Mmmm, food

ScienceMama is hosting a recipe carnival, so I thought I should share some of what we like to eat around here. It is not atypical for us to have a meal with the following components:

1. Meat (fish, pork, beef, turkey, chicken, etc.)
2. Veggies (salad, steamed, etc.)
3. Starch (potatoes, rice, bread, etc.) on days we had a light lunch or above average physical activity (we tend to eat plenty of starch before we get to dinner time)
   

Today, little chickens (sorry, I seem to be channeling someone), I will give you my recipes for 2 choices of meat and a highly customizable salad.

Meat option 1: Pan-fried fish
This is one of my favorites, and I try to have it on days I have gone grocery shopping.

1. Start with fresh fish fillets (I frequenly use salmon). Wash, clean of remaining scales if any. Evaluate the thickness of the filet; you want an inch or thinner. De-skin if the skin is really thick, but for something like salmon I like to leave the skin on. Cut into manageable pieces you could flip in the pan later (I make mine about 7 inches long). Generously salt the fish on the non-skin side.
   
2. Heat oil in pan. Holding the pan away from yourself, place the fish in the pan skin side down, make it slide around some to make sure it doesn't stick to the pan. Fry a few minutes (depends on how thick is your fillet, how well-done you like your fish, and the type of fish). If the fillets are really thin, take them off the pan when the top is getting close to done. Otherwise, when the bottom half looks close to cooked, flip the fillets and cook the other side (this usually takes less time than the first side). Be careful to not overcook your fish, the whole process should take under 10 minutes.
3. The fish is ready!

Meat option 2: German-style Winerschnitzel
This takes a little more work, but you can make some for the next day as well, plus you can start with refrigerated meat.
1 ½ lbs. veal cutlets or pork chops
½ cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
2 eggs
2 tablespoons milk
a little fresh parsley, minced
salt, pepper, a pinch of ground nutmeg
1 cup dry bread crumbs
6 tablespoons butter for frying (don't try substituting with oil, it won't taste the same!)
lime/lemon or juice

1. Pound your cutlets with a meat hammer (what is the proper name for this in English? My husband tends to think that I made that name up (it's a direct translation) but doesn't tell me what the right name is!)
2. In a wide bowl, beat together the eggs and milk. Add cheese, parsley, spices.
3. Place bread crumbs on a plate; pour the flour onto another plate.
4. Coat the meat: first in flour, then in egg mixture, then in the bread crumbs. [at this point the meat can be refrigerated for an hour or overnight, but I frequently don't do this]
5. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat; cook cutlets about 3 minutes on each side or until light-brown. Remove, pour the remaining butter on top (optional), squeeze some lime/lemon juice on top. Enjoy!
   

Salad
Customize to what you like! Ready in 5 minutes.
Spinach/greens to start
Sliced tomatoes, halved cherry tomatoes, even halved grapes
Sliced avocados if you have them
Sprinkle with cheese (I like Parmesan, Hubby prefers feta)
Sprinkle with seeds (sunflower, pine) or crumbled/sliced nuts (walnuts, almonds, etc.)
Add minced green onion or cilantro or parsley if you like
Drizzle with lemon juice or your favorite dressing

Enjoy!