Lemony Salmon Burgers

I'm always on the lookout for healthy, fresh, summer recipes. I am SO glad I found and tried this one. Absolutely delish! We used 2 cans (7.5 oz. each) of wild salmon, from Aldi as the base. The burgers stuck together pretty nicely, but I sprinkled some extra bread crumbs in to help. Also, forming the patties on wax paper before frying definitely made this easier. I served these on whole wheat deli flats with homegrown lettuce, tomato, and sliced onion. The special sauce is a must! They're also amazing with cocktail sauce. I served this with vegetable couscous and fresh, homegrown beans. Plus we had homegrown cantaloupe for dessert !It was to die for!

Ingredients:

16 oz. canned salmon, drained and flaked
2 eggs
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley (I used 4 tsp. dried parsley...same diff.)
2 TBSP finely chopped onion
1/4 cup Italian seasoned dry bread crumbs
2 TBSP lemon juice
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1 pinch red pepper flakes

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 TBSP light mayonnaise
1 TBSP lemon juice
1 pinch dried basil

Directions:

In a medium bowl, mix together the salmon, eggs, parsley, onion, breadcrumbs, 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon of basil, and red pepper flakes. Form into 6 firmly packed patties, about 1/2 inch thick.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the patties, and cook for 4 minutes per side, or until nicely browned.

In a small bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and a pinch of basil. Use as a sauce for your patties.

Summer Shrimp Stir Fry

I am in love with this quick, easy, healthy, and tasty dinner! I have SO been craving something nutritious after all the junk I've been consuming lately. This was a real winner and a meal that I will definitely make again! The best part...every ingredient (except the shrimp) can be found in our communal family (mine and my parents) garden! Honestly, only the squash and zucchini came from there, but when I make this later on in the summer (after the corn and tomatoes are up), this meal will be even cheaper! This meal was simply awesome...I usually don't like squash/zucchini, but in combination with those tasty shrimpers, I couldn't help but love this (the butter didn't hurt either!). :)

Ingredients:
2 TBSP butter
2 TBSP olive oil
zucchini, sliced diagonally
yellow squash, sliced diagonally
4 garlic cloves, diced (I didn't have these, so I just sprinkled garlic powder in the butter/shrimp during this step--still turned out awesome!)
shrimp (peeled, deveined, tales left on)
2-3 ears of corn, kernels cut off
grape tomatoes, sliced in 1/2 lengthwise
salt and pepper
fresh herbs, if desired


Directions:
Heat 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet (I had to pull out my huge electric skillet!) over medium heat. Add minced garlic (or sprinkle garlic powder). When oil/butter is hot, add shrimp and cook for 3 minutes. Remove to a plate. Do not clean skillet.

Add the rest of the butter and oil and heat over medium heat. Add zucchini slices in a single layer and cook for one minute, tossing once. Scoot the zucchini to the edges of the pan, then add corn kernels to the middle of the pan. Cook for one minute. Add grape tomatoes, salt, and pepper, and toss around, then add shrimp. Cook for an additional 30 seconds, then remove from heat. Serve on a big platter.

Hint: Much better after it’s been allowed to cool for a bit!

P.S. I served this with CousCous w/ Chives and Saffron, from Darrenkamps. So good mixed together!

Glazed Julienned Carrots

My S-I-L made these for us when we went over for a meal in their new apartment last week. I am not a huge carrot fan, but these are SO delicious. They remind me of my mom's carrot recipe. I love the sweetness that they have because I think my biggest complaint about carrots is that they are sometimes NOT sweet. The best part is that these are so easy, and use ingredients I always have on hand.

Ingredients: (Laura halved the recipe and it fed 4 of us comfortably)
2 lbs. carrots, julienned
1/3 cup butter, cubed
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1/2 tsp. salt

Directions: In a large skillet, combine all ingredients. Cover and cook over medium heat for 7-10 minutes or until carrots are crisp tender. Serve with a slotted spoon. Yields 8 servings.

Spanish Green Beans

Another favorite from the Pioneer Woman. Definitely a unique take on green beans. Not sure why they're called "Spanish" though? Plus, they're considered healthy...right?

Ingredients:
4 cans whole green beans (or 1-2 lbs. fresh)
2 cans whole tomatoes
1 medium onion
5 slices bacon
cayenne pepper

Directions:
Slice bacon into short strips. Put large sauce pan/dutch oven on med-low and throw in bacon. Cook until bacon turns brown. Dice onion. Drain off a bit of the fat and add the onion. Cook until they all turn a nice color (don't let bacon get crisp). Drain beans and throw them into the pan. Add whole tomatoes with their juices. Stir. Cover and reduce heat to low and cook for 45 minutes. Add a bit of cayenne pepper.

Roasted Asparagus with Balsamic Browned Butter

My mom got this recipe from someone at the greenhouse. Definitely my favorite way to eat asparagus so far!

Ingredients:
40 asparagus spears (about 2 lbs.)
salt and pepper
PAM
2 TBSP. butter
2 tsp. low sodium soy sauce
1 tsp. balsamic vinegar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400. Arrange asparagus in a single layer on a baking sheet (line with foil) and coat with cooking spray. Salt and pepper. Bake at 400 for 12 minutes, or until tender.

Melt and brown butter (on High heat; move butter at all times). Stir in soy sauce and vinegar. Drizzle over asparagus. Toss well to coat. Yields 8 servings.

Carrots with Honey Mustard Sauce

Another recipe from my mom! Love it.

Ingredients: (MOM USUALLY HALVES THIS!)
baby carrots
2 TBSP. butter
1/4 cup (4 TBSP.) brown sugar
2 TBSP. mustard
1/4 tsp. salt
parsley

Directions:
Fill a small pot 1/3 full of water. Add a bit of salt. Add carrots. Bring to a boil and cook. Once booked, place in another bowl.

In the pot, cook the remaining ingredients until dissolved. Pour over carrots.

Corn on the Cob--Oven Style

If you have never had oven-roasted corn on the cob, you are missing out! This is a million times better (and easier) than boiling the ears! We get our corn fresh, and cheap, from the Corn Wagon. :) It is so delicious this way, that it doesn't even need butter or salt (my husband eats in plain).

Ingredients:
as many ears of corn as you would like

Directions:
SLIGHTLY husk the ears (get rid of the big, outer leaves, but be sure to leave the ears covered). Place husks directly on the oven rack in a 350 degree oven. Bake for 30-40 minutes. Do NOT place ears on top of one another. After you remove the ears from the oven, husking and silking will we super easy! Enjoy!

Spinach Strawberry Salad

I also made this when my husband's family visited. It's a unique summer salad! The salad does not keep as well if you mix the dressing right in, however.

Ingredients:
12 oz. fresh spinach
1 qt. fresh strawberries, sliced
2 TBSP. sesame seeds
1 TBSP. poppy seeds

Dressing:
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup sugar
1.5 tsp. grated onion
1/4 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp. paprika
1/4 cup cider vinegar

Directions:
Layer spinach, strawberries, sesame seeds, and poppy seeds in a large salad bowl. Combine the dressing ingredients in a blender (I used my mixer). Blend for 2 minutes. Just before serving, pour the dressing over the spinach and toss lightly to coat.

Southwestern Chicken Salad

I got this recipe from my mother, who first had this at one of my sister's basketball meals. You can follow the recipe as-is, or my mom mentioned that she found a frozen bag of southwestern veggies that worked well. Just cook for a couple minutes, then cool.

Ingredients:
Perdue ShortCuts/pre-cooked chicken (southwestern, original, roasted...doesn't matter)
Romaine lettuce
can of whole kernel corn, drained,
can of black beans, washed and drained
shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:
Assemble. Top with Ranch dressing or crushed taco chips, salsa, and sour cream.

Broiled Tilapia Fillets

This has been our favorite way to eat tilapia so far! It makes a fairly bland fish taste GREAT!

Ingredients:
1.5 lbs. frozen tilapia, thawed (use 1/4 lb. fillets)
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup soy sauce

Directions:
Place tilapia fillets in a shallow dish; sprinkle with garlic powder. Combine melted butter, lemon juice, and soy sauce. Pour over tilapia and turn to coat. Let stand 15 minutes. Place fish on broiler pan and broil 5 minutes, or until it flakes. (Make sure to line the bottom of the broiler with tinfoil to aid clean-up!).

Baked Salmon with Mushrooms, Tomatos, and Spinach

I found this recipe on the KRAFT website, and boy, is it AMAZING! My husband loves salmon, and this is one of his favorites. The recipe also states that Red Snapper or Orange Roughy could work, but do NOT try this with tilapia. Way too bland! I made this (with salmon) for all 7 of us and tripled the recipe. We barely had leftovers! I got the salmon on sale at Darrenkamps BOGO, which ended up being $1/a quarter pound fillet or $4/lb.

**Please note, picture is taken from the KRAFT website.

Ingredients:
4 salmon fillets (1 lb.)
2 cups chopped fresh spinach
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 tomato, chopped
1/3 cup sun-dried tomato dressing (or Italian)

Directions:
Heat oven to 375. Place fish, skin-side down, in 9x13" pan/baking dish sprayed w/ cooking spray. Mix remaining ingredients until blended; spoon over fish. Bake 20-25 minutes of until fish flakes easily with a fork.

Other suggestions include topping with garlic, green onions, or feta cheese. We have not yet tried this.