Smoked Salmon Sushi

Making sushi is always time consuming and I always seem to have a lot of left over ingredients. However, I was in a sushi making mood and wanted to share this sushi roll idea with you. After a wine tasting class that came with a smoked salmon sandwich and an appropriately paired wine, I was inspired to make a sushi roll inspired by that sandwich. The sandwich was made with molecular gastronomy in mind. It had smoked salmon, goat cheese, fennel, and mint in it. So instead of a sandwich, I made a sushi roll with smoked salmon, cream cheese, fennel, and mint. Let's just say I was pleasantly surprised. I didn't have time to write down the specifics, but I wanted to share pictures.

Mint, cucumber, cream cheese, fennel, smoked salmon

Pan-fried Brussels Sprouts + Bacon + Chicken

I had never cooked Brussels sprouts before this blog entry. One of my good friends told me how she loved to cook Brussels sprouts with bacon. I thought it was an odd combo but I decided to try it out. It turned out amazing! The bitterness of the Brussels sprouts was cut by the savory bacon and the hint of cinnamon I put in this dish added a surprising sweetness to the dish. Hope you enjoy this one.

Pan-fried Brussels Sprouts + Bacon + Chicken
Ingredients

• 2 cloves garlic, pressed
• 1/2 tsp onion salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 lb brussel sprouts, halved
• 2 chicken breast, diced (503g/1 lb 1.7 oz)
• 1/2 lb bacon (preferably maple)
• 1 1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon

Procedure

1. In a large non-stick pan, start cooking the bacon to desired crispness. Flipping each strip after 3-5 minutes. After each strip is done cooking, place the strip on a plate covered with a paper towel to soak up excess bacon grease. When the strips have cooled enough to handle, cut up the bacon into 1-inch pieces.
2. While the bacon cooks, in a large wok /pot/pan add a little bit of the bacon grease to the pan. Cook the garlic for about 2 minutes, add the Brussels sprouts, onion, pepper, balsamic vinegar and cinnamon. Stir frequently.
3. Add the chicken to the large pan containing the Brussels sprouts. Cook the chicken until the meat is no longer pink.
4. Finally, add the bacon to the large pan containing the Brussels sprouts and chicken. Mix well and let the flavors intermingle for about 5-8 minutes. Stir frequently.
5. Enjoy with your choice of starch, i.e. a baked potato or rice.

 

Pan-fried Brussels Sprouts + Bacon + Chicken Estimated Nutrition Facts per Recipe
Total calories	1952
Total fat  (g)	101
Saturated fat  (g)	32
Unsaturated fat (g)
Trans fat  (g)	0
Cholesterol  (mg)	543
Sodium (g)	8
Potassium (mg)
Total carbohydrates  (g)	58
Dietary fiber (g)	17
Sugar (g)	20
Protein (g)	207

 

 

Pan-fried Brussels Sprouts + Bacon + Chicken Estimated Nutrition Facts per serving (4 servings per recipe)
Total calories	488
Total fat  (g)	25
Saturated fat  (g)	8
Unsaturated fat (g)
Trans fat  (g)	0
Cholesterol  (mg)	136
Sodium (g)	2
Potassium (mg)
Total carbohydrates  (g)	14.5
Dietary fiber (g)	4.25
Sugar (g)	5
Protein (g)	51.75

 

Simple Salsa

Simple Salsa
I call this simple salsa because I didn't add any extra frills even though I was really tempted to add pineapple or mango. Though I was tempted, I didn't have those ingredients and just stuck with the basics. Next time I might add cilantro. I didn't put it in this recipe because I only needed a little for salsa but they only sell it in large bunches in the store (for a reasonable price) and the smaller amount of cilantro is sold at an exorbitant price. Oh well, not everyone likes cilantro anyway.

Ingredients

• 1/8 onion, minced (0.9 oz/25 g)
• 2 med tomatoes diced, ( about 250 g/ 9 oz)
• 1 jalapeno pepper, minced (0.9 oz/25 g)
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp lime juice

Procedure

1. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients. Serve with tortilla chips or with fajitas.

Simple Salsa Estimated Nutrition Facts per Recipe
Total calories	93
Total fat  (mg)	648
Saturated fat  (mg)	106
Unsaturated fat (g)
Trans fat  (g)
Cholesterol  (g)	0
Sodium (mg)	643
Potassium (mg)
Total carbohydrates  (g)	20
Dietary fiber (g)	3
Sugar (g)	17
Protein (g)	4

Chicken Fajitas

I was having trouble thinking of a good recipe to post. I kept on listing 5 random ingredients to try and come up with a dish. Then I realized that I had all the fixings to make chicken fajitas. To keep it healthier, I served the fajitas with whole wheat tortilla and non-fat Greek yogurt instead of sour cream.

Made with love

Chicken Fajitas
Ingredients

• 1/4 onion, minced (117g/ 4.1 oz)
• 1/2 green pepper, sliced (82 g/ 2.9 oz)
• 1/2 red pepper, sliced (87 g/ 3 oz)
• 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves of garlic, pressed or minced
• 2 chicken breasts (1 lb 4.8 oz, 592 g)
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 tsp honey
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• whole wheat tortilla

Procedure

1. In a large pan cook the onion and garlic in the olive oil until onion begins to look translucent. 
2. Add the chicken breast and all of the spices to the pan. Stir frequently. Cook the chicken until it is no longer pink.
3. Add the red and green pepper to the pan. Stir frequently. Cook until peppers become tender.
4. Serve chicken fajitas on whole wheat tortilla.

Chicken Fajitas (excluding tortilla) Estimated Nutrition Facts per Recipe
Total calories	684
Total fat  (g)	9
Saturated fat  (g)	3
Unsaturated fat (g)
Trans fat  (g)	0
Cholesterol  (mg)	341
Sodium (g)	3
Potassium (mg)	0
Total carbohydrates  (g)	23
Dietary fiber (g)	5
Sugar (g)	14
Protein (g)	129

Chicken Fajitas (excluding tortilla) Estimated Nutrition Facts per serving
Total calories	171
Total fat  (g)	2.25
Saturated fat  (g)	0.75
Unsaturated fat (g)	0
Trans fat  (g)	0
Cholesterol  (mg)	85.25
Sodium (g)	0.75
Potassium (mg)	0
Total carbohydrates  (g)	5.75
Dietary fiber (g)	1.25
Sugar (g)	3.5
Protein (g)	32.25