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Sweet Orange Salmon with Browned Butter-Orange Couscous

Posted on January 5, 2013 by Kaitlin

After all the pasta, meat, and desserts I’ve had over the past, oh, month, I think it’s about time to switch back to some seafood recipes. This is actually two different recipes from Cooking Light but I thought they’d be fantastic together. The Sweet Orange Salmon recipe is so easy and quick to make and the Browned-Butter Orange Couscous can be whipped up in no time as well! Ingredients Salmon: 2 tablespoons brown sugar 1 teaspoon chili powder 1/2 teaspoon grated orange rind 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin 1/2 teaspoon paprika 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander 1/8 teaspoon black pepper 4 (6-ounce) salmon fillets Cooking spray Orange wedges Couscous: 2 tablespoons butter 1/4 cup slivered almonds 1 cup uncooked couscous 1 (14-ounce) can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth 1/2 cup coarsely chopped orange sections 1/4 cup pomegranate seeds 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley 1/4 teaspoon salt Orange wedges

Couscous with Dried Cranberries and Pine Nuts & a Giveaway!

Posted on November 30, 2012 by Kaitlin

I need more sides in my life. Couscous is a great weekday choice because it’s so quick to make, maybe 20 minutes in total. This recipe is from the Fresh & Healthy DASH Diet Cooking Cookbook which I absolutely love. The DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet was developed by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute a encourages increasing whole grains, nuts, fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy and lean proteins and minimizing processed gains, high-fat meats and dairy, sugars and sodium… which is basically more just eating healthy versus a diet. This couscous recipe is made with vegetable broth to give it some flavor with bites of pine nuts, dried cranberries, and scallions. Ingredients: 2 teaspoons canola oil 1/4 cup pine nuts 2 cups reduced-sodium vegetable stock 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1 cup couscous (whole wheat if you can find it) 1/3 cup dried cranberries 2 scallions, coarsely chopped

Slow Cooker Cranberry Sauce

Posted on November 18, 2012 by Kaitlin

It isn’t Thanksgiving without cranberry sauce. We’ve always had the canned cranberry sauce at my Thankgivings growing up; I honestly believed the ridges from the can were there so I knew where to cut. I am all for the canned version, but I thought I’d attempt to make a homemade version in my slow cooker. I based it slightly off of Cooking Light’s Classic Cranberry Sauce but changed up a few ingredients and the method of cooking. Ingredients: 1 12 ounce package of cranberries 1 cup brown sugar 1/4 cup port wine 1/2 cup orange juice (or 3 oranges, squeezed) 1 tablespoon zest (also about 3 oranges) 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger a dash (1/8 tsp or smaller) allspice

Labor Day Round Up

Posted on August 25, 2012 by Kaitlin

Labor Day is only a week away, which means people around the country are in search of the best ways to celebrate the end of summer with their friends and family. I rounded up some of my past posts that would make any Labor Day celebration a delicious affair. When most think of Labor Day, they think of grilling. So here are some of my favorites, along with sides and small bites that would be perfect for a barbecue: Burgers: Goat Cheese Stuffed Lamb Burgers Southwest Burgers with Chipotle Sweet Potato Fries Gourmet Turkey Burger with Island Slaw Skewers: Spicy Moroccan Chicken Skewers Beef and Vegetable Shish Kebabs Salmon Skewers with Lemon-Parsley Pesto Mango Shrimp Kebabs Sides: Grilled Tomato Orzo Salad Grilled Marinated Asparagus Italian Pasta Salad Pesto Pasta Salad Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread Grilled Corn with Chipotle Lime Butter Small bites (perfect if you are a guest and want to bring something): Sriracha Deviled Eggs Caprese Tomato Bites Crab Stuffed Mushrooms Italian Frying Pepper Bruschetta Fresh Salsa Have a great Labor Day weekend!

Summer Lemon-Vegetable Risotto

Posted on August 15, 2012 by Kaitlin

As I hear rumblings of all things pumpkin just around the corner (yay!), I realized that my days of beautiful, fresh vegetables are numbered (boo). Which means I needed a recipe that used some of summer’s best. This risotto recipe from Cooking Light fit the bill: Asparagus, Sugar Snap Peas, Zucchini, Yellow Squash.. mmm. Ingredients: 8 ounces asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces 8 ounces sugar snap peas, trimmed and cut in half 5 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided 1 (8-ounce) zucchini, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices 1 (8-ounce) yellow squash, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices 4 3/4 cups organic vegetable broth 1/2 cup finely chopped shallots 1 cup uncooked Arborio rice 1/4 cup beer (I used a pilsner) 1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated fresh parmesan cheese 1/4 cup chopped fresh chives 1 teaspoon grated lemon rind 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 1 tablespoon unsalted butter Prepare your veggies while waiting for a large pot of water to come to a boil. Add the asparagus and peas and cook for 3 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water. Heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add 2 teaspoons olive oil to the pan and … Continue reading →

Beet Risotto

Posted on July 18, 2012 by Kaitlin

I love the taste of beets, but preparing them is so time consuming that I tend to avoid buying them. Most recipes involving beets require you to roast the beets and then peel them. I came across a recipe for beet risotto in Food and Wine that just cooked the beets on the stove top in significantly less time. This risotto recipe is supposed to turn a beautiful red color from the beets. I didn’t get the same bright red color but I still love how it looks! Ingredients: 3 cups chicken stock or 1 tablespoon unsalted butter 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 1 large shallot, finely chopped 2 large beets peeled and finely chopped, plus thinly sliced beets for garnish 1 cup arborio rice 2 ounces young pecorino cheese, freshly grated 1 teaspoon poppy seeds, plus more for garnish Prepare the beets. Peel and finely chop. In a small saucepan, bring the chicken stock to a simmer. Cover and keep warm. In another pot, melt the butter and olive oil. Add the chopped shallot and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add the beets and cook, stirring, for 12 minutes. (I cooked mine for 12 minutes as … Continue reading →

TIP #1 for T-fal’s Healthy Summer Challenge, Eat More Vegetables

Posted on June 18, 2012 by Kaitlin

Today is my first of five different blog posts over the summer with a resolution on how to eat healthier. T-fal is hosting a 2012 Healthy Summer Challenge where I and five other bloggers will work towards a healthier lifestyle through some changes in our diet, exercise, etc. I will, of course, share my food resolutions rather than my exercise ones because, well, I’m a food blogger! My first resolution of the summer is to eat more vegetables. I find one of the easiest ways to do this is to find vegetables you actually like. No one is forcing you to eat broccoli if you don’t like it. Why not try that baby bok choy you’ve seen in the supermarket, or maybe throw a few slivers of radishes in your next salad instead of cheese? The change also doesn’t have to be extreme. Try to incorporate 1-3 more vegetables into your diet per week and go from there.My veggie intake is also being aided by joining a CSA, or Community Supported Agriculture (I use Red Earth Farm). I did a CSA last year as well, but this year, I get to choose what vegetables are in my share! The … Continue reading →

Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread

Posted on June 11, 2012 by Kaitlin

Note: I am happy to announce that this post was nominated for Philadelphia’s Epikur Writer of the Year award! I’d really appreciate your vote! Voting can be done here. (I’m listed as Kaitlin Lunny) Thank you for your support! I am in love with all things warm-weather related, but one of my favorite parts of summer is the outdoor eating (surprise surprise). I used to work at a camp on the Chesapeake in Maryland and would spend one day a year stuffing myself with steamed Old Bay crabs. I now have friends who live in the general area and was thrilled when they decided to have a crab feast this past weekend. I, of course, wanted to bring something to eat with me and really had a hard time deciding what was appropriate: I needed a complimentary food that didn’t involve a fork and knife (when you’re covered in Old Bay, the last thing you’re reaching for is a fork). I finally realized the perfect accompaniment: cornbread! This Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbreadis one awesome recipe, just be sure to limit your intake of these delicious squares, they are pretty darn decadent! Ingredients: 3 cups all-purpose flour 1 cup yellow cornmeal 1/4 … Continue reading →

Pecan-Crusted Halibut with Roasted Asparagus and Potatoes

Posted on April 3, 2012 by Kaitlin

I have a confession. Despite cooking most nights a week (and making leaps and bounds over the past year and a half as to what I am able to cook) I still struggle to pull an entire meal together at one time, i.e. a protein and two sides. Unless it is a one-pot kind of meal, I tend to just make the protein and be done with it, or I make a huge batch of the side and have that as my dinner. So with Cooking Light’s April issue including 40 Meals Under 40 Minutes, I thought it was the perfect opportunity to tackle making an entire meal. I used their Hazelnut-Crusted Halibut with Roasted Asparagus and Roasted Red Potatoesas a base for this meal. Ingredients: 1 tablespoon butter 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided 2 (6-ounce) halibut fillets, skin still on 1 egg white, lightly beaten Salt and pepper, to taste 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced 1 pound asparagus, trimmed Cooking spray 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme 2 lemon wedges 1 tablespoon olive oil Salt and pepper, to taste 2 shallots, thinly sliced 2 handfuls of small potatoes (I used red, fingerling, and purple) … Continue reading →

Champagne Risotto Primavera

Posted on January 3, 2012 by Kaitlin

I still have some prosecco sitting around after New Years Eve that I don’t want to go to waste. It’s already open so there’s really no way to save it. I usually use leftover wine in my risotto, so why not use sparkling wine instead? After all the food I ate in the past week, I thought I should probably incorporate some vegetables into my risotto as well. I adapted a Weight Watchers recipe to incorporate the sparkling wine. Ingredients: 2 teaspoons olive oil 1 zucchini, diced 1 red bell pepper, diced 1 cup uncooked arborio rice 2 1/2 cups chicken broth 3/4 cup champagne, prosecco, or other sparkling wine, divided 1 cup frozen edamame, thawed 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese fresh parsley, chopped Dice the zucchini and red bell pepper. Heat the olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the zucchini and red bell pepper and saute for 2 minutes, stirring. Add the rice, stirring to coat. Cook for another 2 minutes or until the rice begins to become translucent. Add 1/2 cup prosecco stirring to combine. Lower the heat to medium low. Once the prosecco has evaporated, add 1 cup chicken broth. Simmer for 5 … Continue reading →