What's For Dinner - Day 9

Mystery Ingredients
Salmon Filets
Oricchiette Pasta
Asparagus

Final Product

Asian Grilled Salmon with Oricchiette and Asparagus 

For the marinade:

1/2 cup soy sauce

2 tbsp dijon mustard

2 tbsp honey

1 garlic clove, minced

1/4 cup olive oil

Pinch salt

1 tsp pepper

Pinch red pepper flakes

Place the salmon filets in a glass baking dish. Whisk the marinade ingredients together and pour over the salmon filets. Let sit for at least 10 minutes. Grill the salmon for 4-5 minutes per side, starting with the skin side, until the fish is cooked through. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.

For the Oricchiette and asparagus:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut off the woody ends of the asparagus. On a baking sheet, toss the asparagus with salt, pepper, olive oil and 1-2 tbsp of soy sauce. Roast in the oven for 10-15 minutes. 

Meanwhile cook the pasta according to the package directions. Drain and return the pasta to the pot. Cut the asparagus into bite-sized pieces and toss with the pasta. Add 2 tbsp butter, salt, and pepper and toss to coat. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and serve with the salmon.

RATING: ***** (5 stars!)

What's For Dinner - Day 8

Mystery Ingredients
Beef Round Steaks
Mushrooms
Freeze Dried Apples and Pears

Final Product
Steak with Apple Pear Bacon & Mushroom Compote

Beef Round Steak
Mushrooms, sliced
Freeze Dried Apples and Pears
Bacon, diced
2 tbsp Olive oil
2 tbsp Butter
Salt & Pepper
Cumin
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Add the freeze dried apples and pears to some water to reconstitute them. Drain, but save about 1 tbsp of the water.
Season the steak well on both sides with salt, pepper and cumin. Set aside. In a large skillet, fry the bacon until crispy. Remove from the pan and drain on a paper towel. Drain off almost all of the bacon fat from the pan, but reserve a little bit. Add in 2 tbsp olive oil and 2 tbsp butter and turn the heat to medium. Saute the mushrooms until just softened. Add in the reconstituted apples and pears. Season with salt, pepper and cumin. Add in the bacon at the last minute. Remove everything from the pan and set aside.
In the same pan, sear the steak on both sides until cooked through. Add the mushroom compote over top of the steaks and sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley. Serve immediately.

RATING: **** (4 out of 5 stars)

What's For Dinner - Day 7

Mystery Ingredients
Muesli mix
Napa cabbage
Boneless Country Style Pork Ribs

Final Product
Spicy Pork Ribs with Sauteed Cabbage
AND

Chocolate Chip Muesli Cookies

For the ribs & cabbage:
Boneless Country Style Pork Ribs
Napa Cabbage, cut into strips
Salt & Pepper
Cayenne pepper
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Season the ribs with salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper to taste. In a large pan, sear all sides of the ribs until golden brown. Pour in the soy sauce and apple cider vinegar and deglaze the pan for about 30 seconds. Transfer the ribs and the sauce to a baking dish and place in the oven for 20-30 minutes, depending on the thickness of the ribs.
When the ribs are cooked through, remove from the oven and set aside to rest. In the same pan that you seared the ribs, saute the cabbage. Add a few spoonfuls of the sauce from the ribs. Saute for about 1 minute, until just softened. Cut the ribs into bite-sized pieces and serve over the cabbage.

For the cookies:
1 cup Muesli mix
3/4 cup flour, sifted
2/3 cup apple butter (or applesauce)
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup chocolate chips
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 egg

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Sift the flour, baking soda and salt together in a bowl and set aside. In a stand mixer, or with a hand mixer, mix the apple butter with the brown sugar and vanilla until smooth. Beat in the egg until incorporated. Slowly add the flour mixture until well incorporated. Stir in Muesli mix and chocolate chips. Drop by the tablespoon-full onto a greased baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes.

RATING:
Ribs: *** (3 out of 5 stars)
Cookies: **** (4 out of 5 stars)

What's For Dinner - Day 6

Mystery Ingredients
Ham Steak
Gemelli
Avocado
Yellow squash

Final Product
Ham, Squash and Gemelli Fritatta with Avocado Crema

For the fritatta:
3 eggs
1/4 cup milk
Salt and pepper
1 cup cooked gemelli (or other pasta)
1 ham steak, cubed
1 yellow squash, sliced
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 tbsp chopped fresh chives

Cook the cubed ham in a pan until it is lightly browned and warmed through. Remove from pan and set aside. In the same pan, saute the squash just until it is heated through, about 5 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside.
In a large bowl, beat the eggs together with the milk, cheese, chives, salt & pepper to taste. Add in the cooked pasta, ham and squash. Mix until thoroughly combined. Spray a large non-stick skillet with non-stick spray. Place the pan over medium heat. Pour in the egg mixture into the pan and cook until set on the bottom, about 5-7 minutes. To flip, slide the fritatta out onto a large plate, place the pan upside-down on top of the fritatta and flip the whole thing over. Cook another 2-3 minutes, until the fritatta is cooked through. Cut into squares or wedges and serve.

For the avocado crema:
1 ripe avocado
1/4 cup sour cream
1/2 cup milk (maybe more)
Salt and pepper to taste
Dash of hot sauce

Place all ingredients in a blender and mix until smooth. Blend in more milk if necessary to make the crema more liquidy. Drizzle over the fritatta.

RATING: ***** (5 stars!)