Salmon Roll Ups

Bought a package of sliced Smoked Salmon and laid it out into a somewhat even layer to make a roll up.

I seasoned some Yogurt Cheese with salt, lemon pepper, dill weed an a little cayenne pepper. Spread the cheese on the smoked salmon. 

Roll it up!!!!

Roll up the Salmon roll in saran wrap and refrigerate.

Smoked Salmon Roll Up on a Cucumber Slice. This would also be good on your favorite cracker! 

Tomato Cup Stuffed with Chicken Salad

I'm making some lunch! I cut a 1/4 inch off the top of a tomato and took out all the seeds. Sprinkled it with a little bit of salt.

Totally forgot to take a picture of my chicken salad that I stuffed in the tomato cup. It was a mix of canned chicken, diced celery, green onion, non fat greek yogurt, salt and pepper. You can also add seasonings like garlic powder, onion powder, etc. Added some extra veggies and some fruit for a great lunch!

Coleslaw and Blackened Halibut

Shredding some cabbage to make coleslaw.

I also julienned some carrots and orange bell pepper. I made a coleslaw dressing of non fat greek yogurt, apple cider vinegar, salt and pepper. I added other seasonings, but those are my secrets :)

Good looking coleslaw, isn't it??? It totally tastes good!!

Made my own Cajun rub for the Halibut. Coated one side of the Halibut filets and broiled the smaller filet in the oven for 6 minutes each side on a rack 4 inches from the broiler. The thicker piece of course did take longer, approx. 7.5 to 8 minutes.

Dinners Ready!!! Yuuummmm!!!! 

Yogurt Cheese

Greek yogurt in a strainer lined with paper towels, set in a bowl, cover and leave overnight in the fridge to release moisture.

It's like spreadable cream cheese! Except it's really tart. Divide into different containers and add whatever spices you want to add flavor to your food.

Grilled Salmon Salad

Half of a bag of mixed greens. Added chopped celery, mushrooms, orange bell pepper and sliced cucumber. Dressed with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 4 tablespoons of Balsamic vinegar.

Grilled the salmon on the bbq'er outside. I made something like a tartar sauce using non fat Greek yogurt, lemon zest, garlic, salt and pepper (other stuff too, but those are my secrets). I like creamy dressings, so this made it feel like that when it was all mixed up, without all the quilt.

Steak w/ "I'm Feeling a little Greek" Mac & Cheese

Start a pot of water for your choice of pasta, 1 pound. When it comes to a boil add a couple tablespoons of Salt. Use pasta like elbow macaroni, penne, ziti, etc.  Saute 2-3 diced shallots and 2 tablespoons minced garlic in 3 tablespoons of butter, plus 1 tablespoon of Olive Oil.  Cook until shallots are soft. If you do not have shallots you can use 1/2 of a small onion, finely chopped. 

MMMMMM....bacon!! This was left over I had in the fridge. I chopped it into bite size pieces. 

Added one pint of Half N Half for one pound of pasta. Simmer for 5-7 minutes. *To speed things up, You could do a classic Bechamel Sauce: 1 or 2 tablespoons butter, melted and flour (equal parts). Whisk over medium-high heat until it becomes thick and pastie. Then add approx. 2 cups of 2% milk.

Added one small jar of marinated artichoke hearts.  I lightly rinsed the hearts before I added them.

Added 1 pound of Ziti pasta and Feta (1 1/2 cups) and grated Parmesan (1/2 cup). I added the Feta at the same time I added the pasta so that I end up with small chunks of Feta because I like the flavor. If you don't want chunks, add it to the cream mixture/Bechamel to melt a little more before adding the pasta.

Mac N Cheese all done!!! If the cheese sauce gets too tight (thick), I will add a little bit of the pasta water, or you could use some warm chicken stock or milk.

Toasted 1 cup of Panko bread crumbs with Lemon pepper in a little bit of olive oil in a skillet on the stove. A little crunch for the top of my Mac N Cheese.

Came up with the idea of Mac N Cheese because we are having steak. 2 are marinated in a packet of Southwestern spiced marinade. One is just Salt & Pepper. 

The grill would not light, so oven broiled it had to be. 3-5 minutes on each side, rare/medium rare. Cook it longer if you don't like the rare side. I topped the salt & peppered steak with a medallion of a compound butter that I made. (I mention the compound butter recipe in the Philly Cheese Steak post) It really did add to the flavor of the steak. Let your steak rest at least 5 minutes before slicing into it so it won't be dry.

Finished plate!! Looks yummy! I'll eat half the steak and have the rest on a salad tomorrow!! Got plenty of left over Mac N Cheese for my lucky co-workers....they're foodies...like me!

Wiener Schnitzel vom Schwein (from pork or pig) w/ Mashed Potatoes

Bought a 9 pound pork loin and this is some of it. I decided to make Schnitzel. It's a shout out to my German heritage! First, I need to trim this pork...look at all that fat! **the boneless pork chop cut is good to use for this recipe, plus it is fairly inexpensive. Thick cut does not work.

Making good progress. Love my ceramic knife! It is making this job sooo easy. 

All done! Looks awesome! Yeah, I got some skills! lol!

Cut the trimmed loin 3/4 inches to 1 inch thick to hammer out. I got six cuts from this. 

One at a time, i put my pieces of pork in a 1 gallon zip-loc bag, with a splash of water. I do not zip it closed. I have a kitchen mallet to hammer the meat to approx. 1/4 inch. If you do not have a mallet, a heavy skillet will work too. This makes a lot of noise, so warn anyone who might be nearby.. it's the right thing to do! lol!!

Now it's bigger, but thinner!

All the pork is pounded out and ready to be dredged and coated!

This is 1 1/2 to 2 cups of flour and egg wash (3 whipped eggs). I seasoned the flour with Salt & Pepper, Garlic Powder and Onion Powder, 1/2 teaspoon of each. The egg wash is seasoned with 1 teaspoon Salt and 1 teaspoon Lemon Pepper. This is the 1st and 2nd step of the breading process for my Schnitzel. 

I am using a mixture of Panko bread crumbs and Potato flakes. I season everything. Just salt and pepper is a good thing. In this case I seasoned my bread crumb mixture with 1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest, 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary and of course, Salt & Pepper.

Here we go! First into the flour..

Then into the egg wash....

Finally into the bread crumb/potato flake mixture. Really, I swear it's there! lol 

Into the frying pan. This is a shallow fry. Depending on how many you make, you may have to add oil as you go.

Golden brown....only a few minutes on each side. The meat is thin so it doesn't take very long to cook it. 

I put my Schnitzel on a wire rack to drain and put it in the oven at 170 degrees to keep warm while I make the rest...

Schnitzel is traditionally served with a slice of Lemon and Potato Salad or Potatoes with Parsley and Butter. I prefer a Country Gravy with mashed potatoes.... German meets Southern! LOL!!!  I did not have enough milk for homemade Country Gravy, so I used a packet of Southeastern Mills Country Gravy because I had it! I seasoned it with 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder and a pinch of cayenne. Remember to season everything whether it comes out of a can, jar, or packet! You can still make your own... 

Mashed potatoes! Butter, sour cream and real bacon bits. Oh, and Salt & Pepper!

This is a hungry man size plate! 

My plate.... I chose a smaller piece of meat and put cranberry mustard and lemon juice on it. I wanted less potatoes & gravy, and added a mixed greens salad with one tablespoon of Ranch dressing and a squeeze from half a lemon! YUM!! PS: That Italian Parsley on my Schnitzel went into my salad!!!