This is a luxe tasting but super easy to make main that pulls together from mainly pantry ingredients. A win-win.
pescatarian
Dilly Salmon Mograbiah (Pearl CousCous)
Zest and juice 1 lemon
3 Tbsp chopped fresh dill
2 small shallots, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
Big hand frozen spinach
1 c Mograbiah (pearl couscous)
1 Tbsp butter
1.5 c stock
2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
Salt & pepper
Canned salmon
First, make the Cous. Heat the butter in a smallish saucepan over medium heat until bubbly at the edges. Add the cous and toast 3-5 minutes or until spots are beginning to brown.
Add the stock and a generous pinch salt, bring up to a boil, cover and knock the heat back. Simmer 15 minutes or until just barely al dente. Add the spinach in the last minute or so of cooking so it thaws.
Meanwhile, chop the dill & shallot fine and add to a large bowl with the mustard, drained salmon, lemon zest + juice, and minced garlic.
When the cous is finished, add to the bowl with the rest of the ingredients and toss.
This week, I was really attracted to the Buddha bowl pics scattered throughout my Pinterest feed and didn’t want to make 9,000 ingredients – so I worked to combine a list (albeit a large list) of simple ingredients in a variety of ways to make the best of a simple mixture of quinoa + rice.
My week 100% could have been more cost-effective, but it gave me a good dose of the ingredients combining kind of Chopped Kitchen kind of life I’ve been missing.
Quinoa & Rice Base
3/4 c. quinoa (rinse if you’re not lazy like me)
3/4 c. sushi rice (rinse if you aren’t lazy like me)
2 Tbsp. mushroom-based umami powder
1 Tbsp. vinegar (I usually use rice vinegar but only had black vinegar on hand)
1 Tbsp. sesame oil
Big sprinkle salt
3c. water
Combine all and set your rice cooker to cook. Alternately, sushi rice & quinoa both take about 25 minutes to cook on the stove.
Now for the mix-ins to transform this simple added-protein base into a few different dishes.
Day 1: Sesame Crusted Salmon Bowl
Sesame crusted salmon (take 1 salmon steak, skin and de-bone. Pat dry. Brush with a little soy sauce and sprinkle liberally with sesame seeds. Press the sesame seeds into the fish to adhere. Shallow fry over medium-high in a pan until cooked to your desired doneness. Drain on paper towels until ready to use.)
Quinoa + sushi rice base (see recipe above)
Avocado, sliced or cubed
Lemon sesame pickled cucumbers , diced
Pickled ginger, minced
Nori
Roasted butternut squash (Mix 1 Tbsp. soy sauce, 1 Tbsp. sesame oil, 1/2 tsp. date molasses & 1/2 tsp. white miso into a sauce – drizzle over a halved and seeded butternut squash and bake @ 400F for 25 mins or until soft and browned)
Sauce
1 Tbsp. peanut butter (tahini would also be great)
1 tsp. white miso
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 tsp. Bulldog sauce (or Worcestershire)
2 tsp. black vinegar (or sushi vinegar)
1 Tbsp. water
1 tsp. your favorite hot sauce (I used a habanero mix)
To make your bowl, assemble about half a cup of the quinoa mix and later the desired amount of the rest of the ingredients. Drizzle sauce over top and sprinkle with thinly sliced nori. Dust with more sesame if desired.
Day 2: Spicy Fiesta(ish) Bowl
1/2 c. frozen corn
1 bell pepper, chopped
1/4 red onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
Sauté the above in olive oil; season with salt, pepper & Tony’s Creole seasoning or your favorite spicy mix
Bowl Base
1/2 c. quinoa
1 hand full cilantro, chopped
1 Tbsp. water
1 Tbsp. lime juice
Add the water to the quinoa and zap to warm. Stir in the cilantro and lime juice.
Sauce
2 Tbsp. your favorite plain yogurt (mine is a plain coconut milk)
2 tsp. – 1 Tbsp. your favorite hot sauce (mine is a habanero garlic mix)
Stir to combine.
Toppers
Avocado
Butternut squash leftover from the first bowl
To make your bowl, assemble about half a cup of the quinoa mix and later the desired amount of the rest of the ingredients. Drizzle sauce over top and top with avocado & squash.
Day 3: Spiced Chickpea Veggie Bowl
1.5 c. chopped kale
1/2 small red onion, diced
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 lg. zucchini, diced
1 Tbsp. oil
Salt & pepper
Sauce
1/4 c. yogurt
1 Tbsp. almond butter
1 tsp. turmeric
1 tsp. sumac
2 tsp. lemon juice
Leftover Bowl Components
Butternut squash
Quinoa rice mix
Topper
Avocado
Roasted chickpeas (I usually buy mine and have an Indian spiced variety that’s amazing)
To make your bowl, assemble about half a cup of the quinoa mix and later the desired amount of the rest of the ingredients. Drizzle sauce over top and add avocado & chickpeas.
This recipe started off as a way to use up some fresh dill that wasn’t my favorite egg salad and somehow ended up morphing into a riff of an old Summer family favorite: seafood salad. Which I can’t believe I haven’t shared a recipe with y’all for yet. I c-r-a-v-e it every tomato season.
The original (to my family at least) salad included Krab, shrimp, hard boiled eggs & lots of mayo. Sometimes, depending upon which Aunt got a wild hair, chopped up bits of lettuce. Which is weird, but good.
Anyways. I gave myself an aversion to fake crab my first Summer out of high school (reminder, kids: check your expiration dates), so that was out. I swapped with flaked salmon but kept the shrimp in this version; I also sadly forgot the egg until I was eating trying to figure out what was missing. I was also wanting a little more mustard punch, so adjust yours as necessary.
And a note on seasoning: I happen to love this salad with way too much pepper and salt, because that’s how my family usually served it. This recipe includes a normal amount of each (depending on how HAM you go with the cracked pepper); I had to go back twice for more after the salad hit the fridge.
gluten-free, pescatarian, vegetarian and vegan with substitutions
Avocado Dill Pasta Salad
Dressing:
1 avocado (mine was small and I could have gone for more)
2 cloves garlic
3 Tbsp. chopped fresh dill
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp. water
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
Salad:
4 – 6 cups pasta of choice (I used rice spirals)
15 cherry tomatoes
1 smallish cucumber (about 2/3 cup chopped)
1 smallish bell pepper (about 1 cup chopped)
2 – 4 stalks celery (about 3/4 cup chopped)
1/2 shallot, minced
2 scallions, chopped
2 Tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped
1 tsp. celery seed (if using celery salt instead, you may not need to salt the salad – taste, taste, taste)
Loads of fresh cracked black pepper
Salt
Shrimp (I used 13 medium), peeled, cooked & chopped (optional)
Krab, crab or salmon (also optional)
2 – 3 Tbsp. your favorite mayo (optional)
Start you pasta boiling according to package directions, taking care to salt the water. When almost done, chuck your shrimp in to cook. Drain and set aside.
Pull the shrimp and chop. Add to a large bowl.
Chop the cucumber, bell pepper, celery, scallion and parsley. Add to the big bowl.
Mince the shallot and add. Halve the tomatoes and add those too. Add the celery seed.
In a blender or food processor, blitz all dressing ingredients until smooth. If you want your dressing a little runny, add more water until desired consistency is reached. Mine turned out a bit thick, which I liked, but I ended up adding 2 – 3 Tbsp. Kewpie mayo to the salad to loosen it a bit.
Add the cooled-ish pasta and dressing to the bowl. Mix well to combine. Hit with a bunch of pepper. Taste. Add more salt, lemon juice or some mayo to finish off.
Stash in the fridge for a bit to chill and let the flavors get acquainted.
Finally! I’ve been trying to make a silky, luxurious feeling Thai-style red curry for a minute and keep screwing something up. Either I don’t let it reduce long enough, or I drown the flavors some how – or I forget a key component like curry paste or coconut milk.
This go round, I forgot to pick up coconut milk. I swear my kitchen eats the stuff. I’ve lost like 3 cans of it in the last few months. But, with a last-minute grocery trip I was all ready to go. Whoo. I’m glad I was, too – this is a good one.
gluten-free, paleo, pescatarian
Thai-Style Red Curry
1 can coconut milk
Veggie, fish or chicken stock (1 of the empty coconut milk cans’ worth)
2 Tbsp. Thai red curry paste
2 tsp. sugar
2 Tbsp. fish sauce
2 Tbsp. soy sauce/coconut aminos
Zest and juice of 1 lime
2 stalks fresh lemongrass, peeled to reveal the soft center – mince 1 and whack the other with the back of your knife to release its flavors while cooking
1 inch fresh ginger, peeled and minced
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 scallion, thinly sliced
2 Thai red chilis (optional), minced
1.5 cups pumpkin or butternut squash, chopped
3/4 cup chopped okra
2 Tbsp. minced basil
Minced smoked salmon (optional)
Rice to serve
This is a simple slow-cooker dump meal. Prep all ingredients and dump into your cooker (minus the salmon, basil and green parts of the scallions). Cook however you would make a stew.
When complete, add to a saucepan and simmer until reduced a bit and silky. Serve over rice, topped with the green parts of the scallion and chopped basil.
This makes a nice little Summer dinner. It’s low fuss, can be eaten cold or room temperature, and dressed a bunch of different ways. As pasta salads can.
Gluten-free, pescatarian
Salmon Soba Salad
1 package soba noodles
2 salmon fillets
4 – 6 ounces watercress or microgreen
1/4 cup chives, snipped
1/2 cup scallions, sliced thin
Dressing
Juice of 1 lime
1 medium cucumber, sliced into thin ribbons or diced
1 Tbsp. rice vinegar
2 Tbsp. sesame oil
1 Tbsp. soy sauce or coconut aminos
1 tsp. honey
1 tsp. sriracha
Marinade
2 tsp. gochujiang
2 tsp. honey
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 Tbsp. sesame oil
Combine the marinade ingredients. Marinate the fish 30 mins – an hour. Discard marinade and bake or sauté the fish until your desired done ness is reached. I pan sautéed mine until medium with nice and crispy skin. Do watch the fish; your marinade has honey in it so it is like to burn. Mine did a bit, but it was still delicious.
While your fish is working, whisk the dressing ingredients together in a large bowl.
Cook your soba according to package directions, drain and set aside, adding a scant sprinkle of sesame oil and tossing quickly to avoid the noodles sticking together while they sit and cool. If you want your salad cold, chill in the fridge.
Dice and mince the cucumber and herbs. Add to the bowl. Add the micro greens. Add the noodles. Toss to combine.
To serve, plate up a bowl of noodle salad, topped with thick batons of fish and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
This recipe is unabashedly stolen from a (mostly) Internet friend, who daily sets his sights on making the rest of us in our little corner of the (virtual) world drool.
Gluten-free, pescatarian
Orange Salmon
2 salmon fillets
1-2 cups cooked rice
1 cup snow peas
1 orange
1 thumb + 1 thumb ginger
1 Tbsp. + 2 Tbsp. sesame oil
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 Tbsp. rice vinegar (the original recipe called for mirin, but I can’t get that where i live)
1 Tbsp. honey
2 cloves garlic
1 green onion
Sesame seeds
Mix together the soy sauce, 2 Tbsp. sesame oil, rice vinegar and honey. Grate and stir in the garlic and 1 thumb ginger.
Brush the mixture over your salmon and place skin side up on a prepared baking sheet.
Broil 3 – 5 minutes, flip, baste, and broil another minute or two – until your desired done ness is reached.
While the salmon is working, bring the other Tablespoon of sesame oil up to medium-high in a large pan. Add the snow peas in and toss. Grate the second thumb of ginger in and toss. Zest the orange and toss in.
Sauté until browned in spots. Remove.
Supreme the orange and slice each segment into thirds.
To serve, toss the rice with the segmented orange. Thinly slice the green onion and toss in.
Arrange the rice mix in a bowl, top with a bed of snow peas, and a salmon filet. Sprinkle sesame seeds over the whole lot.
This was one of those providential recipes that just sort of fell together. I was craving a bright salad – where I live, cucumber/tomato salad is ubiquitous – my auto-pilot has Asian flavors on the brain – and I had half a tub of premade hummus that needed using up. And past-me was smart and put two salmon fillets in the freezer. Go, past-me. Thanks for looking out.
gluten-free, pescatarian
Hummus Salad with Relish
First, start the salmon:
1 salmon fillet per person (defrosted if frozen)
Red chili powder
Cumin powder
Salt & pepper
Pat the salmon dry, dust with spices on both sides and pan sautee in a couple spritzes neutral oil until your desired doneness is reached. We like a nice medium.
While the salmon is working, make the relish:
1 medium cucumber, chopped
1/2 pint cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 ounce pickled ginger, minced
2 tsp. sriracha
2 Tbsp. coconut aminos
Juice of 1 lime
I scallion, minced
Combine all relish ingredients and let sit.
To serve:
Leftover rice cooked in chicken stock (I had a mixture of basmati and wild rice I’d made a few days before)
3-4 Tbsp. hummus per person
To assemble, line the bowl with a generous smear of hummus. Top with the rice, lay the fish on top of that and spoon some relish over the whole shebang.
This pantry-friendly fried rice is quick enough for a weeknight meal (for when the world gets back to working outside the home), and makes a great lunch the next day if there are leftovers.
Gluten-free, pescatarian
Chili Tuna Fried Rice
1.5 cups leftover cooked rice (I used sushi rice)
1/3 cup frozen shelled edamame
1/3 cup frozen cut green beans
2 Tbsp. neutral oil
2 eggs
1/4 cup coconut aminos
1 Tbsp. fish sauce
1 Tbsp. sambal olek
1 green onion, sliced
1/2 can chili tuna in oil, drained
Add your neutral oil to a large pan over high heat. When it shimmers, add the frozen veggies and green onion. Stir fry until no longer frozen and starting to look cooked.
Add the rice and tuna. Continue to stir fry until the veggies begin to brown.
Make a well in the center of the rice mixture and crack the eggs in. Let sit until the bottom is firm, then scrape up, folding into the rice mix.
Add the coconut aminos, fish sauce and sambal. Stir quickly to combine.
This is a quick, light meal perfect for the heat of Summer or when you’ve had enough of feeling locked in a dark Winter and need a little sunshine on your plate.
Gluten-free, Paleo, pescatarian, Whole30
Grapefruit Salsa Salmon
4 salmon filets
1/4 c. coconut aminos or soy sauce
2 Tbsp. sriracha (check your labels)
1 inch ginger, grated
4 squirts garlic oil
2 Tbsp. pineapple juice
First, prep the ingredients above to form a marinade. Marinate the fish for 3 – 6 hours.
When it’s time to cook, pull the fish, pat dry and sautée over medium-high with a little oil until your desired doneness is reached.
To make the salsa, combine:
1 grapefruit, supremed
1 orange, supremed
1.5 c. cherry tomatoes, halved
1/4 c. cilantro, chopped
Juice of 2 small limes
1 inch ginger, grated
Generous sprinkle cumin
Salt & pepper
Serve with slices of avocado, roasted mixed potatoes and a squeeze of lime.
Is there anything more satisfying than only dirtying one cooking implement for dinner while spending minimal time actually cooking?
Yes, but this is pretty dang rewarding too.
Especially if you’re a dork 🙂
This meal serves 2 with a little left over, comes together in under an hour, and can be dressed a bunch of different ways depending on what you have on hand.
For instance, you may notice some decidedly non-broccolini green stuff on my plate that isn’t in the recipe. That’s because I had a literal hand full of snow peas that needed using up, so I threw them in. Feel free to do the same, just note that if you have something like a carrot that takes forever to cook, you might want to add that in with the potatoes rather than the greens.
Also good to note: the sauce on this dish isn’t the overly sweet, sticky sauce I generally think of when I think ‘honey mustard’ (you know, like the radioactive yellow dressing from a ton of US restaurants that comes straight from Sysco central processing. Which I love in memory theory). This sauce is light and delicate with just a hint of sweet.
Gastography 