Steak Dry Rub

Pre-making your own dry rubs for steak can cut your cooking prep time in half.  I use my mother’s recipes for my dry rubs.  When I moved out of the dorms a few years ago, she was nice enough to send me some of her homemade dry rubs as gift, then forwarded on the recipes via email. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. 


Steak dry rub

2 T paprika
1 T chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp ground corianader
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves
1/2 tsp cayenne
½ tsp garlic powder

Multiply this recipe by four to fill a small glass container. These make great homemade gifts too!

Sriracha Salmon Glaze

This marinade is mild enough for people who can’t handle too much spice.  Feel free to add more Sriracha if you want your salmon to have more of a punch.

Ingredients
1.5 - 2 lb salmon fillet
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

1.5 tablespoon Sriracha
1 teaspoon soy sauce
a pinch of salt
a pinch of garlic salt
fresh cracked black pepper
1 teaspoon honey *optional- will result in sweet and spicy flavor

Combine all ingredients and spread over salmon fillet. If time permits, let sit in fridge for an hour before baking. 

Homemade Veggie Noodles

Zucchini Noodles!!!!

I gave up pasta a while ago when I started reducing my intake of refined carbs and gluten.  This recipe is a very quick and easy way to get the same texture as noodles using zucchini. You will need a special kitchen utensil for this recipe.  A julienne peeler. Click Here for a great julienne peeler available at Williams-Sonoma.

Ingredients
4 medium size zucchinis
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon sriracha
1 teaspoon soy sauce
½ teaspoon of coconut oil (optional)

Prep Time: 5-10 mins                      Cook Time: 7-10 minutes

1. Wash the zucchinis well.
2. Cut off the tops and bottoms of the zucchinis so you can easily balance them upright against a cutting board.
3. Use the peeler to cut the zucchini into small strips.  It is easier if you apply pressure on the peeler against the zucchini instead of applying pressure downward.  This will give you thicker strips and make the entire process a lot easier.
4. Once all the zucchinis have been cut into strips, place them in a medium size bowl and toss with a ½ tablespoon of toasted sesame oil, 1 teaspoon of low sodium soy sauce and a drizzle of sriracha if you like spice!
5. Place a nonstick pan over medium heat.  For cooking oil use either ½ tablespoon of sesame oil or ½ tablespoon coconut oil.
6. Place the zucchini strips in the pan and cook for 5-10 minutes depending on the volume of noodles.  Make sure to toss the noodles once a minute so that they cook evenly.

Serve as a side dish or as the base for a stir-fry. Hope you all enjoy these, especially Stacey and Hayley :)

Another Quick and Delicious Breakfast Post!! Bacon and Cheddar Biscuits

Ingredients
1 package of Pillsbury Biscuit Rolls
1 Package of Bacon or Turkey Bacon
2-3 slices of Cheese chopped (I used Sharp Cheddar)

Prep Time: 10-15 Mins      Bake Time: According to Package               Oven Temp: 350 F

1. Cut bacon into inch long pieces. Cook bacon, either on the stove or in the microwave. I removed most of the fatty pieces from the strips before cooking.
2. Let bacon cool on paper towels so grease can drain off.
3. Spray muffin tin with Pam. Place each biscuit in a muffin tin (muffin tins should be larger than cupcake tins).
4. Sprinkle each biscuit with bacon and cheddar.
5. Bake for 25- 30 minutes.

These biscuits are great served alongside scrambled eggs.

Easy Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls

The finished product :)

This is how you should combine two crescent triangles to from a dough rectangle

I’ve always wanted to make my own homemade cinnamon rolls but after I looked up a food recipes, I realized the making your own dough (waiting for yeast to rise etc) can be very labor intensive and I don’t have that much time or patience.  I came up with this quick and delicious substitution for my readers who, like me, love cinnamon rolls but all the hard work.  I made the rolls right before I left for Napa so that my boyfriend would have some snacks this weekend.

Ingredients
2 Packets of Crescent Rolls (I used Pillsbury Brand)
½ cup Chocolate chips
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ cup chopped walnuts
½ cup raisins

Prep Time: 10-15 mins                   Bake Time: According to Package            Oven Temp: 350 F

1. Melt the butter and chocolate over in a pan over low heat OR melt in microwave at a medium setting. High power will char the chocolate instead of melt it to a spreadable consistency.  You can also use Nutella if you do not want to bother with melting the chocolate and butter.
2. Open crescent roll Packages.  When you remove the dough roll, carefully unroll it into a flat sheet.  The sheet will look like a large rectangle with perforated lines that form triangles.  Separate each of the triangles.
3. Take two triangles and line up the longest triangle sides to form a long rectangle. Overlap Edges slightly and press down so the dough has no wholes along the joining line.  Continue this process with remaining triangles.
4. Spread melted chocolate on dough rectangles and sprinkle with cinnamon, raisins, and walnuts.  Repeat until all rectangles have filling on one side.
5. Fold each rectangle in half long ways to form long dough strips. Roll each strip and place in cupcake tin (spray tin beforehand with Pam to avoid sticking).
6. Bake until browned on top, approximately 25-30 minutes. Bake time can vary depending on the brand of crescent rolls you use.


Hope you enjoy!!

Headed to Napa!!

I'm off to Napa with my best friend Vanessa! I'll be sure to take pictures of the amazing meals I have there and look forward to some wine country inspired recipes when I return.