Roasted Fingerling Potatoes with Asparagus

We have become very big fans of Fingerling Potatoes and have added them to our rotation of fancy side dishes. This is a fairly modest variation on the above recipe, but we have added asparagus to the recipe to take advantage of this wonderful vegetable. We had very thin asparagus, so if you have thicker stems, you might bring them to the pan sooner or slice them in half lengthwise. This is a wonderful side dish and one we will make over and over.

Ingredients (Serves 4-6):
1 tbsp & 1 tsp Olive oil
1 tsp Rosemary, dried
1/2 tsp Kosher salt
1/2 tsp Black pepper
1 Onion (small), thinly sliced
1 1/2 lbs Fingerling potatoes, halved lengthwise
1 bunch Asparagus tips (around 3" in length)
Cooking spray or Olive oil spray

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425°.
2. Combine olive oil, rosemary, kosher salt, black pepper, onions, and potatoes in a large bowl, tossing to coat.
3. Lightly coat a jelly-roll pan with cooking spray or olive oil spray. Arrange potato mixture on the pan.
4. Bake for 12-13 minutes. Then add asparagus and toss the potatoes in the pan. Spray asparagus with light olive oil spray and cook for 12-13 more minutes.

Enjoy as a great side dish!

Turkey Chia Meatballs with Mushroom Pasta

So once again, Dr. Oz showcases some really great recipes and food choices for a healthy living. While I know he can be over the top many times - the food segments are really great. Pam mentioned that she saw a recipe for Chia Turkey Meatballs and that we should give it a shot. We found the recipe for Chia Turkey Meatballs on the Dr. Oz site and I played with it.

I added a complete pasta sauce to this recipe - so they can be separated out if desired. The sauce has lots of mushrooms and was really great. The meatballs were outstanding and the thought of getting more chia seeds is really good from a health standpoint.

This will be on a quick rotation - loved the way this came out and it heated up brilliantly the follow day for lunch.

Ingredients (Serves 4):

Turkey Chia Meatballs
1/2 cup Chicken broth
1 tsp, Garlic (or one clove), chopped
2 tbsp Chia seed
1/2 tsp Basil, dried
1/2 tsp Oregano, dried
1/2 tsp Thyme, dried
1 tbsp Parsley, dried
1/2 tsp Kosher salt
1/4 tsp Black pepper
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 lbs. 93% lean Ground turkey breast
1 Egg
1/3 cup Bread crumbs

Mushroom Pasta
13.5 oz Pasta (your choice)
3 tbsp Olive Oil
2 tsp, Garlic (or two cloves), chopped
1 lbs Mushrooms, sliced
2 small Onions (or 1 medium onion), diced small
1 28oz can Crushed tomatoes
1 tsp Oregano, dried
1 tsp Basil, dried
2 tbsp Parsley, dried
Kosher salt and pepper to taste.

Directions for Turkey Chia Meatballs
1. In a large bowl combine broth, garlic and chia seed, set aside for 15 minutes.
2. Add remaining ingredients and mix well.
3. Roll into meatballs a bit smaller than a golf ball and place in shallow baking pan. Bake at 350° F for 25 minutes.

Directions for Mushroom Pasta
1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic, mushrooms and onions and saute for 6 minutes. Break up the larger mushroom pieces.
2. Add the crushed tomatoes, oregano, basil, parsley, kosher salt and black pepper (to taste) and mix well. Lower heat to medium-low and simmer for around 20-25 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, prepare pasta as directed so it is finished at the same time as the pasta sauce.

Enjoy the dish together!

Summer Salmon with Mixed Vegetables

This was adapted from a great recipe from Real Simple for Barbecue-Glazed Salmon With Green Beans and Corn. Fundamentally - it is two items - a simple fish and a great vegetable side dish. I loved the way that it came out. The fish was amazingly simple and a great taste that we have not done before. One of the great ways to vary this is to choose a barbecue sauce that is to your liking. If you like a spicy fish, use a spicy sauce. That is what we did - but I will try it again with a honey-based sauce to give it a sweeter taste. What is really great is that we have a nice new salmon recipe to work with. Such a great fish - it is nice to have it in our rotation once or twice a week.

Ingredients (Serves 3-4):

1 tbsp and 1 tsp Olive oil
1 lbs Green beans, cut in half
12 oz Whole Mushrooms (white), stems removed
Kosher salt and black pepper (to taste)
1 cup Corn, frozen
Olive oil spray or cooking spray
1 - 1 1/4 lbs Skinless salmon fillets
1/4 - 1/3 cup Barbecue sauce
Additional kosher salt and pepper to taste

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 500° F.
2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the green beans, mushrooms and kosher salt and pepper to taste. Cook, tossing frequently, for 5 minutes. Add the corn and cook, tossing frequently, for 4 minutes more.
3. Place the salmon on a foil-lined baking sheet with a light spray of olive oil. Season the salmon with a pinch of kosher salt and pepper. Brush the fillets with the barbecue sauce. Bake until cooked through, around 8 minutes.

Enjoy! You can add a starch like rice or potatoes if you like.