Recipe – Page 5

Roasted Salmon with Crispy Kale and Coconut Rice

Published on March 10, 2014March 10, 2014 by T.W.O.Leave a comment

T.W.O. has really enjoyed cooking with coconut lately. Coconut not only adds phenomenal flavor, but also has many nutritional benefits. So we decided to combine it with 3 other nutrient-rich ingredients – kale, sweet potatoes and salmon! And wow, this is a great combination. We have no doubt you will enjoy! Put it on this week’s menu – you won’t be disappointed! Our good fiend ‘Tiny Bit Of Joy’ also enjoyed a similar recipe the same night – – – its that good!

Ingredients
• 1cup jasmine rice, uncooked
• 1cup coconut milk, unsweeted
• 1 cup water
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• 1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
• 2 Tablespoons soy sauce, low sodium
• 1 Tablespoon Sriracha
• 3 sweet potatoes, cubed
• 1 Tablespoon coconut oil, melted
• 2 Tablespoons Trader Joe’s sesame soy ginger vinaigrette
• 1 bunch lacinato kale, ribs removed and sliced into strips
• 1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
• 1 to ½ pound salmon, sliced into 4 fillets

Place rice in a saucepan with coconut milk, water, and salt. Bring to a boil and stir. Reduce to the lowest heat, cover, and cook for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

While the rice is cooking, heat oven to 400° F. Combine the melted coconut oil, soy sauce, vinaigrette and Sriracha. Stir vigorously until mixed well.

Place the sweet potatoes on a lined baking sheet. Drizzle with a tablespoon of melted coconut oil and sea salt. Toss to coat. Bake for 30 minutes or until tender.

Place kale and coconut flakes on a lined baking sheet. Drizzle with about 2/3 of the dressing. Toss until well coated. Place salmon on top of the kale and drizzle with 1 to 2 tablespoons of the remaining dressing. Bake the salmon and coconut kale mixture during the last 15 minutes of the sweet potato’s baking time, or until cooked through, being careful not to let the kale burn.

Remove sweet potatoes, salmon, and kale from oven. Serve over fluffed rice with an extra drizzle of dressing.

Chicken Fajitas

Published on March 4, 2014March 3, 2014 by T.W.O.1 Comment

Taco Tuesday can get a little old after a while, so T.W.O. decided to change things up a bit and make some chicken fajitas – with t.w.o. twists! These are not your average fajitas you order at a Mexican restaurant, because we decided to add cannellini beans and Rimel’s “Green Sauce.” This is a great dish not only for Tuesday, but for any day of the week! And it is great for a crowd! So invite your friends over and let’s have a fiesta!

Ingredients
-4 chicken breasts, boneless & skinless
-1 fajita mix
-Mini sweet bell peppers, sliced into stripes
-1 sweet onion, sliced into wedges
-2 jalapeños, sliced into stripes
-1 can of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
–Rimel’s “Green Sauce”
-Corn tortillas*
-1 Avocado, sliced
-Salsa
-Cilantro

*T.W.O. uses the La Tortilla Factory brand of corn tortillas

Begin by cutting the chicken breasts into stripes. Heat up a sauce pan with olive oil. Add chicken breasts, fajita mix and ½ water. Cook chicken until done.

Remove chicken, keeping the juice to sauté the vegetables. Sauté the vegetables for about 5-8 minutes. Once the vegetables are cooked, add the chicken back into pan. Add about 1/3-1/2 cup of the “Green Sauce” and mix. Keep on the heat for about 2 minutes then remove.

Heat up the corn tortillas. Now it is time to make the fajitas! We like to top our fajitas with salsa, avocado, cilantro and a little of the “Green Sauce.” Now it’s time for a salsa dance!!

Ole!

Zesty Lemon Chicken

Published on February 25, 2014February 24, 2014 by T.W.O.3 Comments

Do you ever get bored of baked chicken or your average barbecue chicken? Well if your answer is yes, keep reading! T.W.O. has a solution for you – Zesty Lemon Chicken. The combination of the citrus and the herbs used to cook this dish makes it an easy week night recipe that tastes like a million dollars. Move over barbecue sauce, let the lemons take over!

Ingredients

-4 Chicken breasts, bone-in
-1 Sweet Onion, chopped
-2 Garlic cloves, chopped
-2 Tablespoons Olive oil
-4 Lemons
– Herbs (Parsley, Coriander, Thyme, Rosemary), chopped
-Salt & Pepper
-Baby Potatoes, washed
-Lemon wedges
-Chicken broth

In a Pyrex, place the washed chicken skin side down. Marinade the chicken, olive oil, herbs, lemon juice, salt and pepper for about 15 minutes. It is okay to place the lemon skins in the Pyrex, as this adds more flavors.

Preheat your oven to 350°F.

Add the potatoes, onions & garlic. Add 1/2 cup of chicken broth to the bottom of the dish to cover some of the potatoes and the chicken. (It should be about 1/3 of an inch)

Put in the oven for 25 minutes, then turn the chicken to the other side – skin side up – and leave it to cook for more 25 minutes, till the skin side is roasted. Once the chicken is done, plate the chicken, potatoes, lemon and drizzle with cooked broth. It’s time to eat!

T.W.O. signature

Blueberry Frozen Yogurt Bites

Published on February 21, 2014February 21, 2014 by T.W.O.4 Comments

Blueberries. Greek Yogurt. And a Freezer. Yes – that is all you need in order to make these delicious, refreshing treats. The tartness of the Greek yogurt compliments the sweet flavors of the blueberry to make these bite size snacks the modern, healthier version of a bonbon. If you need some “pop” in your life, grab yourself some blueberries and yogurt and get to work!

Ingredients:
-1 package blueberries, washed
-Greek yogurt*

Lay out the washed blueberries on a mat or cutting board. Make sure the blueberries are fully dried. Using a skewer or a toothpick, dip the blueberries in the Greek yogurt. Swirl around, making sure to get enough Greek yogurt on the berry to freeze. Place on a parchment paper – lined cookie sheet.

Once all the blueberries are dipped, place in the freezer for about 20 minutes. Remove the blueberries and store in a freezer safe Tupperware or Ziploc bag. The berries are best after an hour being in the freezer. If you can’t wait that long, 20 minutes will do! Store in freezer.

Cheers to snacks!

Cabbage Crunch Salad

Published on February 17, 2014February 16, 2014 by T.W.O.Leave a comment

Bored of your traditional salad?! We’ll T.W.O. has a new recipe for you! Cabbage crunch salad has been a favorite side dish in T.W.O.’s family for generations. It’s easy, fresh and a crowd pleaser!

Ingredients

– 1 head of green cabbage
– 1 cup green onions, chopped
– 1/3 cup cilantro, chopped
– I package chicken top ramen noodles

Dressing:
-3/4 cups rice vinegar
-1/4 cup red wine vinegar
-1/3 cup vegetable oil
-2 tablespoons white sugar
-1 packet top ramen seasoning (included in package with dry noodles)
-Ground pepper
– Krazy Salt

Using a sharp knife, cut the cabbage in half. Take the “core” out of each half. Next, cut the cabbage in thin slices to create a “slaw”. Put the cut cabbage in a mixing bowl. Add the chopped green onions and cilantro. Break the top ramen into small clusters over the salad. If you are having a hard time breaking the ramen, place the ramen into a Ziploc bag and pound until small clusters are created. Combine the noodles with the cabbage.

For the dressing, add all the ingredients together and mix well. Add fresh ground pepper and Krazy Salt to taste.

Pour the dressing over the cabbage mixture and toss. Make sure the dressing, ramen noodles and green onions are evenly distributed throughout the cabbage slaw. After everything is mixed well, cover with foil or plastic wrap and put in the refrigerator. It’s best to let the salad marinate for at least one hour before serving. Serve chilled.

Bon Appetit!

Peanut Butter Cookies

Published on February 13, 2014February 13, 2014 by T.W.O.Leave a comment

Peanut Butter Cookies

As you probably have learned, T.W.O. loves peanut butter. We can have peanut butter in the morning, afternoon and night! We thought we would share one of our favorite peanut butter recipes that have been exchanged between our family members for many years. The cookies are soft flavorful and nutty! Oh, and we can’t forget about the dough….it’s pretty amazing!

Ingredients
– 1 cup crunchy peanut butter*
– 1 cube butter, softened
– ½ cup shortening
– 1 cup granulated sugar
– 1 cup brown sugar
– 2 eggs
– 2 ½ cups flour
– 1 teaspoon baking powder
– 1 ½ teaspoon baking soda

* T.W.O. likes to bake with Skippy, Jiffy or natural peanut butter (oil pre-mixed)

Cream together peanut butter, butter and shortening with a mixer. Add in the granulated sugar and brown sugar and mix well. Slowly beat in the eggs. Make sure to scrape the sides of the bowl, so the ingredients blends well. Add in the flour, baking powder and soda. Once all the ingredients are combined, you should get sticky, thick dough. Chill the dough for an hour or until the dough gets cold.

Preheat oven to 350.°

Remove the dough from the refrigerator. Line your cookie sheets with parchment paper. Take a spoonful of dough and roll into a ball. Repeat until all the dough is used. With a floured potato masher, press down on the “balls”. Don’t smash too much, you don’t want the cookies to burn. If you don’t have a potato masher, you can flatten the cookie with your hand and use a fork to create a criss-cross design.

Place the cookies in the oven for 10-12 minutes. Don’t overcook! Remove from the oven and let it cool on the cookie sheet for 1-2 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack.

Plate the cookies, grab a glass of milk and enjoy!!!

Happy Baking!

Lamb Shanks in Red Wine Sauce

Published on February 11, 2014February 10, 2014 by twinswithoriginality3 Comments

Lamb. It’s so versatile! Lamb chops, leg of lamb, lamb kabobs, ground lamb, and our most recent recipe— Lamb Shanks! It was a perfect Saturday evening to cook this delicious dish. The lamb is braised in a red wine sauce for a few hours and the results are magnificent— tender, flavorful meat, falling off the bone and into your mouth. It is just heaven! The dish went well over creamy polenta. So next time you are thinking lamb, try this recipe out!

Ingredients

-2 Tablespoons olive oil
-4 Lamb Shanks
-1 Sweet Onion, sliced into half crescents
-2 Shallots, chopped
-4 Garlic cloves, chopped
-1 teaspoon sugar
-1 ½ cup Dry red wine
-2/3 cup Balsamic vinegar
-2 cups Beef broth, low sodium
-2 Tablespoon Brown Sugar
-Montreal Steak seasoning

Begin by seasoning the lamb shanks with the Montreal Steak seasoning.

In a large sauté pan, heat the olive oil over medium to high heat. Brown the lamb shanks on both sides until golden brown. Remove the lamb from the pan and keep the remaining “fat” juices.

Reduce the heat to medium and begin sautéing the garlic, onions, and shallots. Add in the sugar. Cook until they are golden brown and caramelized.

Turn up the heat and deglaze the pan with red wine, making sure the mix while cooking. Cook until the red wine has reduced. Next, add in the balsamic vinegar, beef broth and brown sugar and bring to a boil.

Reduce the heat to low and allow the lamb to simmer for about 2.5-3 hours. You will know when the lamb is done when the meat begins to fall off the bone and the sauce has reduced into a thin glaze.

T.W.O. decided to throw in some baby carrots about 10 minutes prior to the lamb shanks being done. The carrots had a great flavor after being cooked in the wine sauce.

Polenta

Ingredients

-4 cups vegetable broth, low sodium
-2/3 cup polenta
-1/3 cup grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan

In a sauce pan, bring the vegetable broth to a boil. Reduce the heat and whisk in the polenta. Mix frequently for about 15-20 minutes until the polenta is soft and thick. At this time add the Pecorino Romano. Mix well.

Plate the lamb shank over polenta, mashed potatoes, or quinoa! Time to eat!

Orange Chicken

Published on February 6, 2014February 6, 2014 by T.W.O.1 Comment

Orange Chicken. Yes – the popular dish people order for take-out or pick up in the frozen section at the market. Well, now it’s time to learn how to cook it! T.W.O. whisks up this recipe, the healthy way. There is no deep-frying or added fat, but T.W.O. can assure you that after you try this easy recipe, you won’t want to eat the bad stuff. It’s an easy dish the whole family will love!

Ingredients

-1 tablespoon olive oil
-1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
– 2/3 cup orange juice
– 3 Tablespoons honey
– 3 Tablespoons soy sauce
– 2 Tablespoons rice vinegar
– 1 teaspoon chili sauce (sriracha or sambal oele)
– 1 Tablespoon orange zest, grated
– 1 clove garlic, minced
– 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
– 1 Tablespoon water
– 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
– 1/4 cup green onion, diced

Cut the chicken into 1-inch cubes. In a sauté pan, heat the olive oil and 1/3 cup orange juice over medium heat. Add the chicken cubes and cook for about 6 minutes. Make sure to mix the chicken so it cooks on all sides.

While the chicken is cooking, begin mixing the wet ingredients together. In a bowl, add the remaining orange juice, honey, soy sauce, rice vinegar, chili sauce, garlic, orange zest, ginger, water and cornstarch. Mix well.

Add the wet ingredients to the chicken and cook for about 4 minutes on medium to low heat. The sauce will thicken. Make sure to coat the chicken in the sauce when cooking.

Remove from heat and put over a bed of quinoa, rice, and sautéed vegetables or even rice noodles. Top the dish off with green onions. T.W.O. put theirs over quinoa and added a side spinach salad.

See, we told you this was going to be an easy recipe for your weeknight or weekend dinner. Warning – make extras so people can go back for seconds!

Asian Kale Salad

Published on February 4, 2014February 2, 2014 by T.W.O.Leave a comment

Are you a fan of Chinese Chicken Salad? Well, you are reading the right recipe! If you aren’t, that’s okay. Try it out anyways; you might be pleasantly surprised. Thanks to a co-worker, T.W.O. was introduced to Lacinato kale. It is also known as Tuscan kale, Tuscan cabbage, or Italian kale. It is lightly a little sweeter and more delicate than your traditional curly kale. The smooth leaves combined with the rice noodles, crunchy almonds and the mandarin oranges makes this salad a perfect meal!

Ingredients

– 1 bunch Lacinato Kale
– 1 cup mandarin oranges
– 2 cups thin rice noodles
– 1 cup carrots, shredded
– ½ cup roasted almonds, chopped
– Lemon Vinaigrette dressing (Recipe HERE)
– ¼ cup Rice Vinegar

Bring pot of water to a bowl. Once it reaches to a boil, remove from heat and add your rice noodles. Cover and let it sit for 10 minutes. Once the noodles are done, drain and add rice vinegar. Set aside.

Chop the kale and put in a big bowl. Add your rice noodles, mandarin oranges, carrots and almonds. Toss in the lemon vinaigrette dressing. Plate and serve! Feel free to add chicken or any other protein to make it a meal!

Cheers to another healthy meal!

Broccolini White Pizza

Published on January 31, 2014January 29, 2014 by T.W.O.Leave a comment

TGIF! It’s time for Friday Night Pizza Night!!! Today we are using a new ingredient on our pizza….broccolini. This vegetable looks like mini-broccoli and is often misidentified as young broccoli, but it is a hybrid of broccoli and kai-lan,

Ingredients:

– Pizza dough
– Cornmeal
– 2 Table spoons olive oil
– 2 Tablespoons dried basil
– 2 garlic cloves, chopped
– 4 stems broccolini
– ½ cup olives, diced
– 1 – 1 ½ cup marinated artichoke hearts, sliced
– 3 cups mozzarella

Preheat oven to 425ᴼF. Roll out the pizza dough on a floured/ cornmeal surface. Once the dough is evenly rolled out, transfer the dough to a greased cookie sheet.

Next take the olive oil and spread it on the dough, making sure you reach all the edges. Sprinkle the diced garlic and basil evenly on top of the olive oil.

Add your mozzarella cheese, followed by the broccolini, artichokes and olives. Spread the toppings evenly.

Let the pizza rise for about 15 minutes. Note – you don’t want to put the pizza in a cold oven, so make sure your oven reaches 425ᴼF. Once the oven is ready, place the pizza in the oven and watch closely. The pizza will take 15-20 minutes.

Once done the pizza is done, take it out of the oven and let it sit for 5 minutes.