Lemon Butter Poached Flounder and Salad Greens

Here's a really quick, simple, tasty and light one.

2 frozen flounder fillets
1 tbsp. butter
2 tbsp. lemon juice
dash or two of hot sauce
chopped green onion
Zatarain's seasoning

fresh spinach and iceberg lettuce
green seedless grapes
ranch dressing with bacon

Pan saute top ingredients together. The lemon juice and liquid created as the fish fillets rapidly defrost and begin to cook will create a flavorful poaching broth. Simmer med high until fillets are flaky.

Serve hot with ice-cold salad greens.

Look mom, no carbs!

(Well, almost no carbs. I guess the grapes have fructose and the dressing probably has a small amount of carby artificial additives. Meh, definitely low carb anyway.)

Curry Bratwurst with Naan Bread

There's a popular fast food in Germany called currywurst. This dish is my variation of that using less ketchup and more curry.

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1 pkg. Johnsonville bratwurst (the best brand)
1 large vidalia onion, sliced
1 tbsp. butter
2 tbsp. soy sauce
1/2 cup milk
1 to 2 tbsp. curry powder
1/4 cup ketchup
1 tsp. cayenne pepper powder
1 green onion, chopped
Sprinkle salt, pepper and red pepper flakes to taste

In a non-stick skillet, brown onions, then sausages in butter on medium high. Once browned, remove sausages to plate. Mix other ingredients, minus green onion, in small bowl, whisk, add to pan. Simmer a few minutes uncovered, letting liquid reduce a bit. Cut sausage into bite size pieces (or pre-cut before frying, it doesn't matter that much) and add back to pan. Simmer until cooked. (About 10 minutes)

Serve with warm Naan bread.

Not Yo Mamma's Green Bean Casserole

Need to bring a dish to a Holiday party? Try this one to knock the crowd's socks off.

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1 large vidalia onion, thinly sliced
2 green onions, chopped
1 large potato, jullienne
1/2 stick butter
1 tbsp. olive oil
Zatarain's

1 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. chicken bullion powder
2 tsp. hot sauce
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
2 cans french style green beans
Zatarain's

1 cup white vermont cheddar, chopped
1 green onion, chiopped

In non-stick oven-ready pan, sautee vidalia and green onions and potato in butter and oil.
Add Zatarain's to taste. Cook on medium until dark golden brown and potatoes are mostly cooked. Remove to bowl.

Add soy sauce and hot sauce to hot pan to de-glaze. Mix in chicken powder, soup and green beans. Zatarain's to taste (not too much, should be already salty enough)

Turn off heat. Spread potato/onion mixture on top. Spread evenly.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Spread cheese over top evenly.
Return to oven for additional 10 minutes or until cheese melted.

Sprinkle green onions over top.

Snickers Cookies

So I had all these mini Snickers bar candies leftover from Halloween and I thought...COOKIES!

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Here's the original recipe I used. Modifications: I decreased amounts by 2/3, substituted more brown sugar for white (since that's all I had), left out vanilla (didn't have any) and rather than coat each candy piece with the cookie dough (too tedious) I plopped a candy on the top of each lump of dough just prior to baking.


2 large eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup butter
1 cup peanut butter
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
20 Snickers miniature candy bars, unwrapped


1 In large bowl, combine sugars, butter, peanut butter, vanilla and eggs.
2 Beat well.
3 Add flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
4 Mix well.
5 Shape about 1/4 cup of dough smoothly around candy bar making sure bar is completely covered.
6 Place 4 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.
7 Bake at 375°F for 13-14 minutes or until light golden brown and puffy.
8 Cool 10 minutes and remove from cookie sheets.
9 Makes 20 HUGE cookies.

Home Fries with Eggs Over-Easy

Wake up! It's time for a hearty homestyle breakfast. What's better than eggs and home fries?

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Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1/2-inch to 3/4-inch cubes
4 tablespoons salted butter
1 onions, finely chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
Seasoning of your choice: Garlic powder or salt work great, as does smoky Spanish paprika or chopped chives

1. Arrange potatoes in large microwave-safe bowl, top with 1 tablespoon butter, and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Microwave on high until edges of potatoes begin to soften, 5 to 7 minutes, shaking bowl (without removing plastic) to redistribute potatoes halfway through cooking.

2. Meanwhile, melt 1 tablespoon butter in large regular or nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook until softened and golden brown, about 6 minutes. Transfer to small bowl.

3. Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in now-empty skillet over medium heat. Add potatoes and pack down with spatula. Cook, without moving, until underside of potatoes is brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Turn potatoes, pack down again, and continue to cook until well browned and crisp, 5 to 7 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue cooking, stirring potatoes every few minutes, until crusty and golden on all sides, 9 to 12 minutes. Stir in onion, seasonings of your choice and salt and pepper to taste.

Meatloaf with Mac & Cheese and Spinach

Simple, hearty comfort food. And incredibly easy.

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Ingredients:

(Amounts for this one are for 4-6 servings since it'd be weird to make meatloaf for one and you know you'll want leftovers for sandwiches and such anyway.)

2 lbs. lean ground beef (I used 93/7 meat/fat ratio)
1 1/4 cup Vigo Italian bread crumbs
2 eggs
1/2 Vidalia onion, chopped fine
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1 green onion, chopped

Glaze:
1/4 cup ketchup
1 tbsp. brown sugar
1 tbsp. sweet pickle relish
1 tsp. hot sauce
1 tsp. soy sauce
1/2 tsp. yellow mustard
salt and pepper

Mix meatloaf ingredients together in a large bowl (except green onion). Go ahead, use your hands. You know you want to. Plop into a 9-inch loaf pan, shape into a loaf.

Mix glaze ingredients in a small bowl. Pour on top of loaf. Pop loaf into a pre-heated 350 degree oven, bake for 1 1/2 hours. Sprinkle chopped green onion and parsley on top 15 minutes before finished baking.

For the mac & cheese...it's Kraft Mac & Cheese. The directions are on the box. The only deviation I did here is minor: I substituted almond milk instead of regular milk.

Spinach is frozen chopped spinach sauteed in olive oil with a little fresh chopped garlic, a dash of lemon juice and a sprinkle or two of Zatarain's seasoning. (I luvs me my Zatarain's!)

Asian Tilapia with Ramen and Broccoli-Brussels Sprouts Blend

Try this Asian inspired dish that's light, easy, inexpensive and absolutely delicious!

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Ingredients:

2 medium Tilapia fillets
2 cups of frozen broccoli
1 cup of frozen Brussels sprouts
1 package Oriental-flavored ramen noodle soup
2 tbsp. butter or oil
1 tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce
1 tbsp. Panda Express Mandarin Sauce
1 clove garlic
1 stalk celery
1 medium carrot
1 large green onion
sprinkle of hot sauce
salt and pepper

Fish:
Place thawed fish into a skillet coated with 1 tbsp. of the oil or butter. Cook on medium-high heat. Add finely chopped carrots, celery and garlic. Salt and pepper sides of fillets, flipping as they turn white and opaque. Add soy and Mandarin sauce. Let simmer on medium for an additional 5-7 minutes. Add chopped green onion. Turn off heat and cover.

Veggies:
Steam fry frozen broccoli and sprouts in a shallow pan with 1 tbsp. of oil or butter. Salt and pepper to taste. Cook on medium-high heat for about 10 to 12 minutes.

Ramen:
C'mon. You know how to cook ramen. Only reduce water by half to allow noodles to cool into a noodle side dish rather than a soup.

Serve in a hearty bowl and enjoy!