Pistachio Crusted Salmon Weeknight Dinner

Still trying to maintain healthy eating, especially when cooking at home, I made the above pictured easy salmon dish this week that was tasty, healthful and satisfying.  Buying the salmon fillets ahead of time, there is some pre-planning required, but all else I managed to put together from the ingredients we had on hand.  

Fully stocked with a big bag of salted pistachios, I decided to make them the star of the show by chopping them up, combining them with Italian breadcrumbs and a little bit of olive oil to form the crust.  Although the middle layer was supposed to be made up of stone ground mustard and lemon juice, I didn't have this and used 2% Greek yogurt instead, which worked just fine.  Serving the whole thing on a bed of whole wheat cous-cous, studded with raisins, chopped onions and green peppers, Dan and I loved chomping down on it and felt really good and fulfilled after - and not overly stuffed.

Here's the easy recipe, courtesy of the Food Network, but you can feel free to change it around as you wish.

Pistachio Crusted Salmon Recipe

Returning Back to Routine with Roasted Salmon and Sweet Carrots

After two weeks of not being on a regular schedule due to our power being out, I'm finally getting ready and excited to return to normal life.  A big part of that means cooking , as I'll have full access to my kitchen again - and returning to making healthy foods, not just indulging in comforting dishes, as I've been doing recently.

The following are two great recipes I borrowed from the Food Network website and altered in my own way.  The first is a baked salmon, which is cooked and steamed in aluminum foil, and dressed in white wine, fresh lemons, capers and rosemary.  The end result is a really fresh and healthy tasting dish that's wonderfully flaky and moist on the inside.

A nice side, which is lovely around this time of year are roasted carrots, on the sweet side, with cranberries, red onion, cilantro, lemon and some sunflower seeds.  It pairs really well with the salmon, adding a sweet element, which comes naturally from the carrots as they caramelize but also from the craisins, which puff up when baked and also soaked in some water ahead of time.  The whole meal takes about 40 minutes to make, so it's really weeknight friendly.  Here are the recipes for you to enjoy:

Salmon with Lemon, Capers and Rosemary 
Roasted Carrots

Summery Salmon with Mango Chimichurri Sauce

Summer is the best time to enjoy grilling, even if you don't have an outside grill.  I take advantage of my grill pan as often as possible, usually on weeknights when I can put on some fish and then pair it with something healthy.  Immediately intrigued by a recipe I saw in Martha Stewart's Everyday Food magazine, I tried to put a new spin on salmon by serving it with this refreshing mango chimichurri sauce, along with a side of roasted butternut squash with tons of fragrant spices and red onions.

The overall taste was light, but substantial enough to fill you up.  I also loved the freshness of the mango, intermixed with the fresh cilantro and lime juice.  It definitely tasted like summer, and even made a good salsa substitute after all the fish was gone.
Here's the recipe for the salmon with mango chimichurri and then my simple directions on the butternut squash:

Roasted Butternut Squash with Red Onions:

Ingredients (serves 2)
1 package of pre-cut butternut squash (I buy this from Trader Joe's).  Or you can simply cut it yourself into 1 inch cubes.
1/2 red onion, sliced
Olive oil
Salt (I prefer Gardenfreude's rosemary salt)
Ground pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Season the butternut squash with salt and pepper, and add two generous glugs of olive oil.  Then mix in the onions and spread on a lined baking sheet.

Bake for about a half hour to 35 minutes.  Turn the squash halfway into the baking process so both sides get golden brown.

Soba Noodle Soup with Salmon, Shiitakes, and Peas

I love Asian soup noodles, but thought they’d be too complicated to make on my own. When a Japanese food-loving friend requested a light, healthy meal for our catch up dinner the other night, I picked up an advanced copy of The Very Best of Recipes for Health by Martha Rose Shulman (Rodale, on sale August 31) and immediately took to this recipe. (Full disclosure: I work for the publishing company). Even without my affiliation, I’ve always found Recipes for Health, the popular New York Times recipe column, to be a great resource for healthy, tasty meals.

The freshness and pop of the peas is a great complement to the earthy, chewy mushrooms. My friend commented that the salmon was cooked perfectly- and all I had to do was drop it in and put on the lid!

Makes 4 servings
- 1 oz (about 10) dried shiitake mushrooms
- 6 cups kombu dashi stock, chicken stock, or vegetable stock
- Soy sauce or salt
- 1 pound green peas- 6 oz Japanese soba noodles, cooked, and tossed with 2 tsp Asian sesame oil or canola oil (these can be cooked ahead of time, just toss them with oil and refrigerate in a plastic bag for up to 3 days)
- 12-16 oz salmon fillet without skin, trimmed of fat, and cut into 4 equal pieces
- 1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced, dark green parts kept separate

Equipment:
- Stock pot
- Cheesecloth
- Sieve
- Deep soup bowls for serving

1. Place dried mushrooms in a large bowl. Bring the stock to a simmer in a soup pot. Pour the hot stock over the mushrooms and let sit for 30 minutes. Drain through a cheesecloth-lined sieve set over the soup pot. Squeeze the mushrooms over the sieve. Slice the mushroom caps and discard the hard stems. Set aside.

2. Return the stock in the soup pot to a simmer. Taste and adjust the seasonings, adding soy sauce or salt as desired. Add the peas and simmer 5 minutes. If the noodles have been refrigerated, warm them by placing them in a sieve and dipping the sieve into the simmering broth. Distribute the noodles among 4 deep soup bowls.

3. Add the mushrooms, salmon, and light parts of the scallions to the simmering stock. Cover and turn off the heat. Allow to sit for 5 minutes without removing the cover. The salmon should be just cooked through. Leave for another 5 minutes if it is not.

4. Place a piece of salmon on top of the noodles in each bowl. Ladle in the soup, taking care to distribute the peas, mushrooms, and scallions evenly. Sprinkle on the dark green part of the scallions and serve.

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.

Creme Fraiche Salmon - A Summery Dinner

After eating like a total pig this weekend, with all the BBQing and whatnot, it's time to focus on healthy food again. The below recipe for creme fraiche salmon is not only simple, it uses just four ingredients. The side of polenta is a nice complement but you can just as easily substitute it with cous-cous, potatoes or even fresh greens--the healthier, the better.

Creme Fraiche Roasted Salmon - Click here for the recipe, which came from Bon Appetit's June issue. In addition to the salt and pepper, I sprinkled it with classic Italian seasoning, which added more earthiness.

Zesty Polenta - I improvised a side of simple polenta (or corn meal) to go with the salmon, mixing it with sweet and savory ingredients such as green onions, golden raisins and fresh lemon zest. The lemon really gave it something extra, injecting it with strong fragrance. I'd recommend this side dish with a pairing of any kind of protein - chicken might be nice for example.

Ingredients (serves 4)
1 cup of polenta or cornmeal
1/4 cup of chopped green onions (you can add more if you want)
1/4 cup of whole golden raisins
1 tsp of fresh, grated lemon zest
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Cook polenta according to directions on package. After you remove from flame, add the rest of the ingredients and mix thoroughly. Make sure to let the other ingredients (especially the raisins) sit in the polenta for a couple of minutes to soak in the flavors. Serve warm with the creme fraiche salmon.

You'll feel satisfied but not overstuffed after this meal--it's a great dinner dish for hot summer months. Enjoy!

Mustard Salmon and Finger-lickin' Potatoes

This is a really fast and delicious dinner that you could make in under an hour. I actually made it on a weeknight when I came home after 8pm and finished eating it before 9pm, which is pretty unbelievable. Both recipes came from Ina Garten's Back to Basics cookbook.

Mustard-Roasted Salmon:

The fish that I chose was a salmon instead of the red snapper that the recipe called for. You can use virtually any fish that you like and I usually pick whatever is fresh (aka Whole Foods' catch of the day). I left the skin on the salmon, which kept it nice and moist. The mustard sauce was creamy, tangy and felt luxurious but not heavy. I didn't get too full from it, which was good because I was eating late at night. Unfortunately, I had to eliminate capers, not because I don't like them but because I didn't have any. As you'll see from the above picture, I added slices of pink grapefruit next to the salmon--to freshen it up a bit and to bring some citrus into the equation. Overall, it was a super easy dish and I couldn't believe that it only took about 10 minutes to bake.

Dill Fingerling Potatoes:

A hands-off side, I liked that I could leave it in the pot without doing much. I followed directions to the T and didn't have to alter anything. I figure that you could prepare any type of potatoes with this method but fingerlings are nice because they are small--it would take a lot longer to cook regular sized potatoes. An interesting suggestion might be to also add veggies to the mix such as onions, carrots or red peppers.

Try these recipes on a weeknight or on the weekend--whatever strikes your fancy.

Potato-Wrapped Halibut Gone Awry

THEIRS

MINE

In the last issue of Bon Appetit, I saw an interesting recipe for Potato-Wrapped Halibut. It looked so beautiful on the picture (see top photo) that I was inspired to make it. I'm not sure how I thought I'd pull it off, given that I had no mandolin to cut the potatoes with. I attempted to cut them free-handed and failed miserably. The potato slices weren't thin enough and did not bend around the fish at all. I was annoyed and very hungry so I decided to make my own version, creating a potato-fish sandwich.

It came out awesome and I got much praise from my ravenous husband. He loved the potato-as-bun improvisation and said that the fish remained moist. In addition to halibut, I also used Alaskan salmon, which tasted even better and was juicier than the former. As you see from the second picture, I substituted craisin couscous for the sauteed spinach, which was easy to make and in my opinion tastier.

To make Bon Appetit's version, click here and to try my gone-awry-but-still-delicious version, follow the same recipe but instead of wrapping the potatoes around the fish, layer them on top and on the bottom of the fillets. When frying the fish, be really careful when flipping it. You might need a fork and a spatula. Enjoy!