Favorite Easy Oven Baked Salmon

This meal was a big hit with my teenage grandsons!  Double the sauce for one!  

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pound salmon fillet, skin on (or salmon portions)

3 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 cloves garlic, minced

Instructions:

Remove the salmon from the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature while you prepare the other ingredients.

Preheat oven to 400.  Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil.

In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, olive oil, honey, Dijon, and minced garlic.

Place salmon, skin side down, on the prepared baking dish.  Reserve 1/3 of the sauce and brush the remaining 2/3 of the sauce over the salmon.

Bake for 15 minutes and then brush on the remaining sauce.  Bake for 5 minutes more, until the internal temperature of the fish reaches 145 degrees, or until the salmon is cooked to your desired doneness.  *Individual salmon filets cook faster.

Gently remove the skin and serve with Lemon Asparagus Rice.

Serves 4.

Lemon Asparagus Rice

I served this rice with my Favorite Easy Oven Baked Salmon, recipe to follow.

Ingredients

1 cup jasmine rice

1 1/2 cups water

1 pound fresh asparagus

4 tablespoons minced parsley

2 teaspoons lemon zest

1 tablespoon olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Rinse rice in a colander until water runs clear.  Bring water to a boil over high heat.

Add rice and 1/2 teaspoon salt.  Bring back to a boil and then lower the heat to the lowest setting.  Cover the pot and set a timer for 15 minutes.  Let the pot sit off the heat for 5 minutes.  Lift the cover and fluff with a fork.  *I have a rice cooker and used that for this recipe.

While rice is cooking, cut the asparagus stalks into 1" pieces.

Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil.  Drop in the asparagus and cook for one minute.  Using a slotted spoon, remove the asparagus from the water and set aside.

When the rice is cooked, pour the rice into a large bowl.

Add asparagus, chopped parsley, lemon juice, lemon zest, and butter.

Toss with a spatula until combined.

Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Serve hot.

Chicken Fajitas

While taking care of my grandsons I made these for dinner and they were a huge hit.  Make easy homemade guac to accompany it!

Chicken Fajitas

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 onion, thinly sliced

1 green pepper, thinly sliced

1 red pepper, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 lime

Fajita Seasoning

1/2 tablespoon chili powder

1/2 tablespoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon oregano

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

For Serving

Tortillas (I used Whole Foods brand combo of soft white flour and corn tortillas and loved them).

Sour Cream

Pico de Gallo

Avocado or homemade guacamole or both.

Instructions:

Mix the fajitas seasoning ingredients in a small bowl.

Generously sprinkle the fajita seasoning on both sides of the chicken and use your fingers to press it into the chicken.

Heat the oil in a large skillet.  Sear the chicken breasts for about 7 - 8 minutes on each side.

Once the chicken is done, remove it to a plate and let it rest for a couple of minutes.  Add the peppers and onion to the same skillet and saute for 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently.

When the peppers are just about done, slice the chicken breasts into strips.

Add the chicken back into the skillet, add a squeeze of fresh lime juice, and stir everything together.

Serve immediately with warmed tortillas and extra toppings.

Skillet Lemon Parmesan Chicken with Zucchini and Squash

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Some of my favorite things are chicken, zucchini, squash, lemon juice, orzo pasta, all in one delicious dish.

1 1/4 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breast, diced into bite-size pieces

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

2 tablespoons butter, divided 

salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 teaspoons Italian seasoning, divided

1 teaspoon garlic powder, divided

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon lemon zest

2 small zucchini, sliced and halved

2 small yellow squash, sliced and halved

1/3 cup finely shredded parmesan

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Instructions:

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Season chicken with salt and pepper, 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, onion powder, and lemon zest then toss to coat.  Melt butter in pan with olive oil then add chicken and cook 3 minutes, turn and saute the other side until chicken has cooked through, another 3 minutes.  Transfer to a plate and tent with foil to keep warm.

Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon butter in the same skillet.  Add zucchini and squash, season with salt, 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, and 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder.  Cook, tossing occasionally until just tender, about 4 minutes.

Return chicken to the pan with zucchini and squash.  Drizzle in lemon juice and toss.  Sprinkle with parmesan.  

Serve warm with more parmesan, if desired.  I serve mine over orzo pasta!

Chicken Lettuce Wraps

 An easy meal to make on Sunday and have leftovers during the week.

2 teaspoons vegetable oil

1 pound ground chicken

5 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stems discarded, caps finely diced

8-ounce can of water chestnuts, drained and finely diced

1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 teaspoon minced ginger

salt and pepper to taste

5 tablespoons hoisin sauce

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

2 teaspoons sesame oil

1 head Butter lettuce, leaves separated

Instructions:

Heat the oil in a large pan over medium-high heat.  Add the chicken and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Cook the chicken for 5-6 minutes, breaking up the meat with a spatula, until mostly cooked through.  

Add the mushrooms and onion to the pan.  Cook for 4-5 minutes or until vegetables are soft.

Stir in the water chestnuts, garlic, and ginger.  Cook for 1 more minute.

In a small bowl, whisk together the hoisin sauce, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and sesame oil.

Pour the sauce over the ground chicken mixture and toss to coat evenly.  

Spoon the chicken mixture into the lettuce leaves and serve.