Crispy Skin Salmon w/Fiery Asian Slaw

by Irene Lindvall


I think this is the fastest I've ever made a really good meal. The salmon takes seven and a half minutes to cook, and I made the slaw while the salmon was cooking. I purchase pre-chopped carrots and cabbage so all I had to do was combine everything. The dressing tasted great and I could definitely see using it for another dish. I initially forgot the last step of adding orange juice to the pan and cooking for an additional 30 seconds. I had already plated everything and decided to add it back to the pan and cook it with the juice. I'm glad I did because it made the salmon taste great.

Things I learned from this recipe:

Cilantro makes everything better. I added more to the top of the slaw.

Would I make this recipe again?

Definitely

The recipe


Indonesian-Style Fried Rice

by Irene Lindvall


I feel it necessary to to start off saying that this dish is delicious! I used rice that I cooked last night and kept in the refrigerator and frozen uncooked shrimp. I forgot to cut up the shrimp into thirds, but when eating it with chopsticks it doesn't really matter. I've never cooked with molasses before or used two serrano chiles in anything, but I would gladly do it again. Please go and make this deliciousness!

Things I learned from this dish:

I wish I would've used two scallions instead of one.

One lime wedge per person is not enough.

Cilantro probably would've been a good garnish.

Would I make this dish again?

Absolutely

The recipe:

Since this is another America's Test Kitchen Cooking for Two recipe it is not available online without paying for it. I feel it necessary to post the recipe in it's entirety because it's that good. I hope to not get in trouble for doing it!

2 shallots, peeled

2 green or red Thai chiles, stemmed (I used two serranos. two medium jalapeños is ok too)

2 garlic cloves, peeled

1 tbs packed dark brown sugar

1 tbs molasses

1 tbs soy sauce

1 tbs fish sauce

salt

2 large eggs

2 tbs vegetable oil

6 ounces extra-large shrimp (21-25 per pound), peeled, deveined, tails removed and cut into thirds

3 cups cooked white rice, chilled

1 scallion, sliced thin

lime wedges

1. Pulse shallots, chiles, and garlic in food processor until coarse paste forms, about 20 pulses, scraping down bowl as needed. Transfer mixture to small bowl and set aside. In second small bowl, stir together sugar, molasses, soy sauce, fish sauce, and 1/4 tsp salt. Whisk eggs and pinch salt together in medium bowl.

2. Heat 1-1/2 teaspoons oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat util shimmering. Add eggs and gently tilt skillet to evenly coat bottom. Cover and cook until bottom of omelet is spotty golden brown and top is just set, about 1-1/2 minutes. Slide omelet onto cutting board and gently roll up into tight log. Using sharp knife, cut log crosswise into 1-inch segments, leaving segments rolled.

3. Heat remaining 1-1/2 tbs oil in now-empty skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add chile mixture and cook until mixture turns golden, 3 to 5 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high, add shrimp, and cook, stirring constantly, until exterior of shrimp is just opaque, about 2 minutes.

4. Push shrimp to sides of skillet to clear center; stir molasses mixture to recombine and pour into center of skillet. When molasses mixture bubbles, add rice and cook, stirring and folding constantly, until shrimp is cooked, rice is heated through, and mixture is evenly coated, about 3 minutes. Off heat, stir in scallion and transfer fried rice to individual plates. Garnish with egg segments and lime wedges. Serve immediately. 

 


Pan-Seared Shrimp w/Ginger-Hoisin Glaze

by Irene Lindvall


I think I probably could've named my blog "Must Love Shrimp" because we seem to be eating a lot of it recently. I will be the master at peeling, deveining and butterflying them in no time. Tonight's recipe also comes from the 2012 edition of the Cooking for Two magazine that was put out by Cook's Illustrated and America's Test Kitchen. I'm really enjoying these recipes and I really like that they're made for two. While Eric is not a fan of leftovers (have I mentioned that one before?) I prefer recipes that are designed for two because it takes the guess work out of measuring and I like knowing that in the end it will be the perfect amount of food. I really like the ginger-hoisin sauce on the shrimp, and while the photo isn't the most appealing (mostly because the onions look like shrimp guts to me now) the taste was great.

Things I learned from this recipe:

I wish that shallots were available here. 

I also just realized I mis-read scallions as shallots in this recipe so I used a Walla Walla onion instead of a green onion for the glaze. The irony of that is I went looking through my vegetable drawer to see if I had green onions to use as a topper because I thought the dish lacked color.

Would I make this recipe again?

Yes

The recipe


Two Recipe Day

by Irene Lindvall


Breakfast - Raspberry Peach Smoothie

I had meant to make this smoothie last Thursday before leaving for Louisiana, but at 3:30am it just wasn't happening. I have been wondering if there is a fine art to smoothies and am welcoming specific recipes of them. I liked the idea of a raspberry/peach combo and really liked the addition of vanilla extract in this recipe (I left out the extra Splenda).

 

Things I learned from this recipe:

Vanilla extract in a smoothie is a very interesting addition. 

Would I make this recipe again?:

Yes. Probably tomorrow.

The recipe

Lunch - Italian Bread Salad (Panzanella)

I had half a baguette leftover from dinner last night and thought this recipe would be perfect, and it definitely was. I saw a variation online where the person added mozzarella cheese. I could definitely see doing that. I liked the red wine vinegar and the freshness of the dish a lot. I wished the bread was slightly less cooked, but it didn't matter much. 

Things I learned from this recipe:

I would really like for it to be summer so I could get fresh tomatoes and mozzarella from the Farmer's Market.

Would I make this recipe again:

Definitely

The recipes:

This one is similar to what I made or this blog uses the recipe from Cooks Illustrated which is almost identical to the one I made. 


Greek-Style Shrimp w/Tomatoes and Feta

by Irene Lindvall


I spent the last four days soaking up the sun and cuisine (beignets & Po'Boys) of New Orleans, Louisiana! What better way to celebrate a mini-vacation than to cook-up some Gulf shrimp for my first meal back. This recipe comes from the Cooking For Two 2012 magazine. I learned a ton from this recipe - like what ozuo is and that vodka makes a fine substitute, and that shrimp have two veins (see notes below). This dish is quite tasty (Eric thought it was spicy) and of course I took the advice of the recipe and served it with crusty bread.

Things I learned from this recipe:

I have been deveining shrimp wrong. I have been deveining the underside which is the nerve and not the top which is the intestines. I read a recipe today while planning meals for the week and noticed they were cutting along the top of the shrimp. I decided to try it tonight and much to my surprise there was the vein, along with a lot of other gross stuff. There are a lot of people who do and a lot who don't devein. I'm going to choose to devein even though I know I haven't been doing it correctly and have eaten all of that "stuff" in the past.

Would I make this recipe again:

Yes

The recipe