Honey-Lime Salmon Salad

This is seriously one of the most delicious things I think I have ever made.  And it was one of those impromptu, what's-in-the-fridge-and-how-can-I-make-it-yummy meals.  I'm glad I paid attention to what I was doing, so you can benefit from my top secret lab experiments, i.e. improvisation in the kitchen.

When I know in advance that my husband is going to be elsewhere for dinner, I often take the excuse to cook fish.  I so rarely get to make it, that it becomes a special occasion of sorts in my kitchen.  Invariably, I turn to wild Alaskan salmon, my favorite seafood of all.  Tonight I dug up a bunch of vegetables from my CSA that needed using, and made a lettuce-free salad to serve as a bed for the star of the show.

This is simple and incredibly quick to pull together.  It's remarkably healthy.  The salad "dressing" doesn't need any oil because of the fat from the avocado and the salmon, which balances everything out.  This is company-worthy, but easy enough to make on a weeknight. 

The cats were sniffing the air in appreciation as I cooked this.  I think that's pretty high praise.

Honey-Lime Salmon Salad

serves 2

INGREDIENTS:

2 medium-large carrots, peeled and grated

3 baby zucchini, grated

2 kirby or persian cucumbers, diced

1 large avocado, diced

1 scallion, thinly sliced

1 lime, cut in half

12 oz. wild Alaskan salmon fillet (or two 6-oz. salmon fillets)

salt

2 tablespoons honey

cooking spray

DIRECTIONS:

1.  Combine the grated carrots, zucchini, cucumber, avocado, and scallion in a bowl.  Drizzle the juice of 1/2 the lime over them and toss to combine.  Set aside.

2.  Season the salmon on both sides with a pinch of salt and the honey.  Drizzle with the juice of the other 1/2 lime. (Note, you might want to season one side of the salmon, and then season the other side after you put the seasoned side down in the skillet, so you don't get honey everywhere).

3.  Heat a medium-large nonstick skillet, sprayed lightly with cooking spray.  When it's hot, add the salmon and cook, about 2-3 minutes per side (less if you just want to sear it).  

4.  Season the veggies with salt just before serving.  Serve each 6 oz. fillet (or cut the 12 oz. fillet in half) on a bed of the vegetables. 

Enjoy!

Roasted Tomato Pasta with Shrimp

I took the day off from work today to reward myself for a particularly grueling trial that is now OVER, thank goodness. I decided to treat myself further by going to visit my parents in their new home, and commandeering their beautiful new kitchen to cook us all lunch. I had recently seen an episode of Cooking for Real on the Food Network where Sunny Anderson made a gorgeous looking pasta with a "pesto" made out of garlic infused oil and roasted cherry tomatoes. It had to be mine, my friends.

The garlic infused oil can be made a few ways. The idea is to roast the peeled cloves from an entire head of garlic in extra virgin olive oil, and then make use of both the roasted garlic cloves and the oil in this recipe. I ended up discarding the garlic cloves because I burned them and they became bitter. I would not recommend burning them, folks. Just in case you were considering it. Still, I made use of the oil and it was lovely. If you want to take a shortcut, you can buy garlic-infused oil at the grocery store.

The sauce has a deliciously creamy texture without any cream whatsoever - it's the genius of the puree function on your blender or food processor. My mother loved the sauce, even though she despises all things creamy, and said if she hadn't watched me make it she would have sworn there was cream in there.

We all know by now that when you roast things, they become sweeter. This recipe is a wonderful celebration of that fact.

Roasted Tomato Pasta with Shrimp
adapted from Sunny Anderson's Cooking for Real
serves 4-6

INGREDIENTS:

1 pint of sweet cherry tomatoes
extra virgin olive oil for drizzling
salt and pepper
12 oz. whole wheat penne or other short-cut pasta
1/4 cup garlic-infused extra virgin olive oil (see discussion above)
2 cups pre-cooked frozen shrimp, thawed
pinch red pepper flakes
handful fresh basil

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven or toaster oven to 400. On a baking sheet, lay out the cherry tomatoes in a single layer. Drizzle with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for about 20 minutes, or until tomatoes are starting to wrinkle and burst. Remove from oven and set aside to cool slightly.

2. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it. Cook the pasta until al dente, according to package directions. Drain.

3. While the pasta is cooking, put about half of the garlic-infused oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add shrimp. Season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Cook until warmed through.

4. Puree remaining garlic-infused oil, tomatoes and their juices, and basil in a food processor or blender. Toss the pasta with the pureed sauce, and serve topped with the shrimp.

A little bit different, but still easy! If you are making use of the roasted garlic cloves in this recipe, puree them with the oil, tomatoes, and basil.

Enjoy!

Salmon Packets

This is one of the first meals I perfected on my own. It was inspired by a Giada de Laurentiis recipe that I saw on her show several years ago. That was when I was first starting to experiment in the kitchen, though I was definitely quite the amateur. I made this meal so many times, changing it a bit here and there, and eventually perfected it. On my own. No cookbook in sight. I decided this would be my Go To recipe, the meal I would impress friends, family, and most importantly, the future love of my life with. They do say, after all, that the way to a person's heart is through their stomach.

Well, the irony of course is that a year or so later, I fell in love with my husband, a man who doesn't eat seafood. I never got to test my theory that this would be the meal that would make the love of my life fall in love with me. And I think it's safe to say that if I had made this for him, he would have refused to eat it. After I dropped him off at the airport this morning for his solo trip to Chicago, I stopped on the way home to pick up salmon fillets, mushrooms, and spinach. I was going to make my piece de resistance.

And I did. So here it is, in all its glory. I chose to show you a picture of it (above) before it was cooked, since it is admittedly much more attractive that way. But trust me, it's delicious. If you make it for the object of your affection, I'm sure he or she will fall at your feet. Assuming they like seafood. And mushrooms, for that matter (though those are negotiable in this recipe. The salmon is not.)

Salmon Packets (a.k.a. Heartbreaker Packets)
serves 2

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups (loosely packed) baby spinach
6 cremini (baby bella) mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
1 tablespoon chopped lemongrass (or lemongrass paste)
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
3/4 pound salmon fillet (preferably wild + Pacific)
2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
handful cilantro leaves
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven or toaster oven to 400. Place a large piece of foil, about 8 x 11, on a baking sheet. Create a lip by folding up the edges so that juices don't run over the sides during preparation.

2. Pile the spinach onto the middle of the packet. Don't be shy, as it will virtually disappear when it cooks in the salmon juices. Place mushroom slices and lemon grass on top. Drizzle lemon juice over it.

3. Place the salmon piece(s) over the vegetables. Top with ginger and cilantro leaves. Drizzle sesame oil and soy sauce over the top. Create a packet with the foil, folding over the top and the sides to enclose the salmon and veg. It should be completely enclosed.

4. Bake for 25 minutes. Check to see if the salmon is done by carefully opening the foil packet. If it isn't done yet, return to oven but leave the packet open. Cook another 5 minutes or so, until salmon is cooked through. Do not overcook.

This is excellent served over brown rice. Make sure you spoon out some of the juices from the packet over the top of your salmon. Enjoy!

Easy Crab Salad

I received a beautiful cookbook for my birthday called Screen Doors and Sweet Tea by Martha Hall Foose. It's all Southern-style cooking, but with a more delicate touch than what we traditionally think of when we think of Southern cooking (Paula Deen, anyone?). This recipe was particularly appealing, so I thought it would be a good introduction to Ms. Foose.

You won't see seafood very often in this blog, since my husband doesn't touch the stuff. But he's out tonight so I thought I'd take advantage and make a crab dish. This requires preparation the day before, so you have to be somewhat premeditated about it.

This has a sort of "ladies who lunch" feel to it, so if you're looking for an appetizer or a light main course to impress friends of the feminine persuasion, this might be it. It's elegant in flavor, texture, and appearance, and there isn't a drop of mayo to be found, thank goodness. Serve over a bed of greens of your choice, and with any other salad accoutrement you might have around. Don't be restricted by my arugula + cucumber + celery combination, though it was quite tasty!

Easy Crab Salad
Adapted from Martha Hall Foose's "Screen Doors and Sweet Tea"
serves 2

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 pound fresh or canned lump crab meat
1 scallion, finely chopped
5 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 1/2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons cold water
pinch of salt
freshly ground black pepper
pinch of cayenne pepper
1 cup (loosely packed) baby arugula (or other salad greens)
assortment of salad veggies, your preference (cucumber, celery, avocado, etc.)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Put the crab in the bottom of a glass bowl, and sprinkle the chopped scallion fairly evenly over it. Drizzle with oil, vinegar, and water. Season with salt, pepper, and cayenne to taste. Cover tightly and refrigerate at least 24 hours.

2. Toss lightly and serve over arugula and other veggies.

Enjoy!