Szechuan Peppercorn Fish Marinade

May 19th, 2013 | Posted by Nicole in Recipes - (0 Comments)

I recently posted my new favorite marinade and/or sauce for fish here. The marinade is made of spicy, numbing szechuan peppercorns, olive oil, mayo, garlic, lemon, and Thai red chili paste.

It is amazing! It kind of reminds me of sriracha sauce (also a new favorite of mine).

sriracha

Anyway, we have perfected the recipe ingredients, so here you go:

Ingredients:

  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 1/2 tsp. ground pepper
  • 2 tsp. szechuan peppercorns, ground (you can do this with a spice grinder or mortar and pestle)
  • 1-2 Tbsp. light mayonnaise
  • 3 Tbsp. roasted red chili paste
  • 1 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 tsp. crushed garlic
  • pinch of salt

Pour this mixture on the fish:

szechuan fish sauce

We have also used the sauce on white fish, and it turned out just as tasty!

spicy fish recipe

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Szechuan Peppercorn Salmon

March 21st, 2013 | Posted by Nicole in Recipes - (0 Comments)

I have been MIA in the blogging world the past week because I have been in full-swing wedding planning mode. Yep, I’m getting hitched. Perfect time to talk about being healthy and fit. Haha.

I won’t bore you with details, but wedding planning does take up a good chunk of time… so I was happy to come home one day to this super tasty salmon. It is my new favorite recipe! It’s a little spicy, but has a unique flavor from the peppercorns (you can buy the peppercorns at a larger grocery store like Whole Paycheck–I got mine from a large farmer’s market).

They are the ones that look a little pink/dark red in color. You can even order them online if you don’t want to pick them up from the store!

Szechuan Peppercorn Salmon

spicy thai salmon

Ingredients:

  • 1 filet of salmon (or about the amount pictured above)
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 1 tsp. ground pepper
  • 1/4-1/2 tsp szechuan peppercorns, ground
  • 1-1.5 Tbsp. light mayonnaise
  • 3.5-4 Tbsp. roasted red chili paste
  • pinch of salt

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 425 F.
  2. Meanwhile, mix your marinade.
  3. Place your salmon on a baking sheet or baking dish and coat with marinade. Cook for about 15-20 minutes or until cooked medium-well.

Yum!

baked salmon with peppers

We had some salad and edamame to go with it.

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Leftover Broccoli Stems? Don’t Throw Them Out!

January 22nd, 2013 | Posted by Nicole in Healthy Living | Recipes - (0 Comments)

Many of us only use the florets of the broccoli plant. But, what about the poor little broccoli stems? I used to throw them out, but Mr. Cyclist had a genius idea for cooking them.

chile broccoli stems

He sliced the stems on the julienne setting on the mandolin. Then, sauteed in oil, chili oil, garlic, and sriracha sauce. Topped with black sesame seeds. It was absolutely delicious, but super spicy. I could only eat a few bites at a time.

asian kale salad

We had a cute little salad with it, and some miso soup!

ginger kale salad

Yesterday, I also went to the farmer’s market to load up on fruits, vegetables, and spices. It was a mad house. I finally made it out of there alive, and loaded up my fridge.

fridge with veggies

You can’t really tell from this picture, but there are loads of oranges, clementines, spinach, kale, carrots, celery, cucumber, peppers, herbs, apples, some dried fruit, eggplant, brussels sprouts, and more…

I also picked up these spices for $0.40-$2 each!!

cheap bulk spices

What a steal! This week, I will have plenty of healthy recipe ideas ready to go. It definitely helps to do this shopping ahead of time.

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Naked Shrimp Burrito

October 16th, 2012 | Posted by Nicole in Recipes - (1 Comments)

Oh no, these shrimp are missing their burrito shell!

Leaving off the tortilla usually saves about 200 calories, and saves you from white processed carbohydrates and sometimes nasty trans fat! Plus, an added bonus is that you get to eat all the yummy filling, and leave off the flavorless shell.

Naked Shrimp Burrito

Makes about 3 servings.

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup dry brown rice
  • 2 1/2 cups water
  • 1 can black beans, drained
  • 2 Tbsp. fresh cilantro, chopped or use 5 frozen cilantro cubes (can find a Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods)
  • 1-2 tsp. cumin
  • 1/2 tsp. dried ground chipotle pepper
  • 1/2 lb. frozen shrimp, thawed, deveined and peeled (about 7 shrimp per person)
  • 1-2 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 large green pepper (or 2 small), sliced
  • 1 medium yellow onion, sliced
  • 1 Tbsp. taco seasoning
  • 1 tsp. garlic powder
  • 1 tsp. cumin
  • 1/2 tsp. dried ground chipotle pepper
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • salt and pepper

Directions:

  1. Prepare the brown rice according to the package, and add a pinch of salt to the water. Add the next 4 ingredients after the rice and water when the rice has about 10 minutes left of cooking. Stir to combine, then put the saucepan lid back on to cook together the remaining 10 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, in a large saute pan, heat olive oil over medium heat and add the onions. Cook for about 5 minutes. Then, add the green pepper along with a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook about 3 more minutes until slightly softened.
  3. Combine the thawed shrimp in another bowl with the taco seasoning, minced garlic, cumin, chipotle, and garlic powder. Add the shrimp mixture to the pepper/onion mixture. Turn the heat down to medium-low. Stir and cook until the shrimp have all cooked through (about 4 more minutes).
  4. Taste test your rice and shrimp mixture to see if you like the flavor. You can always add an extra pinch of spiciness if you like hot food.
  5. Serve the shrimp and peppers over top of the black beans and brown rice. Garnish with cilantro if you like, or add salsa on top, or maybe some avocado!

Makes a balanced meal, full of fiber and nutrients, and packed with flavor!

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Quest for Curry: Take 2

February 20th, 2012 | Posted by Nicole in Recipes - (0 Comments)

Mr. Cyclist made this all on his own. I just stood by saying, “looks good”, and then washing dishes. After all, he is the one who has been studying different curry-making videos and recipes. I am no expert, but he is becoming one. I was thoroughly impressed. So, here is his spicy and tasty recipe:

Spicy Green Curry Recipe
Makes about 6 servings.
Ingredients:
Spices for the curry paste:

  • 1 Tbsp. Whole coriander
  • 1 tsp. Ground cumin
  • 1 tsp. Ground turmeric
  • 1-1 1/2 Tbsp. Minced/Crushed garlic
  • 1 tsp. White or black pepper
  • 3 Tbsp. Fresh ginger, minced
  • 1 whole bunch of fresh cilantro
  • 3 Serrano peppers
  • 3 Jalapeno peppers
  • 1/4 cup red onion, chopped
  • 6-8 keffir lime leaves
  • 2-3 tsp. anchovy paste

For the remainder of the curry:

  • 2 Tbsp. olive oil or canola oil
  • 23 oz. can coconut milk
  • 1 lb. chicken tenderloins or breast, sliced into cube-like chunks (it is easiest to slice when chicken is still partially frozen)
  • 1 Tbsp. sugar (palm sugar preferred), to taste
  • 3 Tbsp. fish sauce, to taste at the end
  • About 10 fresh basil leaves
  • Pinch of salt

For the vegetables:

  • 1-2 cups peppers, any color you like
  • 1 small can bamboo shoots, water drained
  • 14 oz. can baby corn, water drained
  • 1 cup onions, sliced

*Note: All of these ingredients are approximated because Mr. Cyclist never measures anything–he just adds what looks right and what tastes right.

Directions:

  1. Take all of the ingredients for the curry paste and put them into a food processor, and process until a paste-like consistency forms. Meanwhile, in a large saute pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat.
  2. Add the curry paste ingredients to the pan, and toast until they absorb the oil. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan or saute pan, heat the coconut milk to thicken slightly.
  3. Add some of the coconut milk to the curry paste slowly as if you are making a roux. Continue adding the coconut milk in small amounts until you have added of it. Stir continuously, and add the 1 Tbsp. sugar to the mixture.
  4. In the same pan you used for the coconut milk, you can add 1 Tbsp. oil and cook the chicken in that pan briefly to just cook the outsides of the meat.
  5. Add the chicken to the curry mixture to continue cooking the chicken all the way through. Simmer for about 5-7 minutes.
  6. Add the vegetables to the curry and continue to simmer another 2-3 minutes.
  7. Add the fish sauce, pinch of salt, and fresh basil to taste. Check near the end to see how it tastes, and you can add a few more ingredients to tweak if you need to.

Serve with brown rice, and you are done!

This is a more labor intensive dish mainly because of all the ingredients needed. But, it tastes amazing, and is worth it. You could make it ahead of time, and reheat during the week. The curry tastes very similar and better than a few other green curry dishes I have had at Thai restaurants.

Curry Health Benefits:

  • The turmeric in many curry recipes may help prevent Alzheimer’s and Dementia, but you have to eat the curry at least 2 times per week. But, research has shown that it can help even reverse some damage that has been occurring in the brain.
  • Anti-inflammatory, and detoxifying.
  • Coconut milk is high calorie, but has quite a few health benefits as well. Even though the saturated fat content is high, coconut milk can help our body improve fat metabolism, and is not known to increase risk of heart disease. Excellent source of iron which is good for those with anemia. Excellent source of magnesium and manganese which is good to maintain balanced blood sugar.
  • The spiciness of curry can help release endorphin’s and can also be an aphrodisiac.
  • Like I mentioned, curry has a unique depth of flavor, and research has shown this intense amount of flavor can lead you to crave more intensely flavorful foods.

Many don’t think of curry as a dish that is good for weight control, but it is! Curry will satisfy you with a smaller portion due to the fiber, satisfying fat in the coconut milk, and the spices and heat will increase fullness more quickly.

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