Pike Place for the win!

I love living in Washington, & what makes me love it even more with each passing day is the access to the fresh seafood and produce. It’s officially Springtime now & the farmers markets are starting to pop up in every neighborhood! :)

Monday was amazing. The sun was out to play, I did work on a surprise lab exam, and was released from class 3 hours early! It was THE perfect day. With all that extra time in the sun, I went down to wander Pike and to pick up the makings for dinner. I love Pike Place Market. The goodies and treasures are ENDLESS! It's always so alive down there. I could seriously wander that place for hours and hours on end. 

Now onto the yummy recipe I have for y'all! Citrus grilled salmon with a side of buttery garlic spaghetti! 

Ingredients for Grilled Salmon

-1 large fillet of salmon (cut into 4 single serving size fillets)

-1 lemon ( ½ sliced, ½ squeezed)

-2 oranges (1 sliced, 1 squeezed)

-4 T olive oil

-4 T butter, divided

-1 T garlic, pressed

-1 tsp garlic salt
-1 T dijon mustard

-1 tsp garlic powder

-2 tsp dried parsley

-salt & pepper

-Instructions

-make a make-shift “pan” out of tin foil so that it can be placed on the grill

-lay down orange slices

-lightly salt and pepper both sides of each fillet & place ontop of orange & lemon slices

-in a small bowl combine orange juice, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, dried parsley, garlic salt, dijon mustard & garlic powder

-pour mixture all over salmon

-top each fillet with a tablespoon of butter & a lemon slice

-grill for about 10-15 minutes (salmon should be pink & flaky)

Ingredients for Garlic Spaghetti

-½ box thin spaghetti, cooked

-½ cup grated Parmesan
 cheese

-5 tsp olive oil


-3 clove garlic, pressed

-1/2 lemon

-4 T butter, melted

Instructions

-Pour in olive oil and chopped up garlic into a small frying pan and let it cook over low, until the garlic starts to brown on edges. Immediately remove from heat and reserve.

-In a large bowl, toss cooked spaghetti, olive oil, butter, Parmesan cheese, and the garlic oil you had on reserve.

-squeeze lemon on top & serve with salmon.

Enjoy! 

-N.

My Go-To-Win'Em-Over

When I want to wow someone into think I’m a great cook, I always turn to this recipe. It’s tricked boys into thinking I've inherited all of my mother's culinary skills ; ) You really can’t go wrong with this pizza nor is it possible to mess up. It’s fresh, super packed with flavor & it takes less than 15 minutes to throw together. The secret to this recipe is in the freshness of the ingredients. I use fresh organic basil & the juiciest plumpest Roma tomatoes I can find. For the cheese, I’ve found that the Galbani Mozzarella Fresca Bocconcini works the best for this pizza. The mini mozzarella balls are kept in a water-like base so the cheese is incredibly soft and moist. For the sauce, I use pesto rather than marinara (recipe included below).  The crust is a delicious garlicky naan bread I found at the local bakery. The fresh basil and Roma tomatoes really tie in with the pesto...which in turns makes me feel like my life is as put together as this pizza! :)

Basil Pesto

Ingredients:

-3 C fresh organic basil leaves

-1/2 C freshly grated Parmesan-Reggiano or Romano cheese

-1/4 C pine nuts

-3 cloves garlic (peeled)

-1/4 tsp. coarse (flaked salt)

-1/2 C extra-virgin olive oil

Instructions:

Wash the basil, discard the stems and dry. Combine the basil in with the pine nuts, pulse a few times in a food processor. Add the garlic & pulse a few more times. Slowly add the olive oil in a constant stream while the food processor is on. Stop to scrape down the sides of the food processor with a rubber spatula. Add the grated cheese and pulse again until blended. Add a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Store in a cute mini mason jar.

Pesto Pizza

Ingredients:

-Naan bread(pita, pizza crust, or any kind of flatbread works)

-1/2 C Fresh basil (chopped)

-2 Roma tomatoes (sliced or diced)

-3 Tbsp prepared pesto

-1/2 C  Galbani Mozzarella Fresca Bocconcini (mini mozzarella balls) (sliced)

-Shaved parmesan cheese

-Extra virgin olive oil

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375° degrees. Placed the naan on a pizza stone. Spread pesto over naan evenly. Top naan with chopped basil, sliced tomatoes, and sliced Bocconcini. Lightly sprinkle on some shaved parmesan cheese & drizzle with olive oil. Bake at 375° degrees for about 15 minutes (or until the crust starts to brown lightly). Pizza roller the heck out of it & enjoy! 


*Try to not burn your tongue as I'm sure you'll want to dig right in! 

xoxo!

-N