CRUNCHY DIJON COATED HERB SALMON

July 13, 2019 Julie Sanchez

We eat salmon once a week, so I am always trying to find new ways to prepare it. For this dinner pictured above I served the salmon on pureed broccoli and roasted potatoes. The first time I ever ate salmon was in Paris with my dear friend Candice. It was served with potatoes and seasoned with dill. That combination of flavors has remained forever etched in my memory of deliciousness!

You need 6-8 ounce salmon fillets with the skin removed. You can use dried dill, if you do not have access to fresh herbs. Panko breadcrumbs are much crunchier than normal bread crumbs.

Measure out 3 tablespoons panko bread crumbs into a small bowl and add 1 teaspoon olive oil.

Add a pinch of salt and black pepper to the panko mixture.

Chop up finely any combination of fresh herbs you like. Italian Parsley, Dill, or Cilantro all work great. You can also substitute dried dill, since buying a whole batch of herbs to only use a small amount is wasteful. I grow fresh herbs in the summer, so I always have them around. In the winter I tend to just use the dried dill, unless I happen to have extra cilantro in the fridge.

Add the herbs to the panko and stir to combine.

Measure 1 teaspoon dijon mustard on each fillet.

With a pastry brush or your fingers spread the mustard on the sides and top, not the underneath side.

Sprinkle the panko mixture on the top only. It may cascade down the sides, which is fine. You may not need all the mixture if your fillets are smaller. All of this can be prepped in advance. At this point if you are only prepping, you can gently cover the place the salmon in the fridge.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil for easy clean up. Place the salmon on the parchment and bake for 10-15 minutes at 400 degrees.

CRUNCHY DIJON COATED SALMON RECIPE

Serves: 2 people
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 12 minutes

INGREDIENTS

Two 6-8 ounce pieces of skinless salmon
3 tablespoons panko bread crumbs
1 teaspoon olive oil
salt and pepper
1 tablespoon minced fresh herbs: italian parsley, dill and or cilantro. (Alternatively you can substitute 1/2 teaspoon dried dill)
2 teaspoons Grey Poupon dijon mustard

PREPARATION

Preheat oven to 400° F.
Measure 3 tablespoons panko bread crumbs into a small bowl.
Add 1 teaspoon olive oil to the panko mixture.
Add a pinch of salt and black pepper.
Add either 1/2 teaspoon dried dill, or 1 tablespoon minced fresh herbs. Stir panko mixture till combined and oil is distributed.
Place your salmon on a plate, and place 1 teaspoon of dijon mustard on each fillet.
Spread mustard with a pastry brush or your fingers on the sides and top of the salmon but NOT underneath the fish.
Sprinkle the panko mixture on the top of the fish.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil.
Place the fish on the baking tray and cook for 10-15 minutes. 12 minutes is ideal for me, and the salmon is cooked thoroughly.

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CHICKEN MILANESE

June 5, 2019 Julie Sanchez

I have been making chicken milanese for over 30 years. We love the crunchy outside texture and the tender moist chicken inside. Combine it with a simple salad and a glass of rose and you have a perfect meal.

I only have almond milk in the fridge, since we use it for coffee, and it works just fine in this recipe. Of course if you have normal milk then use it. You can also use water if you do not have milk, since it would be silly to buy milk for 1/3 cup. I prefer panko bread crumbs over traditional bread crumbs since they offer more crunch. I buy grated parmesan from Whole Foods, as well as the parmigiana block for finely grating on the plate for the finishing touch. Any kind of vegetable or olive oil will work. The smaller the chicken breasts, the more tender they are.

If the chicken breasts come as a whole, cut the middle membrane out and discard. Pound the chicken breasts for 2 reasons, one to make them more tender and two to make them more even in thickness. Pound to about 1/2” thick. Do not pound them super thin, they will dry out when cooking.

Salt and pepper both sides of the chicken breasts.

Now prepare your 3 bowls for dipping the chicken. If you do not have wide shallow bowls you can use a plate for the flour mixture.

Mix 1/3 cup milk or water with 1 egg. Stir mixture with a fork.

Combine 1 cup panko bread crumbs with 2 tablespoons grated parmesan. Place in a bowl or plate and mix to combine.

Place your bowls in order ready for dipping. Start with the flour, then the egg mixture and then the bread crumbs.

Coat the chicken with flour, then dip it in the egg mixture.

Now coat the chicken in the breadcrumb mixture.

This stage can be prepared in advance. You could place chicken in the fridge if you are prepping way in advance.

In a medium saucepan melt 2 tablespoons butter with 3 tablespoons oil on medium high heat till the butter is melted and the mixture is sizzling hot.

Place the chicken breasts in the pan, cover, and start your timer on your phone. Cook 3-5 minutes on the first side till golden brown.

Flip the chicken once the first side is browned, cover once more and reduce heat to medium. Continue cooking till chicken is firm to the touch and fully cooked, about 4-5 minutes more, depending on how thin you pounded the breasts.

Drain on paper towels.

Serve with a simple salad. Garnish with some freshly grated parmesan.

CHICKEN MILANESE RECIPE

Serves: 2 People
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 8-10 minutes

ingredients

2 chicken breasts, skinless and boneless, pounded thinner
1/2 cup flour
1 egg
1/3 cup milk, or almond milk (you can also use water in a pinch)
1 cup panko bread crumbs
2 tablespoons parmesan cheese, finely grated
3 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
2 tablespoons butter

pREPARATION

Split the chicken breast in half if you have a whole chicken breast. Remove the center membrane and discard. Pound the chicken flatter to about 1/2”thick.
Salt and pepper both sides of the chicken.
Measure 1/2 cup flour and place in a shallow bowl or plate.
Combine 1/3 cup milk or water with one egg in a shallow bowl and stir with a fork till combined.
Measure 1 cup panko bread crumbs with 2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese into a bowl or plate and mix to combine.
Dip the chicken first in the flour, then in the egg mixture and then in the breadcrumb mixture. Place the chicken on a clean plate.
Heat 2 tablespoons butter and 3 tablespoons oil in a medium saucepan on medium high heat.
Once the oil mixture is sizzling, place chicken in the pan, cover, and set your stopwatch on your phone. Cook 3-5 minutes till golden brown. (If you do not have a cover for your saute pan then just use a dinner plate)
Once the first side is golden brown, flip the chicken over, cover the pan, and reduce heat to medium. Cook another 4-5 minutes till fully cooked. The length of time really depends on how thin you pounded the chicken.
Drain the chicken on paper towels. Garnish with freshly grated parmesan cheese and a Simple Green Salad (recipe is here)

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EASY SALAD FOR CHICKEN MILANESE

June 5, 2019 Julie Sanchez

A simple salad to serve with your chicken milanese. It is designed to be quick and easy. Use whatever ingredients you have available.

You can really use any lettuce you like. If you do not have fresh basil, then simply leave it off. Buf makes amazing buffalo mozzarella balls, available at Whole Foods. This is all meant to be simple and easy. So use what you have on hand.

Place the arugula in a medium bowl.

I have discovered that cutting the arugula brings out the flavor. I recommend keeping scissors in your kitchen drawer, so use them to roughly cut the arugula.

Cut the cherry tomatoes in half and add to the salad.

Tear up the mozzarella balls with your hands and place in the salad.

Tear off basil leaves, stack on top of each other and use scissors to cut into slivers. Add to the salad.

Squeeze a half of a lemon into the salad, sprinkle on a splash of olive oil and add salt and pepper to taste. Stir to combine.

EASY SALAD FOR CHICKEN MILANESE RECIPE

Serves: 2 people
Prep Time: 10 minutes

INGREDIENTS

2 large handfuls of arugula
8 cherry tomatoes, cut in half
4 buffalo mozzarella balls, torn into pieces
4 basil leaves, cut into slivers
1/2 lemon, juiced
splash of olive oil

preparation

Place the arugula in a bowl and roughly cut with scissors or a knife.
Cut the cherry tomatoes in half and add to the salad.
Tear up 4 mozzarella balls with your hands and add to the salad.
Stack 4 -5 basil leaves on top of each other. Cut into slivers and scatter on the salad.
Squeeze 1/2 lemon on to the salad. Splash the olive oil on the salad and season with salt and pepper. Toss to combine.

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ZUCCHINI, CORN, & TOMATO SUCCOTASH

May 2, 2019 Julie Sanchez

This is my version of succotash with a Mexican twist. Great for summer entertaining… combine with grilled fish or chicken and a green salad and you have a yummy meal. I have added some non traditional succotash ingredients: poblano peppers, cilantro and cumin to add a little kick to a already colorful side dish. You must prep the ingredients before you begin cooking since the cooking time is fast… 10 minutes. Its kinda like a stir fry, cooking quickly on high heat.

You need cherry tomatoes, zucchini, cilantro, one poblano pepper, two garlic cloves, and one large shallot. If you can find fresh corn, and feel super energetic to take it off the cob, then go for it. If you prefer the easy method, try to find frozen white corn. The bag says “Sweet Corn”, but it is not really sweet, white corn is simply sweeter than yellow corn.

Wash the cherry tomatoes and toss them in a bowl. You will not use them all but you can use them later on a salad or in your morning eggs. (I really love this photo, so I added it even though it was not really necessary!)

Cut the tomatoes in half and fill up a one cup measuring cup. Set aside in a small bowl.

You will need 3 to 4 zucchini depending on the size. Cut the ends off the zucchini and slice down the middle long ways.

Cut the halves again down lengthways to make 4 strips for each zucchini. Then cut strands into triangles. Measure 3 cups and set aside in a bowl.

Measure out 1 cup of corn and place in a bowl. Put the remaining corn back in the freezer.

Poblano peppers are usually mild in flavor and not spicy hot like jalapenos, but every once in a while they can be hot. So sample your pepper to make sure it is not too hot for you and adjust the amount accordingly. You will probably only use 1/3 or the poblano. Cut the sides off and discard the seeds. Slice into skinny strips and then into a small dice. Measure out 1/3 cup and place in a small bowl.

Slice the ends off the shallot and peel the skin off.

Cut the shallot into slices and dice finely.

Place the shallots on a small plate and add your 2 cloves of minced garlic.

Pick the cilantro leaves off the stems.

Chop the cilantro finely and measure out 1/4 cup and place onto a small plate or bowl.

Have all your ingredients prepped and ready before you begin to cook the mixture. You can prep all this in advance and keep on the counter at room temperature. The cooking time is quick… 10 minutes on high heat. If you are prepping in the morning for a evening dinner splash some olive oil on the shallots and garlic so they will not dry out.

In a medium saucepan, turn the heat on high and add 1 tablespoon olive oil along with the shallots and poblano. I like to set my phone to timer mode to keep track of time cooking. Saute on high for 5 minutes stirring often till the shallots have softened and gotten a little color.

After 5 minutes of cooking the shallots and poblano add the corn. Stir and cook for 1 more minute.

Now add the zucchini and garlic. Keep cooking this mixture while stirring for another 3 minutes more. (You do not want to overcook your veggies in this dish, they need to maintain a little bite and color). Now add the tomatoes and stir till tomatoes have softened only 1 to 2 minutes more. You are not really trying to cook the tomatoes, you simply want them warm. If you cook them too long they will turn mushy. Take the pan off the heat and add cilantro, and salt and pepper to taste. You can also add a few pinches of ground cumin for extra flavor.

zucchini, corn, AND Tomato succotash recipe

Serves: 4 people
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 10-12 minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
3 cups zucchini, sliced into triangles (3-4 zucchini)
1 cup corn
1/3 cup poblano pepper, diced finely
1/4 cup shallot, chopped finely (1 large shallot)
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 cup cilantro, finely chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil

OPTIONAL INGREDIENt

1 teaspoon ground cumin

preparation

Cherry tomatoes: Cut the cherry tomatoes in half and fill up a one cup measuring cup with the sliced tomatoes. Set aside in a small bowl.
Zucchini: Cut the ends off the zucchini. Then cut the zucchini in half lengthwise. Cut the 2 strips down lengthwise once more to make 4 strips. Now slice down the strips into triangles. Measure out 3 cups and set aside in a small bowl.
Corn: Measure out 1 cup of corn, and put the rest back into the freezer. If using fresh corn, remove the corn from the husks and set aside.
Poblano: Remove the seeds and core from the poblano and cut into strips. Then cut the strips into small cubes. You will only use about 1/3 of the pepper.
Shallot: Cut the ends off the shallot and peel. Chop into a fine dice. Set aside on a small plate or bowl.
Garlic: Peel and mince the garlic. Set aside on a small plate.
Cilantro: Pick the leaves off the cilantro stems and chop finely. Set aside on a small plate.
Cook: Put medium sized saucepan on high heat. You will keep it on high heat the entire time. Start the stopwatch on your phone. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil, shallots, and poblanos. Stirring constantly, cook for 5 minutes or until the shallots are soft and slightly colored.
Add the corn and cook 1 minute more, stirring often.
Now add the zucchini and garlic and cook another 3 minutes, stirring often. (I prefer my zucchini al dente)
Now add the tomatoes, cook till tomatoes have softened, 1 -2 minutes more. (You do not really need to cook the tomatoes, you simply want to heat them up, if you cook them too long, they become mushy)
Remove from the heat, add the cilantro, salt and pepper to taste. You can also add the cumin if you desire. Stir till combined.

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BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP WITH CASHEW CREAM

October 25, 2018 Julie Sanchez

Since Halloween and Thanksgiving are coming up, I thought this would be the perfect time of year to serve this creamy, satisfying, and easy soup. When I was developing the recipe, I made the soup so many different ways. I tested the soup with onions, versus shallots, versus leeks, and all the soups tasted the same. I also tested the soup with half and half versus cashew cream. My husband and I did blind taste tests to confirm which creamy soup we preferred, and we both agreed the cashew cream soup was tastiest. If you are not familiar with cashew cream, do not be scared. It is easy to make and it really has no taste; it simply thickens and enrichens the soup. I think in my old age, my tummy is becoming sensitive to dairy products. So this is the ideal soup if you watching your diet or simply cutting out dairy.

Make sure you buy unroasted and unsalted cashews. This is very important for the cashew cream. I prefer the organic low sodium vegetable broth, and I love the precut butternut squash from Trader Joe’s. Cutting up a butternut squash is simply not fun!

My son loves a pinch nutmeg in the soup, I prefer cayenne pepper over the nutmeg. But either one works, depending on your taste. I like to garnish the soup with a sprinkling of roasted pepitas. I buy them at HEB in the produce isle. We are addicted to pepitas. We pull them out to munch on when we are having a drink. So if you buy them they will not go to waste.

You must soak the cashews a minimum of 4 hours to overnight at room temperature. I usually soak them in the morning before I make the soup in the afternoon, or you can soak them overnight. Just the cover the cashews with water.

Peel the onion, slice off the ends and roughly chop the onion.

Peel the garlic and roughly chop the garlic.

On high heat in a medium saucepan saute the onions with 1 tablespoon olive oil for 4-5 minutes till golden.

Add 4 1/2 cups of broth, the butternut squash, garlic, and black pepper to the onion mixture and bring to a boil. Once boiling, cover, turn heat to medium and simmer for 20 minutes.

While the soup is cooking you can prepare the cashew cream. You must rinse the cashews and drain before adding to the blender or Nutribullet. Rinsing the cashews makes the cashew cream easier to digest.

You need a powerful blender or a Nutribullet to make the cashew cream. If your blender is not powerful you will not achieve the smooth consistency you need. I like to use a Nutribullet because its powerful and quick. You simply combine 3/4 cup of vegetable broth with the rinsed cashews and blend till really smooth and creamy. Alternatively you can add the cashews to your blender with your 3/4 cup of broth, start on a slow speed and build up to the highest speed for 1 minute. Check to see if you have a smooth texture. It is easier in the blender since you can add your soup to the cashew cream and blend all together. The Nutribullet does make the cashew cream smoother than a traditional blender.

Once the soup has cooled, spoon it in the blender and add your salt. Blend till smooth. Since my cashew cream was made in my Nutribullet I blend the soup first and then add the cashew cream. If you make the cashew cream in the blender first, you will just add the soup to the cashew cream and blend all together. Make sure to open the top of the blender a little to allow steam to escape to prevent an explosion.

Add the cashew cream and blend again till smooth and creamy. Taste the mixture for consistency. If you prefer a thinner soup then add more broth and blend again. At this point you can add a pinch of nutmeg or cayenne pepper and blend once more to combine.

Your soup is ready to reheat for serving or storing for later.

The soup fits perfectly in these containers I bought from HEB. They have screw tops so they are awesome for transport, and they stack which is a bonus.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP WITH CASHEW CREAM RECIPE

Serves: 4-6 people
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 cup raw and unroasted cashews, soaked minimum 4 hours in water, drained and rinsed
1 onion, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
Two 12 ounce packages precut butternut squash from Trader Joe’s
5 1/4 cups (44 ounces) vegetable broth, divided (3/4 cup and
4 1/2 cups)
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
generous grinding of black pepper
2 teaspoons salt

OPTIONAL INGREDIENTS

Pinch of nutmeg or cayenne
garnish with roasted pepitas

EQUIPMENT NEEDED

powerful blender or
Nutribullet

PREPARATION

Soak cashews in a small bowl, cover with water and soak a minimum of 4 hours or overnight.
Roughly cut up one onion and place in a medium pan. Turn heat on high and add 1 tablespoon olive oil.
Saute for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally till golden.
Add 4 1/2 cups of the broth carefully to the pan (it will sizzle due to high heat) along with the butternut squash, the garlic and black pepper.
Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to medium. Simmer for 20 minutes.
While the soup is cooking, make the cashew cream by first draining and rinsing the cashews. Place them in a blender or Nutribullet. Add 3/4 cup of the remaining vegetable broth. Blend till very smooth and creamy. If using a blender, start the mixture on low and build up to the highest speed for 1 minute still smooth.
Once soup has cooked, let it cool down a little before blending.
If you made your cream in the blender, simply add the soup and blend till smooth. Allow steam to escape from the top so no explosion will occur. If you used the Nutribullet, blend your soup first and then add the cashew cream.
Sample to make sure you like the consistency, and add more broth if necessary. You can add a pinch of cayenne pepper or nutmeg if you desire, and blend once more.

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