Broiled Salmon with Rosemary

This recipe is super easy and very tasty.  I'm a salmon fan and this is a really easy weeknight dish.  All you have to do is throw a veggie or two with it and you are good to go.

Broiled Salmon with Rosemary
From: Skinny Taste
Prep Time: 15 min
Cook Time: 5-10 min

Ingredients:
4 4oz pieces of salmon
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1-2 tsp fresh, chopped rosemary
2 cloves garlic, minced
Salt and fresh pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Combine lemon juice, rosemary, salt, pepper, and garlic.

2. Spray the rack of a broiler pan with olive oil spray and arrange fish on it.  Brush lemon mixture onto fish.

3.  Broil 4" from heat until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork, approximately 5-6 minutes per 1/2" thickness.  (make suer you watch it though, as you can see some of my rosemary got a little burnt)

Sweet Potato Casserole

This dish is my absolute favorite dish at Thanksgiving.  Or any Holiday for that matter. I'm not really sure why I haven't posted it before, but I am now.  This sweet potato casserole is so deliciously sweet that you could almost serve it as a dessert.  You can get it ready the night before (minus the topping) and then just cook it the next day as directed - that is what I usually do!

Sweet Potato Casserole
From: Mom and Nana
Prep Time: 30 min
Cook time: 45-60min

Ingredients:
5 large sweet potatoes
2 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup milk
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 stick butter, softened

Topping:
1/2 stick butter, melted
3/4 cup corn flakes
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Directions:
1.  Boil potatoes for 15 minutes or until soft.  Drain and peel potatoes, then mash.

2.  Add eggs, sugar, milk, nutmeg, cinnamon, and 1/2 stick of softened butter to mashed sweet potatoes and eat with mixer until blended.

3.  Bake in a casserole dish for 30-40 minutes.

4. Prepare topping - Mix melted butter with 3/4 cup crushed corn flakes, brown sugar, and chopped pecans.  Then spread over top of casserole and bake another 10-20 minutes until nicely browned.

Easy Chicken and Rice Soup

When Bill was sick last week, he was eating a lot of soup.  While he didn't mind eating the canned soup, I wanted to make something a little healthier and more hearty.  I found this recipe with a quick search and it looked pretty simple to make.  It was quite simple and was outstanding!  It was very flavorful, while still not being too exotic of flavors for someone who is sick.  It was very hearty and I think will now be my new go to for when we are sick (or sometimes even when we aren't)!

Easy Chicken and Rice Soup
From: Two Peas and Their Pod
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 min

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 medium carrots, cut diagonally into 1/2 inch thick slices
2 celery rips, halved lengthwise, and cut into 1/2 inch thick slices
4 fresh thyme sprigs
1 bay leaf
2 quarts chicken stock or broth
1 cup of water
1 cup long grain white rice
1 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken breasts
kosher salt and freshly ground blank pepper

Directions:
1. Place a soup pot over medium heat and add the olive oil.  Add onions, garlic, carrots, celery, thyme and bay leaf.  Cook and stir for about 6 minutes, until vegetables are softened and not browned.

2. Pour in the chicken broth and water - bring the liquid to a boil.

3. Add in the rice and chicken, season with salt and pepper.

4. Cook on medium-low heat until the rice is tender- about 30 minutes.  Serve Hot.

Crock Pot Baked Potato Soup

My friend Jorie made this soup for our small group a couple weeks ago and it hit the spot on a cool fall day.  So I got the recipe from her and gave it a shot.  My cream cheese took a lot longer to melt than I thought (I even used the regular as directed, not low fat), so next time I will try bringing the cream cheese to room temperature before adding it instead of straight from the fridge.  Everyone really liked it, but I do have to say that the toppings really make the soup, so make sure you have some!

Crock Pot Baked Potato Soup
From: Jorie Meyer
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 6-8 hrs
Serves: 4-6

Ingredients:
1 30 oz bag of frozen, shredded hash browns
3 14oz cans of chicken broth
1 can of cream of chicken soup
1 onion, chopped
1/4 tsp ground pepper
1 pkg cream cheese (do not use fat free, it won't melt)

Directions:
1. In a crock pot, combine everything except for the cream cheese.  Cook for 6-8 hours on low.

2. About an hour before serving stir and add the cream cheese and turn to high until thoroughly melted (it will melt faster if it is already softened and not straight out of the fridge).

3.  Serve with shredded cheese, bacon bits, sour cream, and green onions.

BBQ Chopped Chicken, Chick Pea, and Avocado Salad

I saw this salad on Pinterest and was intrigued by the use of BBQ sauce as a dressing.  It includes all the toppings I really like to use in my salads and the BBQ gave it a bit of a different flavor than my usual dressing.  The recipe called for goat cheese, but we used feta because Bill isn't a fan of goat cheese (although I love it and would have preferred to use goat cheese).  This was good to make for dinner and then have the leftovers for lunch the next day, you just need to keep the bbq sauce on the side.

What's for Lunch Wednesday:
BBQ Chopped Chicken, Chick Pea, and Avocado Salad
From: Ambitious Kitchen
Prep Time: 15 min

Ingredients:
Romain Lettuce Hearts, washed and chopped
1 cup pulled cooked chicken
1 (15oz) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 cup grape tomatoes, sliced in half
3/4 cup sweet corn (I used canned)
1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese or feta
1/3 cup cilantro, washed and chopped
1 small avocado, diced
1/2 cup BBQ dressing/sauce, if desired

Directions:
1. In a large bowl and lettuce, top with all ingredients except for avocado and bbq sauce.  Toss salad gently

2.  Place into salad bowls.  Garnish with diced avocado and drizzle with bbq sauce. Serve with tortilla chips if desired.

Crock Pot Beef & Broccoli

Whenever we get Chinese food, Bill almost always orders Beef and Broccoli.  When I saw this easy recipe that could be done in the slow cooker, I knew I had to make it.  It turned out really good.  The red pepper flakes give it a little spice that you don't expect, but if you aren't into spice you could easily leave that out and it would still be really flavorful.  I'm sure I will be making this again soon!

Crock Pot Beef and Broccoli
From: A Year of Slow Cooking
Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: 6-8 hrs on low

Ingredients:
1 lb thin beef
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 Tbsp white wine
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp sesame oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 bag frozen broccoli florets, thawed

Directions:
1. Add the liquid to the crockpot. Add garlic and spices to mixture.

2.  Slice meat into thin strips, toss in liquid and spices.

3. Cook on low fro 6-8 hours.

4.  A 1/2 hr to an hour before hand, add bag of broccoli and cook on high for 1/2 hr to an hour until warm.

5. Serve over white or brown rice.

Quinoa Vegetable Salad with Lemon-Basil Dressing

This was an easy to make and good for several days of lunches.  Any combination of quinoa and veggies is usually good with me though!

What's for Lunch Wednesday:
Quinoa Vegetable Salad with Lemon-Basil Dressing
From: The Garden Grazer
Prep Time: 15 min
Cook Time: 15 min

Ingredients:
1 cup uncooked quinoa
15oz can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
3 roma tomatoes, diced
1 orange bell pepper, diced
1 1/2 cups corn (canned or frozen and thawed)
5 green onions, sliced

Dressing:
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp basil (fresh if you have it)

Directions:
1. Rinse quinoa, and cook according to package directions

2. Meanwhile, in a small bowl whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, and basil. Set aside and prep vegetables.

3. When quino is done cooking, let cool.

4. Then place all salad ingredients in a large bowl.   Pour dressing over top and mix well to combine.  Eat immediately or chill before serving.