that is it’s very hard to judge just how much you’ve had. At each table I made sure to have a tiny sip and if I didn’t like it into the tub it went. I feel bad wasting, but you can’t drink everything. Guys were walking around with giant garbage cans full of wine that people had dumped after tasting.
There were so many people there and they didn’t have too many munchies to go around. As the crackers and cheese were re-stocked, everyone swooped down like vultures and you had to elbow your way to get anything! Well, it wasn’t that dramatic, but when you have a room full of people that have been drinking and need some carbohydrates, watch out! 🙂
It was a lot of fun and we found several wines that we really enjoyed, the best one being a Pinot Noir from Chile called Ritual. Recently, I’ve lost my faith in Pinots because they all are just lacking and taste like dull, dead trees to me. This one was perfectly balanced and interesting with subtle oak and bright berries. We want to order some of this for Thanksgiving. Another really interesting wine was Bodega Norton Reserve Malbec and I always love the Twomey Merlot.
Towards the end of the tasting you could tell everyone was a little less subdued, people were dancing, laughing and everyone wanted to talk up a storm! It is so interesting to me how powerful alcohol is, myself included (that’s another post).
After the tasting we went to dinner at a place called the Grand Lux Cafe It was really yummy, but I could barely eat even 1/2 of my dish. Chris got the big burger since we only really get those every once in awhile.
I got the yellow tomato pasta pomodoro with chicken meatballs, it was delish. I’m a big pasta lover as you know!
We didn’t have dessert but grabbed some gelato while walking around. It is fun to play tourist even though we live here!
I think I could count how many times I went to the strip as a kid on one hand.
And look they had kabocha on display!!! I wanted to steal it and take it home to bake 🙂
I feel so old saying this but by 11 o’clock it was waaaay past our bed time and we were tuckered! I can hardly stay up past 9pm anymore. The next day I didn’t feel too bad, but definitely not chipper, but you know what, every once in awhile . . . it’s just fun 🙂
What’s something you like to do or indulge in every once in awhile?
July 28, 2009
fun ride, great dinner
As you know, last time I went on a group cycling ride with my mountain bike I about died and was far behind the group, so I’ve been searching and wanting to get road bike for awhile now. Well, I got one this weekend!! Just the baseline model, something to get me started (and I’ll be paying off forever!). It’s crazy there are some bikes out there upwards of $8,000!!!
We decided to go on a ride on Sunday with the owner of JT’s bicycle shop, the place where I actually bought my bike from. They have a great shop and are such nice people. It was supposed to be a 20 mile ‘C’ ride, but there were only the 3 of us (Jim, chris and I), so we decided to go further on the River Mountain Trail towards Lake Mead. It turned out to be 33 miles total! For my first time on a road bike, it actually wasn’t too bad. My legs and butt weren’t sore, but by the second hour my shoulders and neck were screaming! I did have to buy a pair of cushy butt shorts for next time. I think I just have to get used to being in that position for so long and have Chris give me a good back rub haha. Road bikes are an entirely different animal! It feels like you can actually get speed and going up hills isn’t a complete battle. It was really amazing! If you hate bike riding because it seems like you can’t go anywhere without killing yourself, really consider a road bike because it really makes a big difference in speed and efficiency. Here’s me trying to be a serious rider . . . lol
Now speaking of speed, there were a few hills, well three actually, that they call the 3 sisters on the River Mountain Trail. Whoa, I was freaking out! I still have to get used to going so fast and turning fast because I get really scared I’m going to totally biff it. One of the hills felt like a rollercoaster where you slowly reach the top and shoot down really fast, yikes! I was riding my brakes down the whole way. I’ll probably have to get my brakes serviced sooner than most because I’m a little brake happy at the moment haha! But it was a lot of fun and I ate a lot too. Here are my eats for the day . . .
Breakfast
- piece of WW toast, two egg whites (in the micro)
- 1/2 banana with peanut butter slather
- 2 cups H20
During the Ride
- 1 packet Luna Moons – blueberry flavor (I actually really liked these because liquid carbohydrate drinks usually upset my stomach) I will be experimenting with others.
- 1 liter of H20 + about 12 ounces of water mixed with this sample I got at the bike shop (I think I liked this too because I am a very salty sweater)
After the Ride (at a nearby coffee shop)
- 1/2 liter water
- 1/4 bagel with grape jam (shared with Chris who was ravenous so I could barely grab a bite!)
Rest of the Day
Big smoothie with milk, frozen fruit, peanut butter, amazing grass (bought this myself), chocolate whey protein, chia seeds in a fun glass from Nawlins- about 3 oz of leftover roasted chicken, 1 rib, 1/2 corn muffin from Famous Dave’s
- flatbread sammie with mozzarella and leftover roasted veggies, 1/4 cup cottage cheese, handful of pretzels
- more water!
Dinner
- Cedar-planked maple salmon with cous cous, avocado and grilled veggies
- glass of chardonnay (not the best to have with exercise)
- bowl of cookies and cream yogurt blends I found at Walmart. These are really yummy, creamy and 120 kcals per 1/2 cup serving; I had one cup. I want to try more flavors! Do you ever go down the frozen dessert isle thinking you shouldn’t but just want to look, and you’re secretly hoping you’ll find something to try? haha
- more water!
Whew! That was a lot. I’m sure I forgot a few munchie stuff in there too haha But, my HR monitor said I burned about 1,000 kcals. I’m not sure how accurate this is since some of the time we were coasting, but my heart was sure racing from the adrenaline!
On to the the yummy dinner . . .
I’ve never tried using cedar planks on the grill, but oh man, it sure gave it a great smoky flavor! Make sure you have a fire extinguisher and a spritzer bottle of water nearby just in case. We had a few flare-ups, oops!
Cedar-Planked Maple Salmon
Yield: 4 for dinner
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 2 tbsp soy sauce (low sodium)
- 1 tbsp hoisin sauce
- juice from 1/2 an orange (you will need 2 oranges total)
- splash of rice wine vinegar
- 1 tsp each sesame oil and canola oil
- 1 pound wild Alaskan salmon (if possible, I found this on sale otherwise it’s a bit too pricey for me)
- 1 cedar plank soaked in H20 for at least 1 hour (I put it in a baking dish, covered with water and topped with another baking dish to weigh it down)
For the cous cous:
- 1 cup whole wheat cous cous
- 1 cup water with juice of other orange 1/2
- 1 orange, zest and segments
- various grilled veggies – bell peppers, green onions
- handful of walnuts
- splash of the maple sauce above
- salt and pepper
Soak cedar plank for at least 1 hour in H20. Prepare grill to about medium. Combine the first 6 ingredients in a medium sauce pan. Boil gently until reduced down and syrupy. Reserve a little for the cous cous. Once cedar plank gets slightly smoky on the grill, place salmon on plank. Baste with maple mixture every 3 minutes for about 15-20 minutes until slightly pink in the center.
Boil water and juice for the cous cous, add cous cous, stir, turn off heat, cover and let sit for 5 minutes. Place in a large bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients to combine.
Plate and enjoy! This is really really good! Sorry for the terrible lighting. It was getting late and that good sunlight was dwindling!
I also grilled some bok choy and served it with 1/4 of an avocado. Bok choy has a wonderful popcorn-like flavor when it’s grilled and green onions taste like sweet candy. I can just eat them whole!
I paired it with this chardonnay that was recommended to me at Lee’s when I couldn’t find my favorite buttery chard from Ravenswood. While this chardonnay wasn’t really that buttery at all, it was very bright with grapefruit and citrus flavors. Honestly, it didn’t go to well with the buttery-ness of the salmon and avocado and kind of cut into the flavor characteristics of this dish for me. Oh well, it was still pretty refreshing and mellowed out a little as it warmed up. It’s still fun to try a new wine, but sometimes you just wish you could have got your tried and true favorite, no?
Tonight for dinner I made a salmon cous cous salad, just love leftovers! And what’s a good salad without some dried fruit, crumbled goat cheese and a dollop of greek yogurt?!
Close-up! Glorious salmon . . . I wish I could eat this every day.
Any new activities, products, recipes you’ve stumbled upon that turned out pretty darn good?
