Lime Marinated Broiled Salmon

Dr. C and I decided that this year we are going to incorporate more seafood into our diet.  While I love to eat seafood and often choose seafood dishes at restaurants, cooking it myself is relatively new to me.

Don't get me wrong, I've cooked it before, I'm just not as familiar with seafood as I am with beef or chicken or pork.

To make sure that what I cook for my family is edible, I've been trying out salmon (a very forgiving fish) under the broiler. This way even with a new recipe dinner is quick, easy, and tasty despite my deficiencies in seafood cooking.  And once I get my sea-legs, I'll venture out to other seafoods.

Last night we tried out Lime Marinated Broiled Salmon, a quick, easy, healthy, delicious dish.  We served it with roasted red potatoes and steamed vegetables.  It would also be yummy with wild rice or rice pilaf and a fresh garden salad.

Lime Marinated Broiled Salmon
Slightly adapted from Cooking Light

Ingredients:
1/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup fresh lime juice (I did a little more--I used all the juice from 2 limes)
1 teaspoon minced peeled fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
2 garlic cloves, chopped
4 (6 oz.) skinless salmon fillets
cooking spray
lime wedges

Directions:
1. Place soy sauce, lime juice, ginger, thyme, and garlic in a blender, blend until smooth.
2. Pour into a gallon sized Ziploc bag.  Add salmon.  Seal and marinate in refrigerator for 1 hour.  Turn bag occasionally.
3. Preheat broiler.
4. Remove salmon from bag, discard marinade.
5. Place salmon on broiler pan coated with cooking spray. (I put mine on a cookie sheet lined with a silicone baking liner)
6. Broil 8 minutes.  Turn, and broil an additional 4 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.
7. Serve with lime wedges.

Chicken Fiesta Soup

Chicken Fiesta Soup is one of our winter go-to meals.  Bright colors and flavors- plus the bonus of quick prep- brighten up those dreary January evenings.

Chicken Fiesta Soup adapted from a Cooking Light recipe
2 tsp. olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup diced red, orange, or yellow bell pepper (or a mix)
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. chili powder  
1 small can (4 oz) diced green chiles
2 cans (14 oz) chicken broth
1 can (14 oz) whole- kernel corn (or 1/2 bag frozen whole-kernel corn)   
1 can (14 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (14 oz) diced peeled tomatoes (try fire-roasted for fun) 
 1 can (10 oz) tomato sauce 
2 cups cooked, shredded or diced, chicken (try using a rotisserie chicken- it is super easy!)

1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup shredded mexican blend or cheddar cheese
tortilla chips

1. Heat olive  oil in a large dutch oven or stock pot over medium-high heat. Saute onions and garlic until crisp-tender. Add bell peppers and saute until crisp-tender. Add cumin, Worcestershire, chili powder, and green chiles. Stir and saute about 30 seconds. 
2. Add next six ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer 10 minutes. 
3. Ladle soup into bowls, top each evenly with sour cream and cheese.  Serve with tortilla chips.

Serves 4-6

If you like this, check out the posole chicken soup recipe.

Banana Bread 3 Ways: Coconut Lime, Cardamom Pistachio, and Marbled Chocolate

{tap tap}... Um, hello? Anybody there?
We're still here... and still cooking, even though it's been 6 months {Gasp !} since we've last posted. Believe it or not, my iPhoto is full of food pictures, and my children now think it is standard practice to take a picture of their meal before dinner. I just haven't posted. {So Sorry!} But we're back. Happy New Year!

I love my local grocery store, Fareway. They aren't open on Sundays (hooray!) and they sell their almost expired produce at reduced prices- including their bananas. My family LIKES bananas a bit on the brown side, so this is a major plus for our family. However, sometimes I get a little carried away and well, we have lots of brown black bananas.  Luckily, Cooking Light about 10 years ago (gasp again!) did an awesome article on banana bread. Carrie posted the original classic banana bread recipe a while back. Here are 3 of their variations.  Hope you enjoy!

Marbled-Chocolate Banana Bread sligh yle="font-size: large;">tly adapted from Cooking Light, Sept. 2003
2 cups all-purpose flour (about 8 1/2 oz.)
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups mashed ripe banana (3-4 bananas)
2 large eggs
1/3 cup plain low-fat yogurt
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly grease an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch loaf pan (I used shortening).
2. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt, stirring with a whisk.
3. Place sugar and butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well-blended. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add bananas and yogurt, beat until well blended. Add flour mixture; beat at low speed just until moist.
4. Place chocolate chips in a medium microwave safe bowl, and microwave at HIGH 1 minute or until almost melted, stirring until almost smooth. Cool slightly. Add 1 cup batter to chocolate, stirring until well combined.
5.Spoon chocolate batter alternately with plain batter into greased loaf pan. Swirl batters together using a knife.
6. Bake at 350° for 1 hour 15 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pan on wire rack; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack.
Yield: 1 loaf, 16 slices. 

Coconut Banana Bread with Lime Glaze slightly adapted from Cooking Light, Sept. 2003
2 cups all-purpose flour (about 8 1/2 oz.)
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups mashed ripe banana (3-4 bananas)
2 large eggs
1/4 cup plain low-fat yogurt
3 TBS apple juice
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup flaked sweetened coconut
1  TBS flaked sweetened coconut (for sprinkling on top)
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2  TBS fresh lime juice

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly grease an 9x5 inch loaf pan (I used shortening).

2. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt, stirring with a whisk.
3. Place sugar and butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well-blended. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add bananas, yogurt, apple juice, and vanilla beat until well blended. Add flour mixture; beat at low speed just until moist. Stir in 1/2 cup coconut.
4. Spoon batter into greased loaf pan. Sprinkle with 1 TBS coconut.
5. Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pan on wire rack; remove from pan.
6. Combine powdered sugar and juice, stirring until smooth. Drizzle over warm bread.
7. Cool completely on wire rack.
Yield: 1 loaf, 16 slices. 

Cardamom Banana Bread with Pistachiosslightly adapted from Cooking Light, Sept. 2003
 2 cups all-purpose flour (about 8 1/2 oz.)
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2  cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups mashed ripe banana (3-4 bananas)
2 large eggs
1/3 cup sour cream
1/2 tsp. ground cardamom
1/3 cup finely chopped pistachios (I used roasted, salted, already shelled)

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly grease an 9x5 inch loaf pan (I used shortening).
2. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt, stirring with a whisk.
3. Place sugars and butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well-blended. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add bananas, sour cream, and cardamom; beat until well blended. Add flour mixture; beat at low speed just until moist. Stir in pistachios.
4. Spoon batter into greased loaf pan.
5. Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pan on wire rack; remove from pan.
6. Cool completely on wire rack.
Yield: 1 loaf, 16 slices. 

left: cardamom pistachio top right: chocolate banana bottom right: coconut lime

 P.S. It's good to be back. ~W