Sweet Chili Salmon Rice Bowl

I have this thing about bowls these days so I am trying all kinds of ideas and creating recipes. So today I share my Sweet Chili Salmon Rice Bowl and it is delicious, just make sure you find a Sweet Chili paste sauce or it might be way too hot.

Yield: 4

Ingredients
1 pound salmon filet, cut into chunk
1/2 shredded carrot
1/2 shelled edamame

2-3 sliced small sweet peppers
a pinch of salt and pepper
2-3 green onions, sliced into 1/2 to 1 inch pieces(red onion is good too)
1/4 cup sweet chili paste sauce, plus extra for topping if desired(be sure it says Sweet)
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro (we love lots of cilantro)
1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1–2 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
2 limes, sliced

Instructions

Cook rice in a rice cooker according to directions. Let cool while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

Skin and cut salmon into cubes. Place the salmon in a bowl and season with salt and pepper, then cover with the chili sauce and honey, tossing well to coat. You can toss with a little more chili sauce if desired.

Heat a large skillet or grill pan over medium-high heat and add the sesame oil. Add the edamame and shredded carrots and cook 2-3 minutes or until slightly tender. Add green onions and cook and additional 1-2 minutes (I like my carrots to have a little fresh crunch, but it can be cooked a few extra minutes if you would like them thoroughly cooked). Set veggies aside.

Heat a large skillet or grill pan over medium-high heat and add the coconut oil. Place the salmon in the skillet and cook until opaque and golden on all sides, about 1 to 2 minutes per side.

Assemble rice bowls by dividing the rice, veggies, and salmon among 4 bowls. Top with cilantro, sesame seeds, and lime wedges.

Remove the salmon and place it on a plate. Drizzle it with the toasted sesame oil and cover with the cilantro and sesame seeds. Finish with a spritz of lime. Serve with lime wedges and extra chili sauce.

Roasted Garlic

Years ago I had a cold and a friend of mine showed me how to roast garlic whole and eat the warm, toasty cloves right out of the head. Not only was this simple, but I learned it helps heal as well! And perfect for garlic lovers.

Roasting garlic changes the chemical makeup of the garlic so that it's easier to digest. You can eat a lot more garlic if it is completely cooked, with fewer side effects than you would get from eating raw garlic. (If you're into chemistry, you can read more about this process in the Wikipedia.)

Eat the caramelized roasted cloves directly out of the heads, or add them to pasta dishes, mash them up and spread them over toast, or mix them with sour cream for a dip.

If you are sensitive to raw garlic, you may find that you can much more easily eat roasted garlic

SERVING 1 

1 head roasted garlic per person

Ingredients

One or more whole heads of garlic

Extra virgin olive oil

Preheat your oven to 400°F (205° C)

A toaster oven works great for this.

Peel and discard the papery outer layers of the whole garlic bulb, leaving intact the skins of the individual cloves of garlic

Using a sharp knife, cut 1/4 to a 1/2 inch from the top of cloves, exposing the individual cloves of garlic.

Put garlic in baking pan or muffin tin

Place the garlic heads in a baking pan, cut side up. (A muffin pan works great for this, as it keeps the garlic bulbs from rolling around.)

Drizzle with olive oil

Drizzle a couple teaspoons of olive oil over each exposed head, using your fingers to rub the olive oil over all the cut, exposed garlic cloves.

Cover the bulb with aluminum foil

Bake

Bake at 400°F (205°C) for 30-40 minutes, or until the cloves are lightly browned and feel soft when pressed.

Cool and remove roasted garlic cloves from their skins

Allow the garlic to cool enough so you can touch it without burning yourself. Use a small small knife cut the skin slightly around each clove. Use a cocktail fork or your fingers to pull or squeeze the roasted garlic cloves out of their skins.

Eat as is (I love straight roasted garlic) or mash with a fork and use for cooking. Can be spread over warm French bread, mixed with sour cream for a topping for baked potatoes, or mixed in with Parmesan and pasta.

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Crock Pot Cheesy Sausage Nachos

The creamy cheesiness is just the best dip ever, makes the best nachos you will ever eat. Top with your favorite toppings too.

Ingredients

1/2 lb. Velveeta cheese cubed(try the white cheese)
4 oz. cream cheese
1/2 lb. pork sausage cooked and drained
1 10 oz. can Rotel tomatoes and green chiles(drained)

Instructions
Spray the insert of your crock pot or use a slow cooker liner.
Add all ingredients and cook on high for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, stirring well before serving.

Serve with tortilla chips.

Notes

Be sure to cook and drain the pork sausage before adding it to the rest of the ingredients.

Cut the half pound of Velveeta into large chunks before adding it to the crock pot.

Watch the heat of your crock pot, everyone is different.

Just give it a good stir and serve with your favorite tortilla chips. Top with diced tomatoes, onions. red are really good, sour cream, chives, green onions, black olives, refried beans, avocados. 

To make clean up easy, use a slow cooker liner. 

Shepherds Pie

This is comfort food, I crave it sometimes, it's good in winter, it's good in summer, anytime really. It is everything you need in one dish. You can change up the veggies too, could also use different meats, or try it with chicken. a good sausage is awesome in it. 

What You NEED:

FOR POTATOES
1 1/2 lb. potatoes, peeled
Sea salt
4 tbsp. melted butter
1/4 c. milk or cream
1/4 c. sour cream
Freshly ground black pepper

FOR BEEF MIXTURE
1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. fresh thyme
1 1/2 lb. ground beef
1 c. frozen peas
1 c. frozen corn
2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
2/3 c. low-sodium chicken broth
1 tbsp. freshly chopped parsley, for garnish 

How to make it:

Preheat oven to 400°. Make mashed potatoes: In a large pot, cover potatoes with water and add a generous pinch of salt. Bring to a boil and cook until totally soft, 16 to 18 minutes. Drain and return to pot.

Use a potato masher to mash potatoes until smooth. Add melted butter, milk or cream, and sour cream. Mash together until fully incorporated, but don't over mash, then season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Make beef mixture: In a large, ovenproof skillet over medium heat, heat oil. Add onion, carrots, garlic, and thyme and cook until fragrant and softened, 5 minutes. Add ground beef and cook until no longer pink, 5 minutes more. Drain fat.

Stir in frozen peas and corn and cook until warmed through, 3 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper.

Sprinkle meat with flour and stir to evenly distribute. Cook 1 minute more and add chicken broth. Bring to a simmer and let mixture thicken slightly, 5 minutes.

Top beef mixture with an even layer of mashed potatoes and bake until there is very little liquid visible and mashed potatoes are golden, about 20 minutes. Broil if desired.

Garnish with parsley before serving.