Recipe: Asparagus with Balsamic Tomatoes and Goat Cheese

If you haven't already noticed, the Girls Who Grub looooove goat cheese! So, when I found a recipe for asparagus with goat cheese and tomatoes (three of my favorie ingredients) in my Cooking Light magazine in April, I knew I had to try it out. I am sure glad I did! This will definitely become a go-to side dish for me. It's wonderful and super easy!!

Ingredients: (serves 4)
1 pound trimmed asparagus
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1.5 cups halved grape tomatoes
1/2 tsp minced fresh garlic
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
3 tbsp crumbled goat cheese
Salt & pepper

Start out by boiling a pot of water. Once it's boiling, add the asparagus to the pot for about 2 minutes then drain. It doesn't say to do this in the directions, but I run it under a little cold water so it stops the cooking process and it stays nice and green.

Next, heat the olive oil in a skillet and add the garlic and tomatoes. Let those cook for about five minutes and add the balsamic vinegar. Let it cook for a few more minutes. Add the salt.

Place the asparagus on a plate and cover with the tomato and vinegar mixture. Top with the goat cheese and pepper and serve. How easy is that??!! And it's soooo delicious.

My picture is not the greatest...but you'll notice that I also topped a grilled chicken breast with the tomato and goat cheese mixture. It was wonderful with the chicken and made for a great dinner! Enjoy!

~Kris

 

Recipe: Ancho-Glazed Salmon With Sweet Potato Fries

This is one of my husband and mine’s favorite recipes.  It’s pretty quick, easy, and low in calories.  I got this recipe from Ladies Home Journal (May ’09) about a year or two ago and am still making it pretty regularly.  Here are the ingredients:

2 medium sweet potatoes, scrubbed

1 tbsp. sugar

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. ground cumin                                                                          

1 tsp. ground ancho chile or chili powder

4 (5 oz. each) skinless salmon fillets

1 tbsp olive oil

Cilantro sprigs

I have never made this for four people before, so I just get two salmon fillets and two smaller sweet potatoes.  I also have never put the cilantro sprigs on it because I rarely have it on hand, and I’m not one to buy a whole thing of cilantro just for garnish!  So here is what you do:

1.       Heat broiler to high and cut potatoes lengthwise into ¼ inch-thick slices. Combine sugar, salt, cumin, and ancho chile. Place sweet potatoes on the greased rack of an unheated broiler pan. Coat both sides of potato slices with cooking spray; sprinkle both sides with about half the sugar mixture. Broil for about 10 minutes or until tender, turning once.  (If you don’t have a broiler pan, I have baked sweet potatoes on 450 degrees for about 20 minutes and they are just as good). 

2.       Rinse salmon and pat dry.  Sprinkle with the remaining sugar mixture.  In large skillet, cook salmon in hot oil over medium heat turning once halfway through cooking, 8-12 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. 

You don’t have to get the salmon skinless, but if you ask the butcher they will take the skin off for you, and that way, you can season both sides of the salmon.  I ordered it this way the other day, and this older lady looked at me like I was crazy and said, “SKINLESS?  Why would you do that, it just comes off after you cook it!”  But I told her that I like to have the seasoning on both sides of the salmon….she proceeded to tell me all about this cleansing diet she is doing with her husband and how they are eating fish every night……

Anyways, I also like to serve some sautéed or grilled asparagus with this meal.  This time, I just sautéed asparagus in a pan over medium heat with EVOO, salt, pepper and garlic.  (I swear, every time I cook asparagus, it turns out different! I still need to figure out the best way, but this turned out pretty good!)

All in all, this is a really quick (about 20 min) and easy meal, especially if you have never cooked salmon before.   Plus, there is only 363 calories, but watch out, there is a lot of sodium! (710 mg). 

~Katy