Honey Salmon Inspired by "Feed Your Roots"

Last week I mentioned a recipe of mine that Penina from Feed Your Roots made and reinvented. This time, I tried one of her recipes and changed it around as well. Penina calls it "the make everyone happy meal," and I agree. It's easy, fast, healthy and uses common ingredients that are probably already in your pantry.

Instead of chicken, I incorporated a nice, fresh salmon fillet (no frozen stuff). I also substituted the quinoa side dish for rice and peas - it provided a nice starch and veggies, adding nutrients. I poured some extra marinade on top of the rice to make it more flavorful and voila, a tasty dinner was born.

Honey Salmon with Rice and Peas:

Ingredients (serves 4):
1/2 cup soy sauce
3 tablespoons organic ketchup (Penina recommends OrganicVille Ketchup)
1 cup organic honey (I used clover honey, which was delicious)
1 cup of white or brown rice
1/2 cup of frozen peas, thawed
Salt, pepper and chopped garlic to taste

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients together. Lay chicken, fish or other protein in pan. Pour sauce over the protein, making sure each piece is well coated (the chicken/fish/tofu should sit comfortably in the sauce, but not be too saturated).

Cook for a 1 – 1.5 hours (for chicken) or about 30 minutes for fish and tofu depending on thickness – flip the chicken and tofu halfway through to make sure both sides are evenly cooked.

While the fish is cooking, make a cup of white or brown rice. After it's cooked, add a 1/2 cup of frozen (but thawed) peas.

Place rice and peas on a plate as the bed for the fish. Put the baked fish over the rice and top with more soy/honey glaze.

Mexican Risotto - Take 2 (Even Healthier)

I was tickled with excitement when Penina, a friend of a friend who also blogs about food, in a more healthy-lifestyle sense made my Mexican Risotto. She amended the recipe to her tastes, using brown rice instead of white and adding black beans. She's a vegetarian and even though she ended up using turkey sausage (her boyfriend is a carnivore) she cooked the sausage and the beans in a slow cooker to give the beans more flavor--clever idea!

Here is her version, which appeals to a veggie's palate. If you'd like to get other ideas about food, cooking, nutrition and healthy living, check out her great site: Feed Your Roots.

Ingredients:
1 cup of brown rice, cooked
2 husks of organic corn, boiled, cooled and then separated from the husks with a knife (if you are short on time, canned corn will work too)
1/4 cup of onions, chopped
1 clove of garlic, minced
3 pieces of organic turkey or chicken sausage, grilled and sliced into 1/2″ pieces (I recommend cajun-flavored)
2 tbs of fresh cilantro, chopped
1/2 cup black beans, cooked
1 tbs of olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Fresh lime juice to taste (I used the juice of 1/2 lime)

Directions:
Water sautee onions and garlic about 7-10 minutes or until golden brown and aromatic. Add to cooked rice and stir gently. Add the corn, sausage, beans, cilantro and lime juice to the rice mixture and season with salt and pepper. Adjust seasoning according to your liking. Spoon some guacamole on top and you’re all set!

Here's my original recipe for the risotto and the guacamole just for reference. Enjoy!