Whitefish with Olive-Almond Relish

Beware! It’s about to get healthy!

Eating lighter is the thing to do for spring. I love fish, and this recipe follows my “fresh and easy” motto. I also love olives, and almonds so this dish couldn’t have sounded any yummier! The original recipe called for striped bass, cod, or halibut, but either those types of fish were unavailable at my local grocery store, or it they were too expensive. I used tilapia as my whitefish and it was so delicious! The olive and almond “relish” is to die for! Next time I am making double the relish so I can eat it with other things! It is a must try spring addition to your weekly meals!

5 minute meal alert!!!

Whitefish with Olive and Almond Relish

Ingredients

1 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
1/2 cup large pimiento-stuffed olives (about 12)
1/4 cup unsalted roasted almonds
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
4 tablespoons olive oil
4 6-ounce pieces striped bass, cod, or halibut fillet (I used tilapia)
Kosher salt and black pepper

Directions

In a food processor fitted with the metal blade, place the parsley, olives, almonds, lemon juice and zest, and 2 tablespoons of the oil. Pulse until the mixture is coarsely chopped, 3 to 4 times.

Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Season the fish with ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper and cook until golden brown and opaque throughout, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Serve with the olive relish.

**Tip**
To make sure your fish doesn’t stick to the pan when cooking it, make sure there is enough olive oil to coat the pan before dropping in your fish. Feel free to add more oil if you feel the fish sticking.

Recipe source: http://www.yumsugar.com/Fast-Easy-Recipe-Striped-Bass-Olive-Almond-Relish-10917475

Chicken Paillard

There is so much you can do with chicken. This recipe is a great, fresh, clean chicken recipe that I will definitely make over and over again.

Chicken Paillard

Ingredients

• 4 Chicken Breast Halves (pounded to 1/2-inch thickness)
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Salt
• Freshly Cracked Black Pepper
• 2 tablespoons Hazelnuts (finely ground)
• 2 tablespoons Dijon Mustard
• 3 Carrots (peeled and julienned-I used baby carrots so I just used a mandolin to slice them thin)
• 1/4 cup Sliced Olives
• 1/2 bunch Fresh Parsley (chopped)
• 1/2 Orange (zest and juice)
• 1 tablespoon Red Wine Vinegar

Directions

Preheat large cast iron pan or non-skillet over medium-high. Season chicken liberally with salt and pepper on both sides. Brush one side of the chicken breasts with dijon mustard. Dredge the chicken with hazelnuts. Drizzle the pan with a tablespoon of olive oil. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes then flip and continue cooking for 2 more minutes or until golden and cooked through. Remove from pan and cook remaining chicken. Set cooked chicken on a plate and tent with foil until ready to serve.

In a large bowl, combine the remaining ingredients and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Serve warm chicken topped with carrot slaw.

Tip: Coating the chicken with crushed hazelnuts is a great alternative to breading, and is also gluten free.

Recipe source: http://abc.go.com/shows/the-chew/recipes/Chicken-Paillard-Daphne-Oz

Brussels Sprout Salad

I LOVE brussels sprouts! This salad just became my most favorite salad ever. It is so easy to prepare and is a different twist on a plain green salad. I am pretty sure I turned my husband on to the beauty of brussels sprouts after this salad.

Best.Salad.Ever. Oh, and it’s a Giada recipe 🙂

Brussels Sprout Salad

Ingredients

Dressing:
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup freshly lemon juice (from 1 large lemon)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Salad:
1 1/2 pounds Brussels sprouts
2 cups baby arugula
1 head Belgian endive, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted* see Tips
1/3 cup grated Pecorino Romano

Directions

Dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil and lemon juice until combined. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Salad: Using a small paring knife, remove the outer leaves from the Brussels sprouts. (See tips for another use for the cores). Bring a large pot of water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the Brussels sprout leaves and cook for 1 minute. Drain and put in a bowl of iced water, then transfer to a colander to drain. Put the Brussels sprout leaves, arugula, endive, and almonds into a large salad bowl. Add the dressing and toss together. Sprinkle with the cheese and serve.

Tips:
*To toast the almonds, arrange them in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake in a preheated 350 degree F oven until lightly toasted, about 6 to 8 minutes. Cool completely before using.
*The unused core of the Brussels sprouts can be used in soups and stir-fries.

Recipe source: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/brussels-sprout-leaf-salad-recipe.html

Egg Avocado Toast

This recipe combines my love of avocados with my favorite breakfast go-to, eggs. I started making this as something cool I stumbled upon online, and it soon became my morning staple on the days I workout (aka the days I am up early).

What I love about this toast is that it takes minutes to make and is so healthy for you! I usually eat this before a workout so only 1 piece of toast works for me. You can easily eat this as a sandwich and add another piece of toast on top, or make 2 open face sandwiches.

Egg Avocado Toast

Ingredients

1 piece of sliced bread (any kind you like)
1 egg
1/2-1 avocado (I usually use 1/2 per slice of bread)
1 tsp butter or oil
Kosher salt

Directions

1. Toast your bread
2. Spread on your avocado
3. Add salt
4. Cook your egg and add it on top

Place your bread in the toaster oven (or however you like to toast your bread). Toast bread to your liking.

Heat a small pan with olive oil or butter and wait until the butter melts and starts to sizzle. Crack your egg into the pan to fry it. Flip the egg once the sides get a little brown and the white part starts to solidify. Cook the egg to your liking.

Meanwhile, slice open your avocado and take out the pit if that’s the half you choose to use. I usually choose the “un-pitted” half first, and drizzle the half with the pit with lime juice, wrap it tightly in tin foil, and put it in the fridge to use for the next day.

**Avocado tip: The easiest way to get the avocado flesh out of the skin is to run a knife horizontally through the flesh until your knife hits the skin (do not pierce the skin). Create these slits throughout the whole half making parallel horizontal cuts. (You can run your knife the opposite way making your way down the avocado creating squares and it comes out even easier). Then take your knife and run it along the outside of the flesh where the flesh meets the skin. Run your knife all the way around and under the flesh and the pieces you just cut should fall out easily. **

Once your bread is toasted place it on a plate, and add your cut avocado on top of the bread. Mash the avocado into the bread creating more of a spread than pieces of avocado. Sprinkle kosher salt on top of the avocado (trust me this makes a HUGE difference! Salt on avocado and salt on eggs is a necessity to greatness!). Once your egg is cooked to your liking place it on top of the avocado, and vuala!

Recipe source: http://thecornerkitchenblog.com/avocado-toast/

Being Shop Conscious

Today’s post isn’t a recipe but rather a tip from yours truly. I was watching “The Chew” today (as I do most days), and they were talking about the fact that most people waste money by wasting food. Me, being as organized as I am, do not like to waste food. In fact I would like to share a few tips with you on how I shop smart so I do not throw away money and essentially save money by doing so.

Food waste

1. Do not impulse buy. Or for me, do not go shopping with your husband. 
Shopping with my husband ends up in a lot of impulse buys. Impulse buys can be considered as items on sale or items that just look tasty the moment you see them. I do most of the cooking at our house so I know what we have, what we need, and what we won’t eat. I like to go into the grocery store, and leave just with what I know I need.

2. Stick to your grocery list. 
Shopping for some individuals can be stressful and most dread the grocery store. My advice is to plan out your meals for the week and put together a list of ingredients you need at the store. Therefore when you go to the grocery store you simply go in, buy the things on your list, and leave.

3. Prepare meals according to what you have.
When preparing meals, its best to see what you already have stocked in your fridge or pantry and base your meals off of that. Also do not choose recipes with random, weird ingredients you may never use again. If you end up buying those random ingredients just for a pinch of it you will end up throwing it away before it can all get used. You want recipes that involve ingredients you are familiar with and know that can be used in future recipes. However, if you are going to buy those random ingredients because that recipe just looks too good to pass up, go to a grocery store where you can buy just as much as you need of it.

4. Be bulk-shop smart.
Shopping in bulk definitely saves you money, but if you do not end up using the things you buy in bulk you could technically end up “throwing money away.” Shop for things you know you eat often enough to use, or shop for things that will expire in a long enough period of time that you will be able to use it before it goes bad. My bulk purchases usually consist of toilette paper, paper towels, almond milk, and coconut water. I drink coconut water every day and they have a long shelf life so none of it is ever wasted. The same goes with almond milk. Also both the almond milk and coconut water do not need to be refrigerated until opened so I can leave room in my fridge for the things that actually need it.

Tips for saving your produce
Produce is usually the first to turn vile, so here are a couple tips to use your produce before it goes bad:

1. Use unused vegetables to make a stock or soup. You can also used vegetables to make a stir fry, or a rice or quinoa dish with roasted veggies. (I am conspiring a recipe to come soon!)

2. Use unused fruit to make smoothies, or juices. Smoothies are a healthy, great way for someone on-the-go. You can also use the pulp from the juicer and bake it for a dried fruit snack.