Grilled Salmon and Grapefruit Salad

The sweet-sour 1-2 punch. In a bowl. // Instagram @kguymon

Ho-lee cow. Or, fish.

I made this salad on a whim, thinking it would be a sufficiently healthy Monday night meal. You know, one to counteract the Thai take-out we binged on over the weekend. I did not expect to keel over after I licked my bowl clean, but I had serious weak-in-the-knees stumbles thanks to the awesome sweet-sour combo of the onions and grapefruit in the salad, of the honey and mustard in the vinaigrette.

And with fewer than 500 calories per serving, it's like I went to the gym. You can't beat that with a stick.




Grilled Salmon and Grapefruit Salad [adapted from Cooking Light] [serves 4]

For the salad:
-2 6 oz. skinless salmon fillets (1 to 1 1/4 inches thick)
-1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt
-1/4 teaspoon of fresh ground pepper
-1 large Vidalia or other sweet onion, cut into 1/2-thick slices
-olive oil
-cooking spray
-8 cups of mixed baby salad greens
-1 24 oz. jar red grapefruit sections, drained

For the vinaigrette:
-1/2 cup of fresh orange juice
-1 tablespoon of minced shallots
-2 tablespoons of honey
-1 tablespoon of olive oil
-1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard
-1/8 teaspoon of kosher salt
-1/8 of fresh ground pepper

1. Heat a grill pan over medium to medium-high heat. Coat with cooking spray.

2. Drizzle fillets and onion slices with olive oil, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. 

3. Place fillets and onion slices on the grill pan for 4-5 minutes per side, until the fish flakes easily and the onions are tender. Take off the grill. Break fish into chunks; cut onion into bite-sized chunks.

4. Place 2 cups salad greens in bowls; arrange grapefruit sections, onion, and fish evenly over greens.

5. To make the vinaigrette, combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl, whisking well. Drizzle vinaigrette evenly over the salads.

Thai Quinoa Salad

This quinoa salad is the truth. // Instagram @kguymon

I eat a decent amount of quinoa, but that doesn't mean that I necessarily love it. Like, I don't wanna take quinoa back behind a middle school and get it pregnant. (Thank you, Tracy Jordan.) I just kind of endure it because I know it's healthy, and unfortunately, I can't sit around eating pasta salad all day. Carbs are perhaps my worst enemy.

There are approximately 42,000 cold quinoa salad recipes on Pinterest, and I've tried approximately 41, 567 of them. But, very few stand out as better tasting than, say, my flip flops. However, this particular Thai quinoa salad is something altogether different.

It's scrumptious. Yup, I just used that word. What of it?




Thai Quinoa Salad [adapted from Ambitious Kitchen]

-¾ cup uncooked quinoa
-1/2 head of red cabbage, diced
-1 red bell pepper, diced
-½ red onion, diced
-1 cup shredded carrots
-½ cup honey roasted cashews
-½ cup chopped cilantro
-¼ cup diced green onions
-¼ cup peanut butter
-2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
-3 tablespoons of soy sauce
-1 tablespoon of honey
-1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar
-1 teaspoon of sesame oil
-1 teaspoon of olive oil
-3-4 tablespoons of water

1. Rinse the quinoa with cold water in a mesh strainer. In a medium saucepan, bring 1 1/2 cups of water to a boil. Add the quinoa and bring the mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and let simmer for fifteen minutes. Remove from the heat and fluff the quinoa with a fork. Let cool until room temperature.

2. To make the dressing, mix the peanut butter and honey in a small bowl and heat in the microwave for twenty seconds. Add in the ginger, soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, and olive oil. Whisk until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Thin with water and whisk again.

3. Stir in the red pepper, red onion, cabbage, carrots, cashews, and cilantro into the quinoa. Add the dressing and mix thoroughly.

4. Garnish with green onions.

Israeli Couscous Tabbouleh

Photo by Katie Guymon

Is it weird to tell you that I find Israeli couscous to be the cutest food item around? I mean, they are such teensy little plumpers. (Plumpers? I dunno. I made that up.) Avery calls them "bubbles." She's got the right idea.

After becoming transfixed with the photograph of this beautiful salad in my most recent issue of Bon Appétit, I decided to make it for myself. I served it alongside steaks with chimichurri sauce. 

And even though it's semi-difficult to eat this couscous tabblouleh because it's so freaking adorable, you'll get over it really fast. I did.

Note: if you want to do a more traditional tabbouleh, here's a great recipe that uses bulgar wheat and grilled sweet peppers.

Israeli Couscous Tabbouleh [adapted from Bon Appétit]   
-1 1/2 cups of Israeli couscous 
-1 small shallot, finely chopped 
-1/2 cup of extra-virgin olive oil 
-fresh juice of two lemons
-1 English hothouse cucumber, unpeeled, seeded, finely chopped 
-3 cups cherry tomatoes, yellow and red, halved 
-2 tablespoons of chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley 
-2 tablespoons of chopped fresh mint 
-kosher salt, freshly ground pepper

1. Cook couscous according to package directions; drain. Rinse with cold water to keep the couscous from sticking together and drain well.

2. Whisk shallot, oil, and 2 tablespoons lemon juice in a large bowl. Add couscous, cucumber, tomatoes, parsley, and mint; season with salt, pepper, and the rest of the lemon juice and toss to combine.

Note: if you'd like to make this a day ahead, don't add the herbs until you're ready to serve. 

Mediterranean Steak Salad

My friend Britt gave me this recipe via e-mail almost two years ago. And today, I realized that this recipe sat in my cluttered inbox for far too long. The Mediterranean Steak Salad made its debut tonight. It's easy and healthy and combines many of my favorite things: briny artichokes, salty feta, juicy steak... Sigh. It's the next best thing to Santorini, right? Right?

Mediterranean Steak Salad

Marinade and Steak:
-2/3 cup balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing

-4 garlic cloves, pressed

-1 1/2 tsp. dried oregano

-1/8 tsp. salt

-1 lb. beef flank steak

Salad:

-1 14-oz can artichoke hearts, drained and quartered

-2 tomatoes, cut into wedges

-1 cup cucumber slices

-1/2 small red onion, sliced into thin wedges

-1 1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives

-1 bag (8 cups) hearts of romaine lettuce

-4 oz. crumbled feta cheese

-7-8 pepperoncini 

1. Combine marinade ingredients and whisk. Pour over steak in a resealable storage bag. Marinate in refrigerator 6-8 hours or overnight.

2. Remove steak from marinade. Grill over medium coals or on a grill pan on the oven until steak is medium rare. Remove steak from grill and carve diagonally across the grain into thin slices.

3. Arrange lettuce on large serving platter. Top with steak, artichokes, tomatoes, cucumber, onion, olives, and pepperoncini. Top with feta cheese and drizzle with dressing.

Matt's Birthday Dinner

Last Saturday, I hosted what will probably be my last dinner party for quite awhile (I hear new babies require a lot of attention) in honor of Matt's birthday. The birthday boy requested scallops and risotto. Holy heavy! Holy delicious! Needless to say, I kept the rest of the of the menu light.

Enjoy all of the recipes from the night.

Roasted Tomato Bruschetta [adapted from Rachael Ray]
-2 pints grape tomatoes
-1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
-salt and freshly ground black pepper
-1 loaf French bread
-4 scallions, finely chopped
-1/2 cup basil leaves, thinly sliced

1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees F. 

2. Coat the tomatoes in olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast 20 minutes to concentrate the flavor and burst the tomatoes.

3. Cut the French baguette into 1/2 slices and broil until lightly toasted.

4. In a bowl, lightly mash the roasted tomatoes and combine with scallions and basil. Top the French bread slices with the mixture and serve.

Seed Salad
This is one of my family's favorite salads of all time! My mom has been making it for years and years. It doesn't keep very well in the fridge (the word "soggy" comes to mind), so make sure there are no leftovers.

-1 1/2 heads of iceberg lettuce
-1/2 cup sliced or slivered almonds
-1/4 cup chopped white onion
-2 tablespoons sesame seeds
-2 tablespoons poppy seeds
-4 tablespoons sugar
-4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
-1 teaspoon salt
-1/2 teaspoon pepper
-1 teaspoon Accent
-1/8 cup olive oil

1. Cut up lettuce in large bowl. Add almonds, sesame seeds, poppy seeds, and onion.

2. Mix together remaining ingredients, adding the olive oil last. Shake or blend well.

3. Pour the dressing over the salad no more than one hour before serving. Toss well.

Roasted Asparagus
-2 bunches of asparagus
-olive oil
-kosher salt
-fresh cracked pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. 

2. Cut off the tough ends of the asparagus. Place the asparagus on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, then toss to coat the asparagus completely. Spread the asparagus in a single layer and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper.

3. Roast the asparagus for 20-25 minutes, until tender but still crisp.

Goat Cheese, Pancetta, and Mushroom Risotto
I posted this recipe as one of my favorites of 2011 after only making it one time. Two times in, I continue to stand firm in my endorsement of this risotto. Wow, wow, wow.

-5 cups low sodium chicken broth
-10 ounces cremini mushrooms
-3 tablespoons butter
-1 medium onion, diced
- 1/2 cup pancetta, diced (4 ounces)
-1.5 cups Arborio rice
-1/2 cup dry white wine
-1/2 cup grated fresh parmesan cheese
-3/4 cup goat cheese (3-4 ounces)
-1/4 cup fresh chives, chopped
-1/2 teaspoon. kosher salt
-1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

1. In a medium saucepan, bring the stock to a boil over medium-high heat and keep warm over low heat.

2. In a large, heavy saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium-high heat. Add the onion, mushrooms and pancetta and cook until the onions are tender but not brown, about 3 minutes.

3. Add the rice and stir to coat with the butter. Add the wine and simmer until the wine has almost evaporated, about 3 minutes.

4. Add ½ cup of warm stock and stir until almost completely absorbed, about 2 minutes.

5. Continue with remaining stock, adding ½ cup at a time, and allowing each addition to be absorbed, until the rice is tender to the bite and the mixture is creamy, about 20 to 25 minutes.

6. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the parmesan, goat cheese, chives, salt and pepper. Allow to sit for a few minutes before serving.

Seared Sea Scallops [recipe courtesy of Alton Brown]
-1 to 1 1/4 pounds dry sea scallops, approximately 16
-2 teaspoons unsalted butter
-2 teaspoons olive oil
-kosher salt
-freshly ground black pepper

1. Remove the small side muscle from the scallops, rinse with cold water and thoroughly pat dry.

2. Add the butter and oil to a 12 to 14-inch saute pan on high heat. Salt and pepper the scallops. Once the fat begins to smoke, gently add the scallops, making sure they are not touching each other.

3. Sear the scallops for 1 1/2 minutes on each side. The scallops should have a 1/4-inch golden crust on each side while still being translucent in the center. Serve immediately.

Autumn Chopped Salad

Photo by Katie Guymon

Who cares about the calendar? In my eyes, fall is in full swing. And that means that the crispy air that Mother Nature has so generously brought to Saint Louis has given me full permission to put out Halloween decorations (What of it? Don't judge. It's my favorite holiday.) and begin busting out my favorite fall recipes. Yes, I've got freshly made pumpkin bread on the kitchen counter and pulled pork slow cooking in my crock pot as I type, but it's really this autumn chopped salad that I'm pretty excited about.

Why? Well, it's virtually no-cook (minus fryin' up some bacon), and it combines a multitude of my favorite foods (including bacon).

I got the recipe from my not-so-new obsession, Pinterest. And, it's going on the kitchen table the coffee table tonight just in time for hours of mindless Emmy watching.

Autumn Chopped Salad [via Espresso and Cream]
-6 to 8 cups chopped romaine lettuce
-2 medium pears, chopped
-1 cup dried cranberries
-1 cup chopped pecans
-8 slices thick-cut bacon, crisp-cooked and crumbled
-4 to 6 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
-Poppy seed salad dressing
-Balsamic vinaigrette

1. In a large bowl, combine the lettuce, pears, cranberries, pecans, bacon and feta cheese.

2. Drizzle generously with poppy seed dressing, followed by some of the balsamic vinaigrette. Toss well.

Greek Salad

Yesterday, my friends and I celebrated the dawning of Loufest II with a little pre-music festival lunch. Of course, I picked a Barefoot Contessa recipe to bring to the par-tay because, really, Ina's never done me wrong. It was the first time I've really used the kitchen in our new house, and it was the first time that I've put my camera together in a long, long while. It felt good to make something yummy and then creepily take 15 million pictures of the finished product. I'm back, baby!

I think this lettuce-free Greek salad is a fantastic late summer recipe. All the veggies are ripe and tasty, and it's about the most colorful salad I've ever seen. (Please notice that the color black is missing from the above picture in the form of black olives. I forgot to buy them at the grocery store.) I think next time around, I'll have to add some pepperoncini. It would only be right.

Greek Salad
Salad:
-1 hothouse cucumber, unpeeled, seeded, and sliced 1/4-inch thick
-1 red bell pepper, large-diced
-1 yellow bell pepper, large-diced
-1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
-1/2 red onion, sliced in half-rounds
-1/2 pound feta cheese, 1/2-inch diced (not crumbled)
-1/2 cup calamata olives, pitted

Vinaigrette:
-2 cloves garlic, minced
-1 teaspoon dried oregano
-1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
-1/4 cup good red wine vinegar
-1 teaspoon kosher salt
-1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
-1/2 cup good olive oil

1. Place the cucumber, peppers, tomatoes and red onion in a large bowl.

2. For the vinaigrette, whisk together the garlic, oregano, mustard, vinegar, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Still whisking, slowly add the olive oil to make an emulsion. Pour the vinaigrette over the vegetables. Add the feta and olives and toss lightly.

3. Set aside for 30 minutes to allow the flavors to blend. Serve at room temperature.