Stir-Fried Bok Choy and Lettuce with Mushrooms

Bok Choy. Is. Delicious.

I've posted the Cooking Light recipe that guided me, but I made a few modifications:
1. I had the mushrooms that came in my box. No idea what kind they were, but they certainly weren't dried. I skipped the soaking of the mushrooms in step 1.
2. I had bok choy, not baby bok choy. I chopped the bok choy in half lengthwise and then in about fourths the other direction. This seemed to be a pretty good size. I also used the Bibb Lettuce from my box instead of romaine.
3. This didn't thicken the way it said it would and then I just had oodles of sauce and nowhere to put it. Unfortunate. Because I didn't soak the mushrooms, I added between 3/4-1 cups of water. I would recommend adding 1/4-1/2 cup instead if no mushroom soaking is required.
4. A little extra sauce came in handy however (it was still way too much though). I pan-fried some tilapia with some garlic, salt, and pepper and a tad bit of sauce from the stir-fry flavored it well.

• 1 cup boiling water
• 8 dried shiitake mushrooms (about 2 ounces)
• 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon Shaoxing (Chinese rice wine) or dry sherry
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 4 teaspoons canola oil, divided
• 1 teaspoon minced peeled ginger
• 1/2 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
• 2 medium garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 8 heads baby bok choy, halved lengthwise
• 1 medium head romaine lettuce, cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces (about 8 cups)

1. Combine 1 cup boiling water and shiitake mushrooms in a bowl; cover and let stand 20 minutes. Drain mushrooms in a colander over a bowl, reserving liquid. Rinse mushrooms. Remove and discard stems; cut each cap into quarters. Set aside.
2. Combine soy sauce, wine, and sugar in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk.
3. Heat a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add 1 teaspoon oil and ginger to pan; sauté 30 seconds. Add reserved mushrooms; sauté 1 minute. Add reserved mushroom liquid and broth; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes.
4. Combine oyster sauce and cornstarch in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk; stir into mushroom mixture. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Cook 1 minute or until thickened. Remove from heat; keep warm.Heat a wok or large skillet over high heat. 
5. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to pan. Add garlic; stir-fry 10 seconds. Add bok choy; stir-fry 2 minutes or until bok choy begins to soften. Add lettuce; stir-fry 2 minutes or until lettuce wilts. Stir in mushroom mixture and soy sauce mixture; cook 3 minutes or until bok choy is tender.

Salmon with Cilantro-Yogurt Sauce + Red Pepper Coconut Rice

I love any semblance of a tzatiki sauce and this was a great one. It paired really nicely with a simple fish and the rice was a great accompaniment. Remember how I LOVE coconut rice? This one is no different. 

1/2 c 2% Greek Style Yogurt (we use Chobani)
1/4 c peeled, finely chopped cucumber
2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 tsp fresh lime juice
1/8 tsp salt
2 tsp olive oil
4  (6 oz) artic char or salmon fillets
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

1. Combine first 5 ingredients; chill.
2. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle fillets with 1/2 tsp salt and pepper. Add fillets to pan; cook 3 minutes on each side or until done. Serve fillets with sauce and lime wedges, if desired.

Red Pepper Coconut Rice

1 c Jasmine rice
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
1 can light coconut milk.
1/4 c diced red bell pepper

Bring first 4 ingredients to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in red bell pepper. Cover and let stand 5 minutes.

Both recipes from Cooking Light.

Balsamic Glazed Cracked Pepper Salmon

We needed something to go with our Summer Corn Rice Pilaf, so I found a quick and easy salmon recipe on a healthy recipe app on my phone. This was a little spicy but it went well with the rice. I'd like to tweak and try it again!

1 TB honey
1 TB olive oil
1/3 c. Balsamic vinegar
Red pepper flakes. to taste
Sea salt and cracked black pepper, to taste
4 salmon filets

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season both sides of salmon with salt and cracked pepper. Add salmon to skillet and cook 1-2 minutes per side until golden brown.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together vinegar and honey. Add vinegar mixture to skillet and simmer until fish is fork-tender and liquid reduces and thickens, about 5 minutes.

Salmon Burgers

These were lovely little burgers. However, somehow the bread I bought was labeled focaccia bread, but not actually focaccia bread. So we improvised and split the burgers in two so we could put them on this other artisan bread. (Don't get me wrong, we liked the other bread, but it wasn't focaccia).

The recipe also called for Remoulade sauce to spread on the focaccia bread. Long story short, I didn't make it ahead of time so I threw something together - ketchup, mayo, worcestershire sauce, basil, etc. It turned out ok, but I like to make the real thing eventually.

The burger held together fairly well, but next time, I also think I'll also add breadcrumbs to help them stay together better.

1  cup  finely chopped red onion
1/4  cup  thinly sliced fresh basil
1/4  teaspoon  salt
1/4  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
1  (1-pound) salmon fillet, skinned and chopped
1  tablespoon  hot pepper sauce
1  large egg white
Cooking spray
8  (3/4-ounce) slices focaccia, toasted

Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl. Combine hot pepper sauce and egg white in a small bowl; add egg white mixture to salmon mixture, stirring well to combine.
Divide the mixture into 4 equal portions, shaping each into a 1/2-inch-thick patty. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add salmon patties, and cook 3 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Serve patties on toasted focaccia.

Source: Cooking Light

Maple Glazed Salmon

You could call this a Crabtree family favorite. It is our go-to salmon recipe. It has the perfect blend of sweet and spicy. Aaron and I make this more than regularly too. We even splurged for the real maple syrup (trust us, it's worth it).

The first picture is when I made this two weeks ago and the other is from January. I felt it necessary to include the January picture because it is prettier and in much better lighting. 

2 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground ancho chile powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon sea or kosher salt
4 (6 oz) salmon filets
cooking spray
1 tablespoon maple syrup

1. Prepare grill, heating to medium.

2. Combine first 5 ingredients. Sprinkle fish with salt; rub with paprika mixture.

3. Place fish on grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 7 minutes. Drizzle fish with maple syrup; grill 1 minute or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork.