Baked Haddock

I know I haven't been posting that much lately, but there is a reason for that. First we were on vacation in California visiting my lovely sister in law and her wonderful boyfriend where I had the must delicious pesto, feta and sun dried tomato dip! And  I have been preparing for our much needed Kitchen Renovation which is starting this weekend!! Ahhh! I will keep you posted on the progress and post before and after pictures! I can't wait to have more counter and cabinet space!

Anywho, back to the cooking...this past Sunday Haddock was on sale at the grocery store so I decided I was going to make my own version of fish and chips. I bake the fish at a high temperature instead of frying and I serve it with a baked potatoes. All the deliciousness of a the classic pub style fish and chips with half the fat and calories.

1 lb of Haddock
1/2 cup of Milk mix with 1/2 Teaspoon of Salt
3/4 cup of seasoned breadcrumbs (eyeball it) mix with 1/2 cup of Parmesan (eyeball it)


Preheat oven to 500 degrees ( I know its high but it will give your fish that crispiness that is desired). As the oven is preheating deep the fillets in the milk and salt mixture then  in the Parmesan/breadcrumb mixture to coat the fillets. Put the fillets in a baking dish that is sprayed with cooking spray to prevent sticking. Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes, so the fish is flaky. Serve with a baked potato and lemon wedge. Yummo withouth becoming a Fatto! HA,HA!

Grilled Asian Salmon

Asian flavor has caught my cooking tastebuds lately and I think it's because it's light and healthy and a great way to add flavor to meats without adding on the pounds. It was unusually hot in Boston today which was unfortunate for the marathoners, but very pleasurable for this summer loving gal so naturally hot weather to me means grilling time.  Oh our poor grill, it is in desperate need of replacement, it's actually really sad looking as it has had no shield from the winter storms that New England had endured over the years and it is practically rusted through.So naturally for safety reasons, I asked my husband to inspect it before we fired it up and after I saw the concern on his face and heard his voice shake when he said he thought it was fine,  I followed up with asking him to turn it on  and slowly crept back into the house.  Luckily for him and our bellies the good ol'grill  started up like it hadn't skipped a meal and I was ready to go. I guess we will get one more year out of that bad boy!  The salmon turned out great, although I wish I would have kept the skin on one side to cook directly on the grill.  I say this because whenever I ask for Salmon I usually ask for the fish monger to cut off the skin as it grosses me out ever so slightly. So instead I had to cook it wrapping each piece in aluminum foil instead of risking it breaking and flaking over the grill. Needless to say it still was tasty and I am happy to share this YUMMO recipe with my followers.
Asian Salmon

1 pound of Salmon fillets
2 Tablespoons Dijon Mustard
3 Tablespoons of low sodium Soy Sauce
6 Tablespoons of EVOO
1/2 Teaspoon of minced garlic
1/4 Teaspoon of black pepper
Juice of half of a lemon

Whisk together mustard, soy sauce, EVOO, lemon juice, garlic and black pepper in bowl. Cover the Salmon with marinade and let marinate for 10 minutes (if left skin on place salmon skin side up).   Heat grill to medium heat and cook Salmon until flaky about 20 minutes or so.  I served with grilled asparagus, avocado and whole wheat bread. A great meal to end a hot summer like day.

**Tip to check if Salmon is done see if it flakes when you put a fork to it.
**Tip if cooking directly on grill brush grill with Olive Oil so the fish does not stick!
** When using aluminum foil on the grill make sure its "Heavy Duty"

To show how hot it was Deez had
 his perma grin panting all day!
He does NOT do well with this heat!

Chinese Chicken for Travelkat

Yesterday evening I had one of my friends and fellow blogger, Travelkat (you can view and get inspired by her travel adventures at http://travelkat1.blogspot.com/) come over for some baked Chinese chicken, brown rice, salad, good bread (obvs!) and some delicious vino that Travelkat so generously brought over. For dessert I kept it light (since its T minus 2 month before bikini season and I have still yet to shed a pound...blah) and sliced up some fresh strawberries and pineapple, which I must say was the perfect amount of sweetness to end with. The Chicken was the star of the meal, its sweet and sour sauce and moist meat meat made this dish mouth watering and a winner in my book. Here's how to whip up this easy marinade.

Ingredients
1/2 cup Soy Sauce
1/2 cup White Sugar
1/4 Rice Vinegar
1 Tablespoon Cornstarch
1 Tablespoon cold water
1 1/2 Teaspoon of Fresh Ginger
1 clove of crushed garlic
1/4 Teaspoon of salt
4 Chicken Breast

Whisk all ingredients (minus chicken) together, put chicken in 9 inch baking dish and pour marinade over chicken and let chill for at least 1 hour (the longer the better)  in the refrigerator.  When its time to bake the chicken preheat the over to 325 and cook for 40 minutes with turning over half way through.

When serving pour some additional sauce on the chicken and use the sauce over some mixed greens to tie all the flavors together! This recipe for the marinade is a keeper and I can't wait to use it during grilling season with  other meats such as salmon or shrimp!