Salmon, Asparagus, and Orzo Salad with Lemon-Dill Vinagrette

Ky's pick of the day!!!

This savory salad epitomizes the concept of fresh food fast. It's quick and easy and loaded with flavorful ingredients such as crisp-tender asparagus, perfectly cooked pink salmon, red onion, and a refreshing lemon juice–based vinaigrette. It received our highest Test Kitchens rating.

Prep: 3 minutes; Cook: 18 minutes

Prep Time: 9 minutes
Cook Time: 18 minutes
Yield: 6 servings (serving size: about 1 1/4 cups)

Ingredients

• 6 cups water
• 1 pound asparagus, trimmed and cut into 3-inch pieces
• 1 cup uncooked orzo (rice-shaped pasta)
• 1 (1 1/4-pound) skinless salmon fillet
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Cooking spray
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
• Lemon-Dill Vinaigrette

Preparation

1. Preheat broiler.

2. Bring 6 cups water to a boil in a large saucepan. Add asparagus; cook 3 minutes or until crisp-tender. Remove asparagus from water with tongs or a slotted spoon, reserving water in pan. Plunge asparagus into ice water; drain and set aside.

3. Return reserved water to a boil. Add orzo, and cook according to package directions, omitting salt and fat.

4. While orzo cooks, sprinkle fillet evenly with salt and pepper. Place fish on a foil-lined broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Broil 5 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork or until desired degree of doneness. Using 2 forks, break fish into large chunks. Combine fish, orzo, asparagus, onion, and Lemon-Dill Vinaigrette in a large bowl; toss gently to coat.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

310 (32% from fat)

Fat:

11g (sat 3.2g,mono 4.7g,poly 2g)

Protein:

26g

Carbohydrate:

24.6g

Fiber:

2.2g

Cholesterol:

56mg

Iron:

1.4mg

Sodium:

333mg

Calcium:

67mg

Thanks to My Recipes for the recipe and picture!!!!

Lemon Verbena Iced Tea

Trina's pick of the day is this incredible thirst quenching iced tea. It makes me want to drink my screen haha.

Lemon verbena infuses the lightly sweetened iced tea with sunny citrus flavor. You can also use the fragrant syrup to enliven cocktails or moisten pound cake. Blanching the herb leaves brightens their color so the syrup will stay green. Avoid using a strongly flavored tea, such as Earl Grey, as it will overpower the taste of the syrup.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 cup lemon verbena leaves
• 4 cups ice
• 6 cups brewed tea, chilled
• Mint leaves (optional)
• Lemon wedges (optional)

Preparation

Combine sugar and water in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute or until sugar dissolves. Cool sugar syrup completely.

Cook lemon verbena leaves in boiling water 1 minute. Drain and plunge into ice water; drain.

Combine sugar syrup and verbena leaves in a blender; process until smooth. Cover and chill overnight. Strain sugar syrup through a fine sieve into a bowl. Place 2/3 cup ice into each of 6 tall glasses; add 1 cup brewed tea and 2 tablespoons sugar syrup to each serving, stirring to combine. Garnish with mint leaves and lemon wedges, if desired.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

67 (0.0% from fat)

Fat:

0.0g (sat 0.0g,mono 0.0g,poly 0.0g)

Protein:

0.0g

Carbohydrate:

17.4g

Fiber:

0.0g

Cholesterol:

0.0mg

Iron:

0.0mg

Sodium:

7mg

Calcium:

0.0mg

Thanks to Cookinglight.com for the recipe and the picture!!!

Mango Rice Salad with Grilled Shrimp

Trina's Pick of the Day!

This recipe personally makes me want to eat my computer monitor! It looks soo good lol. Enjoy making this one!!!

This dish teams sweet mangoes with curry-marinated shrimp and crunchy vegetables. Customize the recipe to suit your preferences--try chicken in place of shrimp, or omit the shrimp and serve the salad cold or at room temperature as a side dish. For added flavor, use basmati or jasmine rice.

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 2 skewers and about 1 cup salad)

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic
• 1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
• 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
• 4 teaspoons curry powder
• 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 1/2 pounds medium shrimp, peeled and deveined (about 36 shrimp)
• 2 cups water
• 2/3 cup light coconut milk
• 1 1/4 cups uncooked long-grain rice
• 3/4 cup shredded carrot
• 2 cups diced peeled mango (about 2 mangoes)
• 1 1/2 cups diced red bell pepper
• 1/2 cup sliced green onions
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Cooking spray
• Cilantro sprigs (optional)

Preparation

Combine first 6 ingredients in a medium bowl. Add shrimp; toss to coat. Cover and chill 1 hour.

Bring water and coconut milk to a boil in a medium saucepan; add rice. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed. Add carrot and next 7 ingredients (through salt); toss gently to combine.

Prepare grill or grill pan to medium-high heat.

Thread 3 shrimp onto each of 12 (6-inch) skewers. Place skewers on grill rack or grill pan coated with cooking spray; grill 3 minutes on each side or until shrimp are done. Serve skewers over salad. Garnish with cilantro sprigs, if desired.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

342 (11% from fat)

Fat:

4.1g (sat 1.8g,mono 0.5g,poly 1g)

Protein:

27.4g

Carbohydrate:

48.9g

Fiber:

2.9g

Cholesterol:

172mg

Iron:

5.3mg

Sodium:

478mg

Calcium:

95mg

Credit goes to Cooking Light for the recipe and picture!!

Tuna Spiedini (AKA Tuna Kabobs)

We haven't added much fish recipes lately. So I decided to add this one. Very good for summer cookouts!! And also very healthy!!!

Prep Time:

30 min

Inactive Prep Time:

30 min

Cook Time:

12 min

Level:

Easy

Serves:

12 skewers, 6 servings

Ingredients

Marinade:

• 3/4 cups extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1 lemon, zested
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves
• 1 clove garlic, minced

Skewers:

• 1 pound tuna, cut into 1-inch cubes, about 24 pieces
• 12 green onions, trimmed
• 2 fennel bulbs
• 2 lemons
• 1 large red onion
• 12 cherry tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 12 bamboo skewers, soaked in water for 30 minutes

Directions

For the marinade: Mix together all the marinade ingredients in a medium bowl.

For the skewers: Toss the cubed tuna in the marinade and let sit in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the green onions and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, about 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer the green onions to a medium bowl of ice water. When the green onions are cool, pat dry with paper towels. Trim the stalks and the root end off the fennel. Halve the fennel lengthwise then cut each half into 3 pieces. Cut each lemon into 6 pieces. Cut the red onion in half from stem to root end. Cut each half in half again lengthwise and cut each quarter into thirds. There should be 12 pieces of each vegetable.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Remove the tuna and toss the vegetables in the marinade. Thread each skewer starting with a tomato. Then begin to thread the green onion starting with the tip of the white end. Add a piece of tuna. Keeping the ingredients near to the top of the skewer, ribbon the green onion around a piece of tuna and back through the skewer. Next add the red onion, and ribbon the green onion around again and onto the skewer. Next add another piece of tuna, and ribbon the green onion around again and onto the skewer. Next add a piece of fennel, and ribbon the green onion around for the final time. Top with a piece of lemon. Center the ingredients on the skewer.

Place on a baking sheet. Sprinkle both sides with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Serve warm.

Credit goes to Food Network for the recipe and picture!!