Asian Barbeque Glazed Salmon

Even if you don't normally like salmon because of its strong taste, you will probably like this! The glaze is so flavorful that it really masks the fishy taste but, in my opinion, compliments the "better" flavors. I'm pretty sure the sauce will be delicious on many other types of meat as well, so I'll be trying that in the future.

This is another Cooks Illustrated recipe that turned out to be a winner. They offered recipe variations for three other different glazes that I'd like to try as well.



For 4 servings, you will need:

1 tsp. light brown sugar
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. cornstarch
4 center-cut skin-on salmon fillets, 6-8 ounces each
ground black pepper
1 tsp. vegetable oil

Glaze:
2 tbsp. ketchup
2 tbsp. hoisin sauce
2 tbsp. rice vinegar
2 tbsp. light brown sugar
1 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tbsp. toasted sesame oil
2 tsp. Asian chili-garlic sauce
1 tsp. grated fresh ginger

1. Whisk the glaze ingredients together in a small saucepan. Bring to boil over medium-high heat and simmer 3 minutes until thickened. Set it aside.

2. Adjust the oven rack to the middle spot and heat oven to 300. Combine brown sugar, salt, & cornstarch in a small bowl. Pat the salmon dry with paper towels and season with pepper. Sprinkle brown sugar mixture evenly over top of the fleshy side of salmon, rubbing evenly to distribute.

3. Heat the oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat until it's just smoking. Place the salmon flesh side down and sear it for one minute, until well browned. Turn it over with tongs and cook it on the skin side for one more minute.

4. Remove the skillet from the heat, spoon the glaze over the fillets, and place the entire skillet in the oven* for 7-10 minutes until the salmon's thickest part reaches 125 degrees.

*If you don't have an oven-safe skillet, transfer the fillets to a baking dish instead.

Another Hungry Girl Favorite: Sassy Salsa Pumpkin Soup

Hungry Girl, who I've mentioned before, looooves pumpkin. She uses it in so many recipes, from brownies to soups, and that's a good thing because it's cheap, low-cal, and high in fiber. This soup is spicy and delicious and goes great with some Greek yogurt on top (and bread, since you're saving calories on the soup, of course!)



I found that the salsa really does play a big part in the flavor of the soup, but can also make it quite spicy. You can put a can of Rotel through the food processor instead of salsa, if you like. Just choose wisely, based on how spicy you like things!

You will need:

1 tbsp. minced garlic
1 tbsp. chili powder
1 tsp. cumin
4 cups (32 oz.) of fat-free broth (chicken or vegetable)
15 ounce can of pumpkin
1 can of black beans, drained & rinsed
1 can of corn
3/4 cup of your favorite salsa

Spray the pot with some non-stick spray and add the first three ingredients over medium heat. Add the broth and bring to a simmer, then add the pumpkin, corn, beans, and salsa. Bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer it for ten minutes.

As I said, it's delicious when topped with Greek yogurt (lots of protein), fat free sour cream, or fat-free shredded cheddar. In a soup like this, you'll never tell the difference between these fat free foods and their "real" counterparts.

*Here are the impressive stats for 1/4 of this recipe, according to HG:
163 calories, 0.75 grams of fat, 12 grams of fiber, 10 grams of protein, and 3 WW points.

Absolutely Fantastic Crispy Smashed Potatoes

These potatoes, with the crispy outside and creamy inside, are pretty much the perfect potato recipe. They are definitely my new number one, and they've been a big hit recently with my fiance and family.

I had a Cooks Illustrated subscription for one year, and what I found is that they've really, really tried everything to make sure that their recipes are virtually foolproof and absolutely perfect. As a result, there are only a few recipes in each bi-monthly issue, but the ones I have tried are all delicious. They are accompanied by drawings (hence the "Illustrated" part) and a detailed break-down of why each step and method is important to the final product. So with that said, I do not Amberize these, and you need to follow the steps just as they say! Don't say I didn't warn you!

Now, on to heavenly Crispy Smashed Potatoes... I had them, slightly burned but still yummy, for the first time about a year ago, then remembered them (and now I wonder, how did I ever forget them?!) recently when Chris and I had our own Christmas dinner here at the house. I made them with a variety of fingerling potatoes, and then again the next week for my grandparents, using baby red potatoes. As the magazine states, you should just stick to potatoes that are NO MORE than 1 1/2 to 2 inches in diameter. I cut a couple of the bigger fingerlings and reds in half, but don't try using diced potatoes; it ain't gonna be the same.


2 pounds small potatoes (Red Bliss, as they recommend, or baby reds or fingerlings)
6 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme leaves (or you could experiment here!)
kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper


1. Place your oven racks on the top & bottom slots and preheat to 500. Arrange the potatoes on a rimmed baking sheet and pour 3/4 cup water into the baking sheet. Wrap it all tightly with aluminum foil. (CI states that this eliminates about 30 minutes of cooking time!) Cook on the bottom rack until you can poke a paring knife through the foil & a potato quite easily, 25-30 minutes. Remove foil and cool for 10 minutes. Blot any remaining water with a paper towel. This is how you'll get the creamy inside.

2. Drizzle 3 tbsp. of the oil over the potatoes and roll them around to coat. Spread the potatoes evenly on the sheet as if you're baking cookies and expect them to spread, because here's the fun part: the smashing!

3. Place a second baking sheet on top of the potatoes and smash them all down into 1/2 to 1/3 inch-thick patties, fritters, or whatever you want to call them. This is how you'll get the cripsy outside!

4. Drizzle evenly with the remaining oil and the seasonings. Roast on the top oven rack (without the foil) for 15 minutes, then the bottom rack for 20-30 minutes, or until they're browned to your liking.

Either you are going to love these, or you're going to be WRONG!

Cream Cheese-Green Chile Dip (aka Alice's "Crack Dip")

My wonderful work neighbor Alice has made this dip a few times at parties we've attended, and it is amazing! You will understand the name when you try it.

It's pretty spicy with the full four ounce can of jalapenos, but Alice suggested cutting it down to two ounces, and even rinsing the jalapenos if you are concerned about heat.



I took the liberty of Amberizing it... less fat and calories, so eat more!

2 8-ounce fat free cream cheese, softened
1 cup fat free mayonnaise
1 cup parmesan-reggiano cheese, halved
1 4-ounce can of diced green chiles
1 4-ounce can of diced jalapenos (adjust according to taste)

Mix 1/2 of the cup of parmesan with all the other ingredients in a mixing bowl. Stir it well. Spread in a 9-inch pie plate or other shallow baking dish. Sprinkle the other 1/2 cup of parmesan on top.

Bake at 300 degrees for about 20 minutes, until it's bubbly. Serve it with tortilla/corn chips and vegetable sticks.

Spicy Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Cranberry Ketchup

I can't wait to serve this at the first Thanksgiving meal that I've ever prepared tomorrow with my fiance Chris. We will be hosting his family and this will accompany herb-roasted turkey, my Maw Maw's recipe for herb gravy, green bean casserole, rolls, my friend Alice's recipe for "crack" dip, cheddar and black pepper palmiers, and the dressing and pies that Chris' mom is bringing. I will post any other recipes that turn out well, and maybehttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif they will appear at your Christmas dinner next month!

Spicy roasted sweet potatoes are one of my favorite vegetable sides, and such an easy one. My recipe can be found here.

This recipe came from this month's issue of my favorite magazine, Cooking Light.

1 2/3 cups fresh cranberries
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup shallots
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup water
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper

Combine everything in a saucepan on medium-high heat. Stir it well and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat slightly and cook for 10 minutes or until thick. (It didn't take 10 minutes for me.)

Remove it from the heat and let it cool for 10 minutes. Pour into a blender or food processor and run until smooth. Transfer it to a bowl and chill.

This makes eight 1 1/2 tbsp. servings, with 72 calories and no fat.

Caprese Salad

I certainly didn't invent (or even change) this one, but I figure many of my friends and family haven't had a delicious caprese salad before! (I hadn't, until I worked for Carrabba's in college.) This takes just a minute to make and is a good use for fresh tomatoes or basil.



Slice up the following:
fresh roma tomatoes
fresh milk mozzarella (spherical or medallions, packed in water...not the shredded stuff for pizzas!)
fresh basil, either whole-leaf or sliced if you prefer

And add these on top:
salt
black pepper
olive oil
balsamic vinegar

Hungry Girl's Amazing, Low-Calorie Cheesecake Brownies

I love Hungry Girl, aka Lisa Lillien, who writes recipes centered around one of my favorite cooking tricks: ingredient swaps (which my mother calls "Amberizing"). Some of her recipes have been a little iffy, but for the most part, she has good ideas, makes a pretty admirable attempt at not only nixing calories and fat but also including lots of fiber, and hits quite a few home runs, like this delicious cheesecake brownie recipe!

So while Lisa Lillien counts her money from her cookbook sales and I lament how I should have thought of that myself... here's how to make them.



1 box devil's food cake mix
1 15 ounce can of pumpkin

Mix these together and spread in a greased 9" x 13" pan. It will be thick but that's ok.

Then whisk together the following ingredients in a bowl until it's smooth:

6 ounces of fat free cream cheese, softened at room temp.
1/4 cup Splenda granulated

and, depending on what you have...
either add 2 tbsp. fat free half-and-half & 1/2 tsp. vanilla
OR dissolve 1 tsp. powdered vanilla creamer in 2 tbsp. water and 1/4 tsp. vanilla

Now you have a nice "cheesecake" topping, so drop spoonfuls over your brownie mix in the pan. Use a knife to make the swirls. Bake at 400 for 20-25 minutes.

Now for the nutritional information... the serving size on this recipe is pretty generous: 1/16 of the large pan! That amount contains 133 calories, 2 grams of fat, 1.5 grams of fiber, and counts as 4 Weight Watchers Points. Not too shabby!