Mackerel in chive butter

1. Clean the fish, gut it out it needed. Thaw in cold water if frozen. 
2. Score the fish with a sharp knife and rub chive butter (chopped chives in butter melted in microwave for a minute or so), garlic salt, Italian herbs, wine, olive oil, freshly squeezed lime, pepper, cumin and coriander powder.
3. Bake in baking tray covered with a perforated Al foil for 20 mins and uncovered for another 20 mins or until done. 

Enjoy with wild rice risotto.

Poached pear
Recipe link 1
Alternately, I made the poaching liquid with wine, water, cloves, cinnamon sticks and brown sugar. Peeled a whole pear and poached it for 20 mins. Served it with chocolate sauce.

Another pear dessert: Honey-roasted pear

Chicken roast with basil pesto

I used Cornish hen for this recipe, you can use any pieces, preferably with skin on, since we'll brown it later.

Thaw first, if frozen. Then clean the bird, pat dry,  loosen the skin and add spices like garlic salt, black pepper, lime juice, olive oil/butter, rosemary , and basil pesto inside the skin and over it. Roast uncovered in a roasting pan for 1 hour at 400 F in conventional oven, turning once when done half way through. Broil the last 10 mins to brown the skin. Bast occasionally with the drippings. Serve with grains and vegetables of your choice. Baked beets with a dash of lemon , baby carrots with pickled cabbage, or steamed string beans may make a healthy, tasty side. You can use the leftovers to make salad, sandwiches, wraps, or Chicken, Mushroom, and Wild Rice Casserole

You can make whole tandoori chicken by marinating the bird overnight in Tandoori powder, ginger garlic paste, cardamom , chili garlic powder, Dash garlic and herbs, pepper, yogurt.

And serve with avocado-romaine lettuce-pine nuts- shaved turkey-raisin/dry rainier cherries salad.

For crisper salads, place paper towels in the bottom of the salad bowl before filling with salad. Excess moisture will be soaked and this will help keep the salad crisp and fresh longer.

Baked Chicken with Lemon, Capers and Artichoke Hearts

You will find several versions for this recipe. A skillet preparation (Chicken Piccata) might be quick, but I decided to bake this time.

1. Clean the chicken pieces you want to use. Pat dry. Make shallow cuts. Season with salt and pepper, or you might choose to brine it for 35 mins. 
2. Add (garlic) salt, minced garlic, pepper, lemon juice, olive oil/melted butter. Rub. If you are using whole chicken with skin, rub the spices under the skin.
3. Place in a baking tray. Add foil and perforate with a fork- if you want it extra moist(if you removed the skin, it might be better to cover) Bake in pre-heated oven at 375-400 F for 35- 40 mins. See tips on chicken cooking time.
4. Add artichoke hearts half way through. You can add a wine sauce too.

I had it with a berry smoothie with strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries with honey-yogurt.

You might be interested in  Slow roasted chicken thighs

Lamb shoulders with rosemary and garlic and some veggies

1. You need to marinate the lamb shoulders in soy sauce, rosemary sprigs and freshly crushed garlic cloves in a ziplock overnight. I think it is best to use meat fresh out of grocery aisle. I used a pounder to tenderize the lamb cut.
2. The day you want to bake, dice some of your favorite veggies- I used yellow zucchini , asparagus and white onions- rub olive oil, salt, pepper, lemon juice, and some rosemary twigs. I tossed a few dry-roasted Szechuan peppers on a whim too.
3. Would be great on an outdoor grill, but it's raining out, so I am taking my chances in an conventional oven, which is good because I can have the retained juices to eat with grains if I want to.
4. Pre-heat the oven to 500F (about 120 C), sprinkle some garlic powder if you have them. Don't bother otherwise. Cook both sides to your desired doneness. 

Tastes  lot like a Moroccan Lamb tagine I once had.

 Here's some antipasto I can have anytime really. (with Olives, smoked Gouda cheese, Pepperoncini, Mango and Salami )

And a guilt-free dessert: Greek yogurt topped with honey and rose syrup.

 Add dry fruits and nuts at will.

Cauliflower casserole with French-fried onions

Ingredients:

1. 1 can cream of mushroom soup
2. 1 tsp fresh ground pepper
3. 1 cup French fried onions
4. Cauliflower florets steamed in microwave for about 5 mins
5. Celery stalks diced
6. Green peas, a handful

Method:

1. Cut cauliflower into same sized florets, microwave. Sprinkle a little salt and pepper on them and place them on a greased ( with a spoonful of olive oil) baking tray
2. Add the celery and peas, empty the can of mushroom soup, add the cruncy french onions. Mix
3. Bake at 300F for about 30 mins or until done. Add more french onions if you want extra crunch.

Had tomato-mozzarella salad with it

Garlic-Rosemary Roast Chicken

Link 1
Link 2

If you are baking with the skin on, it helps to loosen the skin and rub the garlic-herb mixture evenly under the skin first, and then on it. Insert a small, sharp knife and make shallow cuts on the meat. Sometimes I toss halved mushrooms into the baking dish, and always prefer fresh coarsely ground pepper for a crunch.

Salmon Fillets with Chive Sauce

Link 1 [A sweet life]


You can bake the fish with minced chives too. I used a lot of freshly squeezed lemon juice, olive oil,ginger garlic paste, minced ginger freshly ground fennel seeds +cumin seeds + pepper+ coriander, Lahori fish powder (Ingredients gram flour(Besan), red Chilli powder, crushed coriander, carom seeds(Ajwain), raw mango powder (amchur) )on a bed of diced onions and tomatoes. I added minced chives half way through the baking (fresh fish takes very little time to cook about 15-20 mins at 350F, and keep it at 200 F or 'warm' later if you want) and served it on a fish plate with minced napa cabbage. The guests loved it. Will make it again soon. Can add red chili flakes if you like it hot.

Baked trout with pearl onions and watercress sauce

For the sauce
1 bunch of watercress
Olive oil/ butter
Tartar sauce
Pepper

Heat oil/ melt butter in a frying pan and add the watercress.
When they wilt, add tartar sauce

Soak the pearl onions in water or steam lightly. Peel the skin and toss it in a pan with a little vinegar/lemon juice and olive oil.

For baking the fish
Use olive oil/butter and freshly squeezed lemon juice and mix them to create an emulsion.
Sprinkle that and your favorite spices on the fish. I prefer garlic powder, grated singer and dry Italian herbs for this.
Bake at 350 F until fish is flaky.


Serve in a dish with the sauce and onions.

Marinated red pearl onions in vinegar and spices serve as good accompaniments.

Zucchini and mushroom bake

This is a quick vegetable recipe minus hassles for days when you don't really feel like cooking on a stove-top. Doesn't look much compared to colorful Indian cooking, but tastes great. All you need is some

1. Olive oil/ melted butter
2. Diced or half moon shaped zucchini
3. Sliced / halved mushrooms
4. Sour cream
5. Crushed black pepper
6. Salt
7. Garlic powder

You can add a couple of cloves to make it more interesting.

Mix all together and bake at 350 F for 20 minutes or until vegetables are soft. You can add chicken and rosemary or your favorite herbs. Bake longer (45 mins) if you add chicken. Skip the sour cream if you like to eat light. Also, olive oil is a healthier option than butter.