Recipe Gurl's 'Go-To' Recipes

So everyone has those few recipes that you make over and over again because you just know you can always count on it to be easy and delicious.  I asked my BF, Recipe Gurl, to share hers with us.  Here are her fave 'Go-To' Recipes:

1.  Salmon Filets over Couscous



Foodnetwork.com



Ingredients

• Olive oil
• 4 (4-ounce) pieces salmon
• Lime
• House Seasoning, recipe follows
• Butter
• Couscous, recipe follows

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Add a drizzle of olive oil to glass pan and place the salmon. Squeeze the juice of 1 lime over the top of the salmon and sprinkle with the House Seasoning. Top with pads of butter. Wrap in the foil and bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Serve on a bed of couscous.

House Seasoning:

1 cup salt

1/4 cup black pepper

1/4 cup garlic powder

Combine all ingredients in a bowl.

Couscous:

2 1/4 cups water or chicken stock

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons butter

10 ounces couscous

1 cup diced tomatoes

1 cup crumbled feta cheese

1/2 cup green onions

Combine water or chicken stock, salt and butter in a saucepan, over medium heat and bring to a boil. Stir in couscous. Add diced tomatoes, crumbled feta, and green onions. Remove from heat, cover and let stand for 5 minutes.

Uncover, fluff with a fork, and serve hot or cold.

Yield: 6 servings

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Ease of preparation: easy

2.  Roasted Tilapia with Roasted Pototoes and Lemon



realsimple.com



Ingredients

• 1 pound baby potatoes (about 12), halved
• 1 lemon, thinly sliced
• 8 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon olive oil
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives
• 4 6-ounce skinless tilapia fillets
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika

Directions

1. Heat oven to 400° F.
2. On a large rimmed baking sheet, toss the potatoes, lemon, thyme, 2 tablespoons oil, and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Arrange in a single layer.
3. Roast, tossing once, until the potatoes begin to soften, about 20 minutes.
4. Toss the olives with the potato mixture; nestle the fish in it. Drizzle the fish with the remaining oil and season with paprika and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper.
5. Continue to roast until the potatoes are golden brown and crisp and the fish is opaque throughout, 12 to 15 minutes.

3.  Honey Chicken Skewers with Grilled Corn Salad



realsimple.com



Ingredients

• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• kosher salt and pepper
• Canola oil, for the grill
• 6 ears corn, shucked
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 2 scallions, sliced

Directions

• Place twenty 8-inch wooden skewers in water to soak. Heat grill to medium-high.
• In a small bowl, combine the ketchup, honey, and Worcestershire sauce. Set aside.
• Slice the chicken lengthwise into twenty ½-inch-thick strips. Thread each strip onto a wooden skewer. Season with ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper.
• Lightly oil the grill. Cook the chicken, turning occasionally, until cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes, basting with the ketchup mixture during the last 2 minutes.
• Meanwhile, grill the corn, turning occasionally, until slightly charred, 3 to 4 minutes.
• Cut the kernels off the cobs, place in a medium bowl, and toss with the butter, scallions, and ¼ teaspoon salt and pepper. Serve with the chicken.

4.  Chicken Broccoli Couscous



Rachel Ray Magazine



Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• Salt and pepper
• 3 cups chicken broth
• One 10-ounce box couscous
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 head broccoli, broken into small florets
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted

Toast nuts in a 350° oven until fragrant, 4 to 5 minutes.

 

Directions:

 

• In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, add to the pan and cook, turning once, until cooked through, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a work surface, let cool, then shred; reserve the skillet.
• Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, bring 2 cups chicken broth and 1 tablespoon olive oil to a boil; season with salt and pepper. Add the couscous, cover and remove from the heat; let stand for 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork.
• In the reserved skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the broccoli and the remaining 1 cup chicken broth and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in the chicken, raisins, parsley and couscous; season with salt and pepper. Toss with the almonds before serving.

**Recipe Gurl Tip:  Cut down on time by using Rotiserrie Chicken instead!!**

5.  Chicken Caesar Burgers with Parmigiano Taters

Ingredients

• For the taters:
• 1 sack frozen tater tots, waffle fries or your favorite frozen tater, any brand
• A couple of handfuls of grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Romano cheese
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary, leaves removed and chopped
• 1 teaspoon hot pepper flakes
• 1 tablespoon grill seasoning (eyeball it)

• For the dipping sauce:
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
• 1/2 small onion, grated
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 15-ounce can crushed tomatoes
• For the burgers:
• 1 1/4 pounds ground chicken breast, the average weight of 1 package
• 3 garlic cloves, 2 finely chopped, 1 cracked from skin
• 4 anchovies, finely chopped (optional – but recommended)
• A handful of Parmigiano Reggiano
• Salt and coarse black pepper
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• A handful flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest plus juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO), plus some for drizzling
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 heart romaine lettuce, chopped
• 2 plum tomatoes, thinly sliced
• 4 crusty rolls, split in half

Preparation

• Preheat oven to 425°F.
• Start the taters: Combine Parmigiano, salt, rosemary, hot pepper flakes and grill seasoning in a bowl. Pour four portions of taters onto a non-stick cookie sheet. Bake until almost crisp (about halfway through the cooking time on the package), then remove and sprinkle them with a handful of the cheese, tossing them a little to make sure they're coated, and then finish baking them off. Sprinkle them with cheese and herb mixture, tossing them around a bit so the mixture sticks. As the frost starts to melt, the flavorings will set into place.
• Make the dipping sauce: Heat EVOO in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add grated onion (onion can be grated right over the pot) and garlic, and cook 1-2 minutes. Add tomatoes, reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring frequently, for 10-12 minutes. Remove from heat and reserve.
• While the sauce is working, prepare the burgers: In a bowl, combine the chicken, finely chopped garlic, anchovies, a handful of cheese, a pinch of salt and a generous amount of pepper, Worcestershire, parsley and lemon zest. Mix the meat and form 4 oval-shaped, rather than round, burger patties.
• Heat a large nonstick skillet with 1 tablespoon of EVOO, a turn of the pan, over medium-high heat. When hot, add the chicken patties and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side.
• Preheat the broiler and toast the bread on a cookie sheet or broiler pan. Once lightly golden in color, remove from oven and rub the breads with cracked garlic. Drizzle bread with the EVOO.
• Combine Dijon, lemon juice and 2-3 tablespoons of EVOO with salt and pepper, and toss the greens with it.
• Place the patties on the bun bottoms and top them with a pile of romaine, sliced tomatoes and bun tops. Serve the burgers with the Parmigiano taters and a bowl with the dipping sauce alongside.

What are your "Go-To" Recipes??  I'll be posting mine after this weekend!