SALMON BOWL WITH BROWN RICE AND MANGO

Posted in Air-Frying, Rice and Grains, Seafood by sallybr

This goes into our rotation for sure! The recipe for the salmon has been in my blog for a while and it is indeed something I cook often. But today I share one awesome way to enjoy it. Do not omit the mango pieces, and I actually strongly advise you to get frozen fruit. I am so tired of buying fresh mangoes just to be disappointed at the texture or taste. As long as you are careful about how you de-frost it, it will work perfectly (see the comments).

SALMON BOWL WITH BROWN RICE AND MANGO
(from The Bewitching Kitchen)

1 recipe for salmon bites (click here)
1 + 1/2 cups cooked brown rice
avocado slices
cucumber slices, salted and rinsed
fresh mango pieces
1/8 cup olive oil
juice of 1/2 lemon
salt and pepper to taste

Prepare a quick dressing with the olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Amounts are flexible. You want enough to coat the fruit and veggies.

Place the cooked brown rice, still warm, in the center of a serving bowl, using a small bowl to shape it. Add the fruit and veggies around, drizzling the dressing all over them, and arrange the salmon pieces together as shown in the picture.

Serve right away.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: To use frozen mango, remove the amount you need from the package and lay over a paper towel to defrost. Do it about 30 minutes before your meal. By the time you plate it, it will be close to room temperature, still a bit cold in the center, but the texture won’t suffer. This was a delicious meal, very easy to put together, I highly recommend you give it a try. If you don’t have an air-frier, you can grill the salmon or roast it in the oven.

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11Jan2026

FARRO AND BUTTERNUT SQUASH WITH CRANBERRY-CINNAMON DRESSING

Posted in Rice and Grains, Vegetarian-friendly by sallybr

I adapted this recipe from a salad version published a few years ago by Jessica, from howsweeteats. Absolutely delicious, it will be part of our rotation for sure from now on. I urge you to give it a try.

FARRO AND BUTTERNUT SQUASH WITH CRANBERRY-CINNAMON DRESSING
(slightly modified from Jessica’s howsweeteats)

for the grain and squash component:
2 cups cooked farro
3 cups cubed butternut squash, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 tablespoon olive oil
kosher salt and pepper
1 cup whole pecans
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 cup dried cranberries
feta cheese to taste, crumbled
chopped fresh parsley, to taste

for the dressing:
3 tablespoons cranberry juice
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
2 teaspoona Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/3 cup olive oil

Heat the oven to 425 degrees F. Place the squash on a baking sheet and drizzle with the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Roast for 20 minutes, or until slightly caramelized and fork tender. While the squash is roasting, cook the farro, or you can cook that hours in advance and warm up before assembling the dish.

Toast the pecans on a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Drizzle in the maple syrup. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring often, as the maple syrup sizzles. Spread the pecans on a sheet of parchment paper until ready to use.

Make the dressing: Whisk together the vinegar, juice, honey, mustard, cinnamon, salt and pepper. Whisk in the olive oil until emulsified. Reserve.

Place the farro in a large bowl. Toss in the roasted butternut squash cubes, the dried cranberries, feta cheese and pecans. Drizzle on a few tablespoons of the vinaigrette and mix it all well. Taste the farro and adjust seasoning, if needed. Drizzle in more of the vinaigrette, top with the fresh parsley.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: I fell in love with this recipe from the first bite and felt quite sad when I had the last one. Which, by the way, happened next day, when I polished what was left for my lunch, with a tasty fried egg on top.

Everything works, all flavors mingle together in harmony, the chew of the farro, the crunch of the pecans, the absolutely delicious dressing. Speaking of it, the dressing will be awesome on many types of salads also. This recipe is a total winner!

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24Jul2024

A TYPICAL DINNER AT THE BEWITCHING KITCHEN

Posted in Poultry, Rice and Grains, Salads, Veggies by sallybr

For the most part our food is super simple. We always opt for a main dish that involves meat (although about one day each week we go the vegetarian route), a starchy side, and veggies. We alternate cooking days, but both of us follow this approach for our meals. Today I share the exact dinner we had a couple of days ago, all preparations are simple and I’ve done them so often I don’t even need to look at the recipes.

STARTING WITH THE MAIN DISH

GRILLED CHICKEN THIGHS WITH YOGURT PAPRIKA MARINADE
(from The Bewitching Kitchen)

6 chicken thighs
1/2 cup yogurt (low-fat or full-fat)
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tsp salt
1 tablespoon agave nectar
squirt of lemon juice
drizzle of olive oil

Make the marinade by mixing all ingredients from yogurt to olive oil. Whisk well, add to the pieces of chicken, massaging them to coat well. Place in the fridge for at least a couple of hours.

When ready to grill, remove from the marinade, season lightly with additional salt (omit that if you ar not a “salt person”), and grill until done, on both sides.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: I make these all the time, actually. The paprika amount might seem excessive, but trust me, it is not. You can use part of it as smoked paprika, I just don’t like to use the full amount as the smoked version because I find it overpowering. They turned out very moist and tender. I tend to eye-ball everything, just making sure the pieces of chicken are well coated with the marinade until grilling time. If I remember, I go back and move them around a bit in the bag. Honey works in place of the agave nectar, and you can add garlic if you are a fan…

Moving on, the side dishes…

This is a total non-recipe. Slice juicy tomatoes, drizzle olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper to taste. You are done! We are addicted to this, it shows up at our table very very often…

For the broccoli recipe, which I made probably once every week, click here. SIX MINUTES. Perfect broccoli every time. The version I make all the time is even simpler than the one from the past. After the broccoli is cooked for the total of 6 minutes, I transfer to a bowl, drizzle lemon juice and olive oil, eye-balling it all. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. DONE.

For my quick version of Persian rice, click here. Another constant presence at our table, as Phil simply adores it. So there you go, a typical dinner “chez nous”, I hope you incorporate some of these dishes into your weekly rotation!

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28Nov2023

FARRO WITH CHICKPEAS AND SPINACH

Posted in Rice and Grains by sallybr

Lovers of farro, rejoice! This is a hearty side dish that might even be enough for a fully vegetarian meal and also perfect for entertaining. We enjoyed it with grilled pork tenderloin and it was a great midweek dinner.

FARRO WITH CHICKPEAS AND SPINACH
(from The Bewitching Kitchen)

1.5 cups farro
2 celery sticks, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 shallot, diced
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ teaspoon table salt
2 tsp za’atar
1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed
1/2 cup vegetable broth
1/2 cup water
4 cups baby spinach, coarsely chopped
lemon juice to taste

Cook the farro in a large volume of salted water until it starts to get soft, about 20 minutes. Drain, and reserve.

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan, add celery and shallots, cook until fragrant. Add a little salt, za’atar, sauté everything together for a couple of minutes, stirring often. Add the reserved cooked farro, chickpeas, vegetable broth and water, season with salt, bring to a gentle boil. Reduce the heat and cook until farro is tender, about 15 minutes. If there is too much liquid left, allow it to simmer for a few more minutes. Add the spinach, adjust seasoning with more salt if needed, and right before serving, add the lemon juice. Fluff with a fork and serve.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: Farro takes a bit of time to cook and also I find that each new bag might behave differently. Also make sure that for this preparation you don’t buy a quick cooking version, although if might work if you simply skip the pre-cooking step. Keep in mind I have not tried it with the quick cooking kind. I normally cook farro as I cook pasta, plenty of water, then test a few grains and stop cooking when ready. In this case, I make sure it is still al dente as it will cook with everything else for 15 more minutes. If you are interested in the pork tenderloin, it is almost a non-recipe. I eye-ball a marinade whisking olive oil, soy sauce (I actually used tamari in this one), lemon juice, honey, a touch of mustard. Cut the pieces, marinade whole day in the fridge. Grill the pieces about 12 minutes total, seasoning with a little salt right before grilling. I do it all the time, sometimes with butterflied tenderloin.

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26May2023

LOBSTER RISOTTO WITH MUSHROOMS AND TARRAGON

Posted in Rice and Grains, Seafood by sallybr

The husband brought home a humongous lobster tail the other day (pictured in the end of this post), he grilled it for our dinner but we still had a substantial amount of lobster meat leftover. Next day, I brought it back in risotto form, and used one of my favorite methods to make it: the pressure cooker (for a flash back, click here). Not traditional, not authentic, but trust me, works like a charm!

LOBSTER RISOTTO WITH MUSHROOMS AND TARRAGON
(from The Bewitching Kitchen)

8 ounces Cremini mushrooms, cleaned and cut in small pieces
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 large celery stick, diced
1 cup Arborio rice
salt and pepper to taste
fresh tarragon leaves, to taste
3 + 1/2 cups shrimp broth (made according to this recipe)
1/2 cup dry white wine
lobster meat, fully cooked, cut in pieces
lemon zest and juice to taste

Warm up the shrimp broth in a saucepan. If you don’t have enough shrimp stock, make the difference with water. In a pressure cooker, heat 4 tbs Olive oil and 1 Tbs Butter. Add the celery and mushrooms and saute until fragrant. Season lightly with salt and pepper.

Add the tarragon and rice, cook stirring until all grains are well coated with the oil/mushroom mixture (about 3 minutes). Pour all the warm stock and wine in the pan, close it, and bring to full pressure. Reduce the heat or use the specific instructions from your pan to keep the pressure constant for 7 minutes. Immediately take the pan to the sink, run some cold water over the lid to reduce the temperature, and when the pressure is down, open the pan. Add the lobster meat, lemon zest, a squirt of lemon juice, and simmer everything together, until the lobster is warmed through. Serve with fresh tarragon leaves, adjusting seasoning if needed.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: Can you wrap your mind around the size of that baby? Since it is just the two of us, no way we could finish it that evening. Ideally lobster stock would be more appropriate for the risotto, but I had discarded the shell and remembered I had some shrimp stock in the freezer, so I put it to use. I have made risotto using green tea as the liquid and I almost went that route with this version. Most risotto recipes will have you add more butter before serving, but we never do that. Your kitchen, your rules, do it if you like. I debated whether to put the lobster meat in the beginning, but felt that since it was already fully cooked, the 7 minutes of intense heat could be too much. I just cut it in small pieces and simmered for 5 minutes. It turned out delicious. The tarragon flavor was quite strong, I used maybe one full sprig in the broth, and a few fresh leaves to serve. This was a delicious dinner, and super fast to bring to the table.

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