Merecipes: Recipes From my Kitchen
Meredith’s Very Own:
Main Dishes:
Summer Pasta Salad
I like this dish for a number of reasons. It’s great to bring to parties, or keep in your fridge for several days and snack away. It’s a healthy, fiber filled dish that tastes better on it’s second and third day. One tip that I would suggest is adding more dressing or olive oil because the pasta will soak everything up.
You will need:
- One Package of Whole Wheat Pasta (Penne, Rotini, Bow Tie
- Several different sized tomatoes (Grape, cherry, heirloom, whatever you like!)
- One Shallot
- 3-4 Cloves of Garlic
- Fresh Basil (not dried)
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- White Wine Vinegar
- Salt/Pepper
- Toasted Pine Nuts
Boil the pasta in salted water. When finished, you can rinse with cool water or simply place in the fridge if you have the time. When the pasta is cool, it’s easier to work with. Chop the garlic, shallots, basil, tomatoes, and place in a bowl with the pasta. The pine nuts should be toasted until they are light, golden brown at 350 or 375 degrees in a toaster oven. Add the pine nuts, and add as much olive oil as you’d like. I generally add some, then toss, add more, and toss again. Add a splash of white wine vinegar and some salt and pepper to taste. Toss again, then place in the fridge to marinate. Serve chilled!
Pan Seared Ginger Salmon:
I love salmon. It’s such a rich, fatty, fish and is delicious served cold, hot, raw, or cooked. One of my favorite ways to make salmon is in the pan because it crusts the edges of the fish and gives you a nice, pink, medium rare inside.
You will need:
One or two pieces of fresh salmon
Brown Sugar
Lime Juice
Salt
Fresh Pepper
Ginger root, peeled and sliced
First, wash your salmon in cold water. Place into a dish and rub with brown sugar and lime. This is your marinade. Put salmon in fridge, covered, for at least an hour. Peel your ginger root and slice. Place slices in freezing cold water to shock out the spice of the ginger.
Heat olive oil in pan on high. Place salmon in pan, sprinkle salt and pepper over the fish. Add ginger slices to the fish. It’s ok if they fall off the fish and are cooked separately in the pan- the flavors of the fish and the ginger are important. Flip fish after a few minutes, and watch carefully. The fish will cook fast, so be careful not to overcook.
Roasted Veggies
Roasted/Grilled veggies
Sides:
Comfort Carrots and Onions
I sometimes eat it as my lunch or mix it with other veggies or mashed potatoes. My grandma used to make me carrots and onions as a child and simply sauteed them in a pan. Over the years, I’ve jazzed up this dish a little bit to make it just a little tastier and dinner party friendly.
You will need:
- Several Organic Carrots, peeled and diced into coin sized circles
- One diced yellow onion (or sweet onion
- 2 cloves of garlic, diced
- Salt/Pepper
- Pinch of Brown Sugar
First, boil the carrots either on the stove or in the microwave until they are soft. Put the diced onions into a pan with olive oil and brown over med-high heat. Add the soften, boiled carrots to brown. Add salt and pepper to taste and reduce heat. Once the onions and carrots are browned, add a splash more olive oil, the garlic, and a pinch of brown sugar and stir. Heat over low-med heat for a few more minutes and serve hot. Simple as that!
- 2-3 large sweet potatoes
- 1/3 cup Olive Oil
- Teaspoon of Paprika
- Teaspoon of Sea Salt
- Parsely for garnish
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. You can either peel or keep the skins on, just wash your potatoes well. Cut into French fry shapes. Coat the potato wedges or slices in the olive oil, paprika, and season with sea salt. For added spice, season with cayanne pepper. Place potatoes on baking sheet lined with foil and bake for 30-35 min.
