Good day to you!  Sometimes dinners can be rushed and you need a quick and easy solution but still keep the food “somewhat” healthy.  Today’s feature is dead easy and if I might add quite tasty.  I might be biased as I love salmon – especially fresh Atlantic salmon.

However, any salmon will work and be just as yummy.  It is all about the flavoring combination and individual taste buds. For this dish I went with a lemon dill combination hit with a little heat of the red pepper flakes.  Over the years, I have cooked salmon in many different ways whether it be roasted, poached, grilled or as today – just a simple pan sear.

I will not get into the specifics but I will say… 8 mins to salmon!  Hello…. that is faster than grabbing dirty bird on the way home.

Ingredients

• 4 Pieces of Salmon
• Onion flakes, or powder
• Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
• Pinch of Dill, dried
• Salt and Pepper
• 1 Tbsp. Butter
• Juice of Lemon
• Drizzle of olive oil

Method

1. Bring a sauce pan up to medium high heat.
2. Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl, leaving out the lemon and rub it all over the salmon.
3. Add half the butter and the olive oil to the preheated pan and lay the salmon in the pan.
4. No need to move the salmon in the pan.  let it get a nice sear about 3-4 minutes.
5. Once the sear is achieved, flip the salmon and let cook 2 more minutes on the other side.
6. Remove from pan and set aside.
7. Add the other half of the butter and the juice from the lemon.
8. Let reduce to a little sauce to drizzle over the salmon upon serving.
9. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: By adding a little bit of olive oil to the butter in the pan, it prevents the butter from burning as the oil has a higher heat tolerance than butter.  It also adds a nice flavor to the slamon.

OK well another recipe complete.  Now you just have to go make it and tell me if it was thumbs up or down.  If it was mediocre you can tell me it was thumbs sideways.  Zesty Junior started that the last couple of years… I find it funny.  The most recent was on the blueberry muffins.  Hey Dad, ” something about these tastes weird, I give them thumbs sideways”.  Haha what a cat.

Talk to you all on Friday – whooo hoooo.  have a super day and keep smiling.

Take care

zesty

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Whooo Hoooo – I am back home!  But it is cold…. damn weather and only to get worse.  I might have something that you can whip up and warm up for those cool evenings.  How many of us are busy as a beaver and feel we make up excuses to eat healthy?  Pick me Pick me… but with this simple salmon dish, you are in and out of the kitchen in 15 minutes, eating on the couch or table and happy as a clam.

For those of you who are not fans of salmon this will work with any protein for the most part.  White fish, chicken, pork, tofu – you name it it will taste great.  The dish is all about the relish.  The freshness of lemon, combined with the sweetness of the raisins and the crunch of the almonds.

Ingredients

• 4 Salmon portions
• 1 Clove of garlic
• 1 tbsp. Balsamic
• 3 Tbsp. Raisins
• 1/4 cup Almonds, toasted
• Zest of 1 Lemon
• 1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
• Fresh Tarragon
• Salt and Pepper

Method

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Lightly rub olive oil, salt and pepper over salmon.  Roast in the oven about 8 minutes per inch of thickness
3. In a large pan, add remaining olive oil to pan. Saute garlic and shallot until translucent about 4 minutes.
4. Add balsamic vinegar, lemon zest, raisins and let simmer for 5 minutes.
5. Finish the relish with the toasted almonds.
6. Top the salmon with the relish, tarragon and serve over salad.
7. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: Try not to overcook the salmon.  The last thing you want is dry overcooked salmon.  If you want a little more lemon flavor you can cook the salmon in a little bit of the lemon juice to cook the salmon.

Alright, I have a busy day of catch up at the office.  I will talk to you all on Wednesday but until then have a good start to your week and keep smiling.

Take care

zesty

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Happy Friday to you!  I have about 8 minutes to complete this post and than head to the office so bear with me for the quick and simple low down on how to make tender chicken legs with little to no effort.  Slow roasting food, all be it takes some patience, but it is definitely one of my favorite things to do.  Now don’t get me wrong, I am a fan of the bbq, the broiler and of course pan searing – but there is something about the slow roasting technique that really gets me cranked up.

The smell fills the room, people around you get happy and the reward at the end of the wait is well…. worth it!  Last Sunday I had some chicken legs thawing on the counter without a whole lot of ideas bouncing thru my head as to how I was going to prepare them.  A coated potato chip crust, went thru my head and left.  A simple dry roast with some herbs came and left and then I realized that I had some curry paste left in the fridge.

Curry and mustard with some dried oregano and lemon zest was screaming my name.  I ran to the fridge – well probably just walked quickly and gathered my lemon, the curry paste and mustard.  Quickly turned the corner and grabbed the oregano and I was set.  Ripped down a roasting pan,  grabbed a bowl and open the chicken legs like someone with a fluffy tail was chasing me.

I had this concoction ready to go before I even preheated the oven.  Oh so easy…  Oh so good.  As it was just finishing up, I tossed in some cous cous and threw in a little chopped spinach and lemon to compliment the chicken and let it cook.  Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes.  Toss it with a fork and garnish with some green onion.

I will be honest here, as I pretty much always am…. I don’t like cous cous but Mrs. Zesty loved it.  Needless to say she had the left overs.

Ingredients

• 8-10 Chicken drumsticks
• 2 Tbsp. Curry paste
• 1 Tbsp. Mustard
• Splash of soy sauce
• 1 Tsp. Dried oregano
• 1/4 Cup water
• zest of a lemon
• juice of a lemon
• Cracked black pepper
• 3 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 1 Onion, peeled and chopped

Method

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
2. Assemble chicken in roasting pan, add carrots and onions
3. In a bowl mix together remaining ingredients and toss over chicken and vegetables
4. Cook uncovered for about 90 minutes, allowing the sauce to thicken and the chicken to caramelize.
5. Remove from heat and serve with your favorite side dish.



6. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: If you find the sauce too thick just add a little water before tossing it in with the chicken.  You want the sauce to pour easily.  Be sure to baste the chicken during cooking maybe 2-3 times.

Alright, so last day of work before a holiday weekend and lots to get finished up.  I hope you have a great day and you know what next week means.  Turkey ideas and leftovers for all…. and maybe a recap of the infamous turkey day at the zesty in-laws.  Talk on Monday!

Take care

zesty

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Ummm is this thing on?   Oh there we go… much better.  Happy Wednesday to you!  A couple of weeks ago I had a huge craving for scallops on the way home from work.  So of course, I pulled in and picked up a few handfuls of fresh scallops as a snack before dinner.  I know, I know… crazy but true.  As I was walking around the store, thoughts were running through my head as to how I wanted to prepare the scallops.  For me, simple is best when it comes to a plump juicy scallop.  Today, i switched things up a little and added a bit of sweet with a bit of sour in the form of raspberries and lemon juice.

The combination was excellent.  The only problem I had with this is that I didn’t buy enough scallops as I was wanting more when the plate was empty.  If you have 6 minutes – make these and I promise you will not be disappointed.

Ingredients

• Fresh scallops
• 1 Tbsp. butter
• 1 Tsp. Olive oil
• 1/2 Cup Raspberries
• 1 Tbsp. brown sugar
• Zest of a lemon
• Juice of a lemon
• Salt and Pepper

Method

1. Preheat the pan to medium-high heat.
2. Pat dry the scallops and season both sides with salt and pepper.
3. Add the butter and oil together in the pan and then start to sear the scallops.
4. Sear on each side until golden brown about 1-1 1/2 minutes and then remove from the pan.
5. Leaving the butter and oil in the sauce and add the raspberries, lemon zest and juice.
6. Cook down for 2-3 minutes and add the scallops back in the pan.
7. Spoon the sauce over the scallops and serve
8. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: Make sure the scallops are patted dry with a paper towel and the pan is really hot when you start the searing process.

Alright, I am going to head to work, dodging rain drops as it is pouring from the skies.  I hope you have a great Wednesday and I will touch base with you on Friday.

Take care

zesty

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Hey Hey!  Happy Wednesday.  Ever wonder what I am going to open the post with each day?  Sometimes I wonder myself but it seems to always be kind of a lame opening line.  I will work on that for the future.   I am a bit short on time here as I have to do some work stuff that jumped up on top of me tonight.

Last night’s dinner…. 7.5 out of 10.  Very tasty meal and I would repeat in the future for sure.  The haddock had a nice crust and very flaky.  The keys to a great fish.

The low down on the salsa is super easy and really complimented the fish very well.  I love MANGO.  Anyone else love mango?  I will give you the details on how to re create this is the comfort of your own kitchen below.

Ingredients

Crusted Haddock

• 2 pieces of Haddock
• 2 -3 Tbsp. Cornmeal
• 1 Tsp. dried Oregano
• Zest of 1/2 Lemon
• Salt and pepper

Salsa

• 1 Mango ,cubed
• 1 Cup cucumber , cubed
• Handful of fresh Cilantro, chopped
• Juice of one lime
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• Dash of red pepper flakes

Method

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. Sprinkle fish with cornmeal, salt and pepper on both sides.
4. Add zest of lemon and dried oregano
5. Place in the oven for about 12 minutes.  I broil for the last 2 minutes to ensure a nice crust
6. For the salsa combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix together.  Let stand in the fridge while everything is cooking.  You can also do the day before so the flavors really come together

Zesty Tip: Season your fish before cooking.  Be sure to season both sides of the fish before cooking.  This will allow the flavor to penetrate while in the oven and produce amazing results.

I served the fish and salsa with a side of kale chips and some oven roasted brussel sprouts with a drizzle of honey.  Like I said earlier, the meal was very good and definitely a keeper for the future.

What is your favorite kind of fish and how do you prepare it? Tell me in the comments.  I will see you all at the end of the week for a friday wrap up.  Have a great humpday and keep emailing me your questions or concerns.

Take care

zesty

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Hi All!  First of all I would like to thank you for all the emails and comments on New York City and listing your experiences and choices for when we land there in full force later next week.  I am pretty excited and cannot wait to explore the big Apple.

As we get onto the food of the night last night, I opted for simple flavors with big taste.  What do you get when you combine salmon, Canadian maple syrup, mustard, garlic, lemon and  butter? To describe in more detail the salmon was very tasty!  The crusted bread crumbs on top mixed with lemon zest and butter really brought it over the top.  Super simple to make and takes just 8-9 minutes.

I paired the salmon with the nice crunch of homemade Kale chips which turned out to be a great combination.  Ever have Kale chips?  So delicious and oh so easy!!

Ingredients (Serves 4)

• 4 Portions of Salmon
• 2 Tbsp. Maple Syrup
• 2 Tbsp. Mustard
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• Salt and Pepper
• Sprinkle Red pepper flakes
• 1/2 Tsp. Lemon zest
• 1 Tbsp. Butter
• 3/4 Cup bread crumbs

Method

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. In a small bowl, combine maple syrup, mustard, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper and garlic and mix together.
4. In another bowl, melt the butter in the microwave; then add lemon and breadcrumbs.  Mix together and set aside.
5. Lay out the salmon pieces on the parchment paper.  Place the maple mustard mixture over the top with a spoon and rub it in gently; continue you for all 4 pieces.
6. Then spoon the bread crumb mixture on top.
7. Bake in the oven for about 8 minutes.  Switch oven to broil if need be to create a golden brown crust on the top.
8. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: You can try whatever type of protein you want with this combination.  White fish, chicken, or even pork would work with this flavor profile.

There you go, I hope you enjoyed this simple versatile recipe that really pushes the flavor to the next level by just using simple fresh ingredients.  I am heading to work to wrap up the week and than it is back to yard work.

The grass needs to be cut, flower beds need weeding and some pruning is awaiting in the garden.  Speaking of garden – it is coming along really well and I will share with you some of the highlights at the first of the week.

Have a super weekend.

Take care

zesty

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Top of the week to you from the campground. The internet access here at the campground is terrible (hopefully the owners are reading this post) as it is pretty much unuseable. With that said, I took the show on the road and am getting the post done at a local CAP site down the road.

Yesterday was a great day for camping, sun was shining, nice breeze and lots to do.  We got up and loathed around for a few hours and then hit the beach.  The beach was very nice and relaxing, kids had a lot of fun in the sand but the water was “FREEZING“.  I went in with Carter for a little jolt and I thought my toes were going to be frost bitten.  I quickly darted back to the towel and assumed my normal position of lying down.  Yeah I am somewhat lazy at the beach.

After the beach we had too pick up a few things for supper.  We invited our friends over for a little snack which turned out quite well.  I had marinated a couple of small chickens in the fridge before we left as I wanted to roast them on the bbq upon return.

The bird... ready for eats

The marinade was pretty simple but offered a great aroma while the birds were roasting.

The marinade on the chicken getting ready to wait for 4 hours while we go to the beach.

I paired the chicken with roasted caluiflower on the grill served with a mango chutney, some grilled zuchini topped with feta cheese and balsamic vinegar and a nice fresh salad with toasted walnuts and blueberries.  All in all it was a good meal and everyone enjoyed themselves even most of the kids except for picky Mr. Carter who opted for a peanut butter sandwich.

Ingredients

• 2 chickens (prepped and cleaned)
• 1 Tbsp. mustard
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 Tbsp. cumin
• 1 Tbsp. corriander
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 Tsp. red pepper flakes
• 1 Tsp. onion powder

Sauce

• 1/2 Cup Butter
• Juice of 2 lemons
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 4-5 sprigs of basil , torn

Method

1. Mix together all the ingredients except the chicken in a bowl and set aside.  Place the birds in a tinfoil roasting pan.
2. Rub the marinade all over the chicken ensuring it is covered and than wrap it in saran wrap for a few hours. The longer the better.
3. Preheat the grill to medium heat.
4. Place the roasting pan on the grill and let cook for about 90 minutes.  you can turn the chickens to get them really golden brown if you like to eat the skin.
5. For the sauce, preheat a pan over medium heat and melt the butter.  Add the lemon juice and zest and cook together  for 5 minutes.
6. Add the basil and serve.
7. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: When doing dry rubs, I like to add a little olive oil to bind the ingredients together and make it into more of a paste.  I find it allows the flavors to adhere to the meat better.

So there you have a simple roasted chicken done on the grill outside.  The flavors were really good especially with that little hint of mustard.  I am going to get going and enjoy camping.  I will talk to you on Wednesday.  Have a good start to your week.

Take care

zesty

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Want fish?  How about steamed fish with vegetables and no mess to clean up?  Yeah, now I got your attention.  So last night I knew exactly what I wanted to make for supper.  I have been stewing about it for a few days and was curious how the flavor combination would work out.

For the vegetables, I went with asparagus and portabella mushrooms and for the sauce I combined balsamic vinegar, lemon,  maple syrup and some fresh blueberries to round out the flavor profile.  The results in the house were double thumbs up and I was pleased with the flavor of the fish as well as the texture.

Ingredients

• 4 pieces of Halibut
• 8 Asparagus pieces
• 6 Baby Portabella mushrooms
• Juice of 1 Lemon
• Salt and Pepper
• 2 Tbsp. Butter
• 1/3 Cup Balsamic Vinegar
• 1/2 Cup Blueberries
• 1 Tsp. Garlic

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 400 F degrees.
2. Get too large pieces of tin foil and place them on the counter top and begin to assemble.
3. Season the fish on both sides with salt and pepper
4. Add 1/2 asparagus and 1/2 mushrooms.

1. Top with a bit of lemon juice and a drizzle of balsamic

1. Seal the tinfoil and ensure no air can get inside.
2. Cook for 20-22 minutes.
3. For the sauce, combine butter, garlic, balsamic, blueberries and lemon and bring to a boil and let reduce.  Serve over the fish.
4. ENJOY

Zesty Tip: Be careful opening the hot pouches as you can burn your hand quite easily.  Another idea is to set the pouches on parchment or tinfoil inside the baking sheet incase the tinfoil breaks to avoid any mess.

Dempster’s Giveaway Winners

Jo @ Jo In the Kitchen March 30, 2011 at 11:14 am

One of my favorite cookbooks is the Moosewood Cookbook. So many lovely recipes, so little time

Sandy March 30, 2011 at 11:18 am

Great contest idea! I have a lot of cookbooks and my favorite changes from time to time but I have to say my recurring go to books are those by Ann Lindsay. I find the recipes always successful, tasty and most of all, very healthy. Her soups are all great and quick but come together quickly. A good hearty meal idea on weeknights when time is tight.

Janette March 30, 2011 at 11:26 am

I dont have any particular books that I love the most to buy I love eat drink and vegans recipes though she has some great ideas.

Roberta March 30, 2011 at 4:42 pm

My favorite cookbook is my own. As I have tried recipes over the years, and the ones that I like and my family like, have been put in one cookbook. But if I were going to pick one to buy, it would be the future cookbook of recipes from Gena and her blog “Choosing Raw.” Even though I am not entirely vegan, I love her recipes!

Mimi April 1, 2011 at 8:42 am

I love to use the Williams and Sonoma Dinner in 30 minutes cookbooks. Great food quick after a long day at work!

Congrats to all the winners. For the winners, please send me an email and I will get the coupons sent to you as soon as possible.

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Friday is here and a big storm is brewing.  Exactly what we need around here….pffft.  I am not a big fan of snow storms, but I am definitely not a fan of them on the weekend.  Let’s try and get cheered up with a wholesome muffin recipe.

I adapted a recipe from eatingwell.com on the baking day as the kids like muffins and I thought it would be something quick and easy to make.  All be it, they were very easy to make, I didn’t find they had a lot of flavor at all and I am not sure why. 

All the ingredients were fresh but I just found they were BLAH.  The texture was a little tough as well which may be attributed to me possibly over mixing the batter but I don’t even think I did that.

Let me know your thoughts as to why these muffins were just not “ZESTY”.  Don’t worry though, I ate them all but it just felt like I was eating air.

Ingredients

• 1 lemon
• 1/2 Cup sugar
• 1 Cup nonfat buttermilk, (I just added a tablespoon of lemon juice to skim milk for the same effect)
• 1 Tbsp. Canola oil
• 3 Tbsp. Unsweetened apple sauce
• 1 Egg
• 1 Tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 Cup white whole-wheat flour, or whole-wheat pastry flour (see Shopping Tip)
• 1 Cup all-purpose flour
• 2 Tsp. baking powder
• 1 Tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 Tsp. salt
• 1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen (not thawed) blueberries

Method

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat 12 large (1/2-cup) muffin cups with cooking spray or line with paper liners.
2. Use a vegetable peeler to remove the zest from the lemon in long strips. Combine the zest and sugar in a food processor; pulse until the zest is very finely chopped into the sugar.
3. Add buttermilk, oil, applesauce, egg and vanilla and pulse until blended.
4. Combine whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Add the buttermilk mixture and fold until almost blended.
5. Gently fold in blueberries. Divide the batter among the muffin cups.
6. Bake the muffins until the edges and tops are golden, 20 to 25 minutes.
7. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack.
8. Serve warm.
9. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: Make ahead tip – Wrap each in plastic and freeze in a freezer bag for up to 1 month. To reheat, remove plastic, wrap muffin in a paper towel and microwave on High for 30 to 60 seconds.

Orlando Update

Remember a couple of weeks ago that I mentioned we were going to Disney world and I posted a accommodation question for you asking for guidance and suggestions.  Well I received numerous emails and comments ( which I am very grateful for ) but one of the emails stood out to say the least.  I received an email from Danica over at Danicasdaily.com that went a little something like this:

HI Z,

You are going to Disneyworld ~ FUN!!!!  I have a few suggestions for your for places to stay in Orlando and an idea for you/your family.  We own several time shares that are AWESOME and definitely better to stay at when you have a family.  They are more like condos with full kitchens, bedrooms, great pools and fun activities kids/adults on site too.  I could go on for days on why we LOVE our time shares so if you have any questions, just ask away.

I had a proposition though….Since you know I LOVE the work you did on Friends For Weight Loss and I have been wanting to revamp Danicasdaily.com since my search sucks, want to do a swap?  I can give you one of our Time Shares if you give Danicasdaily.com a makeover??  What do you think?

She continued in the email by providing us numerous resort options and locations and letting us pick the destination.  Both Mrs Zesty and I could not believe our eyes as we read the email and we were very grateful.  We spent the rest of the evening looking at the resorts ( emailing questions) and we finally decided on STAR ISLAND RESORT.  Have a look below at some of the pictures from the resort as we are super excited to get there and have fun.

To wrap up, all 4 of us are very thankful for both Danica and Jay’s enormous generosity.  Have a super Friday and I will see you all at the first of the week.

Take care

zesty

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Happy Monday to you! Some days you just need something simple to eat.  Something that will comfort you if you are feeling down, something quick if you are in a rush.  This no nonsense chicken soup will definitely do the trick.  Simple flavors really make you realize that good food can be made easy.

Honestly when I was making this soup, I thought it might be a bit bland in flavor until I hit it with the fresh lemon juice and ground pepper.  It woke the soup up and made it SING.  This is a must try for any soup lover.

Ingredients

• 3/4 Cup Long Grain White Rice
• 6 Cups Homemade or canned low sodium chicken stock
• 2 Cups Water
• Chicken breasts ( cut into thin slices)
• 2 Carrots ( chopped)
• 2 cloves garlic (crushed)
• 350g (12 oz) Spinach leaves
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. Lemon Juice
• 1 Tsp. Olive oil
• Fresh Ground black pepper

Method

1. Place the rice and carrot in a large saucepan with the stock and water and bring to a boil.  Simmer for about 10 minutes.
2. In a separate pan, saute the chicken with the oil until slightly brown adding the garlic and 1/2 Tbsp. Lemon juice and set aside once no longer pink.
3. Add the sliced chicken to the pan and simmer partly covered for another 5-7 minutes.
4. Stir in the spinach and continue simmering for another 5 minutes or until the rice is tender and both the chicken and spinach are cooked.
5. Stir in remaining lemon juice and pepper and serve hot.
6. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: Add some crunch to your soup by adding roasted pine nuts at the very end just before serving.  It will add a nice texture to the somewhat smooth soup.

I must really  say that these soup has been one of my favorites that I had had in a long time.  I think it also offers a nice canvas to add any other vegetables you would like but I think keeping it simple is one of the attractive elements.

Zesty Hits the Media

Well you know how shy I am in real life right?  Ummm just joking!  Just last week I was speaking with the Guardian as they wanted to do a special piece on Zesty and how it all began.  The Guardian is the local newspaper serving PEI so I was more than happy to oblige.

They also wanted to shoot a video in zesty’s kitchen with some holiday flare.  So many ideas went through my head thinking of what I wanted to share with you.  It came down to doing something simple and fun and also a recipe that kids can help create.  These cookies were really fun to make even with the crazy twist.  They taste pretty good out of the oven as well.

All in good fun and hopefully the videos will continue.

Have a super start to your week and I will see you all on Wednesday.

Take care

zesty

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