Spicy Salmon and Veggies

Soooooo I was looking at the recipe I took this from and realized I actually totally changed the flavor and spice and made a super spicy version!!! Lol But hey, we are cleansing right now and I needed something full of flavor and filling and this more than hit the spot. Please note: it is SPICY!!!

I adapted the recipe from Fitness Magazine: http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/recipes/quick-recipes/dinner/dinner-in-20-easy-healthy-dinner-recipes/?page=3

Differences? I used red pepper instead of chili powder. I also added some cilantro because it rocks and I wanted a "cooling" factor to the spicy marinade.

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Spicy Salmon and Veggies

Nonstick cooking spray

1 big lime squeezed
4 garlic cloves - minced
2 tsp. red pepper
2 tsp. cumin
1/8 c. chopped cilantro
2 tbsp. olive oil
2-4 skinless salmon fillets

1 1/2 c. frozen corn, thawed
1/4-1/2 Red bell pepper, sliced thin
1/4-1/2 Yellow bell pepper, sliced thin
1/4-1/2 Orange bell pepper, sliced thin
1 Serrano pepper, sliced thin, seeds removed
1/2 small red onion, sliced thin
Dash of onion powder and garlic powder
Freshly ground black pepper


Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Cover a big baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray lightly with cooking spray. (Easy clean up, for the win!!)

In a small dish, mix the lime juice, garlic, red pepper, cumin, cilantro and oil. Dip the filets in the mix and place on the baking sheet.

In a medium bowl, toss corn, peppers, and onion. Pour the rest of the marinade over the veggies, toss, and spread on the baking sheet. Dash some onion powder, garlic powder and black pepper over the veggies for some extra flavor.

Place baking sheet in oven for 10-15 minutes until fish is cooked through and veggies are starting to brown. Serve and salivate!

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Much hotter than I expected but I ate it and liked it! Heck, we even convinced Alice to eat some ... With the promise of a Muscle Ball for dessert. It worked and she ate it! I'm good with that!

Challenge-Friendly: YES!

Sweet, Tangy Sesame Crockpot Chicken

So I found this recipe via Pinterest and The Comfort of Cooking Blog.  I am allllllll for yummy Asian dishes. I'm also allllllll for crockpot meals because I can prep that sucker and not have to worry about trying to create dinner out of thin air at 5pm when the kids are starving, Dave isn't home yet, and I haven't had time to do the dishes!

(Side note: I want a freaking dishwasher ASAP! I'm tired of living without one.)

Of course, I couldn't do just as the recipe told me to ... because that would mean I wasn't sticking with a "healthier" version AND I hate extra steps like making rice later so I threw everything together to cook AND I wanted to be good since I have 3 days left in my 24-Day Challenge. So I did good! And don't judge, but yes, I used raw honey ... life will go on! I couldn't justify using a whole cup like the original recipe so what I did use was my compromise.

I have to say, after making the "sauce" I am totally reminded of Asian BBQ and OMG we aren't telling Dave it's BBQ (since he hates BBQ) BUT he is going to eat the crap out of this ... I hope. I'm totally excited to dive in to this later.

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Sweet, Tangy Sesame Crockpot Chicken

2-3 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
Shake of Sea Salt on each side and Black Pepper. I also threw Garlic Powder on the meat for good measure.

Sauce:
1/2 c. Diced Onions
1/4 c. Raw Honey
1/4 c. Liquid Aminos
1/4 c. Organic Tomato Paste (about 3 oz. so half of a little can)
3 cloves Garlic - pressed
1 tbsp. Red Pepper Flakes
2 tbsp. Sesame Oil (or EVOO)
1 tbsp. Sesame Seeds

Base:
1 c. Brown Rice
1 c. water
Any frozen veggies you have left in the freezer. I used about 2 cups of Stir Fry Veggies I had sitting around and waiting to be used.
1 tsp. Ground Ginger

Throw your Base ingredients into the crockpot and sprinkle the ginger powder over it. There was no ginger in the sauce recipe so I added some to the base just because I LURVE ginger.

The seasoned chicken goes on top of the base.

Mix up the "sauce" and spoon on top of the chicken. That's it! I'm cooking on High for 4 Hours because my chicken was still partially frozen but cook it alllllll day for even better results but add extra water so it doesn't dry out.

Garnish with diced green onions.

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The verdict? Good but I should have taken the extra step of doing everything separate. Since it all cooked together, the sauce ends up mixed in with rice and veggies which is fine but it doesn't look as pretty as my predecessors. LOL The flavor is fine but slightly unexpected due to the tomato paste addition. I can't imagine it would be better with ketchup though. I think I might either cut the tomato paste to 1/8 cup and maybe up the honey to 1/3 cup. Not too shabby! Next time I will definitely do the rice and veggies right before I serve so the chicken gets the whole sauce flavor!


Challenge Friendly: YES but only for Max. You don't need the extra sugars during Cleanse. In fact, you probably don't need the extra sugars anyway ... so let's list this as a MAYBE ... only if in dire need of a dish ... and you happen to have everything you need sitting around ... LOL

Jerk It Out No. 1

So I decided to try my hand at Jerk Chicken, finally. Found a simple jerk mix at The Way to His Heart blog.

Note: par my usual, I did add garlic because you know I love my garlic!

Things I can do different next time:

1. Next time, I will let the marinade set for a good few hours and then probably pan seal then bake ... Or grill!

2. I might try adding a few other spices that I'm seeing on other recipes like ginger and maybe molasses. (Actually I'm stealing a mix my friend has and basing my next attempt on their ingredient list!)

3. Next time I bake, I'm going to throw a touch of water in the bottom of the pan so I have more "sauce" when I mix it all up.

All in all, I'm super happy with this flavor and the hot spice was just enough for me. I'm sure Dave could have used even more red pepper!

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Jerk Seasoning

1 tbsp. Thyme
1 tbsp. Minced Onion
1 tbsp. Minced Garlic
2 tsp. All Spice
1 tsp. Cinnamon
1 tsp. Cayenne Pepper
1 tsp. Black Pepper

1 tbsp. EVOO
2-3 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts

Combine all the spices. Coat the chicken with the EVOO and pour the spices over them. Work the spices over the chicken with your hands until everything is coated. Cover and cook on 375 degrees for an hour.

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Pair with a slaw or, like I did, warm corn salad with matching spices. Yummmmmmy!


Challenge Friendly: YES. Pair with roasted veggies or brown rice with spicy flavors.