Last week, I pan-seared salmon for the first time. I’m a convert!

Usually, I use the oven for salmon, using my mother-in-law’s famous salmon cooking method. (Oh my god, I’ve never posted that before?!? I have to tell you about that sometime soon!)

Well, my new passion is pan-searing. I love how the top of the salmon gets crispy and the fish stays moist and tender.

I used a recipe from the America’s Test Kitchen “Fast & Fresh” 2007 recipe magazine. It’s called Seared Salmon with Balsamic Glaze. My husband is now obsessed with the sauce. It’s super-easy to make for a weeknight, and the hint fresh rosemary goes beautifully with the citrus-honey mix that crystallizes and makes a perfect sauce. I bet it would be great on other fish and with certain meats, as well.

Be sure to use a nonstick pan if you sear your salmon. I made a mistake the first time and accidentally used a regular pan. It was not pretty to clean up afterwards. When I created this dish again tonight, I made sure to use a nonstick pan and that made all the difference!

See, I used the wrong pan the first time…

Oops, I just now realized that I didn’t add the butter (or the extra salt and pepper) at the end tonight, and it was still very delicious and rich and flavorful. In fact, my butter-obsessed husband didn’t even notice it was missing. So, feel free to omit the butter if you like.

This recipe is a new classic in my repertoire and I think you’ll love it, too, for an easy and luxurious weeknight meal.

Seared Salmon With Balsamic Glaze
From America’s Test Kitchen/Cook’s Country
Serves 4

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup orange juice
2 T honey
1/8 t red pepper flakes
1 (5-inch) sprig of rosemary
2 t vegetable oil
4 skin-on salmon fillets (about 1 and 1/2 lbs)
salt and pepper
2 T unsalted butter

1. Whisk together the first 4 ingredients in a small bowl, then add rosemary. Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until smoking. Season salmon with salt and pepper and cook skin side up without moving, until well browned, 4 to 5 minutes. Flip fish skin side down and cook until all but very center of fish is opaque, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to platter and tent with foil.

2. Wipe out pan with paper towels and lower heat to medium. Carefully pour balsamic mixture into pan (it will splatter). Simmer until thick and syrupy, about 5 minutes. Remove rosemary sprig. Whisk in butter, season sauce with salt and pepper, and pour over salmon. Serve.

Enjoy!
~ Beth

I really love Ellie Krieger’s show on the Food Network and I wish she would come out with a cookbook already!

Her show, Healthy Appetitie with Ellie Krieger, showcases exactly how I like to eat - fresh, colorful, wholesome ingredients, whole grains, and an emphasis on health without compromising good taste.

I want/plan to make almost everything she demos on the show, but the main recipe that I’ve loved so far and have made several times is Fettuccine with Creamy Red Pepper-Feta Sauce.

You put all this yummy oniony, peppery goodness into the blender with feta and a bit of broth and that’s all there is to it!

It combines my love of roasted bell peppers with the lowfat creaminess of feta coating whole wheat noodles. I use the Trader Joe’s Whole Wheat fettuccine which gives the perfect nutty heartiness without the cardboard dryness that sometimes characterizes whole grain pastas.

You should try it for yourself!

~Beth

I like my drinks iced, even in the Winter, and I like them cold-steeped. With tea, the cold-steeping process produces less bitterness, especially from green teas.

Like the Toddy coffee situation, I love that I only have to make my favorite beverage every few days. And again, brewing in a reusable pitcher means I reduce my ridiculous “carbon footprint” because I’m not buying bottles of prebrewed tea from the store.

(I’m all for recycling and using less packaging, but I hate the term “carbon footprint.” Ironically, I seem to be the main person using that term lately.)

The cold-steeping process is totally passive. I bought this little cold-steeping pitcher at Infusions of Tea in La Jolla for about $15. And I get my tea in bags at Trader Joe’s.

I like experimenting with various combinations of flavors. I usually do half plain black tea and half flavored, such as Mango or Ginger Peach. Or, I do half plain green tea and half Pomegranate green tea. I put 12-14 tea bags total. I’m still experimenting with this number, but I’m certain there’s no exact process to it. It all tastes good to me!

You put the bags (or loose leaf tea, which is why I originally started brewing tea this way) in the little removable part of this pitcher. Then put the pitcher in your fridge overnight, or for only about 6 hours for green tea. Squirt some lemon in after you pour it over ice and you’re ready to refresh!

Any other cold-steepers out there?

~Beth

One of the first things I ever blogged about was how I’d never had a single cup of coffee in my life.

Well, I’m here today to apologize to the Universe, the Coffee Gods, and the humble java bean for my former ignorance. I was stupid. Very, very stupid.

And I have A LOT of time to make up for!

My sister Amy (also a recent convert to coffee) gave me my first hot cup of coffee homemade in her kitchen back in March. I’ve hardly skipped a day since, although I have gone through various incarnations in how I drink my coffee, how I sweeten it, what kinds of creamers I’ve used, and where I get my coffee fix.

It was nice of me to wear a shirt that matches my blog as I sipped my first cup of coffee at Amy’s house:

(What!?! You’ve never blingeed before? Hmmm…)

I think I’ve finally figured it all out now - thanks to our friend Kelsey (by the way, CONGRATULATIONS on your engagement, Kelsey and Amanda!) introducing me to the Toddy Cafe Cold Brew Coffee System.

This lovely device cold steeps your coarse grinds into a tasty coffee concentrate that has 1/3 of the acid of traditionally brewed coffee, as well as less caffeine (I’m not sure how much less) and no burnt taste. It’s pure coffee goodness and it’s changed my life!

I prefer my coffee iced year-round, so it’s perfect for me because you keep the “Toddy coffee” in your fridge and simply add ice, sweetener, creamer, and however much water you’d like to use to dilute to your personal taste.

You can also use Toddy coffee to make hot coffee and all you have to do is add hot water. No coffee is wasted because it keeps for 2 weeks in your fridge and each person in your household can add water to suit their own tastes.

The Toddy produces enough coffee to last me one week. So I only have to worry about brewing coffee and cleaning “a machine” every week or so. I hated cleaning my drip coffee maker every day. A waste of time, water, dish soap, energy, etc.

Watch the coffee drip and get ready to sip it up!

I use a pound of Trader Joe’s Organic Fair Trade Sumatra beans (pictured at the top of this post), fresh and coarsely ground at the store. After you set up the grounds and the water in the Toddy system, you let it steep for 12 hours on your counter, then remove the stopper and let it press and drain into the provided carafe. Pop the top on the carafe, put it in the fridge, and you’re set with the best coffee around!

The taste is addictive, clean, pure coffee yumminess. I add a little whole milk, sugar (or a squirt of agave nectar as I’ve taken to doing lately), ice, water, stir, and I’m done.

I also get to be a little High and Mighty because I’m “shrinking my carbon footprint” (UGH! Give me a break!) by using my own glasses at home and breaking the Starbucks cycle. Priceless!

But seriously, I highly recommend the Toddy to almost all coffee drinkers. Amanda told me that Bruegger’s Bagels uses Toddy coffee for their iced coffees, if you want to try out the taste before you get your own. My sister’s converted to the Toddy lifestyle, too, and I’m hoping that, with this blog post, Toddy coffee will start to take over the world!

~Beth

I feel like I hit the total recipe JACKPOT the other day because I made one of those dishes where, before I’d even had one bite, I could tell that it would be a beloved and oft-prepared recipe for the rest of my life. Simple, quick, healthy, protein, deep-flavored, versatile, and delicious. Love it!

Shrimp, Tomato, and Feta Cheese, Greek Style
from my cooking teacher Nadia
Serves 6-8

1/4 cup olive oil
1 small onion , finely chopped
at least 3-4 cloves of fresh minced garlic
1 28-ounce can of whole peeled tomatoes
salt and freshly ground pepper
2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined
pinch of dried oregano
2 tablespoons of chopped Italian parsley (I used cilantro)
8-12 ounces crumbled feta cheese

1. In a large skillet, heat olive oil, add onion and gently saute for about 2-3 minutes. Add a little water, if necessary to prevent discoloring. Place the whole tomatoes and juice in a food processor or blender and pulse to puree. Add tomato puree to the skillet, stir, cover pan, and simmer about 10 minutes.

2. Add oregano, shrimp, and parsley. Toss mixture and cook shrimp about 3-4 minutes. Try not to overcook! Add feta cheese and cook a few minutes longer, until shrimp are just cooked through.

Some of Nadia’s priceless tips:

• You can saute the shrimp separately first (before adding to the tomato mixture) with a little white wine or brandy. This was a part of a tagine cooking class, so I believe this tip about sauteeing them separately is specifically helpful if you’re using a tagine.
• I put just a little bit of the feta in on the stovetop. I add the rest upon serving so that it doesn’t melt completely in.
• Nadia recommends the frozen shrimp from Costco, if you’re curious.
• This is great served on top of couscous or polenta. I’ve done it both ways. I especially liked it over polenta made with a little butter added at the end, as well as some frozen corn stirred in and warmed through.