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Seafood

Baja-style Fish Tacos with Spicy Lime Crema

September 21, 2020 by Christina Shoup Leave a Comment

It’s a very rare occasion that I fry something in my kitchen – I rarely pan or shallow fry, let alone deep fry. When I do, it causes quite a stir among my family prompting all to voice their thoughts about it. Among the musings, nobody ever comments, “It smells like the Kern County Fair in here,” which is my only thought when I smell something fried.  A carnival, a county fair, anything similar that occurs in early fall with live country music, animal showings and fried everything.  Of course none of that is likely happening this year, and I haven’t been to one in over 20 years, at least.  But, proof that food memories are STRONG! 

Anyone who knows me well knows my favorite food is a taco – almost any kind of taco, but I have a soft spot for fish and shrimp tacos.  80% of the time, I will choose the healthier grilled version over anything fried.  But, because I’m not a complete fool, I will order the delicious, crispy, lightly battered fish taco when the mood strikes, which usually happens on vacation.  And last week, after a crazy change of plans while on a trip to Idaho and Montana, we ended back home after just 2 days of being away. Sadly, the terrible fires across the West are resulting in smoky skies and hazardous air conditions several states away.  We were fortunate enough to quickly change plans and head back to the Bay Area, where for the first time in almost 30 days, the air quality is trending safer and headed its way to moderate levels – something to celebrate, indeed! 

Instead of cooking last week in our rented, lakeside Montana house (I was so excited to do dishes staring at the lake!), I was back in my kitchen meal planning like any other week.  I love my kitchen so this isn’t a problem, I just needed a change in mindset.  My new menu included fish tacos using wild Alaskan cod- a great mild fish that flakes easily when cooked with a drizzle of olive oil and a little taco seasoning.  As tasty and easy as this meal is, it just wasn’t going to cut the sting of missing out on our adventure.  I decided frying the fish was the only way to change things up a bit.  Since I only fry 2-3 times a year, this was a big deal.  It was so easy and didn’t even require the dreaded vat of oil to deep fry! Just a ½ – ¾ inch of oil in a pan was enough to produce the lightest, crispy, fish tacos worthy of vacation food! 

As for toppings, a quick slaw included some shredded green cabbage tossed with some chopped red onion, lime juice, chopped cilantro and sprinkling of kosher salt.

Pico de Gallo was a timely cooking assignment for my high schooler, so we enjoyed that on top along with a spicy sauce that we use on everything – a combination of plain Greek yogurt, sour cream, lime juice, salt and adobo sauce (liquid from canned chipotle peppers) or even easier, a good squeeze of Sriracha.  

Easy, delicious, not one bit healthy, but totally worth it.  Only regrets included the stove cleanup after dinner and house still smelling like the county fair in the morning. 

Cheers,

Christina

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Baja-style Fish Tacos with Spicy Lime Crema

These light and crispy fish tacos are such a treat. A simple cabbage slaw and a combination of yogurt and sour cream kicked up with a little spice, make for the most satisfying, vacation worthy meal.

Course Main Course
Cuisine Mexican
Keyword fish, taco
Servings 6 people
Author Christina Shoup

Ingredients

Fish/Batter

  • 2 lbs cod, cut into pieces roughly 1 inch wide
  • 1½ cups flour
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • ½ tsp freshly ground pepper
  • 3-4 shakes hot sauce Cholula Chipotle is my favorite
  • 12 oz light beer I used Corona

Spicy Lime Crema

  • ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
  • ½ cup sour cream
  • 1 lime, squeezed
  • adobo sauce from canned chipotle peppers or Sriracha sauce works great, too
  • ½ tsp kosher salt

Cabbage slaw

  • 2 cups shredded green or red cabbage
  • ¼ cup cilantro, roughly chopped
  • ¼ cup red onion, finely chopped
  • 1 lime, squeezed
  • 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • ½ tsp kosher salt

For serving

  • lime wedges
  • ½ cup fresh pico de gallo
  • 12 flour or corn tortillas, warmed

Instructions

  1. Combine ingredients for crema in a small bowl and set aside. Adjust seasoning to your level of desired spiciness. If you like it extra spicy, finely chop up a canned chipotle pepper and add to the mixture.

  2. In a medium bowl, combine ingredients for cabbage slaw in a bowl and set aside.

  3. In a medium bowl, whisk all dry ingredients for the batter. While whisking, slowly add the beer, followed by the hot sauce and thoroughly mix until fully combined and no lumps remain. Add fish pieces to the batter and coat evenly.

  4. Prepare a sheet pan with paper towels. In a large Dutch oven, heat about ½ – ¾" of vegetable oil to 350°. When the oil is hot, carefully place a few pieces in the oil and cook till golden, about 2-3 minutes on each side. Place fried fish on paper towels and sprinkle with a little kosher salt. Repeat with remaining fish, adjusting the temperature as needed to maintain 350° temperature.

  5. Fill warm tortillas with fish, slaw, crema and toppings. Enjoy every single spicy, crispy bite!

Filed Under: Seafood Tagged With: baja fish taco, foodfamiyfriends, spicy lime crema

Salmon Sandwich with Bacon, Pesto Mayo & Apricot Jam

June 24, 2020 by Christina Shoup 1 Comment

This is dish is a Shoup family favorite and was a perfect meal for our Father’s Day dinner. We were enjoying some time in Lake Tahoe last week and this tasty sandwich/burger was an easy one to plan ahead for – nearly all the ingredients can be prepared in advance and the bacon and salmon are the only components that need to be cooked when you’re ready to eat.

Any seasoning works for this, but I enjoy a mesquite grill seasoning with a bit of smoked paprika and brown sugar.

Prepared pesto and mayonnaise mixed together are a nice herbaceous contrast to the sweet apricot jam.

Crisp little gems or peppery arugula are both great choices for this sandwich as well a lightly toasted buttery brioche. Other buns that also work well are pretzel buns and potato rolls.

We don’t usually have sides when we eat this sandwich – but when we do it’s usually a side of sweet potato oven fries or fresh fruit. It’s hard to say how much we love this dish! I hope your family loves it, too.

Cheers,

Christina

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Salmon Sandwich with Bacon, Pesto Mayo & Apricot Jam

This sandwich is a house favorite! The salty bacon, sweet jam, smoky mesquite seasonings and peppery lettuce makes for a very satisfying dish. It's a hit with adults and kids alike and a highly requested recipe in our house.

Course Main Course
Keyword salmon, sandwich
Servings 4 sandwiches
Author Christina Shoup

Ingredients

  • 1⅓ lbs salmon fillets
  • 1 tsp mesquite grill seasoning optional
  • ½ tsp smoked paprika
  • ½ tsp brown sugar
  • ½ tsp kosher salt
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 4 slices cooked bacon
  • ¼ cup mayonnaise
  • ¼ cup pesto
  • ¼ cup apricot jam
  • 1 cup arugula mixed greens and little gems work as well
  • 4 brioche hamburger buns

Instructions

  1. Place salmon on a sheet tray lined in parchment paper. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with mesquite seasoning, paprika, brown sugar and salt. Roast salmon at 375° until done, about 15 minutes.

  2. Meanwhile, mix mayonnaise and pesto. Set aside.

  3. Make an assembly line of pesto mayo, apricot jam, bacon (broken in half) and lettuce.

  4. Separate brioche buns and place on a sheet tray. Toast these in the oven for a few minutes after pulling out the salmon.

  5. When ready to assemble, spread about 1 tablespoon of pesto mayo each on half of the buns and 1 tablespoon of jam each on the other half. Place one portion of salmon on the mayo, followed by the bacon and lettuce. Top with remaining buns spread with apricot jam.

Filed Under: Main Dish, Seafood Tagged With: salmon burger, salmon sandwich

Food helps soothe the soul

January 22, 2018 by Christina Shoup Leave a Comment

Beautiful Santa Barbara coastline with charred hills just above Montecito

For my close friends and family, you know the past few weeks have brought lots of sadness and anxiety with the disaster that has unfolded in Montecito.  For those that don’t know me personally but read my blog know that my last post focused on the fabulous trip we just took to Montecito and the Santa Barbara area and all the tasty food we enjoyed on that visit.  For many people not in CA, Montecito is familiar because it’s where Oprah and Ellen live- for me it’s where three of my favorite people on the planet live and love.  The devastation that has occurred there is mind boggling.  Families have been forever changed.  The tight-knit community who was still so raw from the fires in December have had to endure hours, days and now weeks of trauma and uncertainty.  As I write this, the main freeway that runs through this darling little town has only just opened in the past 24 hours but residents still remain shut off from their homes and neighborhood and will continue to be for more than a week.  All I can say is that the feeling of helplessness is a terrible feeling and all I have wanted to do the past two weeks is scoop up these three, transport them to my town and nurture and comfort them with every warm and tasty dish I know how to make. If praying is your kind of thing, please continue to include the town of Montecito in your prayers.  There is still much uncertainty and a massive clean up effort to continue. 

Foggy little bridge in Montecito

For now, we focus on feeding the souls of our friends and family whenever possible.  Below are some recipes that I have made in the past week or are on my meal calendar for the week ahead.  I hope you find something to try and enjoy. 

As always, thanks for reading and happy meal planning!

~Christina

Salted Butter and Chocolate Chunk Shortbread

I’m not sure what to say about these other than they are absolutely delicious and dangerous to have in my kitchen- I made them a few days ago and they disappeared in no time.  They are buttery, chocolatey and have the best crunch from the turbinado sugar.  I am planning on making a few batches of these this week for my husband to bring to work.  Just a mid-week treat of cookies to get them through the week!

Classic Italian-American Stuffed Shells

I made this dish this past week and split it between two foil pans- one for my kids and grandma to have while Eric and I were out for the night and one for the freezer to take to a friend who just had a new baby.  It’s flavorful, comfort food at its best! This recipe is your standard spinach ricotta filling but with an extra step or two to soak up the moisture of the spinach and ricotta.  If you have a few extra minutes, it’s worth the additional steps.  I used a jar of Rao’s Homemade Sauce- it’s a great weeknight solution and a quality brand that is almost always on sale at Safeway.  Or try Marcella Hazan’s Tomato Sauce.  It’s the best sauce I think I’ve ever had and super easy- 3 ingredients and 45 minutes of simmer time.  

Ham and Split Pea Soup

This is the easiest soup to make and full of flavor.  My entire family loves it. I make it as written, but always double the recipe and we either eat it for a few meals or put it in smaller containers and freeze it.  The only thing you need to do if eating it for leftovers is to thin it a bit with water or stock before heating it up.  I used leftover ham (Cook’s Illustrated Holiday Ham with Cherry Port Sauce) I had in the freezer from the holidays.  We have this with a side of kale salad.  Yum!

Chickpea, Barley and Kale Soup

Everyone needs to have an easy super healthy soup like this one in their repertoire.  And, everyone needs to have a friend like my friend Patricia! She brought me this soup about a year ago when I wasn’t feeling awesome and I loved it so much that I promptly requested the recipe. I’ve made it many times since and it’s a hit with my family. The only changes I usually make are to use vegetable or chicken stock instead of the water and bullion cubes and I also double the amount of kale, carrots and celery- can never have enough veggies! My kids love to sprinkle Tajin seasoning salt on the top so I am sure to keep the salt to taste at a minimum.  A garlic toast to dip is the perfect side.  

Slow Roasted Salmon with Pesto

Recently, we were visiting my mom and she offered us the yummiest baked salmon for lunch.  It is so simple using prepared pesto and it cooks beginning in a COLD oven so you don’t even need to take time to preheat! We ate it cold, as my mom usually does, and it was delicious.  I cannot think of a healthier option to have in your fridge during the week for a quick lunch.  Bonus- cold salmon means you can take it to work and not stink up the company kitchen!  I cannot think of anyone who might have done this while teaching about 10 years ago- but, you only do that once before learning your lesson.  

My mom’s “recipe” in a text message.  We are fancy like that.

“Hi Sweetie! Cannot find the exact recipe but here’s what I do: olive oil in the bottom of a shallow casserole, put Costco prepared Pesto on top of salmon after I season with a little salt and pepper. Spread about 2 Tbsp. depending on size of filet. Set oven to 400°. Place casserole on middle rack in cold oven and after temp reaches 400° I turn off the oven and let it sit in the oven for another 5 or 10 minutes. It all depends on the size of the fillet. You can check for desired firmness and also for the milky white liquid to disappear.”

If you need an exact recipe: Pioneer Woman puts salmon filet in a cold oven, then turns on the heat to 400 degrees and cooks for 25 minutes.  Both preparations couldn’t be more simple! I hope you enjoy.
Crispy Dijon Chicken Sandwiches

When I was growing up we loved going to Burger King and instead of getting a burger we often got their “healthier” (ha!) chicken sandwiches on a roll.  They were so simple but so delicious. And, because they were several dollars a sandwich and my parents had 4 teenagers at once with big appetites, it added up.  My mom recreated it at home for much cheaper and included it in our family collection of recipes.  Using organic chicken- which I would- would definitely not make this more affordable, but certainly worth making for my family to satisfy my fond childhood memory.  

The only tip I would give is to put your pan in the oven to get really hot and when your chicken is ready to go in the oven, pull your pan out, grease it with olive oil (my mom would use more butter) and quickly place your prepared chicken on the hot pan and put it back in the oven.  I tried this with breaded eggplant recently and it produced the most crispy coating- I am certain it would work great with this recipe.

PS- the recipe below would be for boneless, skinless chicken.  Using “thin cut” chicken breasts would be a good idea as well.  I recently saw this organic option at the store.

Shrimp Tacos with Pickled Red Onion

This is hardly a recipe either, but one of the easiest dinners that I can quickly make and always have the ingredients on hand is shrimp tacos.  I keep a bag of frozen shrimp in the freezer (Trader Joe’s), tortillas in the refrigerator, and a packet of taco seasoning (Trader Joe’s brand is a great one) in the pantry.  I toss 1 lb of defrosted shrimp in half a packet of taco seasoning, put a little oil in a hot pan and saute the shrimp for about 3 minutes  and then turn over and saute for another minute or two.  A few pieces of cooked shrimp, a little shredded lettuce topped with a mixture of Greek yogurt and sriracha sauce wrapped with a corn or flour tortilla is pretty delicious.

If we are feeling fancy on a particular Taco Tuesday evening, I’ll do a quick batch of pickled red onions to sit while I’m sauteing the shrimp and heating up some frozen corn and a can of black beans as a side. My kids eat these pickled onions right out of the jar.  I follow the recipe exactly with the exception of the vinegar- I prefer using red wine vinegar but almost any vinegar besides the big jug of white distilled vinegar would work great.  Apparently it has too strong of a flavor for the best pickled red onion.  It’s a super quick- dinner on the table- in 20 minutes.  

PS: Thaw frozen shrimp quickly in a colander placed in the sink with cold water running over it for a few minutes.  Be sure to take a shorter shower that day to make up for the wasted water- sorry.  It’s the only way and I have no good use for shrimp water so it goes down the drain.   

Filed Under: Chicken, Cookies, Desserts, Main Dish, Pasta, Pork, Seafood, Soup, Vegetarian Tagged With: Barley and Kale Soup, Chickpea, Classic Italian-American Stuffed Shells, Crispy Dijon Chicken Sandwiches, Ham and Split Pea Soup, Salted Butter and Chocolate Chunk Shortbread, Shrimp Tacos with Pickled Red Onion, Slow Roasted Salmon with Pesto

Easy weeknight meals anyone?

September 11, 2016 by Christina Shoup Leave a Comment

Anyone worried my family didn’t eat this past week due to a lack of post? I’m not going to lie, it was just one of those weeks. A busy holiday weekend, followed by a busy week with a big school event, followed by all kid activities/sports in full swing as well as weekly games now in the mix all while having several headaches and migraines… the fact that we ate anything at all is a wonder. Beyond a few planned meals, I went to the store more than my standard two times, we ate frozen Trader Joe’s stuff, had Door Dash deliver our favorite Mediterranean salads, and grabbed food after a game and at a school event. Needless to say, I’m happy to get back in the kitchen this week.

Also, I realize it’s becoming harder for you to navigate through the blog with all the recipes in links as well as not having them indexed. Trying to find a recipe in a previous post is probably not super easy. Know that I want to make this easier on you, and me. As soon as I get time with my favorite IT guy, I will make the website/blog more user friendly. For now, I hope you enjoy the recipes below. Have a great week!

White Chicken Chili (Crockpot)

http://iowagirleats.com/2016/01/11/crock-pot-white-chicken-chili-recipe/

*Trying a new recipe* We are going to have this tonight after my son’s late afternoon baseball game and I know we are going to come home hungry! I’m going to prep it in the morning, let it cook, do the final simple step about an hour before we leave for the game and let it sit on the warm setting so when we get home it’s ready to go. I think it’s going to be tasty and hope it’s good enough to go in my recipe binder- only the best make their way in there!

Mexican Lasagna

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/mexican-lasagna-recipe.html

This is a great recipe to make-ahead and cook later, or make/cook ahead and reheat an individual portion when you need to eat dinner in waves. It’s adaptable because you can use ground beef, ground turkey, or no meat at all. You can also change out whatever canned beans you like or have on hand as well as make it gluten-free and use corn tortillas. Most importantly for families with younger kids- you can control how mild or spicy you want to make it depending on which salsa/taco sauce you use. We like to top ours with sour cream and sliced avocado and serve it with tortilla chips. This week I am planning on leftovers the following night. It might even be served on paper plates for a truly easy dinner- score!

Salmon with Honey Mustard

http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1017244-roasted-salmon-glazed-with-brown-sugar-and-mustard

This is a tasty recipe and with 3 ingredients it couldn’t be an easier dinner to throw together. This particular recipe calls for Dijon mustard and brown sugar, but I also like whole grain mustard and honey mixed together, spread on top of salmon and grilled on the barbeque (on a sheet of foil with the edges turned up to make a “pan”). Basically, whatever you have on hand works and whether you want to turn on the oven or fire up the grill. Personally, I like to keep the fish smell outside if I can help it! I often like to serve salmon with roasted broccoli, Brussels sprouts or sweet potatoes and either a mixed green salad or kale salad with lemon vinaigrette. Easy, tasty, healthy dinner!

This week I’m serving it with this kale salad and adding dried cranberries and chopped green apple. It’s very similar to one made at our local Urban Bistro and my kids and gobble it up. http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/kale-brussels-sprout-salad-368295

Grilled Shrimp Tacos

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/guy-fieri/grilled-drunken-shrimp-tacos-recipe.html

*Trying another new recipe* You may want to wait for the update after our family eats it before you waste your time and money on expensive shrimp. Let me waste my time and money! I think it’s going to be good though. One thing I’m not great at is making up my own recipes. One thing I am pretty good at is finding tasty recipes. That’s why my family thinks I’m a great cook- I rarely have a dinner flop because I spend a lot of time pouring over recipes online and through my cookbook collection that I can easily spot a bad recipe. Another great resource and where I’ve learned a ton about how ingredients grove with each other, is the show America’s Test Kitchen. It’s a PBS show and it’s a bit geeky, but they really talk through recipes and all the different ingredients and methods they test until the recipe is the best it can be. I generally don’t trust much of what I see on Pinterest- although my mouth waters when I look at all the yummy dishes, it’s such a random mix of sources. It’s so discouraging to spend time and money on ingredients for a recipe only for it to not turn out. I love to try new recipes, but once inspired by Pinterest, I often stick safely within my trusted websites and cookbooks. #recipesnob?!?

Since this is a weekend meal, it will also be served with chips and salsa/guacamole and a side of black or refried beans. There’s also a pretty good chance it will be served with a nice cold Corona with a slice of lime.

Wait, there’s more! Because we are having leftovers one night this week and frozen beef and cheddar hand pies another, I thought I’d share a few extra non-dinner recipes that I made last week or will be making this week. Hope you enjoy!

Apple Spice Cake

http://www.marthastewart.com/351254/apple-spice-cake

September always signals apple season for me even though I feel like I can get great apples year-round. Some of my friends from other parts of the country have fond memories of the changing seasons and apple picking with their families- I cannot tell you how many times we’ve talked about apple picking, apple cider and donuts in the fall. And since I grew up in California where we are lucky to get a passing cloud, I can only imagine bundling up and trouncing though the apple orchards, steamy cups of hot cider and sweet puffy donuts. In honor of my friends’ fond memories, and because it’s officially apple season somewhere- I’m baking with apples, dammit!

I cannot tell you how many times I’ve made this bundt cake. It’s super easy to make and makes a tasty snack or dessert. I have never made the caramel sauce but I can imagine it’s delicious. The cake is perfectly sweet even without the additional sauce.

Confession- last time I made this, I went to flip my bundt pan over to get the cake out and only half of the cake released from the pan! Speaking of wasting time and money!!! What a mess. Even worse, I was taking it to a friend with a new baby and there was no way I could deliver that pile. I greased the pan properly, but I had been thinking my pan was on its last leg and now I know it’s time to get a new pan.

PS- This is my absolute, never has failed me yet, line of nonstick pans and I have several sheet pans and loaf pans. http://www.williams-sonoma.com/shop/bakeware/bakeware-williams-sonoma/bakeware-usa-goldtouch/ Unfortunately, they don’t make a bundt pan in the Goldtouch line, but I have also had luck in the past with this line: http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/anniversary-bundt-cake-pan/?& When I get a 20% off with free shipping coupon, I will own this bundt pan!

Layered Mediterranean Dip

http://tastykitchen.com/blog/2012/02/layered-mediterranean-dip/

I brought this dip with pita chips to a barbeque last weekend. As expected, it was a hit, just like the other 5 or 6 times I’ve made it. Not many dips are very healthy, but this one really is! It’s easy to make, (just a lot of chopping) and impressive to look at. Your friends will ask you for this recipe!

img_0512

French Toast Waffle Sticks

http://thebakermama.com/recipes/french-toast-waffle-sticks/

These are a fun change to the weekday morning breakfast routine. It does require me to get up a few minutes earlier and throw on a hat for morning drop off, but my kids love this treat and it’s worth the minor extra effort every now and then. They are very quick and easy, and are a great way to use up that dry loaf of bread that even peanut butter and jelly cannot save. I give the kids each a tiny bowl with warm (real!) maple syrup to dip and they are all pretty happy. So far, sourdough bread and whole wheat have been favorites. A fruit smoothie with Greek yogurt and we’ve got a pretty yummy breakfast!

file-sep-11-9-33-32-am

Filed Under: Appetizer, Breakfast, Chicken, Desserts, Seafood

Back from vacation and back on the wagon

August 7, 2016 by Christina Shoup 4 Comments

First, thank you for all the kind words and feedback on the first WORDY post! I promise to never write such a long post.  It was no surprise that from your comments, many of us get stuck in the same dinner rotation from week to week and everyone, including me, needs some fresh recipes every now and then.

We are just back from beautiful Lake Tahoe where we did a mix of cooking in (yes, I had a meal plan on a scrap of paper on vacation!) and eating out. As true with all vacations, we indulged on plenty of yummy snacks, meals and treats, not to mention an impressive amount of vodka/mint creations and wine. It’s always nice to be home and back on track with healthy meals and cutting back on those tasty beverages (until Friday, at least).

Below are the recipes for what I have on my meal calendar this week. You’ll notice that there are five recipes. One of the days this week is going to be leftovers and the other day is a date night that I’m quite looking forward to. Thanks Nano for watching the kids! Thankfully, I don’t have a very busy week ahead and happen to have extra time to cook, but on a normal busy school week, you’ll find a few nights utilizing recipes and others that simply say taco bar, egg scramble or “frozen Trader Joe’s something.” Not every week looks like this, but as I said above, I’m home from vacation and happy to be back in the kitchen! Let me know if any of you try any of these recipes. They are all printed out, have been in my binder of favorite recipes for quite awhile (a separate post in the near future) and are all a hit with Eric and kiddos. Thanks for reading and happy planning this week!

Curry Spiced Veggie Burgers

http://www.marthastewart.com/962982/curry-spiced-veggie-burgers

This is a tasty vegetarian recipe that my friend Lisa and I both saw on TV years ago and happen to both have all the ingredients on hand to make. I’m certain we both were sitting on the couch feeding a baby watching cooking shows, something we both used to do a lot of! It is simple to make and I recommend you watch the quick video that is available just above the recipe in the link. I serve it on top of or next to mixed greens dressed with vinaigrette. Nice and light dinner.

* I always double it and put half of the uncooked burgers in the freezer for another day.

Greek Chicken in Pita

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/14527/greek-chicken/

This is such a hit in our family that I put it on the meal calendar several times a month and nobody has yet to get sick of it. I use the marinade in the recipe above and use boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 6 or so) instead of the whole chicken. I marinate the day before or the morning of and it’s the easiest yummiest grilled chicken. After cooking, slice the chicken into bite sized pieces. We either put it in/on warm pita bread or on top of a plate of romaine lettuce dressed with Greek vinaigrette. In either case, we put tomato and sliced cucumber, a dollop of hummus, and a drizzle of Sriracha on top and dive in. SO yummy.

Edited Aug. 10th, 2016: I made this last night and my kids enjoyed it but didn’t go back for seconds.  Here’s why: I didn’t make the tzatzki sauce that I have made every single time except last night.  No idea why I forgot, but they really missed the yogurt cucumber sauce.  Easy to make: greek yogurt, grated or finely diced cucumber, little garlic, lemon zest and juice, dried dill, salt and pepper.  Last night I just mixed yogurt and Sriracha and it was yummy too, but the cucumber yogurt sauce is key.  ALSO, the marinade above doesn’t call for salt and pepper, but it’s necessary, as well as the zest from the lemon.  Makes a much more flavorful marinade.  Enjoy!

Grilled Salmon with Lime Butter

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/grilled-salmon-with-lime-butter-sauce-1222181

Dinner doesn’t get any easier! Grilled salmon is a staple in our house and four out of five people in my family love it and thankfully the other one tolerates it. I put the salmon on some foil (about a pound and a third for two adults and three kids), put a little olive oil, garlic salt and pepper on top and grill as directed. The lime butter is delicious and super simple, but sometimes I cannot handle one more step and skip it all together. I often serve with grilled asparagus and a salad, but this week I’m serving it with roasted sweet potatoes and couscous.

Aromatic Noodles with Lime Peanut Sauce

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ellie-krieger/aromatic-noodles-with-lime-peanut-sauce-recipe.html

Not much to say here because I make it as directed. It’s another hit in my family and we’ve been known to put it in a plastic bowl and eat on the way to an evening sport. Classy, right?! I’d just recommend adding the sauce as needed. Depending on the amount of veggies I have, the dish can be too saucy (and makes it harder to eat in the car!) J

Chinese Chicken Lettuce Wraps

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/barbecued-chinese-chicken-lettuce-wraps-recipe.html

We love these lettuce wraps and one of my kids even requested it for their birthday dinner a few years ago. It’s a Rachael Ray recipe, and she’s known for quick and easy recipes, so give this one a try! I’m sure ground turkey or pork would be tasty as well. A few changes that I make… To make it less messy, I drain some of the chicken liquid after cooking but before I add seasonings, garlic and ginger. I also decrease the mushrooms or omit altogether (kids are not fans), increase the bell pepper, and add shredded carrot and diced zucchini. I add more hoisin sauce and reduced sodium soy sauce as well. I love to top the lettuce wrap with chopped cilantro, chopped peanuts or cashews and Sriracha. My mouth is watering…

IMG_6410

 

Filed Under: Chicken, Main Dish, Pasta, Seafood, Vegetarian Tagged With: Aromatic Noodles with Lime Peanut Sauce, Chinese Chicken Lettuce Wraps, Curry Spiced Veggie Burgers, Greek Chicken in Pita, Grilled Salmon with Lime Butter

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About Me

Hi there! I’m Christina- a wife, mom to three kids, former elementary school teacher, and proud graduate from San Francisco Cooking School’s professional culinary program.  I love meal planning and cooking for family and friends, especially gathering to celebrate life’s most special moments.  I hope this site brings you inspiration to gather your special people around the table!

Feel free to follow along on Instagram:

@cookingwithchristinashoup

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