dinner Archives - Audrey JoAnn | Content and Copy Writer

Citrus Avocado Salad + Lemon-Pepper Salmon Skewers

March 1, 2016

Well, folks, I guess I’m just ready for it to be summer already. I blame Texas for the beautiful, sunny weather of late for putting me right in the midst of a midsummer headspace. I don’t hate it, especially because that means I have an excuse to make foods that remind me of bright skies, warm patios, and long, lazy days.

Enter this colorful and citrusy concoction of flavors. I am in love. I don’t even want to eat salmon anymore, unless it’s skewered and lemon-peppered. And this pretty-as-it-is-tasty salad complements the lemony flavors in the salmon with its own touch of tart.

(Recipes below!)

Salad Ingredients:

1 grapefruit, peel cut off and sliced
2 oranges, peels cut off and sliced
2 blood oranges, peels cut off and sliced
1 avocado, peeled and thinly sliced
1 shallot, thinly sliced
2 jalapeños, sliced
1/3 c. EVOO
2 tbsp. white wine vinegar
1 tbsp. honey
Freshly cracked pepper and sea salt
1/4 c. mint leaves

Directions:

Combine all fruit and veggies in a large bowl and toss gently with a soft spatula.

Whisk EVOO, vinegar, and honey with salt and pepper in a separate small bowl until combined. Pour over salad.

Serve with mint garnish on top.

Salmon Skewer Ingredients:

1 fair-catch salmon filet, skin removed (the Whole Foods fish counter will do this at no additional cost!)
2 lemons, washed and thinly sliced
1/3 c. EVOO
2 tbsp. white table wine (a fruity blend is best!)
1 tbsp. honey
1 tbsp. lemon juice
A splash of white wine vinegar
1/4 c. parsley, minced
1 tsp. lemon pepper
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
Freshly cracked pepper and sea salt

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. If you’re using wood skewers, soak them in water for at least 10 minutes to avoid charred wood while they bake.

Chop the salmon up into small 1 x 1 inch pieces.

In a medium bowl, whisk the EVOO, wine, honey, lemon juice, vinegar, parsley, lemon pepper, cayenne, and salt and pepper together until well-mixed. (Pardon the humble brag, but this combo makes one of the best lemon pepper glazes I’ve ev-er tasted.)

Toss the salmon in the glaze mixture, and then place the salmon and the lemon pieces on your skewers alternating places.

Place skewers on a tin foil-covered baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes.

Lots in Ramen

January 26, 2016

Nothing makes me much happier than eating rich, indulgent ramen soup—not the kind that comes in styrofoam cups, either, but the stuff that’s homemade with a poached egg to top it off. But up until a few months ago, I was certain I did not have half the culinary skill to make a batch of that kind of ramen on my own. It looks so complicated! What even is a poached egg? How do you get the complex flavors just right?

And then, as usual, Pinterest swooped in and saved my life with this recipe I found . Let me be clear from the get-go: this recipe is so easy. Time-consuming, yes, but not difficult at all. And I am a whiner when it comes to difficult tasks, so you can go ahead and trust me on this. I’ve thrown in a few of my own tweaks (including way more Sriracha sauce than the original recipe calls for and jalapeños to up the spice factor even more, because I’m a rebel like that), but all in all, this is one of my absolute favorite comfort meals. Plus, it makes enough to feed a small tribe—or me for, like, a week and a half.

So, go ‘head with your gourmet self, and cook this up to impress all the ramen-adoring people in your life like I do. Go on. I dare you.

Ingredients:

1 tbsp. sesame oil
2 garlic cloves, diced
1 inch of ginger root, diced
2 c. green onions, sliced
1 tsp. curry powder
1 tsp. coriander
1/2 c. Sriracha
6 c. vegetable broth
4 c. water
12 oz. dry udon noodles
1 tbsp. coconut oil
2 c. baby bella mushrooms, sliced
2 red bell peppers, sliced
2 jalapeños, sliced
1 c. steamed spinach
4 eggs
1/2 c. white vinegar
1/2 c. cilantro, chopped

Directions:

Heat sesame oil in large soup pot. Sauté garlic, ginger, and half of the green onions for 3-4 minutes. Add curry, coriander, and Sriracha and cook for 1 more minute.

Stir in vegetable broth and water. Let simmer, covered, for 20-25 minutes.

Add the noodles and cook until softened, about 7-8 minutes. They absorb liquid–quick–so add more water if they soak it up too fast.

In a large sauce pan, sauté the mushrooms, red pepper, and jalapeños in coconut oil over medium-high heat until supertender.

To poach the eggs, bring a pot of water to a boil. Add vinegar and continue stirring in a swift circular motion while maintaining a slow boil. (The water circulating in this circular motion will help keep the egg from dropping to the bottom and sticking to the pot.) As the water is still spinning, crack an egg into the pot. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Repeat for all eggs.

To serve: ladle noodles and broth into a bowl. Top with sautéed veggies, steamed spinach, a poached egg, fresh green onion, and cilantro.

Healthier-Than-They-Could-Be Shrimp Enchiladas

December 4, 2015

I can by no means call this recipe “healthy” in good faith, but they aren’t necessarily the worst enchiladas you could put in your body. I use fresh veggies, minimal oil, and no sodium-packed sauces – instead, I opt for a spicy verde salsa mixed with Greek yogurt to top the ‘chiladas, which ups the freshness and protein and downs the saltiness and preservative levels. And they’re still creamy and delicious.

I made these for the first time for John’s birthday this last June. We are both Tex-Mex fanatics; actually, that’s probably the largest attribute we have in common. Where he’s analytical and logical, I’m emotional and spontaneous. Where he’s what he considers a “collector” of special knick-knacks and momentous items, I’m what I like to call an “anti-hoarder.” I will give away anything that hasn’t been used in, oh, a month or so — maybe less — and I feel the sanest when my counters and other surfaces are completely without clutter. He likes golf, nature, and watching ESPN for hours; I like fashion, the great indoors, and watching Bravo for hours. But I think all of those things balance us out in a fun way. Plus, we still have the great almighty adoration in common: Tex-Mex.

However, he’s a much better cook than I am, so I knew for his birthday I really needed to step up my game in order to impress his fancy-schmance taste buds. That’s when these enchiladas came into play. I consulted with his mom, who gave me the idea to use the verde salsa and Greek yogurt combo for the sauce and a good veggie mix to put with the shrimp, as well as Pinterest, which is always a good source of food-spiration, in my opinion.

What came of all my sources were some of the tastiest homemade enchiladas I’ve – and he’s – tasted. That’s not even me just tooting my own horn. I can own when something I make isn’t the greatest (and that happens more often than not). But these things are amazing, a must-try for you and yours this holiday season whenever you’re not indulging in turkey and ham and pumpkin pie.

(Recipe below.)

I thought my photographer (A.K.A. my boyfriend John) was getting me and the fresh veggies I just chopped in this shot, but alas, it’s just me, triumphant and sans veggies.

Obligatory Dos Equis for the chef.

Smother that dish real nice.

Someone’s grumpy about getting no attention.

So, they aren’t gorgeous on the plate. But, trust, they taste 100 times better than they look.

Ingredients:

1 lb. raw medium shrimp, cleaned, peeled, deveined, de-tailed, halved

1 medium white onion, chopped

1 c. white mushrooms, chopped

2 poblano peppers, chopped (John was convinced the ones we used here were Anaheims that were put in the wrong container at Whole Foods, but whatever. They still tasted good.)

½ c. green onion, chopped

½ c. cilantro, minced (to top)

1 c. tomatillo salsa

½ c. Greek yogurt

8-pack of flour or corn tortillas (we used flour)

2 c. mild cheddar & Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. red pepper

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Warm the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the white onion, mushroom, and poblano (or Anaheim). Season with cumin, red pepper, salt, and pepper and sauté veggies until they’re a light, golden brown. Add shrimp to the pan and sauté with the veggies until cooked through (about 7-10 minutes on medium heat).

In a medium bowl, mix together the salsa and yogurt. Spread some on the bottom of a large 9×13 baking dish (where you’ll put the enchiladas) until the bottom is coated. (This will make the bottoms of the enchiladas nice and moist and easy to scoop after baking.)

Scoop about ¼ cup of the veggie/shrimp mix onto a tortilla, along with a drizzle of the sauce and a sprinkle of shredded cheese. Roll into enchilada and place in baking dish. Don’t worry about squishing them to make them all fit; you want them nice and cozy.

After all tortillas are wrapped and in the dish, smother with the rest of the sauce, green onions, and cheese. Bake for 15 minutes or until the cheese is brown and bubbly.

Serve with fresh cilantro and remaining green onion on top.

Calories: 664 // Fat (g): 26.6 // Carbs (g): 61.4 // Protein (g): 42.5 // Servings: 4

Apron: Sur la Table (a sweet gift from John’s parents, and I am loving the vintage vibes it brings to my kitchen!) // Sweater: LuLu*s

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