Grilled Salmon with Lentil Tabouli

I came across this recipe in a Runner's World magazine and it sounded like the perfect way to make use of the last cup of green lentils that have been in my pantry since I made lentil soup ages ago.

To get started put a cup of green lentils in a pot with three cups of water over medium high heat.

While you wait on the lentils, chop half a cucumber, some parsley, green onions, garlic, and tomatoes.

Set those aside, and make the dressing by adding lemon juice and salt to some olive oil and whisking it all together.

Mix all the chopped vegetables together in a large bowl and toss with some dressing.

Get the salmon out and rub it with some salt and lemon juice.  Rinse it off, and coat with a little bit of olive oil before throwing it on the grill.  Grill on each side for six to seven minutes.

While waiting on the salmon the lentils will have finished cooking (about 15 minutes), drain them and rinse with warm water.

Toss them with the rest of the vegetables, and add more dressing to desired amount.  When I made it, I put all the prepared dressing in, and it was too much for my liking.  I would suggest using half to three fourths and saving the rest to use as salad dressing, as it was absolutely delicious.

When the salmon is finished grilling serve it over some tabouli and enjoy.

Since I am the only one in the family who really seems to like lentils, substituting quinoa or rice will be what I try next time.

Grilled Salmon with Lentil Tabouli

Prep Time:  20 minutes  Cook Time:  15 minutes  Servings:  6

Ingredients

1 cup green lentils
3 cups water
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
½ cup lemon juice (juice from about 3 large lemons)
1 small clove of garlic, chopped
4 green onions, thinly sliced
1 cup fresh parsley, chopped roughly
½ seedless cucumber, diced
½ pint grape tomatoes, quartered
2 teaspoons of salt
1½ pounds of salmon cut into six pieces
1 lemon, juiced
1 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons olive oil

Preparation

Place lentils and water in a small pot.  Cover and bring to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer and cook, covered for 15 minutes.  

In a bowl, toss together olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, scallions parsley, cucumber, tomatoes, and salt.  When the lentils are finish, drain, rinse with warm water, add to bowl, and toss.

Wash fish with lemon juice and salt, rinse under cold water;  dry with a paper towel.  Coat with two teaspoons of oil and cut into six pieces.  Oil a grill and place salmon on heated grill.  Cook for six to eight minutes per side (until fish flakes easily with a fork).  Serve over tabouli. 

Chick Pea Salad in a Creamy Garlic and Herb Dressing

This recipe is a result of one of those what-can-I-throw-together-for-lunch-today experiments.

Start by chopping half a cucumber with the seeds removed, a quarter of a red pepper, a quarter of a green pepper, a fourth of a red onion, about a cup of shredded carrots, a half cup of feta, and a can of drained chick peas.

 Mix them all together.

This right here is beautiful.  You could just stop here and top with some olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.  I however, was on a mission to use up some small quantity items in the fridge.  Okay, so some of the herbs came from the garden.  For example, a tablespoon of fresh Greek oregano, about a teaspoon of mint, and from the fridge, some parsley.

Chop the herbs and set aside.

In a small bowl put a cup of fat free Greek yogurt.

Squeeze in the juice from one lemon.  This little strainer is perfect for catching seeds.

Now toss in the chopped herbs and mix.

Sprinkle in garlic powder to taste.  I used about a half a teaspoon.  Pour the creamy, garlic, herb dressing over the chick pea mixture and stir.

This was delicious, however there was slightly more dressing than I normally like.  In the future I willt use only half of the dressing over the salad, and save the other half for dipping vegetables for a snack.

Chick Pea Salad in a Creamy Garlic and Herb Dressing

Prep Time:  15 minutes  Cook Time:  0 minutes  Servings:  4

Ingredients

1 (15 oz.) can of chick peas, drained
½ of a cucumber, seeds removed and chopped
¼ of a red bell pepper, chopped
¼ of a green bell pepper, chopped
¼ of a red onion, chopped
1 cup carrots, shredded
½ cup feta cheese
1 cup fat free plain Greek yogurt
juice from one lemon
1 tablespoon fresh Greek oregano
1 tablespoon fresh parsley
1 teaspoon fresh mint
garlic powder to taste, about a half teaspoon
salt and pepper to taste if desired

Directions

Mix together in a medium bowl the chick peas, cucumber, peppers, onion, carrots, and cheese.  In a separate bowl combine the remaining ingredients to make a dressing.  Pour as much dressing onto the salad as desired.  Enjoy.

Turkey Pesto Wrap Recipe

This is a new recipe that was fabulous.  It is perfect for those hot summer nights when heating up the kitchen is impractical, or on a busy week day night.  They can be made the day before, and would be an excellent lunch item.

All you need to get started are a few items:  whole grain tortillas, pesto, fresh baby spinach, shredded cheddar cheese, turkey breast, and tomato.

Spoon some pesto into the middle of a tortilla, and spread out evenly.

Next place a layer of baby spinach on top.

Sprinkle on some cheese.

Layer on some turkey.

Add some tomato.

And start rolling.

I discovered placing the tomatoes a bit closer to the bottom of the tortilla and pulling them down as I rolled, helped it roll more evenly.

Slice in half, and serve with asparagus.  If you are feeling less veggie, tortilla chips and salsa would make an excellent side for this wrap, too.

Each wrap contains just 332 calories!  It seemed as if the cheese did not add much to the flavor to this wrap and could be omitted for less fat and calories.  If calories are not much of a concern, mozzarella or parmesan might be a better flavor option with the pesto.  Although one wrap with the asparagus and a glass of Pino Grigio was a satisfying meal for me, my husband required two wraps.

Prep Time:  10 minutes  Cooke Time:  0 minutes  Servings:  6 wraps

Ingredients

6 Mission Mutli-Grain Plus Flour Tortillas
6 tablespoons of Classico Pesto Sauce
1 cup fresh baby spinach
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
12 slices of turkey
1 tomato, sliced thinly into 12 pieces

Preparation

Evenly spread the pesto onto a tortilla.  Layer the ingredients in the order listed, placing the tomatoes near the bottom of the tortilla.  Starting at the bottom, roll the tortilla up tightly.  Slice and serve.  Asparagus compliments this wrap as would chips and salsa.  Enjoy.

Menu Planning Monday, Week of 7/19/2019

Monday:  Dinner Out
Tuesday:  BBQ Chicken Breast with corn on the cob and cole slaw
Wednesday:  Turkey Pesto Wraps with Asparagus
Thursday:  Hot Dogs with cole slaw
Friday:  Tacos with Margaritas
Saturday:  Grilled Salmon with Lentil Tabouli
Sunday:  Left over buffet

The Turkey Pesto Wraps and Grilled Salmon with Lentil Tabouli are new recipes.  If they are good, the recipes will be posted.  Hope you have a great week.

Slap-Your-Momma Grilled Chicken Burritos

This recipe was suggested to me recently, however it came with a warning:  these burritos are so good they will make you want to slap your momma.  Fortunately for my mom, she lives 500 miles away because these burritos live up to the reputation.

To get started line up your actors:

Pictured above is a lemon, sour  cream, mexicorn, spicy brown mustard, black beans, an onion, cilantro, shredded cheddar cheese, tortillas, and some cooking spray.

Now it is time to discuss chicken.  I frequently have cooked chicken in my refrigerator that I make in the crock pot, however this day, I did not.  So, I took some frozen, boneless, skinless chicken breast and cooked them in boiling water over low heat for about an hour. 

A rotisserie chicken would work, as would any cooked chopped chicken breast.  I like the slow cook methods of crock pot, or poaching because it makes the chicken easy to shred.

I like shredded chicken for burritos.

Okay, so enough about chicken, because it is possibly the least interesting part of this burrito.  Lets move onto the creamy cilantro dressing.  In a small bowl mix some sour cream, mustard, lemon juice, onion, and cilantro. What happens in this bowl is nothing less than real world magic.

Next, open and rinse the beans and corn.  For those of you with small kids, or kitchen elves as I like to call them, these are things that they can help with.  As proof, here are my elves:  one mixing the cilantro dressing, the other mixing beans and corn.

Okay, so maybe elf #2  was playing with a nectarine, but we were having a lot of fun making these burritos.

Back to the burritos!

So far, we have a bowl of delicious, creamy cilantro dressing, and bowl of beans and corn.  Grab some  shredded chicken, cheddar cheese, and tortillas.

Mix everything but the tortillas together in one bowl, and get ready to roll some burritos.

Rolling the burritos turned out to be a bit more challenging than I had expected.  I think this has something to do with the tortillas I used.  They were a whole grain tortilla, that was prone to cracking.  Although whole grain tortillas are the more healthy option, a flour tortilla would likely function better.  Start by placing a small amount of filling just below the center of the tortilla.

Flip the bottom half over, pulling the filling towards you, while folding in the sides.

Continue to roll the burrito the rest of the way.

Once all the burritos have been rolled, spray them with some cooking spray, and heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat.  Grill the burritos in batches, pressing down on them, for a few minutes on each sided until the inside becomes warm and melted, and the outside is brown and crunchy.

Top with some salsa and guacamole, and serve with some tortilla chips to make a beautiful, delicious meal.

Fortunately I had been fore warned about the effects these burritos could have on one's family, so I came to the table equipped with a helmet. No mommas were harmed in the consumption of this meal.

Here is the recipe as it was given to me.  Since I was using items already in the house, I used a light sour cream, and regular shredded cheddar.

Skillet-Grilled Mexican Burritos

 

Prep Time:  15 minutes Cook Time:  20 minutes  Servings: 8 to 10 burritos

 

CREAMY CILANTRO SAUCE

2 tsp. Dijon or Spicy Mustard

1 tsp. Lemon Juice

2 tsp. Chopped Onion

1/4 cup Cilantro leaves

1 cup Fat Free Sour Cream

 

Mix all ingredients in a bowl, and stir thoroughly.  Sit aside.

 

SKILLET-GRILLED BURRITOS

2 cups chopped cooked Chicken Breasts

1 (15 oz) can Black Beans, rinsed and drained (low sodium)

1 (11 oz) can Mexicorn

1 cup of grated fat free cheddar cheese

8 (8 inch) soft taco-size whole wheat tortillas, warmed

Vegetable Cooking Spray

 

Put all ingredients in a large bowl and add Creamy Cilantro Sauce.  Stir until thoroughly mixed.

 

Spread 3/4 cup of mixture just below the center of each tortilla.  Fold opposite sides of tortilla over filling, and roll up.  Coat burritos with cooking spray.

 

Coat a hot griddle or nonstick skillet with cooking spray.  Cook burritos in batches over medium heat, pressing gently with a spatula, 3 to 4 minutes on each side or until golden brown and cheese is melted. 

 

Salsa and Chips are a nice side serving, if desired.

Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

Sweet potatoes are a favorite of mine.  Every time I find a new way to eat them, I get all sorts of excited.  Lately I have had a mild obsession with eating stuffed sweet potatoes for lunch.  It is fast, delicious, and one of those meals that knock out your veggie requirement for the day.

To start, get a medium sized (about 5 inches) sweet potato.  Wash, dry, and poke it with a fork.

Microwave on high for 5 minutes, or until the sweet potato is soft through out.  While waiting on the microwave, mix some black beans, corn, and salsa in a bowl.  I have been known to throw some peas, chicken, or rice into the mix, too.  Honestly it all depends on what is in the fridge on any given afternoon.

Part of what keeps the obsession with this meal going is the chipotle salsa.  I could eat this stuff all day long.  I'm choosy about the brand, but it is absolutely delicious.

Once everything is mixed, slice open the sweet potato, and mash down the inside with a fork.

Stuff as much stuffing into the potato as it will hold, and top with a dollop of guacamole or sour cream and enjoy.

Second to how delicious this is, is the fact that the entire meal is less than 300 calories!

Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

Prep Time: 5 minutes  Cooke Time:  10 minutes  Servings: 1  Calories per Serving: 289

Ingredients

1 medium sweet potatoes 
¼ cup black beans
¼ cup corn
¼ cup salsa
1 tablespoon guacamole

Directions

Wash and dry the sweet potato, then poke several times with a fork.  Microwave on high for 5 minutes until the potato becomes soft through out.

While potato cooks  mix the black beans, corn, and salsa in a small bowl.

Cut open the cooked potato and mash the insides down with a fork.  Fill with the bean mix, and top with guacamole.