Category: recipes

quick & easy dinner recipe ideas

seared salmon with asparagus & quinoa

I’m baaaack! I was on a weeklong vacation with my family in Seaside, Florida and we had the best time! We did all.the.things! We also ate EVERYTHING.

Now I’m kick-starting a healthier menu for dinner this week with Salmon. You can also watch how I made it on my Instagram stories @aimeesapron and checkout my Seared Salmon Highlight: https://www.instagram.com/stories/highlights/18085328257036864/

seared salmon

makes 5-6 servings for full 2.35 lb fillet, you can also use this same guide for 2 6oz. fillets

  • Fresh salmon fillets, washed and patted dry
  • 1 tablespoon oil of your choice, I used avocado oil
  • salt & lemon pepper to taste
  • For sauce:
  • The juice of 1 whole lemon or lime
  • Your favorite herbs, I used a teaspoon of fresh rosemary
  • 1 tablespoon of butter, I used Kerrygold
  • A tablespoon of water
  • 1 teaspoon of honey
  1. Sprinkle the flesh side of the with salt and lemon pepper.
  2. Head your non-stick skillet to medium high and add a tablespoon of avocado oil.
  3. Place the salmon, flesh side down in the skillet and leave to cook for 5 minutes.
  4. Flip once and allow the salmon to finish cooking. The internal temperature should be around 140 degrees for a medium well done fillet.
  5. Set fillets aside and drain the fat from the pan to prepare the sauce.
  6. Add the lemon or lime juice to the skillet over medium-high heat and then add the butter, stirring.
  7. Also add the fresh herbs and deglaze the pan.
  8. Add the water and honey and stir to combine.
  9. Spoon the sauce over the salmon fillets.

asparagus

  • A bunch of asparagus, ends cut off
  • 1 teaspoon oil, I used avocado oil
  • 1 teaspoon crushed garlic
  • 1 teaspoon soy sauce, I used low sodium
  1. Heat the oil in a skillet and then add the crushed garlic.
  2. Add the asparagus, soy sauce and then cover the pan and let cook for 5 minutes over medium heat.

quinoa in the Instant Pot

makes about 3 cups

  • 1 cup dry quinoa, rinsed
  • 1 1/2 cups water or broth
  • A pinch of salt
  • Add all ingredients to the Instant Pot and set to manual for 1 minute. Voila!

Please follow me @aimeesapron on Instagram for more recipe ideas daily! https://www.instagram.com/aimeesapron/

tuna melt

What is more American than a tuna melt? Well…apple pie, mac & cheese, hamburgers & hot dogs…etc. But tonight I am throwing it back to my first ever tuna melt and the beginning of a wonderful new dinner idea.

tuna melt

makes 2 tuna melts, can double recipe

  • 1 package of tuna in water
  • 1 tablespoon of mayonnaise
  • 1 teaspoon of lemon pepper
  • 2 slices of bread, lightly toasted
  • 2 slices of Swiss cheese
  • Paprika to taste
  1. In a bowl, mix together tuna, mayo & lemon pepper together.
  2. Spoon half the tuna mixture onto one slice of toasted bread, and the other half on the other slice of toasted bread.
  3. Top each slice of bread with one slice of Swiss cheese.
  4. Put on a baking sheet and broil in the oven for 2-3 minutes or in a toaster oven for 1-2 minutes or until cheese is melted and slightly brown.
  5. Sprinkle with paprika to finish. Eat with a fork & knife.

Please follow me @aimeesapron on Instagram for more recipe ideas daily! https://www.instagram.com/aimeesapron/

loaded sweet potato

Remixing it tonight! I had left over pulled pork from the night before and some other items I needed to use up. So…cooking up a sweet potato in my Instant Pot make for another quick meal. Full recipe below and check out how I make my loaded baked potato here:

loaded sweet potatoes

makes 4 servings

  • 4 giant sweet potatoes
  • 1 1/2 – 2 cups pilled pork, cooked & diced
  • 1/2 cup of your favorite BBQ sauce

toppings to taste:

  • Sour Cream
  • Avocado, sliced
  • Pickled red onions
  • Queso fresco
  • Cilantro
  1. Start by preparing the sweet potatoes. I put all four of mine in the Instant Pot for 30 minutes with just a 1/2 cup of water. You can also pierce the skins and put them in the oven for about 45 minutes to an hour or until cooked through.
  2. Next, chop up your left over pulled pork and put into a skillet over medium heat along with the BBQ sauce. Cook until warmed through.
  3. Slice the potato in half lengthwise and put on a plate.
  4. Add the hot BBQ pork on top and then follow with toppings: sour cream, avocado, pickled red onions, queso fresco & cilantro.

Please follow me @aimeesapron on Instagram for more recipe ideas daily! https://www.instagram.com/aimeesapron/

deep south tacos

I am not making a traditional taco tonight. I am taking inspiration from a salad I had and putting that in taco form. Fellow Hispanics…please don’t take my Mexi card. Experimenting with food is fun! 🙂

First things first…I did a little prep yesterday so that dinner would come together quickly tonight. I prepared a 3 lb. pork shoulder by sticking it in my Instant Pot along with a pouch of my kids applesauce and 1/2 cup of water, set the manual timer for 85 minutes and let that cook. No salt…no pepper…no other spices. After 85 minutes, I shredded the pork (which was very easy since it was cooked so tenderly) and let it cool completely before refrigerating.

I also made some pickled red onions. There are so many ways to make pickled onions, but take it from lazy me…this is the easiest:

pickled red onions

  • A small red onion, thinly sliced
  • A pinch of salt
  • Distilled white vinegar
  • Apple Cider Vinegar
  • A mason jar
  • 1 cup boiling water
  1. Take the thinly sliced red onions and put them in a strainer. Over the sink, slowly pour the boiling water over the onions giving them a quick blanch.
  2. Place the onions in the mason jar with a pinch of salt. Next pour half apple cider vinegar and half distilled vinegar over the onions to cover.
  3. Let them cool at room temperature, then cover with a lid and refrigerate. Good for two weeks in the fridge.

deep south tacos

makes a lot of tacos – save the rest of the pork for another meal

  • cooked pork shoulder, shredded
  • corn tortillas – see TIP below
  • Fresh kale, chopped
  • Pickles, diced – reserve some pickle juice
  • Ranch dressing
  • Pickled red onions
  • Queso fresco – optional
  • Cilantro – optional
  1. Get a corn tortilla on a plate and place some pulled pork in the center.
  2. Add the shredded kale on top.
  3. Combine 2 tablespoons of ranch dressing with 1 tablespoon of pickle juice. Drizzle this over the kale and pork.
  4. Sprinkle the dill pickles and pickled red onions over.
  5. It’s tasty enough this way, but you can also sprinkle queso fresco and cilantro over as well.

Please follow me @aimeesapron on Instagram for more recipe ideas daily! https://www.instagram.com/aimeesapron/

chicken zoodles in a cream sauce

Are you zoodling?  You know, where you take fresh zucchini and use that zoodle machine to transform the squash into curly strands?  It’s a lot of fun and I like replacing it with pasta in some dishes.  Tonight I made chicken zoodles in a cream sauce and it’s so satisfying I can’t wait to make it again.

chicken zoodles in a cream sauce

makes 4-6 servings

  • A package of boneless skinless chicken tenders. Mine came with 13.
  • 2 zucchini
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1/4 cup frozen peas
  • A few mini bell peppers, sliced
  • 1 clove of garlic, crushed
  • A head of broccoli florets, cut into pieces
  • A handful of fresh spinach
  • A handful of grape tomatoes, cut in half
  • Salt 7 pepper to taste
  • 1 teaspoon of paprika
  • Parmesan for sprinkling
  • Red pepper flake for sprinkling – optional
  1. Season your chicken with salt, pepper and paprika on both sides.
  2. Place 1 tablespoon of olive in a pan over medium head and add the chicken.
  3. While the chicken is cooking, zoodle your zucchini
  4. TIP: Lightly sprinkle salt over the zoodles to draw out any extra moisture and prevent your zoodles from being watery.
  5. Let the chicken brown on both sides, then remove and set aside.
  6. Add the zoodles and garlic to the seasoned pan that the chicken was in.
  7. After a few minutes, add the bell pepper and broccoli, stirring occasionally.
  8. Next, add the other fresh veggies: fresh spinach and peas. Stir to combine.
  9. Drizzle the heavy cream over the mixture and add the chicken back in, nestling the tenders between the zoodles and veggies.
  10. Plate the meal and top with Parmesan cheese and red pepper flake.

You can see how I made this step by step on my Instagram stories here: https://www.instagram.com/stories/highlights/18058876312113689/

Please follow me @aimeesapron on Instagram for more recipe ideas daily! https://www.instagram.com/aimeesapron/

thursday remix

Thursday in our house are Remix Thursdays. This is when I go into my fridge, pull out leftovers and anything I need to use up before it goes bad. Then, I take a look at what I have and try to remix it.

Today I had leftover stuffed poblano peppers from the night before, quinoa from earlier in the week and some lettuce that was going to go brown soon. I dug into the back of my freezer and found 1/2 a bag of frozen hashbrowns and then I got my inspiration. Ground beef, peppers and hash with a side salad! I could have easily added the quinoa to the hash mixture which would have been really good too, but wanted to be adventurous so I made croquettes. You can see step by step how I made this here:

https://www.instagram.com/stories/highlights/17905767619325014/

ground beef, peppers & hash

makes 4 servings

  • 3 leftover stuffed poblano peppers, chopped into bite size pieces
  • 1 cup frozen hashbrowns
  • 4 mini-bellpeppers or 1/2 a regular bellpepper cut into strips
  • 2 tablespoons of olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon Fresh chopped cilantro, chopped
  • Sour cream for dolloping
  1. In a skillet over high heat add 1 tablespoon olive oil and add in the frozen hasbrowns. Move them around the oil so they thaw and then brown.
  2. Next, chop up the stuffed poblanos and bellpeppers. Add the other tablespoon of oil to the pan and then add the poblanos and peppers to the skillet.
  3. Everything is cooked, so just stir it all around until slightly crispy and warmed through.
  4. Sprinkle cilantro over the hash and then plate with a dollop of sour cream on top.

quinoa croquettes

makes 5 croquettes

  • 1 cup cooked quinoa
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1/4 cup flour – gluten free or all purpose
  • A pinch of salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • 2-3 teaspoons of goat cheese – I used honey goat cheese
  1. In a small bowl, beat one egg, add the quinoa, Italian seasoning and salt. Stir to combine.
  2. Next adding a teaspoon at a time, sprinkle flour over the mixture until the mixture stays together when pinched.
  3. Scoop about a teaspoon of quinoa into the palm of your hand and flatten it slightly.
  4. Take about a 1/2 teaspoon of goat cheese and place that in the center of the quinoa mixture in your palm.
  5. Add a little more quinoa on top and pat the mixture together, concealing the goat cheese.
  6. Place on a cookie sheet that has been lightly sprayed with oil.
  7. Bake for 10 minutes at 325 degrees, turning them halfway through. They should be crispy on the outside but still tender.
  8. I drizzled some balsamic glaze over these for a sweet contrasting note.

Please follow me @aimeesapron on Instagram for more recipe ideas daily!https://www.instagram.com/aimeesapron/

asian inspired beef stir-fry

Top round beef is an inexpensive cut of meat located in the rump and hind leg area of the cow.  The beef itself is much leaner and less tender than other cuts of meats making it more challenging to cook with when you are trying to make quick meals.

One thing I’ve done to combat the tenderizing issue is to cut the meat as thinly as possible against the grain.  This helps to prevent the meat from being chewy once cooked. I also find that making a quick marinade for meats that include acids like lemon or lime and vinegars will aid in breaking down the tissue.

Enough anatomy class…let’s get into how to make this dish!

asian inspired beef stir-fry

makes 4 servings

  • 1.5 pounds of top round steak, cut thinly into strips
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • ½ a red or yellow onion, sliced in half moons
  • 1 clove garlic, crushed
  • ¼ cup soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon honey or agave syrup
  • Squeeze of one whole lime
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil – optional
  • Red pepper flake to taste – optional
  • 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro – optional
  • 1 cup shredded cabbage – purple or green
  • 1 cup of what rice (see below for how I cook rice)
  1. Combine the garlic, soy sauce, vinegar, honey, lime and sesame oil in a small bowl to make a marinade.  I use a measuring cup for easy pouring.  Set aside.
  2. Slice top round steak into thin strips, against the grain.
  3. Season with salt and pepper.
  4. Put oil in a skillet over high heat.
  5. Add the beef strips to the skillet, turning them over frequently.  They will cook very quickly.
  6. Once the beef is somewhat brown, add the cabbage and onion in.
  7. Next, drizzle the marinade over the meat and veggies.  Stir to combine.
  8. Once everything is cooked through, spoon the beef and veggies mixture along with the sauce over rice.  Top with fresh cilantro and red pepper flake if you please.

How I Cook Rice

Something you will get to know about me, is that when I am cooking for my family, I rarely measure. Even if I am following a recipe, my normal routine is to add a little of this and a little of that.

I watched my mother cook rice and now I do it this same way.

  1. I put a pot on medium heat and add about a tablespoon of my favorite cooking oil.
  2. I add the dry rice in and let it saute in the oil, stirring frequently. You don’t want the rice to burn.
  3. Once I smell the toasted rice and see it has a beautiful golden flavor, I add some water to cover and stir. I do not put the lid on the pot.
  4. Optional: if you wanted to make flavored rice, I add my flavorings here. Maybe a chicken or tomato bouillon cube. For the taco bowls I left the rice plain but added a little salt.
  5. I continue to stir occasionally and add water as needed until rice is cooked al dente.

Please follow me @aimeesapron on Instagram for more recipe ideas daily!https://www.instagram.com/aimeesapron/



stuffed poblano peppers

I love when I can find new ways to cook with the same old meats. Well I’ve got a pound of ground beef that needs to be cooked up so tonight we’re going Mexican with stuffed poblano peppers.

Did you know…most grocery stores label the poblano pepper as a “pasilla pepper?” So just know that if you see a pepper that looks like this, it’s most likely a poblano.

Poblano peppers otherwise known as Pasilla peppers

stuffed poblano peppers

makes 4-8 servings

  • 4 poblano peppers
  • 1 tablespoon of olive oil
  • salt & pepper to taste
  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1/2 red onion, diced
  • 1 cup shredded cheese
  • For topping: cilantro, avocado, sour cream, tomatoes and jalapenos – all optional

Did you know…that poblanos are on the greener side of the Scoville scale when it comes to heat? The Scoville scale measures the heat of all known peppers we eat. Poblanos come in at about 1,000-2,000 SHU’s.

  1. Slice the poblanos in half and remove the seeds.
  2. On a baking dish, drizzle olive oil, salt and pepper inside the peppers.
  3. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes at 350 degrees and then remove and set aside.
  4. Add the olive oil to a pan over medium heat and add the ground beef.
  5. Sprinkle in the spices and let the mean brown.
  6. Add in the onion to soak up the flavor of the beef.
  7. Stuff the poblanos generously with the beef mixture and top with cheese.
  8. Place in the oven to warm through and melt the cheese. About 5-10 minutes.
  9. Remove and top with your favorites!

You can watch how I make it here!

Please follow me @aimeesapron on Instagram for more recipe ideas daily! https://www.instagram.com/aimeesapron/

mom’s night out grilled cheese & tomato soup

grilled cheese

makes 4 servings

Even though my husband is full capable of feeding the children if I step out for the evening, I still feel pangs of guilt as if I am leaving them with no food options. My Mom’s Night Out grilled cheese is a quick dinner I can whip up and one my kids and husband love.

Ok so most people do not need a recipe for grilled cheese. I do however, think you can jazz up any normal grilled cheese and here are some ideas:

  • Add meats to the inside of the bread along with the cheese
  • Use a panini press or sandwich press to make the grilled cheese extra melty – yes that is a word 🙂
  • Toast your bread before so that the bread is extra crunchy
  • Cut the bread in diagonals to make perfect “dippers” to go with tomato soup

creamy tomato soup

makes 4-6 servings

  • A 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
  • 2 gloves garlic, crushed
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream
  • 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese
  1. In a pot, add 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat.
  2. Add the crushed garlic to the pan, and then pour in the crushed tomatoes.
  3. Sprinkle in a teaspoon of sugar. The sugar helps to cut the acidic taste that comes from canned tomato products.
  4. Sprinkle in the Italian seasoning stirring occasionally.
  5. Add in the chicken stock and stir to combine. Let simmer for 2-3 minutes.
  6. Add both the Parmesan cheese and heavy cream and stir to combine.
  7. Finish with more Parmesan to taste and fresh parsley or basil.

Please follow me @aimeesapron on Instagram for more recipe ideas daily! https://www.instagram.com/aimeesapron/

summer grilled chicken and corn

It’s grilling season in Texas and one of my favorites meats to grill is chicken thighs.

Oh how I love chicken thighs. Let me count the ways…

  1. They’re an inexpensive cut of meat.
  2. You can’t mess them up! There’s no over-cooking. They just become more tender.
  3. Being so tender, they are great for grilling over direct heat and still being juicy.
  4. They take on the flavors you put on them so well.

To go with my grilled chicken I just new I had to have some fresh summer corn. Grilled corn on its own with globs of butter is heaven. BUT grilled corn with globs of homemade spicy butter? To die for. Let me tell you how I made it!

grilled chicken thighs

makes 4 servings

  • 4-6 boneless or bone-in, skinless or skin-on chicken (the only factor that changes is the time it takes to cook them)
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Your favorite BBQ sauce (I like Sweet Baby Ray’s)
  • 4 fresh corn on the cob
  • 2 tablespoons of your favorite butter, softened (I like Kerrigold)
  • 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon fresh cilantro, chopped finely
  • Queso fresco or feta cheese for sprinkling
  1. Start by preparing your butter. Take 2 tablespoons softened butter and add the chili powder, paprika, cumin and cilantro to it in a small bowl. Stir until combined.
  2. If you are in a hurry you can just leave it in the bowl and pop it in the fridge until you’re ready to eat OR you can wrap it in wax paper and roll it up like a cigar and put it in the fridge for an hour or more. This way it will harden and you can slice of pieces of butter.
  3. Season your chicken with salt and pepper and place on the grill to cook. Be sure to check on the meat and turn as needed.
  4. Place the corn on the cob to grill.
  5. When the chicken is almost done, baste the chicken with your BBQ sauce.
  6. Once the chicken and corn are cooked through, plate with a side of juicy watermelon and a pinch of Mexican sweet chili powder, and dollop the chili butter along with some queso fresco on your corn.
  7. You MUST eat this on your porch or backyard. It’s so good!

Please follow me @aimeesapron on Instagram for more recipe ideas daily! https://www.instagram.com/aimeesapron/