One, two, three, four, five! FIVE exciting recipes to try this week that will help you reset, and hopefully inspire you to continue to try new things in 2023.
Tess and I love elevated meals and carbs a lot! Yet, after a holiday season of rich, sumptuous recipes, we’re craving a lighter roundup. Still, it’s not an option to sacrifice taste or comfort (its winter after all). If you’re feeling the same way, consider adding an effortless spicy tuna poke bowl to your weeknight rotation. Or, after a long day and chilly commute home – why not chicken soup sans chicken? With the addition of tiny, tender meatballs and spinach – you have comfort food at its healthiest in a bowl of Italian wedding soup. For the beef lovers in the crowd consider thinly sliced, lean strip steak in a slightly sweet, aromatic sauce, served over fluffy white rice – Mongolian beef! We’ve rounded out our 5 meals with a sheet pan salmon and broccolini (the salmon cooks to perfection every time, and the broccolini is awe-worthy), and finally a great start to the day with our favorite smoothie.
When you walk into your kitchen this week, we hope you’ll take some inspiration from this roundup. The recipes are all weekday-friendly, and poised to help you feel your best. We’re so excited to welcome you into our kitchen this year!
Happy 2023! (scroll down to see the recipes!)
Kim & Tess
Salmon Teriyaki and Broccolini
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil or olive oil
- 3 tablespoons Tamari
- 1 1/2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic (3 cloves)
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 4 skinless salmon fillets (2-2 1/2 pounds total)
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 pound broccolini, lower third of the stems discarded
- Steamed white basmati rice (recipe follows)
Basmati Rice
- 1 cup white basmati rice
- 1 3/4 cups water
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Arrange two racks evenly spaced in the oven.
- In a small saucepan, combine the vegetable oil, soy sauce, maple syrup, sesame oil, ginger, garlic, and hot red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil over medium heat, lower the heat and simmer for 3 minutes. Set aside off the heat.
- Arrange the salmon fillets, rounded sides up, in a baking dish just large enough to hold them with a little space in between the fillets. Sprinkle the salmon with 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper and spoon the soy sauce mixture evenly over the fillets. Roast the salmon for about 12 minutes for rare and 15 minutes for medium, depending on the thickness of the fillets.
- Meanwhile, prepare the broccolini. Place the broccolini on a sheet pan, drizzle it with 4 tablespoons olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and toss with your hands. Ten minutes before the salmon is done, roast the broccolini on the second oven rack until crisp/tender.
- Divide the hot rice between 4 shallow bowls and top each with a salmon fillet and some broccolini. Spoon the sauce from the salmon over the salmon and rice and serve hot.
Steamed Basmati Rice
- Combine the rice, water, butter, and salt in a medium saucepan, bring the water to a boil, lower the heat, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes, until the water is absorbed and the rice is tender and fluffy. You may have to pull the pot halfway off the burner to keep a simmer. Fluff with a fork and serve hot.
Spicy Tuna and Yellowtail Poke Bowl
Ingredients
- 2 4-ounce sushi grade tuna steaks, cubed
- 1 2-ounce sushi grade yellowfin, cubed
- 1/3 cup cup Tamari
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1/2 tablespoon chili oil
- 3 teaspoons grated ginger
- 3/4 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/3 cup chopped green onions
- 1 1/2 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
- 3-4 cups sushi rice, cooked
Spicy Mayo
- 1/3 cup mayo we prefer Dukes
- 1-2 tablespoons sriracha
- 2 teaspoons Tamari
- 1 teaspoon honey
Cucumber Salad
- 1 cup Persian cucumbers, sliced
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon honey
Instructions
- To make the poke. In a medium bowl, combine the tuna, Tamari, sesame chili oil, ginger, red pepper flakes, green onion, and sesame seeds. Toss to mix.
- To make the cucumber salad. Toss together the cucumbers, rice vinegar, honey, and a pinch each of chili flakes and salt.
- To make the Spicy Mayo. In a small bowl, stir together the mayo, sriracha, honey, and Tamari.
- To assemble, add the rice to bowls, top with avocado, cucumber salad, poke, and green onions.Spoon over the spicy mayo. Sprinkle on the crumbs. Serve with additional spicy mayo.
Italian Wedding Soup
Ingredients
- 1 small onion, grated
- 1/3 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 slice fresh white bread, crust trimmed, bread torn into small pieces
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
- 8 ounces ground beef
- 8 ounces ground pork
- Freshly ground black pepper
Soup
- 12 cups homemade or low-sodium chicken broth *see homemade in recipe index
- 1 pound baby spinach
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- To make the meatballs: Stir the first 6 ingredients in a large bowl to blend. Stir in the cheese, beef and pork. Using 1 1/2 teaspoons for each, shape the meat mixture into 1-inch-diameter meatballs. Place on a baking sheet.
- To make the soup: Bring the broth to a boil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs and spinach and simmer until the meatballs are cooked through and the spinach is tender, about 8 minutes. Season the soup to taste with salt and pepper.
- Ladle the soup into bowls and serve. Finish soup with parmesan cheese if desired.
Strawberry and Spinach Smoothie with Yogurt
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups ice
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 medium apple, such as Fuji or Honey Crisp, peeled, cored, and chopped
- 8 medium strawberries, halved
- 1/2 medium ripe banana, peeled
- 1 packed cup baby spinach leaves
Instructions
- Combine all of the ingredients in a blender and blend on high speed until smooth. Pour into glasses and serve.
Spicy Beef and Broccolini Stir Fry
Ingredients
- 1-1 1/2 pound flank steak, thinly sliced against the grain
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 4 tablespoons safflower oil
- 10-12 broccolini stalks, halved crosswise
- 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped or grated
- 1 1-inch piece ginger, peeled and minced or grated
- 1 tablespoon Sambal Oelek chili paste
- 1/2 cup Tamari
- 3 tablespoons raw honey
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced, plus more for serving
- steamed rice for serving
- toasted sesame seeds for serving
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine the steak with the cornstarch. Toss to coat.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of the safflower oil in a cast-iron skillet over high heat.
- When the oil shimmers, working in batches, add the steak and cook until browned, 2 minutes per side. Transfer the steak to a plate.
- To the same skillet of high heat, add 1 tablespoon of the oil and the broccolini. Cook, stirring occasionally, until bright green and tender., 4-5 minutes. Transfer the broccolini to the plate with the steak.
- Reduce the heat to medium. Give the pan a minute to adjust. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, the garlic, ginger, and Sambal Oelek. Cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add 1/4 cup of water, the soy sauce, and the honey. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. cook until slightly thickened, 3-5 minutes. Return the steak and broccolini to the pan, tossing to coat in the sauce. Cook until warmed through, 1-2 minutes. Stir in the green onions.
- To serve, spoon the beef and broccolini over the rice. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and more green oinion.
This was amazing!! Love the post & will definitely be trying some of these lighter recipes.
Ladies,
Wow I love your new format, everything I try is just wonderful.
Thanks
Brian
Thank you so much for the feedback! We’re so happy to hear that you love the recipes and the new site 🙂 Let us know what you try next, we’d love to hear!