My favorite comfort snack in the world? Air-popped popcorn with real melted butter and salt along with a bubbly, fresh Coca-Cola on ice. If my life is temporarily sucking, this homey salty snack literally comforts me from the inside out. I remember my mother making this snack most weekends as we got ready to watch football on the couch.

But let’s face it - most weeks I can’t calorically afford to have real butter on my popcorn. Right now, I’ve got to drop a quick 5 pounds so that I can fit into my summer clothes and hit La Jolla Shores in a few weeks. When I’m particularly health-conscious, microwave popcorn is one of the main ways I make it through the long, stomach-grumbling afternoons.

That is, until I read about this recent study that says scientists have found that carcinogenic chemicals on the inside of microwave popcorn bags are rubbing off (more than they previously thought) and getting on the popcorn. I just can’t have that! There’s enough disease in my family gene pool already… I don’t need to be adding more risk factors.

In the CNN news video I watched on this topic, they recommended putting a fourth cup of kernels in a brown paper lunch bag and stapling it shut. Solution found! Until I told my husband my plan and he said, “What?!? You can’t put metal staples in the microwave. Are you crazy?”

So, I started to think, “How could I quickly and easily enjoy a small portion of fiber-heavy, filling, satisfying popcorn in the afternoons in a healthier manner?” Of course, I’m not willing to sacrifice too much taste. I know it won’t taste as yummy and rich and soul-sating buttery as my full-fat version. But what could I do?

Yesterday I figured it out. I airpopped 3 tablespoons of kernels which is just the right amount to fit in my preferred popcorn bowl. As it comes out of the popper hot and fresh, I spray olive oil spray and dusting the popcorn with Butter Buds and a little salt to taste. I know it takes a little longer than the microwave popcorn, but I feel better because this is healthier and hardly calories are added with the use of the butter flavoring and the olive oil spray.

In the spice section of the grocery store, I almost chose the Molly McButter brand, but it has partially hydrogenated oils in it. Butter Buds are all natural and the ingredients aren’t bad at all.

So if you’re not having a shitty day and are, thus, not in need of the full-fat popcorn life remedy, try my new healthy non-carcinogenic way to have a light, salty snack in the afternoon!

I’ve had a running mental list of foodie goals and today I’m finally going to type them out and share them with the universe:

Make:

- fresh pasta
- ricotta from scratch
- herb garden (maybe)
- pizza dough from scratch (whole wheat, too)
- spaghetti and meatballs
- Indian curries
- prolific tomato plants (already underway)

Want:

- Kitchenaid pasta attachment
- large Le Creuset casserole for stews (and in place of the tagine I was obsessed with a few months ago)
- 12″ stainless steel skillet (I only have non-stick for some reason!)
- silicone pastry brush (Just saw this at my sister-in-law’s house. So easy to clean!)

On route from Amazon right now:

- 2 Silpats
- a good 8″ chef’’s knife (finally!)
- Lodge Logic Pro 20-by-10-1/2-Inch Cast-Iron Grill/Griddle
- Giada’s new cookbook

So colorful and ready for the oven…

Tonight was one of those nights were I hit the recipe jackpot… delicious, easy, healthy, and DELICIOUS! Oops, I said “delicious” twice but that’s an entirely appropriate way to describe how much the husband and I enjoyed our meal this evening. I’m already excited for the dozens of times I’m going to make this dish in the future. Another great thing about it… the meal’s entirely adaptable for using up whatever veggies you have on hand.

I was ecstatically surprised by how moist and flavorful the salmon turned out. I have my own habitual way of cooking salmon and I was a little nervous about the leap of faith required to try this new method. But everything was better than perfect and I highly recommend this dish. The colors and presentation are beautiful, too. I also think it’d be great for company.

Originally, it’s from a recent issue of Everyday Food magazine, but I changed it quite a bit. You’ll find my version below. I decided to add onions, mushrooms, garlic, and lots of lemon juice to various parts of the preparation. I also used a multi-colored potato medley from Trader Joe’s that came with golden, red, and dark purple potatoes - beautiful and delicious!

Enjoy!

Salmon with Roasted Veggie Hash
Inspired by a recipe in Everyday Food
Serves 4

8 small red new potatoes, scrubbed and sliced into 1/4-inch thick discs
1 can (14 ounces) of artichoke hearts, halved
about 20 whole cremini mushrooms
1 whole onion, cut into large pieces and separated
1 T fresh thyme leaves
6 whole cloves of garlic
2 T extra virgin olive oil
coarse salt and ground pepper
1 skinless salmon fillet (1 and 1/2 lbs.)
1/2 cup chopped Italian parsley
1 T Dijon mustard (I also squirted in a little honey dijon and fresh honey for sweetness)
1 T white-wine vinegar
juice of one lemon

1. Preheat oven to 475 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, mix together the veggies, thyme and garlic and toss with 1 T of olive oil and half the salt and pepper. Arrange vegetable mixture around the outside of a large roasting pan or rimmed cookie sheet.

2. Wash salmon and place in the center of the roasting pan, surrounded by the veggies. Squirt the juice of one lemon over the salmon, along with a little salt and pepper if you like and a little olive oil. Roast for 20 minutes, stirring the veggies once, until lightly browned and salmon is cooked through.

3. Meanwhile make the sauce by stirring together a 1/2 t of salt, a pinch of pepper, parsley, mustard, vinegar, 1 T of water, a clove of minced garlic, and a little more lemon juice.

4. Gently remove the salmon from the pan and serve, topping with the parsley sauce. Serve with the vegetables.

In case you haven’t noticed, I make a lot of other people’s recipes. I’m disproportionately proud of myself when I actually concoct my own little culinary creation to share on this blog. I feel like I should always put the word “Beth’s” in front of everything that isn’t derived from someone else’s cooking instructions. So, using that logic, technically this is Beth’s Roasted Veggie and Chicken Penne recipe.

I’ve never made anything quite like this before, but I wanted to use up some of the vegetables I had around the kitchen, as well as a couple lemon oregano roasted chicken breasts that I picked up from Costco. For the record, my husband Daniel recommends that I never buy the breasts again and that next time I should buy the whole chicken. So just his two cents on the matter if you ever find yourself standing in front of the metal heat-lamped shelves at your local warehouse store.

The concept behind this recipe (roast a bunch of veggies and cook chicken in their caramelized juices) is a definite keeper. The only part my husband didn’t love was the broccoli. He was really excited when I suggested doing artichoke hearts next time. But the beauty of this recipe is the concept because you can totally improvise with whatever veggies you have on hand. You don’t even need to include the chicken, of course!

Hope you like it, too!

Roasted Veggie and Chicken Penne
Serves 4 or more

1-2 cups of cherry tomatoes, whole
1/2 a medium onion (quartered and separated)
2 bell peppers cut (I used one yellow and one orange)
6 whole cloves of garlic
about a quarter cup of extra-virgin olive oil

4 servings of whole wheat penne pasta or similar

2 roasted chicken breasts, chopped into bite-sized pieces
3 cups of fresh broccoli florets or artichoke hearts (frozen or canned in water)
1 cup of chicken or vegetable broth
salt
pepper
lemon juice to taste
toasted pine nuts and grated parmesan to garnish

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees. Line a roasting pan or rimmed cookie sheet with tin foil. Toss the veggies with some olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread them out on the cookie sheet. Put the veggies in the oven for about 20-25 minutes.

Boil pasta according to package directions. Keep it al dente. If you can, try and time it to be done at about the same time the veggies are done warming through in the skillet (see procedure below).

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Transfer the hot veggies and all of the juices into the skillet. Mix in the chopped chicken, too. Add the broccoli or artichoke hearts and a cup of broth. Cover the skillet and steam for about 5 minutes until the broccoli is steamed and bright green or the artichoke hearts are warmed through and softened. Add salt and pepper to taste. Squeeze a little lemon into the sauce, too, and stir. Add the cooked pasta into the mix directly from the pasta water. It’s a good idea to include a little bit of the starchy pasta water in your spoonfuls of pasta. Garnish with parmesan and pine nuts.

Serve and enjoy!

I realize this list isn’t presented very fancily, but doesn’t this food sound YUM?

Breakfast Couscous from 28 Cooks

Masala Chai Perfected from The Travelers Lunchbox

Macerated Strawberries from Two Spoons

Creamy Matar Paneer from Sugars and Spice

Moroccan Style Chicken and Lentils from Bon Appetit from Andrea’s Recipe Box

Pinto Bean Soup over Rice with Red Chile and Cheese from Leite’s Culinaria