30-Minute Meals

February 1, 2010 | Filed Under Cooking | Leave a Comment 

After the cooking class/party I had for my birthday last year, I was motivated to get back into the kitchen again (I had stopped baking/cooking in February 2007.) I wasn’t ready to make cooking a several hour affair as I used to, so for the traditional Sunday dinner, I grabbed Rachel Ray’s Express Lane Meals off my bookshelf.

Back in the day when my friends and I were getting together and cooking dinner as a group on a frequent basis, Rachel Ray was a favorite to some. So when I saw this book at Costco and flipped through it, I picked it up and thought I’d give it a try sometime… 30 minute meals sounded pretty appealing after a busy day. Years later, I finally perused my book again looking for a recipe.

I was impressed by the way they organized the sections:
Meals for the Exhausted
Meals for the Not Too Tired
Bring It On (But, Be Gentle)

I looked through all the recipes, but I wasn’t very pleased; I couldn’t figure out how the recipes in the book prompted me to buy it initially. In any case, I opted to make the Chicken with Scallion-Lime Sauce and Sweet Carrot Rice from the Exhausted section (p68).

The recipe tells you how to make the sweet carrot rice using the pot method, but as an Asian house, I have a rice cooker. Uncertain of how the rice would turn out, I put it in with the chicken broth and carrots and it turned out fine.

I didn’t particularly like the flavor pairing with the lime sauce and neither did the others. I think it was because in this recipe, the lime is more prominent while in typical Asian cooking, lime is usually just an accent.

I’m not sure if I like Rachel Ray’s recipes after all and it may be awhile before I try another recipe from the book again, if ever.

Seared Salmon With Oranges, Tomatoes, and Olives

January 29, 2010 | Filed Under Cooking | 2 Comments 

I have a Sunday tradition where I go out with my mom for dinner. It’s not usually a fancy place or anything, often just comfort food. For Mother’s Day last year, I decided to cook my mom a meal instead of going out to eat because I wanted to do something more personal, restaurants were probably busy, and it’s often more economical and healthier to cook in.

I didn’t have much time to plan (less than a day or so), so I thought I’d flip through my then recent issues of Real Simple magazine for some inspiration as I knew they often had quick dinners for weeknights. I found this recipe for salmon. My mom is a big fan of salmon, so this seemed perfect.

There were some mixed feelings about the olives in the salad and I think it had something to do with the citrus and the salty olives trying to commingle.

Seared Salmon With Oranges, Tomatoes, and Olives
(Originally from Real Simple May 2009, p236, Kate Merker)
Serves 4
Hands-On Time: 20m
Total Time: 30m

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 pieces skinless salmon fillet (1 1/4 pounds total)
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 1 navel orange
• 2 small beefsteak tomatoes (about 1 pound), cut into wedges
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro sprigs
• 1/4 cup pitted green olives, halved

Directions:

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season the salmon with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cook until opaque throughout and golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes per side.
2. Meanwhile, cut away the peel and pith of the orange and cut out the segments. In a large bowl, gently combine them with the tomatoes, cilantro, olives, the remaining tablespoon of oil, and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Serve with the salmon.