Grilled Steak, Yellow Cheddar Squash Casserole & Easy Coleslaw

This evening I decided to take a chance and grill steak in between forecasted rainstorms and I lucked out! I planned to grill them last night but the weather didn't cooperate. I also made a half-recipe of my Yellow Cheddar Squash Casserole. I cooked it in a quiche dish that is about 1-inch deep. It turned out great and only took about 25 minutes to cook since it was so shallow. I sautéed some red peppers and Vidalia onions to go with my steak and also made my Easy Coleslaw. It was an easy meal to put together and a perfect Sunday summer meal. I snapped a few photos below. The recipes for my squash casserole and coleslaw can be found by clicking the bolded name of the dish in this paragraph above.

       

Pesto Roasted Wild Sockeye Salmon w/ Cauli-Mash & Roasted Brussels Sprouts

This evening I made one of my favorite meals because each of the 3 items I prepared are my faves (Pesto Roasted Salmon, Cauliflower Mash, and Roasted Brussels Sprouts). I picked up a couple of large wild sockeye salmon fillets at Costco this weekend ($9.99/lb). Each was a little over 1-1/2 lbs. I cut one fillet up into portions, wrapped them and froze. The other one I prepared and roasted as a large fillet that I coated first with pesto. I usually use Mezzetta's pesto that comes in a small jar, but Costco had a large jar of their fresh pesto on sale so I decided to pick up a jar to try. It was really good and I would definitely purchase it again. Now, to be honest, I have never really been a big pesto fan. I find the taste to be too intense most of the time, but when you baste the salmon with it before roasting, the pesto cooks and goes from brilliant green to a more muted color and a delicate milder flavor. I do think that the pesto in its fresh state would overpower the mild salmon flavor but it mellows out perfectly when roasted atop the salmon. I typically roast smaller individual portions of salmon for 12 minutes but since I roasted the large fillet intact, I added 3 minutes for a total of 15 minutes which was perfect. You simply brush the salmon fillet with pesto (as much or as little as you like), place it on a foil covered sheet pan and into a preheated 450 degree oven that you immediately reduce to 425 degrees after placing the salmon inside. I roasted it at 425 degrees for 15 minutes, removed it from the oven and then immediately covered it with heavy duty foil and allowed it to sit for 5 to 10 minutes. It turned out tender, moist and so delicately flavored by the pesto that roasted along with the fillet.

I roasted quartered brussels sprouts tossed with olive oil, salt and pepper on another sheet pan at the same time and they were done at about the same time. I had a large head of fresh cauliflower that I cut up into florets and cooked in 1 cup of water with about 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon salt. I cooked it until tender and then uncovered the pan and turned up the heat and cooked until all the water evaporated. I then added a couple tablespoons half-and-half, 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 to 3 ounces of brick style cream cheese and then pureed it with my immersion stick blender in the pan. I absolutely love my stick blender for things like this. I seasoned the mashed cauliflower with salt and pepper to taste. Hubby couldn't stop oohing and awing over how delicious tonight's meal was. It was so good to cook again. Our a/c has been giving us problems over the last 2 weeks (4 service calls and 9 days without a/c in a 2 week period). That is part of the reason I haven't posted much because I haven't wanted to turn the oven on and we've had so much rain that we didn't get to grill other than maybe once I believe! I snapped a few photos our tonight's meal and included the link to the Pesto Roasted Salmon. Enjoy!

        

Grilled Summer Veggie Lasagna - Easy Low Carb

This evening I made a delicious grilled summer vegetable lasagna using the bounty of fresh zucchini, yellow summer squash and eggplant that I had on hand. I had 2 medium eggplant, about 2-1/2 pounds of a mixture of yellow squash and zucchini. The only other ingredients I used were a jar of Rao's Arrabbiata Sauce, 2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese, 1/4 cup shredded Parmigiana Reggiano cheese, olive oil and salt (to brush on the sliced veggies before grilling). I will post the actual easy recipe later this evening but wanted to get the photos up. It turned out AMAZING! I picked up the 2 eggplants at Sprouts Farmers Market a few days ago and they were only $1.00 each. I picked up a mixed bag of organic zucchini and yellow summer squash at Costco over the weekend. I always keep jars of sauce in my pantry along with olive oil and I always have shredded cheeses available in the fridge. As soon as I got home from work, I fired up our grill, washed and sliced the veggies, brushed with oil and sprinkled with salt. I grilled the veggies in 2 stages; first the eggplant and then the squash and zucchini. They only took about 7 to 8 minutes to grill until tender but not too soft they would fall apart when taking off the grill or layering. It took about 5 minutes to assemble the casserole and less than 30 minutes to bake. I let it sit for about 10-15 minutes so the cheeses would set up before cutting it. It cut into beautiful pieces. Hubby and I enjoyed it and it was the perfect meal to enjoy on the night before the official start of Summer tomorrow. Of course, we have lots leftover for us both to enjoy for several more dinners. It would make an awesome side dish to grilled marinated chicken or other meat as well. Check out the photos of the easy steps below. I'll be back later to add the actual written recipe. Enjoy!

Using your grill is a great way to help you make lasagna in the summertime

Grilled Summer Vegetable Lasagna

Ingredients:

2 medium eggplant, sliced approximately 1/2" thick (eggplant can be peeled if desired)
2-1/2 pounds zucchini and yellow summer squash, sliced lengthwise approximately 1/4" thick
1/4 - 1/3 cup olive oil (to brush eggplant and squash with)
Sea salt, to taste
1 24-ounce jar of your favorite pasta sauce (I used Rao's Homemade Arrabbiata)
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/3 cup shredded Parmigiana Reggiano (or Parmesan cheese)

Directions:

Brush both sides of eggplant, zucchini, and yellow squash with olive oil and sprinkle with salt, if desired. Grill on a 400-450 degree F grill for approximately 3 minutes per side, or just until tender (be careful not to overcook and make mushy so vegetables don't fall apart). Remove from grill to a platter.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly oil a 9" x 13" casserole dish and spread about 1/2 cup of the pasta sauce, just enough to coat bottom of dish. Layer eggplant slices on bottom, overlapping slightly. Spoon 1/2 of the remaining sauce over top of the eggplant; then scatter 1 cup of mozzarella on top. Layer zucchini and yellow squash next, overlapping slightly. Spread remaining sauce over top; scatter remaining 1 cup mozzarella on top; then scatter Parmesan cheese last. Bake uncovered at 400 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes or until hot and bubbly. If desired, run under broiler for a few minutes to brown top layer of cheese. Allow lasagna to sit about 10 minutes so cheese sets up and can be cut into neat squares.

*Note: If desired, you can increase amount of cheese. Sauce should be used sparingly to keep from adding too much liquid to the casserole since the vegetables don't absorb liquid the way regular pasta noodles do. I prefer to partially skin my eggplant by using a vegetable peeler lengthwise, removing 1 swipe every other row (it looks striped when done). I like to slice the eggplant into rounds but you can slice it lengthwise if preferred. The vegetables can also be roasted in the oven until tender, however grilling them helps dry the excess juices up making your lasagna non-watery. If preferred this can be made using all eggplant, or all zucchini or squash. You can also add a layer of cooked ground beef, if desired.

     

Pan Seared Halibut in Brown Butter & Creamed Dijon Spinach

This evening I was looking forward to preparing the remaining 3 fillets of fresh Wild Pacific Halibut. First of all, I really, REALLY love halibut; second of all, it only took 6 minutes to cook (how great is that)! I wanted to change it up a bit from last night so I kept the halibut very simply. I heated 1 to 2 tablespoons of butter in a 10-inch nonstick skillet until it just began to brown (it was deep golden). I added the 3 fillets that had been seasoned with a pinch of sea salt and few grinds of black pepper and cooked them over medium-high heat for 3 minutes, and then flipped them over and cooked for an additional 3 minutes before transferring them to a plate and covering for about 3 minutes to sit.

Before I cooked the halibut, I prepared the most delicious and easy Creamed Dijon Spinach with the pound of organic baby spinach I had in the fridge (I only cooked about 10 ounces of it). It served as both a delicious side dish to our halibut as well as an amazing creamy Dijon sauce for the fish. The best part is that it required no flour to thicken...only creamed cheese. I used the creamed spinach as a base to place the halibut atop of and then added another spoon of it over the fish, too. You'd be amazed at how great cream cheese substitutes for flour in creamy sauces. I included the easy peasy recipe for the Creamed Dijon Spinach below. Enjoy!

Creamed Dijon Spinach

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter
3 ounces brick style cream cheese
3/4 cup of half-n-half, cream or milk
Pinch of salt, to taste
Few generous grinds of black pepper, to taste
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
Dash of garlic powder
1 rounded tablespoon Dijon Mustard (add more if desired)
10 ounces of lightly sautéed baby spinach

Directions:

In a small saucepan over low heat, add butter and cream cheese to soften and melt, about 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once it has softened, whisk it together until smooth; add milk or cream, whisking to blend. Increase heat to low-medium until sauce is hot, then turn back to low. Add salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder and Dijon mustard. Whisk together over low heat and heat until hot. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired; add more milk for a thinner sauce or more mustard for a stronger mustard flavor. Stir spinach into sauce and heat through.

*Note: If desired increase amount of spinach to 16 ounces.

        

Pan Seared Wild Pacific Halibut & Oven Fried Vidalia Onion Rings

This evening I prepared the beautiful piece of wild Pacific halibut that I picked up at Costco on Saturday. I went there looking for wild Copper River Salmon but sadly, they had not received a shipment of it yet. I'm hoping they will soon! However, I was excited because they had 3 packages with single large halibut fillets. I picked up the largest 2-pound package and cut it into 6 nice sized fillets. I prepared 3 tonight (the third one is for tomorrow's lunch for me). I kept it simple and pan seared it in butter (with a bit of salt and pepper for seasoning) and fresh lemon juice near the end of cooking. You can find the easy recipe for the pan seared halibut here (it only takes about 7 minutes total, depending on thickness) ---> Pan Seared Wild Halibut.

To go along with our halibut, I made French style green beans and my Oven Fried Onion Rings made with sliced Vidalia onions. I doubled my recipe and made 2 large baking sheets of onion rings; one for tonight and I didn't brown the 2nd tray of onion rings as much so I could just pop the tray of them in the oven to heat to go with tomorrow's dinner. I make a seasoned "breading" using almond flour and a few spices and dip them in an egg/cream wash before coating. This evening I used buttermilk (because I had it on hand) in place of the cream or milk and it made a much thicker "egg wash" that clinged a bit better to the onion rings. They are so delicious...even hubby who isn't an onion lover will eat these. Vidalia's are a sweet onion grown in Vidalia, Georgia. It was a delicious meal and I realized how much I've missed FRESH (not frozen) wild fish. My two favorites are Copper River Salmon (King, Sockeye and Coho) and wild Alaskan and Pacific halibut. Even Spike, our Bichon loves it! He kept sneaking tastes from my plate. I've copied and pasted my recipe for the Oven Fried Onion Rings below. Enjoy!

Oven Baked Onion Rings

INGREDIENTS:

1 medium to large sweet onion, sliced into 1/4" rings (I used Vidalia)

1 or 2 eggs

3-4 Tablespoons half-n-half (or cream, buttermilk or almond milk)

1/2 cup (slightly heaped) almond flour

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon paprika (or enough to give color to the almond flour coating)

Salt, to taste

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Olive oil

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with foil (I used Reynold's non-stick foil) or you can use parchment paper; brush lightly with about 1 tablespoon of olive oil (no need to use your good Extra Virgin olive oil; I used my light "non-virgin" olive oil for this).  In a small bowl, beat egg and half and half together; season with salt and pepper to taste; add onion rings to the egg mixture, toss and let sit to soak while you make the coating/breading.

In a shallow bowl or plate, mix almond flour, salt and pepper to taste, onion powder, paprika and mix well with a whisk to remove any lumps. 

Take onion rings out, one or two at a time and place in the flour mixture, pressing and turning over with a fork until well coated on both sides.  Place on lightly oiled foil covered baking sheet in a single layer, not touching each other.  Place in oven and bake 7-8 minutes; flip and continue baking another 7-8 minutes or until golden brown and done.  Remove from oven and sprinkle with salt, if desired.

        

Burger Parmigiana over Non-Watery Zoodles

This evening I didn't have any meat thawed for dinner so I grabbed a bag of burgers that I had made several months ago, double wrapped and froze (raw). I added them to a skillet with some olive oil, covered the pan and cooked over medium heat until they thawed and cooked (it took about 15-20 minutes). I flipped them a couple times. I moved the burgers aside to a plate and added 1/2 of a diced Vidalia onion to the pan and cooked for about 5 to 7 minutes until translucent and caramelized. I returned the 3 burgers to the pan with the onions and poured a jar of Classico's Riserva Arrabbiata sauce over top of the burgers. I wanted a spicy sauce to contrast the sweetness from the Vidalia onions. I covered the pan and simmered the burgers on low for about 20 minutes. While I was cooking the burgers, I pulled out my Paderno Spiralizer and quickly made a huge pile of zoodles using 5 medium-large zucchinis. It took about 3 to 4 minutes. They are so much fresher than those you purchase pre-spiralized in the store and when you realize how quickly you can make a bunch at a fraction of the cost, it will easily justify purchasing this spiralizer. Plus, I think there is something fun about using it. It cleans up so easily by simply rinsing with water and lightly wiping with a paper towel with a drop of dish soap. Just shake it off and place on the counter or in a dish rack and allow it to dry naturally overnight. One of the things many don't like about using zoodles is they can be so watery. I found a way to take care of that by layering the raw zoodles between paper towels (lightly salting to help draw out excess liquid), rolling them up and allowing to wick out the excess liquid. I actually dedicated an entire blog post on "How to Make Non-Watery Zoodles" that you can find by clicking the bolded blog title with that name on the line above.

After the burgers simmered in the sauce, I removed the pot from the heat and topped each with a slice of Bel Gioioso fresh mozzarella cheese and topped with a pinch of dried basil and gave the cheese a few minutes to melt. After my zoodles had sat for a while (at least 30 minutes, but the longer the better...you can make them the night before, roll-up and place in the fridge overnight), I did a quick saute in a bit of olive oil in a nonstick pan (just a couple of minutes on medium high while tossing frequently). I cooked half of the zoodles I made and did it in 2 separate batches. I rolled up the other half of uncooked zoodles and placed on a plate in the fridge to use in the next day or two. I transferred the cooked zoodles to a mesh strainer over a bowl to allow any juices from cooking to drain off. To store leftover cooked zoodles, I line a bowl with a white paper towel and place the zoodles on that and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. I served the Burger Parmigiana over zoodles and we added finely grated Parmesan cheese to our burgers at the table before eating. I snapped a few photos below. Enjoy!

               

Spinach & Feta Mediterranean Flatbread - Spanakopita Style

This evening I made the most delicious Spinach & Feta Mediterranean Flatbread. I based it on my basic Spanakopita ingredients but pushed it over the top with the amazing ricotta tomato pesto spread that served as the base layer on top of my Cheese Head Pizza Crust. If 10 stars is the best on the taste-o-meter, this one was easily a 15. Both hubby and I absolutely loved it and I think you will too.

I made my basic Cheese Head Pizza Crust, minus the seasonings (salt, garlic powder and Italian seasoning). Instead, I added a scant teaspoon of Penzey's Greek Seasoning but you can omit it altogether. Trust me, the topping is going to be all the flavor you will need.

I baked the crust and then spread it with a mixture of ricotta and sun-dried tomato pesto. Then I topped that with a mixture of wilted and chopped baby spinach, green onions, garlic, lemon zest, olive oil, fresh dill, freshly ground black pepper...and of course crumbled feta cheese. It was over the top delicious. I scattered the spinach-feta mixture over the ricotta spread and popped it in the oven to bake for 8 to 10 minutes. I can't wait to have it for lunch tomorrow! I snapped a number of photos of the various stages of prep and included the easy peasy recipe below. Enjoy! 

Spinach & Feta Mediterranean Flatbread - Spanakopita Style

INGREDIENTS:

8 ounces (2 cups) shredded mozzarella (whole milk or part skim)

3 ounces brick style cream cheese

1 cup blanched almond flour

1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan (powdery style)

1/2 - 1 teaspoon Greek Seasoning (I used Penzey's), optional

1 large egg

1 tablespoon olive oil (to press out dough with hands or rubber spatula)

Topping:

1 cup ricotta cheese (I used whole milk)

3 to 4 rounded tablespoons of sun-dried tomato pesto (I used Mezzetta)

8-ounces cooked fresh baby spinach, (wilted, squeezed dry and chopped)

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 small bunch spring green onions, sliced (about 7 or 8)

1 large clove garlic, minced

1 to 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest

Generous grind of freshly ground black pepper

1 cup crumbled feta cheese (or more, to taste)

1 to 2 tablespoons of snipped or chopped fresh dill

DIRECTIONS:

To make the crust, preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet or pizza pan with parchment paper.

Place mozzarella and cream cheese in a medium bowl. Heat cheese in microwave on high for 45 seconds; stir and heat an additional 30 to 45 seconds or until a hot melty mass of cheese is formed. 

While cheese is melting in microwave, stir almond flour, Parmesan, and optional Greek Seasoning in a small bowl. Add flour mixture and egg to bowl of hot melted cheese. Working quickly, fold and stir mixture together with a rubber spatula until a ball of dough is formed (make sure cheese mixture is hot before adding flour and egg; if necessary, microwave it another 20 to 30 seconds to make it pliable enough to spread out).   

Place ball of dough in center of parchment lined baking sheet or pizza pan. Pour 1 tablespoon olive oil on top of dough and press dough out with rubber spatula (or hands), into the desired shape (round, oval or rectangular) until about ¼-inch thick. Prick holes all over crust surface with a fork to prevent crust from bubbling up. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly golden (be careful not to overbake so it doesn't burn when returning to oven to bake with toppings).

Remove crust from the oven.

To make the topping, while the crust is baking, prepare the ricotta sun-dried tomato pesto mixture by blending the ricotta cheese and sun-dried tomato pesto in a small bowl; set aside. In a separate bowl, add chopped cooked spinach. In a medium skillet, add olive oil and lightly saute the green onions and garlic for a few minutes; add to bowl with spinach (including the olive oil). Add lemon zest and black pepper and stir to combine.

Spread the ricotta sun-dried tomato mixture evenly on the cooked crust. Top with the spinach mixture, scattering evenly over the crust. Scatter the crumbled feta cheese over the spinach layer, then top with chopped fresh dill.  Reduce oven temp to 400 degrees F and bake an additional 8 to 10 minutes or until heated through.