Sweet Balsamic Dressing

OK, so the other night I went to find my recipe for sweet balsamic and I realized I never posted it individually, just with the Pomegranate Salad. But, truth be told, I use this dressing when ever I make a "sweeter" salad- like one that involves apples, pears, crans, or candied nuts. It doesn't have as much "zip" as my other favorite balsamic dressing (I tend to use that one with more veggie oriented salads), so it brings a different flavor and milder element to any great salad. It also works well on spinach salads.

Ingredients

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1/8 cup olive oil

1/8 cup honey

1/2 tsp soy sauce or Braggs Liquid Aminos (for gluten free friends)

1/2 tsp yellow mustard

Directions:

Two choices, either whisk it together or put it all in a jar and shake, shake, shake! Store in an air tight container if there is left overs.

Pesto Sauce

A few weeks ago I posted a quick dinner idea from Trader Joe's, Genovese Pesto Marinated Chicken- and my goal was to come up with a do-it-yourself version that turned out SO SO SO good! Now pesto sauce is really easy to make- it takes minimal ingredients, very little talent and is bursting with flavor, not to mention really reasonable on the ol' pocket book. There are lots of different options of what to do with the sauce, so get creative... baked chicken, pesto pizza, or maybe some tasty pasta??? Feel free to share your ideas too!

Ingredients:

3 cups fresh basil

2/3 cup olive oil

2/3 cup Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup pine nuts

5 cloves garlic

s & p

Directions:

This is super easy- put all the ingredients in a food processor (or Vitamix!) and blend until it's a creamy consistency.

***Once you have the paste made, you can add it to cooked pasta and throw in some chopped baked chicken and sun-dried tomatoes or you can coat some raw chicken with the sauce and bake it on 400 for 30 minutes and serve it over or along side a bed of pasta. When I last made this I served it with a side of roasted brussell sprouts and cauliflower with a sprinkle of balsamic vinegar and the flavors and juices all ran together into a wonderful concoction!

Raw Chicken Breasts Coated in Pesto Sauce before baking for 30 minutes on 400

Maple Salmon...

Gourmet Meal Ladies and Gentlemen... available in your KITCHEN!

Every once in a while a recipe comes along that steals your taste buds, and you simply want to eat that exact meal over and over, every night. Well, this is that recipe. Super simple, easy, no skills required. A few ingredients in a bowl, 30 minutes to marinate, and then baking for 20 minutes or so, and no left overs to package up because your plates will be licked clean!

The marinate in the shallow baking dish...

Placing fish skin side up in the dish for marinating...

After marinating for 30 minutes, turn the fish skin side down and bake

Ingredients:

1 lb. salmon

1/4 cup maple syrup

2 TBSP soy sauce

1 large clove garlic

1/4 tsp ginger *optional

1/8 tsp pepper

Directions:

You are going to mix all the ingredients in a bowl, whisk them together. Pour them in a shallow baking dish and place fish SKIN SIDE UP in the dish. Set a timer and let it marinate no more than 30 minutes (fish shouldn't be over-marinated like meat can be). Then, turn your fish steaks over with a fork (now the skin should be touching the bottom of the dish) and pop it in your oven that has been preheated to 400. Cook it for 2o minutes or until it flakes with a fork. Check it after 20 minutes (could go as long as 30) the cooking time will depend on the thickness of the fish, so watch it towards the end. After you pull if out of the oven, with an oven mitt on your hand, tilt the dish over a small sauce pan and drain the marinate into the pan. Add 1/2 tsp cornstarch and bring to a boil to make a glaze, stirring constantly. It will only take a few minutes. Pour this glaze over top and you will have yourself a "hi-fluttin' - serious business- no messin' around" dish.... people are going to sweat your cooking skills! You will love this healthy and tastey option of cooking fish! Enjoy!!!

30 Minute Marinade...

Duh! I can't believe I haven't posted this simple, last minute, save-your-tail-in-a-pinch MARINADE! It's perfect for the dinner you forgot to plan or the company who said that they were coming for dinner and they are on their way- right now! Super easy with minimal on-hand ingredients!

Ingredients:

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 TBSP fresh ginger or use ginger from a jar

1 clove garlic

1 TBSP lemon juice

Directions:

Put your chicken, fish, or beef in a large ziplock bag, mix your ingredients in a bowl and pour into the bag. Refrigerate (or leave on counter if the temperature is cool enough in the room) for about 30 minutes. (I turn my bag over half way through the 30 minutes). Then BBQ your meat and enjoy!

* These measurements are for about 1.5 - 2 pounds of meat. If you use more meat, double the recipe!

FRESH GINGER TIP!!!! You really can taste the difference between fresh ginger and ginger in a jar- so here's a great tip to making your fresh ginger last for a long time! Buy a piece of ginger in the produce section (looks like a root or piece of tree branch!) and peel it with a carrot peeler. Then put it in a freezer baggie, throw it in the freezer until you come across a recipe, bust it out and use a fine grater on the frozen ginger and Wha-LA! You won't be disappointed!

Refreshing Dressing...

6 TBSP olive oil

6 TBSP red wine vinegar

2 TBSP fresh lemon juice

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp dijon mustard

honey to taste ( I add quite a bit of honey to cut the vinegar & citrus flavor)

Mix it all together and refrigerate! Great light and tangy flavor.

Marinated Flank Steak...

OK, this is a fabulous way to serve a large steak to a group (anywhere from 4-12). It's a family favorite of the Zaballos' and we often have it for special occasions. It's very simple- marinate and BBQ! The longer you marinate it, the more flavor it will have. Minimal marinating: 2 hours on the counter top or 8 hours in the fridge- BUT for the most flavor- I marinate it overnight in the fridge for at least a day, but up to 3 days!!!! It's soooooo good!

Ingredients:

2-3 lb flank steak (I buy mine at Costco, great prices- use one, freeze the other) 

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 cup soy sauce

1 tsp. fresh ground ginger (the kind in the jar)

1 clove garlic

1/2 cup pineapple juice (I keep a 6 pack of little pineapple juice cans in the pantry!)

Directions:

Pour all these ingredients into a bowl and whisk them together. Pull out your flank steak, I like to cut mine into steaks (about 4-5 peices from each flank) and then put them into a ziplock bag. Pour the marinate over the steaks, seal it up, and pop it in the fridge. (seem time range above), I like to marinate mine over night. Every few hours, I open the fridge and turn the steaks over and shake up the bag. When you are ready, BBQ it over medium heat, let it cool for about 5 minutes, then slice it into 1 inch stripes. Enjoy!

Balsamic Vinegarette..

Here's a great recipe for a simple, light, low fat salad dressing that you can use as a staple or make in a pinch because you probably have all the ingredients in your kitchen! I usually double it when I make it so it lasts for a while.

Ingredients:

2 tbsp. olive oil

4 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. sugar

1/8 tsp. garlic powder or one fresh clove of garlic

1/8 tsp. pepper. 

Put it in a jar, give it a shake, refrigerate it and serve with any salad!