Southwest Salmon with Sriracha Sauce

Salmon is one of my favorite choices for dinner.  I try to eat salmon once a week because of the healthy omega-3 fats it adds to my diet.  

The flavors in this recipe will win over non-salmon lovers, too. Hubby is not a salmon lover, so I have to be creative in the ways I serve salmon to him.  This oven-baked Southwest Salmon with Sriracha Sauce is a favorite of his, and I love it, too.

Spicy Southwest Salmon with Sriracha Sauce 

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Spicy Southwest Salmon

First, you'll want to select your salmon.  I always ask to have my salmon cut to order from the thick end of the salmon fillet.  I also like to have the skin left on my salmon because it helps to keep the salmon moist as it cooks. You'll find the skin is easy enough to remove before serving when you use a sharp spatula, like a fish spatula, to remove the skin from the salmon after cooking.  

The sharp edge of the fish spatula makes it easy to separate the skin from the salmon in one easy scoop. You'll absolutely love this spatula for its versatility and price.

Next, you'll need some Southwest seasoning.  I always make my own.  It's so easy to make your own Southwest seasoning mix and once you do, you'll find yourself using it all the time.

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This short video will show you how I make my own Southwest seasoning mix.

Finally, you'll want to make sriracha sauce.  Mix sriracha sauce and mayonnaise together to taste.  Then squeeze a little lime juice into the sauce to thin it and add some zippiness.

This is such a quick dinner to prepare, you'll definitely find it easy enough for a weeknight.  It is perfect when paired with a salad.  Ranch or blue cheese salad dressings offset the spiciness of the Southwest seasoning nicely.

Tip:  You can make this on your grill just as easily.  Use a piece of aluminum foil under the salmon and you'll easily remove the skin when cooked.

Southwest Salmon with Sriracha Sauce

Four Ingredient Spicy Salmon

Printer Friendly Recipe

• One 6-8 ounce piece of salmon per person
• Southwest Seasoning
• Olive oil
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• Sriracha sauce, to taste
• Freshly squeezed lime juice to taste

Directions

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F.  Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.  

Rinse and pat dry each piece of salmon.  Pour a little olive oil onto the prepared baking sheet.  Place the salmon pieces on the baking sheet and spread a bit of olive oil on top of each piece.

Sprinkle the Southwest seasoning on each piece of salmon, lightly for a little flavor and more for a little more spiciness.  

Place the baking sheet on the center rack of your oven and cook for 10-12 minutes, depending on how well done you like your salmon.

While the salmon is cooking make your sriracha sauce.  

Mix the mayonnaise, sriracha sauce, and lime juice together to taste.  Add the sriracha one teaspoon at a time until you get the level of heat you like.  The lime juice is just for a little zip and you can leave it out if you like.

Serve your salmon with a drizzle of the sriracha sauce and a little extra on the side for dipping.  Yum!

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Enjoy!

Weeknight Chicken Piccata

Do you love lemon? My love of anything lemon flavored applies to entrees as well as desserts.  One of my favorite dinner choices is chicken piccata. Chicken piccata is a winner in my book because it has both lemon and capers.

This Weeknight Chicken Piccata is a recipe I have made for years and years for my family.  I call it Weeknight Chicken Piccata because it is very quick and easy.  It's simple and delicious meals like this that can make your weeknight dinners special.

Weeknight Chicken Piccata

You can come home after a long day of work and have this yummy dinner on the table in 30 minutes.  I kid you not!  You'll feel like you are treating yourself with this meal after a long day at work.  It is delightful to look at and just as delightful to eat.

Coconut Shrimp in Your Air Fryer

You can make coconut shrimp that is just as tasty as what you order in a restaurant at home in your air fryer. It's easy to do.

This is my low-carb, keto-friendly recipe for coconut shrimp in your air fryer. Make it for a main dish or appetizer.

This recipe is made to be low carb and keto-friendly because I like to eat a lot of shrimp and don't want to feel guilty about it.

You can easily adapt this recipe to a standard recipe by using all-purpose flour in place of the coconut flour and replacing the crushed pork rinds with panko bread crumbs.

I like to serve my coconut shrimp with a choice of sauces. Purchase a Thai chili sauce in the Asian foods section of your grocery store. It will be a little sweet with a little heat. This will not be a low-carb
sauce.

The other sauce I like is just a mixture of mayonnaise and sriracha sauce. The amounts are just to your taste. This is a low-carb sauce option.

Air Fryer Coconut Shrimp (Low-Carb and Keto-Friendly)

Serves two-four

Ingredients: 

• jumbo shrimp, thawed, as many as you like (ingredients below are for 1 pound)
• 2 eggs

The Breading

• 1/2 cup coconut flour 
• 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut 
  
• 1/2 cup crushed pork rinds
• (1 tsp. of seasoning mix, below)  

The Seasoning Mix

• 1 tsp. Himalayan sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder 
• 1/4 tsp smoked paprika 
• pinch of cayenne pepper, optional

Directions

Thaw your shrimp and remove the shell.

Combine the ingredients for the seasoning mix. Set aside.

Prepare the breading.   Mix the coconut flour with one teaspoon of the seasoning mix. Set aside. Mix the pork rinds and coconut with one teaspoon of the seasoning mix. Set aside.

Beat the eggs in a bowl with a little water.

Toss the shrimp in the coconut flour mixture.  Dip the shrimp, one at a time, in the egg, then coat with the coconut mixture. Place on a dish. Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or more.

Cook in your air fryer according to the seafood setting.

Enjoy with one of the sauces mentioned above.

Check the Coconut Shrimp video for the details.

Lemon-Lime Cupcakes

These lemon-lime cupcakes are one of my favorites cupcake treats.  I love them any time of year, but the lemon-lime flavor is especially perfect for spring.

The cupcakes have a subtle lemon-lime flavor from both lemon zest and lime zest and a little added juice from the lemon and lime.  You can add a little more juice if you prefer, but I like the hint of citrus flavor.

Lemon-Lime Cupcakes with Lemon-Lime Cream Cheese Frosting

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The cream cheese frosting is speckled with both lemon and lime zest and flavored with a little more juice from the lemon and lime.  Taste the frosting as you go to achieve the level of citrus flavor you want. One teaspoon of each juice is a good place to start.

I've made these cupcakes as both traditional-sized cupcakes and as minis.  Both sizes work well.

You'll find the cake to be moist and dense.  This is a cupcake with some substance.  They freeze very well.

After making a batch of the cupcakes, decorate them with the frosting and then freeze them on a sheet pan. Once frozen, wrap them individually with plastic wrap and package them in a zip closure freezer bag. They will keep beautifully.


The Essential Baking Tools for This Recipe:
Cupcake Tin
Cupcake Liners
A Mixer
A Scoop
Decorating Bags and Tips

Lemon-Lime Cupcakes

Makes one dozen cupcakes

Print Recipe

Lemon-Lime Cupcake Ingredients

• 6 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• zest of one lemon
• zest of one lime
• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 Tablespoon lime juice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup cake flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup milk, at room temperature

Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.  Line the muffin pan with cupcake liners.

In the bowl of your mixer add the vegetable oil, sugar, salt, and lemon and lime zest.  Mix about two minutes at medium-high speed.  Beat in the lemon and lime juices, and the eggs, one at a time. 

Beat for about two more minutes.

In a separate bowl whisk together the flours and the baking powder.  Add the flour mixture to the liquid mixture alternating the flour and milk, ending with the flour.  Mix until blended, about thirty seconds.

Using a scoop to keep your cupcakes consistent in size, scoop the batter into the prepared pan.  The batter will be thin. You'll fill each cup about 2/3 full.

Use a Scoop for Consistency

Bake for 16-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake, comes out clean.  This took 16 minutes in my oven. 

These cupcakes will not brown, so don't use sight as a measure of doneness.

The Baked Lemon-Lime Cupcakes

Cool completely and top with lemon-lime cream cheese frosting.

Lemon-Lime Cream Cheese Frosting

Frosting Ingredients

• 1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 package of cream cheese
• 3/4 pound confectioners sugar (3 1/2 cups)
• the zest of one lemon
• the zest of one lime
• 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lime juice

Directions
Blend the butter and cream cheese together until well blended.  Add the lemon and lime zest. 

Add the confectioner's sugar and the lemon and lime juice.  Mix together until smooth and well blended.

Fill a pastry bag with a large decorative tip 2/3 full with frosting.  I use a large glass to stabilize the pastry bag as I fill it.

Using a Pastry Bag Makes Frosting Easy

Pipe the frosting on the cupcakes.  If you find the frosting to be a little soft, pop the cupcakes into the refrigerator or freezer for a few minutes.

Lemon-Lime Cupcakes Ready for a Party

You might like these other lemon recipes:
Lemon Yogurt Cake
Oh, Lemon Curd!
Lemon Pudding Cakes

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Enjoy!

4 Steps to Growing a Ficus Tree in Your Home

I've had a ficus tree, also known as a weeping fig, in my home for 34 years.  It's thriving. It's not too big and it makes just the impact that I'm looking for in a room with very high ceilings.

If you have a space that you need to fill think about getting yourself a ficus tree.  It will give you many years of beauty and joy.

It really doesn't take a whole lot of care to keep a ficus tree living for 34 years.  To keep it green and pretty and a living and breathing part of your home and decor for all that time takes minimal time and effort.

Watch My Ficus Care Video

Be Sure You Have the Right Light

My ficus tree is in a room that is south facing.  West light comes in through a window on the side of the tree.

My tree loves it in its southwest position.  At first, I tried it in another place in the house and it dropped its leaves. A ficus tree will talk to you.  It will tell you when it's not happy. It will drop and drop and drop its leaves.

When I moved my tree to a southwest corner of the house it was so happy.  That was the perfect light for my tree in New England.

Don't Overwater

The second step to keep your tree living and really thriving in your home is to make sure you don't overwater it.  Ficus trees need water not more than once a week to every two weeks.  Your tree will actually tell you when it needs water.

I generally look for one yellow leaf somewhere on the tree.  That's the way my ficus tree talks to me and tells me that water is required. If you have a ficus tree start paying attention. Watch the leaves. When you see one yellow one it's time to water.

Fertilize During the Growing Season

Fertilize once a month during the growing season using a 10-10-10 water-soluble fertilizer.
That has been enough to keep my tree healthy.

Prune As Needed

Take your tree outside at least once a year for a good shake and pruning.  The shake will loosen all the little bits and the pruning will help you maintain the size and structure you want for the tree.  

Watch my pruning video for the details on how I prune my tree.

If you want to grow a ficus tree in your home just follow these few steps.

1. You need to have the right light.

2. Make sure that you don't overwater your tree.

3. Prune it occasionally and pay attention to how it's talking to you.

4. Fertilize as needed during the growing season.

That's all you have to do. It's easy to grow a ficus tree in your home.  My 34 years with my tree is the proof.