I love cooking and I love looking up new and interesting recipes. But there are a few that are my staples; the ones I tend to cook on the regular mostly because they’re so incredibly easy and more importantly, delicious! I’ve been cooking these for so long that I’ve honestly forgotten where I got them from in the first place, but most likely it was from my friend, Molly Kimball. Over the years I’ve tweaked them to make them my own, which is the beauty of cooking. I hope you try these out!

Apricot Lime Salmon

This is a family favorite, mostly because it’s just so easy and quick but it’s also fancy enough to serve to guests. Make the glaze the night before, prepare the salmon in the pan in the morning and when you get home, dinner is less than 30 minutes away! It might take longer to preheat the oven then to actually have dinner ready!

•  4-6 oz. Wild Caught Atlantic Salmon fillet

•  1 teaspoon olive oil or olive oil spray

•  Juice of one lime plus lime zest

•  1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped fine

•  1 teaspoon low sugar apricot jam

•  Kosher salt

Preheat oven to 400F. In a small saucepan, melt the jam over medium heat.  Add lime juice and rosemary. Stir well to combine and remove from heat. NOTE: If you’re like my husband and like things a little spicier, add a few dashes or Tabasco or Sriracha.

Line a shallow roasting pan with foil. Brush the foil with olive oil or spray. Place salmon fillet in the roasting pan.

Lightly salt the fillet and brush with some of the glaze.  Place in oven and roast for 12 to 15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the salmon.  Brush frequently with glaze and cook to your desired level of doneness.  (When it just starts to flake apart in the thickest area is how I love my salmon cooked.)  Serve with a spritz of lime, on top of a colorful salad or with your favorite spiralized veggies and enjoy! This serves 3-4.

 

HEALTHY RANCH DIP

This is a great way to sneak in more protein in your family’s diet. Greek yogurt has as much protein as a chicken breast without all the sugar that other yogurts have. My trick was to have cut up vegetables in the refrigerator at all times, ready for snacking. This made it easy for me to make wise choices when the 3 pm snack attacks hit! It’s also really easy to pack and bring with you to work or school.

1 pint of non fat or 2% plain greek yogurt

1/2 of an envelope of dry ranch dressing mix or create your own. See notes.

 Mix together well and serve with fresh carrots, celery, broccoli, or any of your favorite veggies.

Keep serving size to about ¼ cup

If you’re feeling adventurous and would like to keep the sodium in check, create your own ranch mix. Use a teaspoon each of onion and garlic powder, dried dill weed and parsley, salt to taste and ½ teaspoon black pepper and for freshness, add a handful of fresh chives. If you’d like it a little more zingy, add a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar. This will make enough to flavor about half of the pint of yogurt. Make it your own!

 

CAULIFLOWER “ALFREDO” SAUCE

I’ve owned Italian restaurants for years so I know how delicious but unhealthy a traditional alfredo sauce actually is. Heavy cream, whole milk, eggs, butter. Oh goodness. One serving weighs in at a whopping 1000+ calories! This recipe couldn’t be easier and it is just so good! And each serving is just over 100 calories. I would make this one whenever I taught healthy cooking classes and it was always a crowd pleaser. No one could ever tell that it was made from cauliflower, including the guys who said they hated cauliflower!

1 head of fresh cauliflower, cut into florets

6 wedges of Laughing Cow sundried tomato and basil cheese

½ cup fresh grated parmesan cheese

½ cup milk

salt to taste

Boil cauliflower florets until very tender.

Drain well and blend with the rest of ingredients until creamy. (I used my Blendtec blender but a regular blender or a handheld one will work as well. Just remember to do it in batches and leave a little breathing room at the top because of the heat.) Add a little more milk if needed to get to your desired consistency. It should not be runny but thick enough to coat the pasta. Serve it over whole grain pasta and you have a hearty side dish. Toss in some cooked shrimp or chicken and dinner is served! Serves 3-4

I would love to hear back from you if you try these out or share your ideas on how these could be even better! Happy and healthy eating!