Creamy Avocado Lime Salmon

I made this recipe today for my husband and my son.  My son told me this was the best thing I have ever made. My husband was also impressed with this meal. The recipe came to me from a recipe board newsletter. The recipe board is called Delish. I'm telling you that their recipes really are delish!

Creamy Avocado Lime Salmon

By Sally McKenney

·         

Total Time: 0:30

Prep: 0:10

Level: Easy

Serves: 4

Ingredients

For the Salmon

·        4 salmon fillets, skins removed (about 2 lbs. total)

·        2 tbsp. sesame oil

·        1 tbsp. honey

·        2 cloves garlic, minced

·        1/2 tsp. chili powder

·        1/4 tsp. kosher salt

·        1/4 tsp. Freshly ground black pepper

·        1/4 c. sesame seeds

For The Sauce

·        1 avocado, diced

·        Juice of 1 lime

·        2 tbsp. fresh cilantro

·        1 tbsp. Greek yogurt

·        1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

·        kosher salt

Directions

1.     Preheat oven to 375º. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil or a silicone baking mat. Set aside.

2.     Rinse salmon and pat dry, then place on baking sheet. In a small bowl, combine sesame oil, honey, garlic, chili powder, salt, and pepper. Rub salmon with mixture, then spread 1 tablespoon sesame seeds over each fillet.

3.     Bake salmon 15 to 20 minutes, depending on thickness (about 10 minutes per 1" thickness, measured from the thickest part of the fillet). For crispier edges, broil the last 3 minutes.

4.     Meanwhile, make the sauce: Place all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until smooth. Taste and add salt as desired.

5.     Remove cooked salmon from oven and serve with avocado sauce.

Coconut Flour Cake

This is a recipe that I found on the Nourished Kitchen website.  I made a few changes to the recipe to accommodate the tastes of my family and, in some cases, because I did not have a particular ingredient. My changes are in red. The results were excellent. I served this cake to my extended family at a get-together for my son's last day before he returned to college after spring break. It was a resounding success! 

I would suggest reducing the baking time by about 5 minutes because the bottom got a little over-cooked and really stuck to the baking pans. I had to resort to freezing the cakes and, basically, scraping them out of the pans.

Coconut Flour Cake

Prep time:  20 mins

Cook time:  45 mins
Total time:  1 hour 5 mins
Serves: 1 cake, about 8 servings

Dense, moist, and rich with coconut flavor, coconut flour cake is a remarkable treat. While both its texture and flavor is reminiscent of classic yellow cake, it's considerably more nourishing thanks to the nutrient profile of both coconut flour and fresh pastured eggs. We serve coconut flour cake for birthdays and special occasions.

Ingredients:

For the Cake:

• 12 eggs
• 2 cups coconut milk
• up to ¾ cup honey (I used 1/2 cup honey)
• 2 tsp vanilla extract (I used 3 tsp vanilla extract)
• ½ tsp coconut extract (I did not use this)
• ½ tsp orange extract (I did not use this)
• 2 cups coconut flour
• ½ tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking soda (added by me)
• 1 Tbsp. Coconut Palm Sugar
• ¼ tsp unrefined sea salt
• coconut oil, for greasing the pan

For the Frosting:

• 2 cups coconut spread (I used 2 cups butter)
• ½ cup virgin coconut oil
• up to ⅓ cup honey
• 1 tsp vanilla extract (used 2 tsp vanilla extract)
• 1 tsp coconut extract (I did not use this)

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Beat a dozen eggs, two cups coconut milk and up to three-quarters of a cup of honey together with vanilla, coconut and orange extracts until smooth, creamy and uniform in both color and texture.
3. Dump two cups coconut flour, a half-teaspoon baking soda and a quarter teaspoon unrefined sea salt into the mixture of eggs, honey and extracts, and continue to beat until a smooth batter forms.
4. Grease and flour two eight-inch cake tins. (Make sure you grease pans very well.)
5. Pour, or spoon, the cake batter into the greased and floured tins, shaking them to even out the batter and smoothing it with the back of a spoon or with a rubber spatula.
6. Bake in an oven preheated to 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 35-40 minutes, or until the cake separates from the sides of the tin and a toothpick inserted into the cake's center comes out clean.
7. Allow the cake to cool completely before removing from the tin and frosting with the coconut frosting below.
8. Beat all ingredients for the frosting together until thoroughly combined.
9. Refrigerate the frosting for five to ten minutes so that it stiffens a bit.
10. Remove from the refrigerator, beat for about one minute.
11. Frost your cake.

Recipe by Nourished Kitchen at http://nourishedkitchen.com/coconut-flour-cake/

Spinach Soup

This is a recipe courtesy of Ree Drummond (Pioneer Woman). I found it on the Food Network website. I searched for it because I had made spinach and there was a lot of it left over. I correctly assumed that my guys would eat more Spinach Soup than they would eat of just plain spinach.  This soup is excellent. Try it, you'll like it!

Spinach Soup

2 tbsps. olive oil
10 oz. fresh spinach
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/2 medium onion, chopped
4 tbsps. (1/2 stick) butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups whole milk
2 tsps. kosher salt, or more to taste
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (original recipe calls for 1/2 tsp. but it was too much for me)
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the spinach and garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until the spinach is wilted, 2 to 3 minutes.

Add the mixture to a blender or food processor, pour in 1/4 cup hot water and pulse until pureed. Set aside.

In a large soup pot, cook the onions in the butter over medium heat until the onions begin to soften. Sprinkle the flour over the top and stir to combine. Cook for about 2 minutes, then pour in the milk, stirring occasionally. Add the salt, cayenne and some black pepper and stir to combine. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Pour in the pureed spinach, then cook until thickened, another 3 to 5 minutes.

Check the seasonings, adding more salt, black pepper or cayenne as needed. Serve warm.

Thanks Ree Drummond!

Slow Cooker Brussels Sprouts

This is a recipe for Brussels sprouts that I made on Christmas Eve. Everyone in the family loved these sprouts except my son. He didn't like the fact that the sprouts were sweet. He really isn't supposed to eat any seeds so I left out the sesame seeds. I will make this recipe when he is not home.

Slow Cooker Brussels Sprouts

2 (12 oz) packages of Brussels sprouts, halved
2 tbsps. honey
2 tbsp. Thai sweet chili sauce
1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp. low-sodium teriyaki sauce
1 tbsp. sesame seeds

STEP 1 Set the Brussels sprouts in a large plastic container or resealable bag. Drizzle with honey, close container and shake to coat. Add the Thai sweet chili sauce and shake again. Finally, add apple cider vinegar and teriyaki sauce and shake until Brussels sprouts are completely coated.

STEP 2 Set coated Brussels sprouts in the bowl of a slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 3 hours, or until fully cooked. Use a slotted spoon to transfer cooked Brussels sprouts to a mixing bowl, reserving the liquid at the bottom of the slow cooker.

STEP 3 Set reserved cooking liquid in a small sauce pan and reduce over medium high heat, until a thick syrup forms. Stir frequently and take care not to scorch the sauce. When sauce is thickened, drizzle over the cooked Brussels sprouts, toss with sesame seeds, and serve.