Doin' Some Cookin'... Asian Salmon with Mustard Dressing

This Asian Salmon with Mustard Dressing is the perfect end of Summer meal. It's the perfect combination of flavors and it comes together quickly for a healthy seafood dinner. 

I simply served mine with a sliced tomato drizzled with olive and sprinkled with sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper. 

I was using up what I had in the fridge but next time I'd love to roast some baby red potatoes and veggies to serve along side this salmon. 

Asian Salmon with Mustard Dressing

Adapted From: @whole30recipes on Instagram

Makes 2 Servings

Stars of the Show:

• 1 lb salmon fillet
• sea salt, to taste
• ground ginger, to taste
• 2 tbsp hot Chinese mustard
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp butter
• toasted sesame seeds, to taste

And Action:

Heat butter and 1 tbsp olive oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle salmon fillet with sea salt and ground ginger. Place flesh side down and cook 5 minutes each side. 

While the salmon sears, combine mustard, soy sauce, garlic, 1 tbsp olive oil, and sesame seeds in a small bowl and mix well. 

Flip the salmon and spread the sauce on the flesh, flip and cook another minute. Enjoy!

Doin' Some Cookin'... Cool Ranch Chicken

Cool Ranch Doritos are one of my favorite guilty pleasures. I love that seasoning and yes, I always lick my fingers clean and use my teeth to scrape off every bit stuck to them. One night a couple months ago after eating a bag of Doritos late night I broke out into hives. I had to take a benadryl. I tried them one more time after that and ended up popping a benadryl again. Why did this have to happen to me?!

On the bright side, Doritos are effin' terrible for me and my waistline so this was a blessing in disguise.

I do miss that cool ranch seasoning so I was excited when I was scrolling through my feed on Instagram and came across a recipe for Cool Ranch Chicken and I had all of the ingredients on hand.

The seasoning blend tasted close and the smell was spot on.

Little Man requested I make him a chicken sandwich out of it and I ate a chicken breast with a side of sautéed red and green cabbage with shredded carrots. If I wasn't on Whole30 I would have shredded the chicken and used it for tacos.

Cool Ranch Chicken

Adapted From: @whole30recipes on Instagram

Makes 2 Servings

Stars of the Show:

• 2 chicken breast cutlets
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 taco seasoning packet 
• 1 ranch seasoning packet

And Action:

Combine all ingredients in a ziploc and toss to coat. Heat a tbsp of olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat and cook the chicken breast for 4-5 minutes on each side. Enjoy!

Doin' Some Cookin'... Collard Green Wraps

For the past year and a half I have been following a Whole30 lifestyle 90% of the time. One thing I do not miss is bread for sandwiches. Maybe because I always used whole wheat bread and never thought my sandwich got an flavor benefit from the bread. With Whole30 I have replaced bread with vegetables.

The other day I used a red bell pepper cut in half and filled it with more veggies and turkey to pack as a "sandwich" for lunch. Romaine lettuce leaves make the perfect vessel for tuna salad. Portobello mushrooms a bun for burgers. Oh, the possibilities.

New to me was using collard greens as a tortilla replacement. I was pleasantly surprised with how easy the leaves were to prep and how you can blanch a batch ahead of time to store for the work week for lunches.

Get yours daily greens by making these Collard Green Wraps. Completely customizable to fill the leaves with whatever your heart desires. Handheld low carb nutrient packed meal for the win!

Unrelated side note... I cannot believe the school year is two weeks away for my Little Man and that I will have a 4th grader. I'm going to miss the laid back summer schedule and not ready for what feel like rushed mornings and nights filled with homework and little quality time.

However, I do have one more meal idea when packing his lunches now.

Collard Green Wraps

Adapted From: Wake The Wolves

Makes 4 Servings

Stars of the Show:

• 4 large collard greens, blanched in simmering water for 10 seconds
• shredded red and green cabbage, to taste
• shredded carrots, to taste
• 1 avocado, sliced
• 2 cooked chicken breasts, sliced 

And Action:

Lay one leaf on a plate and layer with the cabbage, carrots, avocado, and chicken making sure not to overfill the leaf. Roll up the leaf like you would a burrito. Enjoy!

Doin' Some Cookin'... Pan Seared Lamb Chops with Garlic

Sunday night I was doing my weekly meal prep and I reach into the freezer pulling out lamb chops. At the time it sounded fussy for a weeknight meal, however, after a long shift at work and a quick cooking method these lamb chops are anything but fussy.

This was my first time cooking them at home and I have to say, I impressed myself and may have been turned on to a new red meat.

The lamb chops are marinated in a garlic olive oil blend and then pan seared for a couple minutes on each side before a quick bake in the oven. Serve it with a side of mashed cauliflower, green beans and if you aren't on some restricted eating plan (*cough, Whole30, *cough), a bottle, err, glass of Merlot or Pinot Noir and you have a restaurant quality meal for a fraction of the price and on the table in under 15 minutes.

I guess it was the price point at restaurants that had me thinking lamb chops were a fussy meat.

These lamb chops were so tender and juicy they will have you picking them up with your hands and gnawing on the bone to get every bit of meat possible.

I'll be glad the next time I score a deal on some lamb chops to make this one again.

Pan Seared Lamb Chops with Garlic

Adapted From: Primal Palate

Makes 4 Lamb Chops

Stars of the Show:

• 4 lamb shoulder chops
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• dried thyme, salt and pepper, to taste

And Action:

Marinate the lamb chops in 1 tbsp olive oil, vinegar, garlic, and spices for at least an hour.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 

Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. 

Sear the chops for 2 minutes on each side. 

Bake for 2 minutes, remove from the oven and serve. Enjoy!