gluten free

Asian Slow Roasted Salmon

~ lk529 ~ 1 Comment

Fish, although easy to cook, isn’t an easy thing for me. I never seem to crave it, and always prefer the fish I get at the local restaurants around here. But I do make an effort to keep a packet of frozen salmon filets in my freezer.

I typically find an Asian inspired flavor when it comes to salmon and this one caught my eye. I served it with quinoa. Quinoa is a great alternative to rice and is gluten free! It can be prepared the same way you prepare rice, using a 2:1 liquid to grain ratio. This go around I tested that method even further by using my rice cooker. I find using small kitchen appliances reduce my likelihood of burning and ruining my grains. The quinoa was a little too al dente so next time I’ll add just a touch more liquid. To give the quinoa a little extra flavor, I like to cook mine in chicken stock instead of water. It is also important to rinse the grain before cooking.

Our vegetable during this evening were boiled carrots, but they were such a last minute decision that they didn’t make the presentation plate! I apologize for the photo quality of this dish… I feel my food photography has taken multiple steps backwards with the time change. The windows in my house do not let in a lot of light, and now I have no hope of natural light as it’s dark before I even leave the office!

Asian Slow Roasted Salmon

Ingredients:

  • 4 salmon filets
  • 2 tbsp sesame oil, plus more for brushing
  • 1/4 C soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
  • 2 tsp grated ginger
  • 2 tsp minced garlic
  • 1 tsp cornstarch

Steps:

  1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.
  2. Place salmon skin side down on a foil lined baking sheet. Brush salmon with sesame oil and season with pepper. Bake 25-30 minutes, or until salmon flakes easily with a fork.
  3. Over medium heat whisk together soy sauce, sesame oil, vinegar, ginger, and garlic. Bring glaze to a simmer. Whisk in cornstarch until the glaze is smooth and reaches desired thickness.
  4. Drizzle glaze over cooked salmon and serve with grains and vegetables.

*This recipe is adapted from Riley at http://www.mydailymorsel.com/2013/06/17/asian-slow-roasted-salmon/*

Asian Slow Roasted Salmon

Chicken Tortilla Soup

~ lk529 ~ Leave a comment

Now that the weather is getting cooler I thought it’s time for another soup recipe. And this Chicken Tortilla Soup fits in nicely with Mexican Monday!

I made the chicken stock on Sunday so that my weeknight prep time would be shorter. If you want to shred your chicken instead of cubing it, it’s best to do while it’s hot out of the poaching liquid. Because I cooked the chicken/stock the night before I simply cubed it before adding it to the soup Monday evening. Even though my prep time was much shorter, the soup cook time was longer than the original recipe declared, I left the soup on the stove for about an hour and a half. But with soup, the longer it stews the better!

I also left the heat factor out of the soup because I was making this for childhood taste buds. I provided hot sauce on the table for the adults to flavor our soups.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Ingredients for stock:

  • 3 large chicken breasts
  • 8 C water
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed and peeled
  • 4 bay leaves
  • 2 tsp oregano
  • 1/2 onion, left whole
  • 1 jalapeno, left whole
  • 1 tsp pepper

Ingredients for soup:

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 red bell pepper
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 2 tsp garlic powder
  • 2 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp pepper
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 can corn, drained
  • 1 can diced roasted tomatoes
  • 1/4 C cilantro (I used 2 ice cubes)

Steps:

  1. Make stock by combining all ingredients in a large stock pot. Bring to a boil until chicken is cooked through, about 20 minutes. Remove chicken and shred/cube. Strain and reserve the broth.
  2. In a large pot over medium-high heat saute onion and bell pepper in olive oil. When translucent add in garlic until fragrant. Stir in spices. Pour in the chicken broth. Bring to a gentle simmer and add in the cooked chicken, beans, corn, tomatoes, and cilantro. Allow soup to cook for at least 20 minutes for the flavors to combine and chicken to be warmed through.
  3. Serve with shredded cheese and tortilla chips for garnish.

*This recipe is modified from Patricia at http://www.patriciaspatticakes.com/2013/10/spicy-chicken-tortilla-soup.html*

Chicken Tortilla Soup 2

Chicken Tortilla Soup 1