Salmon topped with Feta & Red Onion

This recipe is a perfect accompaniment to delicious homemade Greek salad.  Salmon topped with herbs, feta and red onion is a healthy, delicious dinner that is easy to put together for a quick mid-week meal.  To top it off, it looks lovely when being served.  Use even slices of salmon for the best, most even cooking.  Enjoy!

Freshly baked salmon topped with herbs, feta & red onion, then drizzled in olive oil before baking.

Salmon topped with Feta & Red Onion

Preheat oven to 425 F.  Line cookie sheet with foil.

On foil-lined pan, place 3-4 salmon pieces skin side down.

Sprinkle the tops of each salmon slice with:
salt
pepper
garlic powder
oregano
basil

Drizzle the top with olive oil.

Top with:
thinly sliced red onion
crumbled feta

Drizzle tops again with a little extra olive oil.

Salmon prior to cooking.  If desired, you can use even more herbs sprinkled on top - as in the salmon shown below. 

Bake salmon pieces at 425 F for 20-25 minutes until cooked through.  I find thinner pieces cook in ~20 minutes and thicker pieces take more like 25 minutes.  Check the thickest point with a fork to make sure it flakes nicely and is cooked through. Salmon turns from a darker pink to a lighter pink when cooked.

Delicious served with a homemade Greek Salad on the side.

Enjoy!!!

Salmon fresh out of the oven, with a bit thicker layer of herbs.  Both methods are delicious. Enjoy! 

Delicious Greek Salad with Homemade Dressing

A delicious, and incredibly easy to whip together Greek salad with homemade dressing.  We've made it many times, and I've even had others whip it together with my notes, and it turned out just perfectly.   You can adjust the vegetables around to have more/less of the ones that are your favorite.  The great thing about this Greek salad is the there are no large olives floating around, rather a few are chopped finely and incorporated into the dressing. Yum! It's a perfect accompaniment to salmon (to be posted soon.) Enjoy!

Our new favorite Greek salad, ready to serve! 

Delicious Greek Salad

In a large bowl, mix:
1/2 - 1 cucumber, peeled and chopped into bite-size pieces
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 green bell pepper, diced
1/4 red onion, thinly sliced & diced
5-10 cherry tomatoes (or 2 romas) diced into bite-size pieces
large handful romaine lettuce, sliced
large handful spinach, sliced

Mix together the following dressing in a small bowl:
3 Tbsp olive oil 
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
3/4 - 1 tsp Italian seasoning blend
dash salt & pepper
5-6 Calamata olives, diced
3 Tbsp crumbled feta cheese

Toss dressing with vegetables. Serve!  It's my favorite fresh, but still tastes great the next day, too, when all the flavors have melded together a bit more.  Enjoy!

Chocolate Frosted Sugar Cookies!

I'm always looking for tasty, easy cookies that can be whipped up for special occasions.  These are a perfect hit - the chocolate version of my favorite frosted sugar cookies. These are a perfect, easy treat to whip up for Valentine's day!  Enjoy!!!

Chocolate frosted sugar cookies, ready for Valentine's Day!

Chocolate Frosted Sugar Cookies!
Makes ~20 cookies (fewer for larger cookies, more for smaller cookies)

Preheat oven to 375 F.  Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicon liner.

In a large bowl, whisk together:
1 cup Kristin's Gluten-Free Flour Mix
1/2 cup cocoa powder (a lighter one is best)
1 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cream of tartar

Beat in a mixer until fluffy:
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup powdered sugar

Add, mixing until evenly combined:
1 egg 
1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste

Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until smooth.  Roll out dough between two pieces of plastic wrap until ~1/4" - 3/8" thick.  Cut shapes as desired with cookie cutters.

3" cookies ready for baking.

Place cookies 1-2" apart on parchment paper-lined pan.  Bake at 375 F for ~6-8 minutes.  These cook very quickly and are nice and soft.  If you want them crispier, you can cook them an additional 1-2 minutes.

Cookies after 7 minutes of cooking.

Let cool on cooling rack and then top with the Chocolate Marshmallow Fluff Frosting.  Top with sprinkles, if desired.  Enjoy!!!

Chocolate frosted cookies with Valentine sprinkles.

Delicious Roasted Tomato Soup

While the most delicious tomato soup is best with fresh from the vine tomatoes in the fall, the ever-increasing varieties available year-round allow for some delicious roasted tomato soup to be whipped up in the winter, too!  This creamy (dairy-free) tomato soup is a favorite with all my kids and extended family, too!  Thanks to wonderful PEI chef Morgan Palmer for sharing her wonderful recipe with the Heartbeet Organics Veggie CSA.  Delicious!  Enjoy!

Oven-roasted tomato soup with toasted cheese-topped bread

My youngest enjoying her fresh roasted tomato soup.

Delicious Roasted Tomato Soup
based on a recipe by PEI chef Morgan Palmer

Preheat oven to 425 F.

Arrange on a large baking pan:
3 - 3.5 lbs fresh tomatoes, coarsely chopped (I like to use a variety of types, including heirlooms, for flavor)
2 onions, coarsely chopped
6-10 cloves garlic (depending on the size of the cloves)

Drizzle the tomatoes, onions and garlic with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.   Bake at 400 F for 45 minutes, until tomatoes are caramelizing. (Keep everything on one pan, unlike what I did in the picture below, to avoid any burning of the liquids - the tomatoes were so pretty, though, I had to include the picture).

I separated the tomatoes out onto two pans, but I'd recommend using just one, even if it seems like they're packed closely together.  It helps avoid the burning of juice on the pans. Yes, I've made it roasted all on one pan, I just forgot to take pictures. 

In a large pot, bring to a boil:
4 cups chicken broth (or water + Asian mushroom seasoning)
2 Tbsp butter, optional, but adds a wonderful depth to the flavor
tomatoes, onions & garlic from the baking pan, including the liquid

Reduce the heat and simmer for ~20 minutes.  Remove from heat and use a stick blender to puree the soup.

Stir in:
1/2 cup canned coconut milk, thick part only

Return to low heat and cook for a few minutes, seasoning with additional salt and pepper, if necessary.

You can also add dash of maple syrup to your bowl for a little sweetness.

Absolutely wonderful served with homemade GF grilled cheese sandwiches! Enjoy!