Oven Roasted Salmon and Squash

I made this healthy delicious meal a few nights ago. The family loves salmon and this took less than 20 minutes to bake. I marinated the salmon in a few tablespoons of olive oil and added some salt, pepper, and a little garlic powder. I had a few more squash and zucchini left over from the farmers market, so I sliced them up thin, coated them in some olive oil with salt, pepper, and garlic powder, and placed them around the salmon.

The oven was preheated to 400. The salmon and veggies cooked un just under 20 minutes. I flipped the squash around about half way through. Of course, you can use whatever veggies you like; I think asparagus or broccoli would be perfect. This large piece of salmon feed the 4 of us, but you could add more or less depending on your need. Perfect for a easy summer dinner!

I did a bad, bad thing ;)

I learned how to perfect a baked potato… in an air fryer! Potatoes covered in avocado or canola oil covered in course salt. These are good high smoke point oils, which means they can be cooked at high temps without burning. Course sea salt, because potatoes and crunchy salt are besties. Cook at 400 for 40 minutes flipping at the 20 minute mark. Once done, cool for just few, then break open these bad boys for the rest of the party! Tons of butter, cheese, and sour cream. We were not even mad that bacon didn’t show up. Such a show off! No potato skins left behind!

Oven Baked BBQ Ribs

My family LOVES ribs, so when I saw these at the grocery store, I knew I had to get them. Usually I buy them already cut up, but I was up for the challenge of trying to cook them in the oven as a whole rack. I researched tons of recipes, and decided on doing a rub then adding a sauce at the end.

These were pork spare ribs. They came vacuum-packed and were sitting in a bit of liquid that I rinsed off under cold water. I patted them dry with a paper towel, then peeled off the silver-skin. This is the shiny, white piece of membrane that sits on top of the bones and makes things tough and chewy once cooked. Most of it comes off pretty easy when you slide your finger under it, but a couple parts I needed to use my paring knife to help loosen it up. 

I preheated the oven to 300. In a small bowl I made a rub with different spices from my cabinet. I didn’t really measure; I used a combo of cumin, coriander, smoked mild paprika, garlic and onion powder, and chili powder. I rubbed the mixture all over ribs and placed on a baking sheet with aluminum foil.

I cooked them in the oven for about 2 hours. Then I took them out and brushed them with BBQ sauce. I happened to have a jar of our family’s favorite sauce, Sticky Fingers in the fridge. So I painted it with that and let it cook for 20 more minutes.

I served with a side of creamed corn- 3 cans of corn drained- obviously fresh would be best, but we had canned in the pantry. Half a container of cream cheese, a few pats of butter, and a splash of heavy cream. I just mixed everything together and let the ingredients melt in to each other. I also gave them a bit of a mash to release some of those sweet corn starches.

My 13 year old helped make the cheddar biscuits. You know the ones. From that seafood restaurant. They sell them in a cheat box mix where all you have to do is add the cheddar cheese and some water and butter.

It was a perfect meal 😉

Honey Soy Sesame Salmon

Started with a combo of my standard Asian Marinade line up. I never really measure this, but I always taste as I go to make sure it is not too sweet or not too salty. Even if you don’t have all of these, any combo would work. I used mostly honey then a little bit of the others with a splash of rice vinegar at the end. I did not end up using the sesame seeds.
I brushed the salmon with the marinade. I also chopped up some squash, asparagus, red onion, mushrooms, red pepper, and a zucchini and mixed in some of the marinade .
Cooked about 12 minutes.
Cooked skin side down first for about 6 minutes, then flipped and cooked on the flesh side for about more 3 minutes.

Easy Ham and Cheese Quiche

I found a random frozen pie crust in the freezer, so I decided to make a yummy quiche, which basically was just for me, because no one else ate it. You could leave out the ham and add in veggies to make this vegetarian. The crust broke on me, but it was still summer yummy! This is was all I ate this weekend 😉

INGREDIENTS

  • 4 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1 cup whole milk (or half and half)
  • 1 1/2 cups diced ham
  • 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (or mix it up with what you have)
  • 1 deep dish frozen pie crust added in a pie pan
  • salt and pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, half-and-half, salt and pepper.
  • Stir in ham and cheeses. Save some cheese for the top 😉
  • Pour filling into pie crust, set on a baking sheet and place in oven for 40 to 45 minutes, or until set.