Shrimp and Dandelion Greens Salad.

Turns out, I'm allergic to dandelion greens. However, before I broke out into hives and had a skin rash around my mouth for over a week, I did actually like the flavors of this meal. SO, I'll share in case YOU are NOT allergic. Pretty much if you're allergic to ragweed, you're likely going to have a problem with dandelion greens according to what the interwebs told me.

That said, I had some shrimp I needed to cook. I had seen the dandelion greens at Whole Foods and thought it would be an interesting challenge to attempt.

I quickly sauteed the peeled and de-veined shrimp in a pan with minced garlic and olive oil. Just a couple minutes on each side until the shrimp turned pink. After setting aside the shrimp, I used the same pan to cook the vegetables.

I added in chopped asparagus, leeks, and the dandelion greens. After several minutes to cook out the bitterness of the dandelion greens and ensure the asparagus was starting to tenderize, I added in the cannelini beans. Continued to stir periodically but kept this on low heat and covered to cook through. After several minutes, I added in the fresh baby spinach and the shrimp and stirred regularly. Just a couple minutes to let the spinach just start to soften but not thoroughly wilt.

Topped the salad with some avocado and voila. A perfectly healthy little salad that I then ate for the next couple days until I realized I was having an allergic reaction.

Do I recommend the dish? Well, it was tasty. If you know you're not allergic and/or you're brave enough to try it, go for it. I was disappointed about having to throw away the leftovers.

Bell Peppers Stuffed with Salmon, Quinoa, Spinach, and Kale

I never thought the day would come when I'd be tired of salmon and spinach. Unfortunately, that day came precisely the day after I cooked enough salmon to last me three meals. I thought about inventive ways I could use the salmon and the large box of fresh baby spinach I had in the refrigerator, and I remembered the bag of bell peppers I also needed to prepare. An idea crept up that I should try stuffed bell peppers.

In the past, I've made stuffed bell peppers with rice and ground beef, but this would be different. Instead of rice, I wanted to try quinoa with spinach, salmon, and kale.

I cut the tops off two bell peppers and cleaned the seeds out from inside. I boiled the peppers for about 5 minutes.

In the meantime, I chopped up some purple kale, baby spinach, 1/2 a leek, and 1/8 of a red onion. I set these aside and upon removing my bell peppers, I used the same water (reduced down) to boil the quinoa which is prepared just like rice. After a few minutes of boiling, I covered the pot and let it simmer for 15 minutes.

Once cooked, I added all the vegetables (minus the bell peppers) to a pan and sauteed with a touch of olive oil and minced garlic. Also added some ground ginger, ground mustard, and cumin for good measure. I wetted the mixture down with some water and kept stirring for several minutes. Then I added in the salmon and continued stirring for several more minutes.

For a vegetarian variation, leave out the salmon and substitute with another protein like black beans.

I sprinkled the mixture with a bit of parmesan cheese and scooped it into the bell peppers. I placed the bell peppers in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

The dish turned out nicely, although there are a couple things I would try differently in the future. I had been concerned that the salmon would overpower the flavors of the stuffing, so I didn't add much seasoning to the rest of the ingredients. Once all the elements were mixed together, I felt the dish could have benefited if I had cooked the ingredients in some broth for additional flavor instead of the water.

Swiss Chard and Shrimp.

Tonight I wanted a very simple dinner. Swiss Chard and Shrimp. I love beautiful leafy Swiss Chard with its bright red stems and veins. I thought about topping the shrimp and Swiss Chard over a nice creamy polenta or some grits, but decided to keep it simple and carb free for the evening. I did just get back from vacation, after all, and I was already drinking my carbs for the evening.

I first washed and tore up the leaves of the Swiss Chard and set it aside to dry. This is a critical part of the process -- and in fact I didn't dry mine enough. I recommend using a salad spinner to really get all the water out. 

I then washed, peeled, and de-veined the large white shrimp that I had purchased at Whole Foods the day before. I quickly sauteed the shrimp in some olive oil, minced garlic, salt, red pepper flakes,  Cavenders, and lemon juice for just a couple minutes on each side -- just long enough to turn from white to pink.

Then I pulled the shrimp out of the pan and set it aside while I added the Swiss Card to the very same pan to absorb the same flavors. I added just a bit more salt and Cavenders, and stirred the leaves into the lemon juice and olive oil mixture.

In just another 2-3 minutes, the Swiss Chard was nicely wilted without being overcooked. I enjoyed the shrimp and Swiss chard just as-is, but could see how the polenta would be a nice complement.

Brill Sole Fillet With Vegetables.

I live just over the bridge from Granville Public Market in Vancouver, so I have access to some of the freshest and best seafood in the world with just a 5 minute ferry ride across False Creek.

When my sister was visiting recently, we went over to the island for brunch and grocery shopping. The plan was to cook up a nice meal at home and catch up over a bottle of wine. With no real idea of what we were going to make, we let the selections inspire us.

I saw brill sole fillets and was drawn to the sheer size of the fish. I hadn't ever cooked sole before, but how hard could it be, right?

I bought a large fillet (with skin and bones), enough to feed 6 people. To accompany the fish, I also bought some large bay scallops, a handful of large white shrimp, some rapini, zucchini, asparagus, fresh corn on the cob, onions, fingerling potatoes, leeks, and green beans.


First things first, I preheated the oven to 350 degrees.

Then, I sliced up the leeks and cubed the fingerling potatoes. I sauteed the leeks with some olive oil and spices, then added the potatoes soon after and slow cooked them while preparing the rest of the meal.

On medium heat in a covered pan, the potatoes cooked nicely through and produced a delicious scent in my kitchen. I added just a bit of rosemary to the potatoes. 

As the potatoes were at least 1/2 cooked, I added some chopped asparagus to the mix.

Next, I washed the green beans and slowly sauteed them with some garlic and spices -- just enough to stay crisp while cooking through.

While the beans and potatoes were both cooking slowly, I sliced a zucchini and some red onions, and quickly sauteed both in a small pan with some olive oil, spices, and garlic.

Turned the heat to low on all three pans and started the fish. Preparing the fish was super simple. I washed the fish thoroughly to rid it of any fish smell and slimy residue from the fish market. I cut the fish in half (okay, this wasn't so easy), and placed each half into respective glass baking dishes.

I coated the fish with various spices, a couple tablespoons of I Can't Believe It's Not Butter (use Brummel and Brown's Natural Yogurt if you can), and added some sliced red onions and garlic to the dishes. I added lemon pepper spices, Cavenders, salt, pepper, roasted garlic blend, minced garlic, minced onion, and lemon juice to the fish. Then, I popped the dishes right in the oven without covering them.

Next up, I quickly sauteed the rapini in a saute pan with just a touch of olive oil, salt, and Cavenders. Less than 2 minutes, and the leaves were wilted just enough to serve.

Lastly, in the same pan, I sauteed the shrimp and scallops for just a few minutes with Cavenders, salt, pepper, garlic, and olive oil. I added some chili flakes to the shrimp for some added flavor.

What resulted was one of the best meals I've ever prepared. The fish was cooked perfectly. The simplicity of the butter and lemon plus spices presented such a complex flavor by bringing out the natural tastes of the brill sole. I am not sure if I'll be able to reproduce the fish quite as well as it turned out this time.

The potatoes and vegetables were a nice compliment to the fish, and a great leftover to have as its own meal later in the week. 

I think the green beans, scallops, and shrimp were overkill but still delicious. Those could have been their own meal, but I like to over-complicate things. What's not shown in the photos is that I also boiled the corn on the cob and then cut the corn kernels into the rapini + zucchini salad. This was a nice mix of flavors, and I would make it again.
 

Carrot and Potato Soup.

As the recurring theme on this blog goes, I had some produce in the refrigerator that was going to go bad if I didn't cook something. I had recently purchased a large bag of carrots and a bag of miniature potatoes. I had carrot soup on the mind.

For this dish, I grated several large carrots (a painstakingly annoying task, if you ask me), and cubed several little potatoes and one large sweet potato.

I wish I had an onion, but alas, I hadn't been to the market in a while.

I added the potatoes to a pot of boiling water, as well as the parts of the carrots I hadn't been able to grate. If I had an onion, I would have added this here too but instead used minced onions and seasoning including a roasted garlic blend, Cavender's, turmeric, salt, and rosemary.

After several minutes, I added the grated carrots. I let the pot continue to boil for another 15-20  minutes until all the potatoes were tender enough to cut easily with a spoon against the side of the pot. At this point, I turned off the heat and let the pot cool down for 20 minutes.

Using my blender, I pureed the soup to have a heartier consistency and blend all the flavors. I added some more seasoning including minced garlic, salt, and Sriracha hot sauce.

I made a large batch so I could freeze some for a later date, and the rest I ate for lunches and dinners throughout the week either as a supplement to a meal or on its own. I found the soup to be quite good, and overall pretty satiating.

Kale Chips.

I was asked at work today for a healthy snack suggestion, and I could only think of fruit, nuts, or yogurt. The problem I find with any of these options is when you've got a hankering for a really savory snack, none of the aforementioned items truly satiate the craving.


When I came home, I remembered all the kale I had purchased with the intent of trying once again to make kale chips. My first attempt at making kale chips resulted in setting off the fire alarm and and a burnt batch with only a few salvageable bites.

For this tasty snack, I used a mix of purple and green kale. Washed and dried them thoroughly, and tore the leaves and broke off the tough parts of the stem.

Once dried, I drizzled just a little bit of olive oil, some salt, and Cavender's seasoning. Additionally, I added a little roasted garlic spice blend and a touch of cayenne pepper.

I gently massaged the oil and seasonings on every leaf, then laid the leaves upon rimmed baking sheets so that they did not overlap.

25-30 min in the oven at 250 degrees, and the kale chips become crisped. I can't wait to take these to work tomorrow to share as a healthy snack.

Savory, salty, and ADDICTIVE. Easy to make, although not fast/quick enough for me to make these regularly. But kale is definitely something I have on hand regularly as it's a staple in my cooking and my smoothies. I have to give a big shout-out to my BFF Leah who first taught me how to make kale chips. Thankfully I didn't set off any alarms this time! Next time I'll play around with different seasonings to see what the best flavor mix turns out to be.

Sabzi Chalau, or Spinach with Rice.

In honor of Afghan New Years, I opted to cook a traditional meal since I miss my family and like to hold onto some traditions when I can.

Once again, you'll have to forgive the lack of a proper camera. I'm simply being lazy and haven't gone to my car (30 stories below) to retrieve my camera gear. Instead, you're getting point and shoot quality with terrible flash. Doh.

Spinach is one of my favorite vegetables. I could eat it every single day. Of the many ways to make spinach, one of the tastiest (to me) is a traditional Afghan dish that is complex in flavor despite being so simple to make.

You start off sauteing chopped onions (preferably white/yellow, although I used red) in some olive oil along with minced garlic.

Once translucent, add chopped spring onions or leeks (or both). I only had spring onions available. As these are cooking, add various spices to the mix including:

• turmeric
• cumin
• coriander
• salt
• black pepper

Since this blog is all about experimentation, I always encourage you to depart from the spice list. I also added Cavender's out of habit, as well as a touch of ginger and ground mustard. 

At this point, I decided to add a little bit (1/8 cup) of vegetable broth I had saved in the freezer from a previous meal.

Then I added the fresh baby spinach with stems cut off. You can chop the spinach or toss them in whole, either is fine. I used nearly one pound of spinach because I had been heavy handed with the onion. My advice would be to use 1/5 onion per pound of spinach. Your tastes may vary. My finding is that one pound of spinach yields about 2-2.5 servings.

Dropping the heat to medium, I continued stirring the spinach occasionally over the next 15-20 minutes while it cooked through. Added a bit more spices to ensure the spinach absorbed all the flavors. More importantly, you want the spinach to evolve in color from bright green as shown in the pic below to a much darker green as seen in the final pic in this post.

Normally, I would have added some chopped tomatoes to the spinach just towards the end. However, I had none and tomato paste would be too strong, so I skipped it. Tomatoes aren't a mandatory, but that's just how my family prepares this meal.

I served this with white rice cooked that had been flavored with some Cavenders and cumin, and it really turned out delicious.