Salmon is my go to for entertaining, whether it’s a dinner party or a girlfriend lunch and the key is knowing how to prepare salmon that’s perfect every time.

Salmon cannot be overcooked or it loses it’s buttery sweetness; yet, the skin needs to be crispy. You’ll know you’ve overcooked it if you see the white protein bleeding over. It’s better to undercook it a little because it will continue cooking for a few moments and its easier to put it back in the pan, if need be.

There are so Many Ways to Prepare Salmon.

I’ve grilled salmon it very simply.

I’ve pan fried salmon in a sweet and spicy peach sauce.

I’ve roasted salmon in the oven.

There are many nights I’ll make salmon very simply, with just olive oil, salt, pepper. But then sometimes I dress it up with sweet potato strings and crispy kale or a bed of tarragon scented pea mash.

This time, I’ve pan fried the salmon, and then put it back in the oven, because I wanted the crispiest skin possible without overcooking.

I generally start my pan frying in a hot pan skin side up, which may seem counter intuitive, but it only takes a few minutes to brown the top.

Once it’s done, it slides easily in the pan, and can be turned over, about 4-5 minutes.  At this point, you can continue on top of the stove until the skin seizes up and the salmon is removed easily, or you can stick it in the oven at 400 Degrees F. on the bottom rack for about five minutes. I’ve made this dozens of times and it always comes out perfect.

The golden beets will have to be done in advance, wrapped in foil for about 30 minutes. Once cooked, you can toss them into the pan right along side the salmon, and pour the rest of the marinade.

I used the a similar marinade which I used in this recipe but am pan roasting and using twice as many beets, making them the star of the dish this time.

Pairing golden beets with salmon is not just tasty but beautiful.

So tell me, do you cook with golden beets and how do you best like your salmon.

Please connect with me on instagram. I’d love to see you there.

More Salmon Recipes from Spinach Tiger

More Beet Recipes from Spinach Tiger

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How to Prepare Salmon Crispy and Delicous

Delicious dinner of crispy salmon with sweet orange ginger beets.

Course Entree

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes minutes

Total Time 50 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds wild salmon cut into 4 fillets
• 4-6 golden beets peeled cut into eights
• 2 tablespoons orange juice
• ⅓ cup low sodium Tamari Sauce gluten free soy sauce
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 shallots chopped
• 2 teaspoon fresh ginger chopped finely
• zest of half orange
• 1 large garlic cloves minced
• salt
• pepper
• sliced oranges for garnish

Instructions

• Mix together, soy sauce, olive oil, zest, orange juice, garlic
• Mix olive oil shallots, ginger, orange juice, zest and garlic in a bowl.
• Toss beets with just enough of this mixture to moisten. Wrap in foil.
• Roast beets for 30 minutes at 400.
• Take salmon out, season with salt, a tablespoon of marinade, have it rest to room temperature while beets are cooking.
• Place some oil in pan and turn to medium high heat.
• Place salmon in pan skin side up until well browned. Turn over and cook until skin is crispy. This takes about 4-5 minutes.
• Pour remaining marinade while continuing to cook.
• At this point, as you turn the salmon over, as on option, you can put salmon in oven at 400 degrees F. on lower rack for about five minutes.
• Add sliced oranges for garnish.
• Serve with golden beets.

The post How to Prepare Salmon, with Crispy Skin appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

Just in case you’re like me, moving away from the sweet flavors and the heavy carbs, turkey cauliflower fried rice is for you.

Before I get to that I want to thank you. Over 23,000 of you visited my recipe for Cheesecloth Wrapped Roast Turkey, and 3600 of you watched the video. That’s just amazing and I hope you enjoyed it.

The other night we made a typical Italian dish, rice with peas, except I used cauliflower and it was just as comforting.

Today, of course, I have lots of turkey left over and I still had some of that cauliflower rice.

Thus, paleo turkey cauliflower fried rice was born. I’m giving you the recipe just as if you would have to start from scratch. I don’t do paleo 100% of the time, but it’s where I turn in between parties, dinners, etc, and I have way to many things coming up this month. I’m not as strict as some as I do eat dairy, but I try hard to stick to grain free eating several days a week.

Cauliflower is great around the holiday times because it fills you up, yet is healthy, and a good food to help you stay fit throughout the holidays. A few months back, I went on a roll with cauliflower, making paleo, vegan mashed cauliflower, and cauliflower parmesan.Cauliflower today. Cookies tomorrow. You know how that goes.

This was a fun lunch, and just enough to give me fuel for navigating the mall. Yes I do get out there; it’s tradition to start our Christmas season, even though I’m one of those who does most of my shopping last minute.

How about you?  Are you pushing and shoving the crowds shopping or shopping on-line?

Let’s connect and Stay in touch. Please subscribe, as Spinach Tiger will be bringing you lots of Christmas joy in the way of food. Of course, you can find me in all the usual social media places, including the new Periscope where I cook in real time, live.

In the meantime, here are a few more ideas for Thanksgiving left overs and Happy shopping.

Thanksgiving Leftovers

Mini-Turkey Pies

Turkey Pie Reinvented

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Paleo Turkey Cauliflower Fried Rice for Turkey Leftovers

Take turkey leftovers and go Paleo with Turkey Fried Rice using Cauliflower

Course Entree

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 25 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 1 head caulflower
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 2 tablespoons tamari sauce see note
• 1/2 onion diced
• 1 cup peas
• 2 carrots diced
• 8 ounces turkey diced
• 1 egg
• Sriracha Optional

Instructions

• Remove stems from cauliflower. Put into food processor and pulse until you have large rice sized pieces.
• Heat oil in pan, add onion, carrot, until softened.
• Push vegetables to side and scramble egg quickly into small pieces.
• Add cauliflower, turkey, and peas.
• Add in Tarmari Soy sauce. Mix well.

Notes

Tarari is a gluten free soy sauce

The post Paleo Turkey Cauliflower Fried Rice appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

When I was asked to develop a recipe using Chex Cereal, I knew within ten seconds what I wanted to make, drawing on inspiration from the legendary Chex Mix.

I created Oven fried, Crunchy Nutty Chicken Strips with a Spicy Honey Lime Peanut Sauce.

That’s quite a mouthful of description and quite a mouthful of flavor. 

I knew the recipe would have to have nuts and a little of that same magic the Chex  Mix has. 

It took me a few tries to get the exact texture I was looking for. I wanted the bites to be very crunchy without deep-frying. I successfully oven baked the chicken and was very happy with the results.

I was happy to see on the box that Corn Chex Cereal is Gluten Free and contains no colors from artificial sources, and no artificial flavors or high fructose corn syrup. The cereal is light and only 120 calories per cup, making it a great ingredient to cook with in addition to having for breakfast.

In choosing my recipes, I am always thinking about other moms and dads who are looking for healthy, easy and satisfying ways to feed their families. That’s very important to me, because if we prepare our own food and involve our children, we enrich our family life and our health.  Engaging everyone in the cooking process helps a family bond, and helps children establish good habits.

The Cooking Process

Mixing Corn Chex and Chopped Peanuts gave me the crunch I was looking for and I didn’t have to deep fry them.

I dredged the chicken strips first in coconut flour, then egg, then into a mixture of  Corn Chex and chopped peanuts, and then oven baked for a 14 minutes, which gave me time to make the sauce.

Adding a finely chopped herb such as parsley, basil or cilantro works well for garnish, adding that little bit of color and extra flavor.

These chicken strips make a great party food. Use lettuce leaves. Drizzle the sauce in advance and top with even more of the crunchy Corn Chex Cereal peanut topping.

I tested this recipe three times to make sure you will find it easy and delicious. You can use a food processor, and get your kids to press the button. Boys especially seem to love button pressing gadgets in the kitchen. Or you could just use a rolling pin.  You will need to process the cereal and the peanuts separately and then mix them together.

The end result was crunchy, nutty, and when dipped into the spicy, peanut lime sauce, it became a perfect bite.

A bit of brainstorming led me to thinking about all the ways we could eat these.

How to Incorporate the Corn Chex Cereal Crusted  Chicken Strips into More Dishes

• Serve chicken strips with a carrot slaw stir fry.
• Serve chicken strips on a salad, using the peanut lime sauce to make a dressing. Add 3-4 tablespoons of olive oil to the sauce.
• Serve chicken strips over rice noodles, tossed with peanut sauce.
• Serve chicken strips with a homemade ranch dressing, ketchup or honey mustard for a traditional take.
• Make small bite sized nuggets.

If you have peanut issues, you can substitute another nut such as almonds, pecans or cashews or no nuts and serve with ketchup.

So tell me, do you have any go to meals that you can cook for your family in under thirty minutes? And, how might you serve these peanut Corn Chex Cereal crusted Chicken strips?

You can connect with Chex on Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter and for more inspiration.  
I would love to connect with you on facebook and instagram where I share cooking tips and my latest photos and recipes.

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CornChex Crusted Chicken Strips with Honey Lime Peanut Sauce

Oven Baked, Not Fried, Crunchy CornChex Crusted Chicken with Spicy Honey Lime Peanut Sauce, great for kids, and parties.

Course Entree

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 14 minutes minutes

Total Time 24 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

Chicken Strips

• 8 chicken strips
• 1 teaspoon salt or as needed
• 2 cups CornChex measured before crushing
• 1/2 peanuts chopped,
• 2 eggs beaten
• 1 cup coconut flour
• 1 tablespoon chopped herbs such as parsley or basil for garnish

Honey Lime Peanut Dipping Sauce

• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• juice of 1 lime
• 3 tablespoons peanut butter
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 3 tablespoons canola oil or olive oil
• 1 teaspoon red chile flakes
• 1 tablespoon chopped peanuts for garnish

Instructions

• Season chicken strips with salt.
• Using a food processor or rolling pin, crush the cereal.
• Mix together the crushed cereal and peanuts.
• Dredge chicken strips in coconut flour, then egg mixture, then CornChex and Peanut Mixture.
• Bake at 425 for 14 minutes. Turn over at 7 minutes.

Honey Lime Peanut Dipping Sauce

• Combine all ingredients to make sauce. You can add more or less peanut butter and chili flakes to your own taste.

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post, my own original recipe and photos. All opinions are my own,

 This post is brought to you by CafeMom and Chex

The post Corn™Chex Crusted Chicken Strips with Honey Lime Peanut Sauce appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

This title is misleading. All salmon, if made properly should taste like butter, only better. The naturally occurring omega 3’s in salmon make it a “good fat” fatty fish, that needs little fuss. When salmon is overcooked, and it often is, it loses it’s flavor and appeal.

Did you know that if you see that white stuff coming out of the salmon as it cooks, it means you are in serious danger of overcooking your fish?. That white stuff is a protein, albumin. As the fish cooks, it coagulates and it’s visible appearance is the sign the fish is done.

We like to get it off the grill BEFORE it comes out, because fish continues to cook and the perfect salmon is not cooked a second longer than it needs to. You can see the texture in the center of the fish in the picture. The salmon is cooked through, but just not a minute more than it needs to be, so it is very tender, buttery and not anything at all like the too often overcooked ruined fish we used to make.

On ordinary days when I’ve just worked out for 60-90 minutes, a girl’s gotta eat and it’s not going to be a drive through. For about the same price as a super-sized meal, I can light the grill, and eat super healthy. Who wants to put all that effort into working out to ruin it?

Did you know that after a good workout, your metabolism is higher and your body wants protein? But good fat is a girl’s best friend, not just for the omega 3 health benefits, but the satisfaction the brain feels and tells you that you are no longer hungry. Every time you eat, you feed your brain. That’s a lot to think about. I am no scientist, but I understand in simple terms that your brain gets signals to stop or continue eating.

Protein, healthy fat and good carbohydrate combinations gives your brain a stop sign, while sugar and empty calorie foods confuse the brain and keep sending out hunger signals, which is why you could eat a whole cake and still be hungry.

It’ s a little harder to eat 1000 calories of fresh wild fish and a purple sweet potato. This kind of  lunch is so good that your body immediately knows it was treated right, and your brain gives you a signal that you’re satisfied. Your senses are happy too, because this food is so much more appetizing and rewarding.

Wild or farmed?  I’m a wild girl, but Whole Foods stocks a Norwegian farmed salmon that is a good option. Look for their stamp that says “responsibly farmed.” Not all farmed fish is created equal, and because I know the commitment from Whole Foods regarding their seafood, I trust what they sell. They sell it frozen in six packs, each individually wrapped. There are no bones. The taste is mild.

I have suggested a marinade. That’s not as important as cooking method, and you could simply use salt and pepper, if that is your preference.

Tell me, what is your favorite super food that you tend to eat a lot of?

More Salmon from Spinach Tiger

Ginger Roasted Salmon with Orange Roasted Beets

Salmon with Shoe String Sweet Potatoes and Crispy Kale

Pan Fried Salmon with Jalapeno Peach Sauce

Salmon with Tarragon Pea Mash

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Skinny Grill Salmon that Tastes Like Butter

How to Grill Salmon. How to Pan fry Salmon

Course Entree

Cuisine American

Prep Time 35 minutes minutes

Cook Time 8 minutes minutes

Total Time 43 minutes minutes

Servings 1

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• wild or responsibly farmed salmon with skin about 1 inch thick
• 1 teaspoon maple syrup see notes
• 1 teaspoon low sodium soy sauce
• splash chili oil or sriracha
• sea salt freshly ground pepper

Instructions

• Heat grill to very high (over 400 degrees)
• Make sure grill is very clean, and sprayed down with cooking spray, or brushed with oil.
• Marinate salmon for 30 minutes with a marinade of maple syrup, soy sauce, sriracha. Season with salt and pepper.
• Place salmon on hot grill top side down for 2-3 minutes. Turn over and turn grill down to medium heat. Continue to grill for 4-5 minutes. If the white albumin starts coming out, take off grill immediately. You should have a very crispy skin underneath.
• PAN FRYING SALMON
• This is the one time I like to use a good non-stick pan.
• Heat frying pan on medium heat. Add a tiny bit of oil (salmon is fatty, doesn't need much). Once pan is hot, add salmon skin side down, cook just until the salmon loosen from the pan, 2-4 minutes. Turn over for another 2-4 minutes. Remove from pan immediately.

Notes

You do not need to add anything to good salmon except salt and pepper. These flavorings are options.

The post Skinny Grill Salmon that Tastes Like Butter appeared first on Spinach Tiger.