Tag Archives: broccoli

Grilled Salmon

by tariny

Number of people: 6
Time from start to finish: 40 minutes

Menu:
Grilled Salmon
Jasmine Rice
Roasted Green Bean and Broccoli

2 lbs frozen salmon
2 cups Jasmine Rice, rinsed (see tip below)
4 cups of water
1.5 lbs fresh green beans
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper
12 oz frozen broccoli

Let the salmon defrost either in the refrigerator, or in a bowl of cold water if individually wrapped. Once the salmon is defrosted, brush both sides with olive oil then season with salt, pepper, dill (fresh is better if you have it), and lemon juice. My husband then grilled the salmon on aluminum  foil until the salmon started to flake when touched with a fork.

I use a rice cooker to cook my rice, to me, Jasmine rice tastes better this way. I use a fine mesh strainer and run cool water over the rice 1 cup at a time until the water runs clear to cut down on the starchiness of it. I then add 4 cups of water, and then cook until the water is absorbed and the rice is tender.

I wash then green beans, then snap off then ends. Once they are ready, I place them on a foil or parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Toss the green beans with about 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 teaspoon of salt (I prefer kosher), and 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper. Bake at 425 for about 10 minutes, then toss the green beans, and return to the oven for another 5 minutes or until they are tender.

Green beans tend to shrink when you cook them. My husband and I decided that we just did not have enough vegetables, so I steamed some frozen broccoli to make up the difference.

Tips:

When purchasing Jasmine rice, be sure to check the section of your store that stocks the regular rice (usually near the pasta) AND the section that stocks International foods for prices. Usually I find the Jasmine rice is $1 to $2 a pound cheaper in the International foods section.

Also, I have found that Jasmine rice cooked in a rice cooker tastes very different than if cooked in a pot on the stove. I’m not exactly sure why this is, maybe it has something to do with the material of the pots, or maybe it’s that the rice cooker seems to steam the rice more so than boil the rice. To me it just taste a LOT better when cooked in a rice cooker.

Baked Boneless Pork Chops

by tariny

Number of people: 5
Time from start to finish: about 1.5 hours

Menu:
Baked Boneless Pork Chops
2 packages of Kraft Homestyle Macaroni & Cheese
1.5 pounds of frozen broccoli

I got this recipe from Cooks.com and tweaked it a bit:

Baked Boneless Pork Chops

½  cup all-purpose flour – divided into ¼ cups
2 tsp. paprika
1 ½  tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
2 lbs. boneless pork chops
½  cup. butter
1 minced small onion
1 can (4 oz.) sliced mushrooms, drained
2 cup. milk
Juice of 1 lemon

Mix ¼ cup flour, paprika, salt and pepper. Dredge chops lightly in mixture. Brown chops on both sides in butter.

Transfer to shallow baking dish. Add onion and mushrooms to skillet. Cook until onion is soft and golden.

Stir in remaining 1/4 cup flour. Slowly and little by little, whisk in the milk, stirring constantly and cook until sauce is smooth and thickened. Remove from heat; stir in lemon juice. Pour sauce over chops.

Bake, uncovered, in preheated oven 350°F for 1 hour.

For the macaroni and cheese, I just followed the directions, except we left the breadcrumbs off (my daughter dislikes them). Just remember when you are adding the milk to the seasoning mix, use a whisk and add the milk a little at a time. To me it was just like making a roux.

The broccoli was boiled in lightly salted water, about 1 cup, lid on, until tender.