Fish Dinner #2

This time I decided to try some Alaskan Salmon burgers from Whole Foods... with roasted asparagus and garlic mashed potatoes....

Pretty tasty!!!  I wasn't sure what condiments would taste best on the burger, so I had it plain and it was really good.  Next time I might try some cheese or avocado and tomato on it.  I guess I'm staring to like fish a little!!!

Delish spring cuisine

Since I read a lot of food blogs, I am constantly seeing my own meals and snacks through the eyes of a computer screen/ blog post.  I find reading about what other people are making and eating interesting, so hopefully you guys will too!

The other night we had a fish dinner.  I've never been a big seafood eater, and the only thing I used to like was tuna from a can (made with miracle whip, celery, relish - basically unrecognizable as fish).  Then I cut that out because of being vegetarian.  Lately I feel like I'm not getting enough... I don't want to say protein exactly, because the amount of protein people think you need is such a myth...but I just feel deficient in something.  I feel like I'm just not eating meals with enough solidity to them.  So I decided to give fish another try, and tilapia is said to be one of the least fishy-tasting, so I bought that.  I also made sure to buy one that had a crust on it, to disguise it a little for my first real fish dinner.

It was garlic encrusted tilapia, and I made cous cous with dried cranberries and pecan slivers in it, and a broccoli cheese noodle side dish.  With a glass of Riesling as well. Overall, a winning combination of things, and the fish was great!

Another night I made this whole wheat pasta with a little olive oil, oregano, steamed broccoli, sun-dried tomatoes, and parmesan cheese. Scruptious!!

Homemade pizza is our usual Friday night dinner... with all sorts of toppings.  Pineapple, onion, green pepper, sun-dried tomato, garlic powder, oregano, etc...

Some of my lunches at work:

roasted red pepper hummus and spinach on homemade bread (not homemade by ME, but my boss, an excellent cook)

Peanut butter, sunbutter, and banana, again on homemade bread... sometimes with a little honey on top...

Also today I had a sandwich on one of these:

I didn't take a picture, but it had laughing cow light spreadable swiss cheese, avocado, and spinach.... and was one of the most wonderful sandwiches I've ever had!!!

Sundried Tomato & Artichoke Pasta

I made up this yummy recipe tonight!
I made whole wheat spaghetti as I normally would,
and in a skillet sauteed olive oil, sundried tomatoes, and artichoke hearts with sprinkles of garlic powder, italian seasoning, minced onion flakes, crushed red pepper, and oregano.
When both were done, I mixed them all in the pasta pan and melted mozzarella on top.

It was delish!

The Incredible Edible Avocado

Avocadoes have to be one of my favorite foods in this world. I am discovering more and more things that they taste good on or with....

-On toast or bagel as a spread, alone, like butter!
-On burritos with black beans, rice, lettuce, sour cream, tomato, salsa, cheese, or any combination of these.
-On veggie pizza, add after taken out of oven when ready to eat.
-On top of any salad.
-In tortilla soup.
-On top of a rice dish that my friend Nichole invented. It's brown or white rice topped with a mixture of stewed diced tomatoes with chlis, yellow corn, and peaches ( I know it sounds weird but it's a delish combination!)... On top of all that some sour cream and avocado! It's one of my favorite meals.
-On wheat thins.
-Even by itself, scrumptious and wholesome and filling!

What we had for dinner tonight

Cottage Cheese Potato Lasagna

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cup meatless pasta sauce
• 1/2 can mushroom pieces, drained
• 2 1/2 cup Swiss cheese, shredded
  
• 2 cups cottage cheese (I used low fat)
  
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 1/2 lbs new potatoes, sliced (we used red potatoes)
  
• 1/2 lb fresh carrots, sliced
• 1 medium red onion (1/2 cup diced, rest ringlets)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 2 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoon sliced olives

Directions:

In a medium bowl, place pasta sauce, mushrooms, cottage cheese, egg, parsley and oregano. Stir until well blended.

Spray 3 qt rectangular casserole dish.

Wash new potatoes and carrots. Peel and slice 1/8th thick. Place carrots in microwave bowl and cook 2.5 minutes.

Arrange 1st layer of potatoes overlapping edges in prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup diced onions, salt and pepper. Spread 1/2 pasta and cheese sauce over potato layer. Spread layer of 1/2 the swiss cheese.

Repeat potato layer over pasta and cheese sauce. Top with 1/2 of carrots, 1/4 cup onions, and salt and pepper. Arrange balance of potatoes and carrots on top with pasta and cheese sauce. Top with onion ringlets and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, rest of swiss cheese and olives.

Cover with foil and bake 40 minutes at 450 degrees. Remove cover and brown top for 7 minutes, or longer. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Number of Servings: 6

Notes from Nicci: We didn't use the mushrooms or olives because I don't like them and my hubby is VERY sweet and accommodating of my various food issues.... I don't think it was lacking in any way leaving these out. Next time I may pre-cook the potatoes a min or two in the microwave like the carrots, I thought they could've used a tad more cooking. And I think I'd get a bit more potatoes as well. It was hard to cut them 1/8 inch thick so I probably cut them more like 1/4 inch think, and I sort of ran out for the third layer. Again, this didn't make a difference, but I know for next time. And there will be a next time!

Also, it was so SO GOOD that we each ate more than we should have (given the amount of cheese in it) and I'd say more like number of servings is 4. Make extra if you have company! Great paired with homemade bread!

One of my favorite things we've made since we got married! I highly recommend you trying it.

Tweaked a bit from a recipe found on Betterrecipes.com

SmoothNicci's Smoothie Shop

I think I'm going to open a smoothie shop in Corydon. I mean there isn't one already, and I could definitely charge less than Smoothie King does for theirs (the cheapest is $5 for a 20 oz, their small!) I'm going to call my shop SmoothNicci's Smoothie Shop.

Here's some of my creations:

Island Smoothie

1 c. milk (or soy milk for you who are dairy-free)
1/2 c. fresh mango slices
3/4 c. frozen peaches
3 tbs. coconut sorbet
2 ice cubes
splash peach schnapps
spash dark rum

(alcohol optional for those of you nursing or abstaining ;-)



Dark Berry and Orange Goodness

1 c. orange juice
1 banana
1/2 c. frozen blueberries
1/2 c. frozen dark sweet cherries
1/2 c. frozen whole strawberries
1 squirt light agave nectar

BLEND!

What I had for lunch today

Taboule "doctored" with:
red pepper
green onion
tomato
olive oil
parsley
cayenne
lemon juice

MMMMMMMMMediterranean!!