Cucumber and Vinegar

Ingredients:

• one cucumber sliced thin
• 1 onion, sliced thin
• 1/4 cup white vinegar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/8 cup sugar
• sea salt
• black pepper

Directions:

1. Simple - just mix it all together, cover and refrigerate. The longer it sits, the better it gets.

At your own discretion, you can add other ingredients such as sliced tomato, sliced green or red peppers, sliced zucchini or just about anything else. You may want to skip the sugar. And the onion can be any type - red, sweet, white, Vidalia. 

Oven Baked Fried Chicken

Ingredients:

• 2 chicken breasts
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• 3/4 tsp. black pepper
• 1 cup flour
• 2 tsp. paprika
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1/2 stick butter
• 1/2 cup milk

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Melt butter in 9 x 13 glass baking dish
3. Soak chicken in milk 20-30 minutes
4. Mix all powder ingredients in a large bowl or Zip-Lock bag
5. Shake excess milk off chicken and coat with powder mixture and place in the baking dish
6. Bake at least 20 minutes on each side to your desired doneness

2 servings

Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls

Ingredients:

• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 small cabbage, chopped
• 1 cans (14.5 ounces each) diced tomatoes
• 1/2 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon sea salt

Preparation:

1. In a large non-stick skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the ground beef and onion and cook, stirring, until ground beef is no longer pink and onion is tender.
2. Add the garlic and continue cooking for 1 minute.
3. Add the chopped cabbage, tomatoes, tomato sauce, pepper, and salt. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, or until cabbage is tender.

Yield: Serves 4 - or two meals for 2 

Sauteed Chilean Sea Bass

Ingredients:

• 1 thick cut filet of Chilean Sea Bass
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• sea salt and black pepper to taste
• 5 tbsp. butter
• 2 tbsp. drained capers
• 3 tbsp. olive oil

Directions:

1. Mix flour, salt and pepper in a bowl
2. Coat the filet with the flour
3. Heat the olive oil and 4 tbsp. butter in nonstick skillet on medium for 3-4 minutes
4. Add the filet
5. Increase the heat to medium high and saute on each side to your desired level of being done - a minimum of 3 minutes on each side. We like our fish more well done, so I saute longer - until the filet is golden brown on each side
6. In a small frying pan, melt the remaining tbsp. of butter
7. Add capers and cook over medium high heat for about 3-4 minutes
8. Pour capers over the filet and serve

Cutting the large filet in 1/2 gives you 2 servings.

Salmon with Creamy Dill Sauce

Ingredients:

• 2 lb.salmon filet
• 1 tsp. lemon-pepper seasoning
• 1 tsp. onion salt
• 1 small onion, sliced and cut into rings
• 6 tsp. lemon juice
• 1/4 cup butter, cubed

Dill Sauce Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 1/3 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tbsp. finely chopped onion
• 1 tsp. lemon juice
• 1 tsp. horse radish
• 3/4 tsp. dill weed
• 1/4 tsp. garlic salt
• black pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Line a 15" x 10" x 1" baking pan with non-stick aluminum foil
2. Grease lightly - I used olive oil
3. Place salmon, skin side down, on foil
4. Sprinkle with lemon-pepper and onion salt
5. Top with onion and lemon, dot with butter
6. Cover with foil and seal tightly
7. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes, then remove top foil (carefully)
8. Broil 6" from coils for 12 minutes
9. Combine all the sauce ingredients until smooth

6 servings - Source: Taste of Home 2012

Asparagus Soup

Ingredients:

• 2 lb. asparagus, woody end removed, then cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 5 cups chicken broth
• 3 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 chopped onion
• 2 stalks chopped celery
• 1 chopped carrot
• 1 1/2 tsp. minced garlic
• 1/2 cup milk
• sea salt
• black pepper

Directions:

1. Warm the olive oil in a large saucepan over low heat
2. Add onion, celery, carrot and cook about 3 minutes
3. Add garlic and cook 1 minute
4. Add asparagus, salt and pepper to taste, and cook 5 minutes
5. Add chicken broth and simmer covered another 20 minutes
6. Add milk and warm without simmering on low

You may want to add a tsp. of lemon juice.

4 servings

Chile-garlic spinach

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, sliced or crushed
• 10 oz. (10 cups) baby spinach
• sea salt

Directions:

1. Heat oil over medium-high 
2. Add garlic and cook about 30 seconds
3. Add spinach and cook until wilted - about 1-2 minutes - tossing constantly
4. Season with sea salt and lemon if desired