Dill, No Pickle Intended

Eating healthier does not have to taste bad, like you're chewing on cardboard or your food is not filling, flavor is the key. Using herbs, flavored vinegar, different kinds of mustard and sauces, will bring a dish to gourmet level.  I tried something new with salmon fillets I made for dinner, Dill Mustard Cream Sauce.  I usually grill salmon just plain, use a teriyaki sauce, or make a lemon pepper butter sauce.  I stepped out of the box on this one, I'm happy to say it was delicious and the hubby couldn't stop talking about it.  It was light fare, but was satisfying, I didn't want dessert afterwards, and I ALWAYS want dessert afterwards.

Recipe below.

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To make my Dill Mustard Cream Sauce, I started with a few ingredients.

 Cooked my salmon in a little olive oil and VOILA!  Perfect Salmon Fillets With Dill Mustard Cream Sauce.

 I served my salmon with whole grain Dijon mustard roasted potatoes and roasted green beans.

 So, so good!

Dill Mustard Cream Sauce

Ingredients

1 cup Light Sour Cream, I used Daisy I think it's the best

3 tablespoons Grey Poupon Dijon Mustard

1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a medium size bowl, whisk to combine. Serve over salmon, or any fish, it's great on vegetables too.  Makes about 1 1/4 cups of sauce.

We're Goin' Surfin'

Haven't had scallops in a very long time, the price of them has been up, so I don't buy!  While shopping I found some at a reasonable price, and surprised the hubby when he came home from work to a nice seafood dinner.  After all, he does work hard and pay the bills.

Rather than putting them in a pasta dish, I made the scallops with shrimp in a white wine butter, garlic and dill sauce.  YUM-O!  He loved them, but then again he loves everything I make, I'm a lucky girl I guess, or he just says that so he doesn't have to make reservations! Whatever....

Recipe below.

To print recipe click on it, highlight and print.

To view photos in a larger format, click on them.

Rinse the scallops and pat them dry on paper towels.

 Season with salt and pepper.  Over medium high heat add 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter to a skillet until it melts.

 Add the scallops cook for a 1 1/2 minutes on each side, remove from pan. Drain some of the liquid off.  Return pan to the heat.

 Here comes the flavor!  White wine, garlic, butter, lemon and fresh dill.

 Mix a slurry of flour and water to thicken the sauce or you could use heavy cream.

I served the scallops and shrimp with roasted fresh french green beans and grape tomatoes, seasoned with olive oil, himilayan pink salt and pepper.

 

My other side dish, roasted purple and red potatoes with herb seasoning and olive oil.

So, this was dinner last night.  Tender, juicy, scallops and shrimp.  If I do say so myself, it was fabulous and looks pretty good too!

 I also served multi grain dinner rolls, trying to keep it healthy.

Sea Scallops and Shrimp In White Wine Lemon Sauce

Ingredients

2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoon butter

1 lb sea scallops

1 lb cooked, peeled, deveined shrimp

3 cloves minced garlic

Juice of 2 small lemons

1/2 cup white wine

2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
salt and pepper

2 tablespoons flour mixed with 1/2 cup water (or use Wondra)

Directions

In a large skillet over high heat, heat 1 tablespoon each of the olive oil and butter.  Rinse the scallops and pat them dry. Rinse the shrimp and set aside.  Add the scallops to the hot pan and cook for 1 1/2 minutes on each side. Remove from pan.  If there is a lot of water from the scallops drain some of it off. Lower heat to medium.   Add the other tablespoon of olive oil and butter, saute garlic until fragrant, but do brown. Add the lemon juice, white wine (I usually remove from flame to do this, it's safer), chopped dill and salt and pepper. Cook for 15 minutes.  Whisk in the flour/water slurry to thicken the sauce.  Add the scallops back in along with the cooked shrimp and simmer until heated through, about 2 minutes.  Makes 4 servings.

Picnic Potato Salad

 Well it's not much of a picnic here with all the snow that is falling, AGAIN!  I hope this is the onion snow and then we are done with winter.  I saw crocuses and daffodils up already, so I know this is it for old man winter, BYE BYE! So sorry I am not sad to see you go.  My daughter who went back to college from Spring break is thinking summer.  This potato salad is another requested dish from her, to go with her fried chicken.  She is in, picnic, warm weather, being outside, summer state of mind too!  This is how I make it.

I boiled 8 large potatoes with the skins on until tender all the way through.  Drain them and let them cool.  When they have cooled, peel them gently by pulling off the skins with a paring knife.  Get the knife just under the skin and pull it back, the skins are like paper, do not remove any potato.

 Cut the potatoes to the size of your choice, mine are a little bigger than cubed, and put them into a large bowl.  Dice up 1/2 of sweet onion and 4 ribs of celery, toss into the potatoes.  Chop 2 tablespoons of each, fresh dill and parsley, or to your taste, add to the bowl.  Next is the dressing, this too is to your taste.  I use 1 1/2 cups light mayonnaise, 1/4 cup white vinegar, 1 tablespoon of dijon mustard, salt, pepper and 1 tablespoons of sugar.  Put all this into a container and shake vigourously.  Taste test before putting onto the salad to adjust the flavors.  Once you pour it on you won't be able to adjust.  Pour the dressing on and mix it up.  Save any remaining dressing to be used for later, the potatoes will absorb it in the salad.