Pumpkin Quinoa, Lemon Mustard Salmon and a Fall Mojito

After making last weeks pumpkin macaroni and cheese, I had some pumpkin left over so I decided to spice up my quinoa with it!

First I prepared 1 cup of quinoa with 1 cup chicken stock and 1 cup water.  You can also choose to do 2 cups chicken stock or 2 cups water.  I personally think that the chicken broth added amazing flavor.  After the chicken broth and water begins to boil, mix in the quinoa and cook for 12 minutes.

While the quinoa was cooking I sauteed about a 1/2 cup of red onion.  Once the quinoa is fully cooked, mix in the red onion and pumpkin along with some cilantro and mint.  Let sit for 15 minutes.

I paired the pumpkin quinoa with a lemon mustard salmon.  I mixed olive oil, dijon mustard and lemon juice until the mixture thickened.   I then placed the salmon flesh side down into the sauce and cooked it at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

I then turned the salmon skin down, added red onion, cilantro and freshly ground pepper on top and cooked for an additional 10 minutes.

The Fall Mojito we made last week was delicious, and it smelled amazing!  It takes about 30 minutes to prepare so plan accordingly.

Ingredients:

2 ounces apple cider

2 cups apple brandy

2 apples cut into chunks

6 cinnamon sticks

3 star anise 

2 ounces spiced dark rum (we used Captain Morgan)

1 ounce simple syrup

mint leaves to taste

1 lime

Step One:

Combine the apple cider, apple brandy, apples, cinnamon and star anise ans simmer for 30 minutes.  This mixture smells amazing and combines so many delicious fall flavors.

While this is simmering, take the mint and lime and muddle them in your glasses.

Once all of the flavors have combined strain and chill the liquid.  We put it in a martini shaker with ice.

 Then add ice cubes, some of the apple pieces and rum to your glasses, pour in the apple cider mixture and top with a cinnamon stick and sprig of mint for the garnish!

Seafood Lovers

I know it has been awhile, but I am finally back in action!  My husband and I just got back from vacation, so I have been cooking on the healthy side to get us back into reality.  Fish has been a staple in this as we are both seafood lovers and it is a very healthy dining option.  This week I made wasabi and soy sauce marinated salmon.

Ingredients

2 pieces of fresh salmon, low sodium soy sauce, wasabi, fresh squeezed lemon juice, lemon zest, horseradish dijon mustard, pepper, and garlic salt.

I mixed all the ingredients together to form a marinade for the salmon

Then I marinated the salmon for a couple hours in the fridge, flipping them half way through

After it was done marinating, I used my Nuwave to cook them, 8 minutes a side.  You can also bake them in the oven at 350 for 20-25 minutes.

I sauteed mushrooms to serve with the salmon with "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter" Light, pepper, garlic salt, and dried basil

I also cooked brown rice, and used the left over marinade as a sauce for the rice.

ENJOY!!

Healthy Meets Fall

This week I decided to try some more new, fall inspired ideas!  I planned a dinner of pepita crusted trout, creamed cauliflower, and brussel sprouts!

First was the Pepita Crusted Trout.

Ingrediants:

Trout, pepitas (raw pumpkin seeds), panko crumbs, fresh garlic, salt and pepper, and olive oil.

First Step: I crushed the pepitas in a food processor.

Then I mixed the crushed seeds with the panko crumbs, salt and pepper, and set it aside.

My next step was to crush the garlic

If you do not have one of these plates for crushing garlic, I highly recommend it, they are amazing!



Then it was time to prepare the fish!

While the fish was cooking, I prepared my side dishes, the creamed caulifloer and brussel sprouts.

The creamed cauliflower is basically the same as mashed potatoes, only healthier!  Once the cauliflower is cooked and tender, add fat free sour cream, a little bit of butter, garlic, salt, and pepper, and mix it all up with a hand blender (another amazing tool!)   I used mine for the first time for this, and it was so easy, much easier than pouring it all into a blender.

I also chopped up come green onion to go on top.

Now for the brussel sprouts!  I know not too many people are fond of brussel sprouts, but I happen to love them!  My husband used to hate them, but one day I took a chance that he would like them the way  I prepare them, and he did!  Now he not only likes them, but he requests them!

First cut the brussel sprouts in half, pour olive oil on top, and then season with garlic salt and freshly ground pepper.

The finished products:

Now, some of you may be looking at this picture and think, "uh-oh she burned them!"  Yes, they are burned, but it was no accident!  I love it when they are burnt to a crisp!  I really think this gives them that extra flavor that may make you think twice about brussel sprouts!

The only down-fall of this meal was that the cauliflower did not retain it's heat for long.  It seemed to get cold quickly, and is definitly better when warm, but other than that everything turned out amazing!