I love a perfect summer supper!

After a wonderful trip to Cedar Falls this weekend, I had some gorgeous broccoli to use for dinner! Tonight's menu: Salmon Piccata, Rosemary Garlic Couscous, and Roasted Broccoli.
I cooked it the way we love best...roasted with garlic, red pepper flakes, olive oil and a little salt. Roast at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes.

One of our favorite side dishes is couscous!

Tonight, I started by slowly infusing 1 TBS of olive oil with a few cloves of crushed garlic.

I added 1/2 TBS of fresh chopped Rosemary and 1 1/2 cups of homemade chicken stock. Bring to a boil, remove garlic cloves and add 1 cup of couscous. Stir, remove from heat, and cover.

After 5 minutes, fluff couscous with a fork.

Season two salmon fillets with salt and pepper. Seer in olive oil and transfer to a baking sheet. Throw in a 400 degree oven with the broccoli while you make the sauce.
For the sauce you need :
1 tsp Flour
3 TBS Lemon Juice
1/4 cup plus 2 TBS White Wine (You could sub chicken or seafood stock)
1/2 TBS of Capers (drained)
3 TBS of cold Butter
1 TBS fresh chopped Parsley

Add the flour to whatever olive oil remains in the pan from cooking the fish.

Add the lemon juice and wine over medium heat.

After the wine and lemon juice start to bubble, add capers and parsley. Remove from heat. Slowly melt in butter one Tablespoon at a time until the sauce is thick and creamy.
Serve by spooning the sauce over the fish and couscous. This is lemony and light with the perfect kiss of summer freshness!

Loving Spring Greens!

I love it when everything turns green. The flowers are starting to bloom, the trees are budding out, and the grass is ready for regular mowing. This time of year is also exciting in the grocery store. The vegetables all look better as they come into season. Today I'll be featuring four beautiful greens!

First, Roasted Brussels Sprouts! Begin by pre-heating your oven to 400 degrees. Wash your brussel sprouts and trim the ends off, also removing any yellow outer leaves.


Most of mine were a little too large to be "bite size", so I cut them in half.


Toss all halves onto a foil lined baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper.


Bake at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes, until the sprouts are caramelized. I think they were nutty and best with a little sprinkle of salt, right before eating! I served these with with my Stuffed Green Peppers.


Next, I made Sesame Green Beans to go with my pot stickers . I don't have a recipe I follow for these, but here's how I make mine!

First, wash your beans and trim the ends off.


Throw in a pot of boiling water for about 5 minutes, just until beans begin to soften.


Drain water and return beans to hot pan. Turn heat to Medium-High and sauté with 2 TBS soy sauce and 1/4 tsp of sesame oil. Serve topped with a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds.


Third- Broccoli!! This is the most popular green veggie at our house, and this is my husbands favorite way to eat it.


First trim the thick stalks from the broccoli and wash all florets. I like to keep the stems a little longer. I also trim the outside off the thick stalks, cube and throw into a ziploc in my freezer. My toddler loves this part of the broccoli and I like that I don't waste anything!


Place the broccoli on a foil lined cookie sheet. Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with kosher salt and red pepper flakes. I also use my micro-plane to grate 5-6 cloves of garlic over the whole pan. Toss well to coat and bake at 400 degrees, for about 15 minutes.


I love it even more when the tops get a little crispy!


And finally, after seeing so many people raving about it, I tried the Baked Zucchini Chips.

First, I sliced my zucchini into thin slices, about 1/4 inch thick.


Mix together 1/2 cup of bread crumbs, 2 TBS Parmesan cheese (I used fresh) and cracked black pepper. After reading lots of reviews, I also added some salt and a pinch of cayenne pepper.
In a second bowl, beat two egg whites.


After dipping each slice in the egg whites and the bread crumb mixture, I placed them on a Sil-pat lined baking sheet.


They baked for about 15 minutes in a 475 degree oven, turning once.


And I must say, the rave reviews were accurate! My husband doesn't usually like it when I make zucchini, but we both gobbled this up and Robyn stole several slices from my plate. We will be making again very soon!

So- I hope you find inspiration in the grocery store, like I did. Not only does the fresh, seasonal produce taste great, but the prices are good too!