What's for dinner? (10/06/05)

Whew - I'm feeling a bit stressed today. I spent all morning cleaning up for our afternoon showing today, then had a bit of a crazy day at work. I came home to relax a bit and realized that I needed to finish up an online course and that the last day to complete it is tomorrow.

While I was finishing up my classes and preparing for the exam (an easy exam, but an exam nonetheless), we got a call that the folks who looked at our house today want to look at it again tomorrow afternoon. Normally that wouldn't be a big deal, but I am leaving before 8 in the morning to go on a field trip with my youngest. DH will take care of everything just fine and the cleaning is really done since we had a showing today, but there are still beds to be made, etc. I'd just rather be here and be in control!

I'd love it if it would all be over after we get home from the field trip, but we have another showing scheduled tomorrow! The other showing is at 6:30. We'll be dropping the kids at the YMCA for Parent's Night Out at 6. It's too bad that we'll be spending the first hour of our alone time together fussing with a showing, but the night out lasts until 10 p.m., so we have plenty of time to fit in dinner out somewhere. I'll SOOO ready to be waited on and to drink a big old glass of red wine (or two)! I'm counting the hours until then......

I'm sad that I haven't had time to bake or play in the kitchen - the weather really cooled off today and that always triggers a baking response in me. However, baking just dirties up too many things (I'm very messy when it comes to flour) when you're trying to keep the house really neat for showing and makes cooking stressful, so I haven't been doing much this week. But just wait until Saturday - as long as no one calls for a showing! I might have to say no even if they do.....

Here's the plan for tonight. I haven't had time to come up with any sides and it's too late to do brown rice, so I'll just have to wing it:

Photo Courtesy of Cooking Light

Honey-Ginger Glazed Salmon with Arugula Salad
Source: Cooking Light, October 2005

If sage honey isn't available, substitute alfalfa or another light-colored, mild honey. For bolder flavor, try a dark honey, such as gallberry.

2/3 cup sage honey
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice, divided
2 tablespoons warm water (100° to 110°)
1 1/2 teaspoons grated peeled fresh ginger
1 garlic clove, minced
4 (6-ounce) skinless salmon fillets (1 inch thick)
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 cups trimmed arugula

Preheat oven to 350°.Combine honey, 2 tablespoons juice, water, ginger, and garlic in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk until blended. Pour honey mixture into a 13 x 9-inch baking pan; arrange fish in pan, skinned side up. Let stand 20 minutes. Turn fish over; sprinkle fish with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Bake at 350° for 7 minutes. Remove from oven.

Preheat broiler.

Brush fish with honey mixture; broil 7 minutes or until fish is browned and flakes easily when tested with a fork or until desired degree of doneness.

Combine remaining 2 tablespoons juice, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, oil, and pepper in a medium bowl; stir with a whisk until blended. Add arugula; toss gently to coat. Serve salad with fish.

Wine note: Honey intensifies the rich meatiness of salmon in this dish, which requires a clean, crisp wine. I love Havens Albariño 2004 from Napa Valley, California ($24). (Albariño is a Spanish white grape.) -Karen MacNeil

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 fillet and about 1/2 cup salad)

NUTRITION PER SERVINGCALORIES 396(38% from fat); FAT 16.6g (sat 3.6g,mono 8.2g,poly 3.6g); PROTEIN 36.9g; CHOLESTEROL 87mg; CALCIUM 56mg; SODIUM 378mg; FIBER 0.5g; IRON 1.1mg; CARBOHYDRATE 25g

Marcia Whyte Smart Cooking Light, OCTOBER 2005

My notes: This dish was quite good. I really got all the great flavors on my first bite, but had a problem tasting after that - I probably just needed to drizzle on more sauce. The sauce glazes the salmon when you broil it, but it also gets thick and syrupy after it's been out of the oven and has cooled down a bit - perfect for drizzling. It didn't knock my socks off, but it was very easy to put together and quite good.

I ended up serving it with some leftover whole wheat couscous and a broccoli slaw salad with cashews.

Roasted Salmon in Horseradish Crust

Source: Global Gourmet

3 tablespoons sweet butter, at room temperature (orginal recipe calls for 6 tablespoons)
1/2 cup grated white horseradish, squeezed dry
2 whole scallions, finely diced
1/4 teaspoon wasabi powder
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 cup dry unseasoned bread crumbs
1 teaspoon finely chopped shallots
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon grated lemon zest
Pinch of cayenne

Four 6-ounce center-cut salmon fillets, 1-1/2 inches thick
1/2 cup white wine or vermouth

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Put the butter, horseradish, scallions, wasabi powder, ginger, mustard, bread crumbs, shallots, juice, zest, and cayenne in the bowl of the food processor. Pulse until the ingredients form a ball.

Place the fish on the baking sheet and cover with the wine. Spread the horseradish mixture over the fillets, about 1/4-inch thick.

Roast the salmon for about 15 minutes or when the top of the fish flakes when pierced with the tines of a fork.

4 Servings

I talked about this recipe HERE.

Warm Salmon Salad à la Provençal

Source: Cooking Light, April 2001

1 (3/4-pound) salmon fillet
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Cooking spray
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (I add this to the dressing)
3 tablespoons Caesar Dressing with Flax Seed
10 cups gourmet salad greens (I often do a combo of greens and spinach for extra nutrition.)
1/2 cup chopped red onion
4 (1 1/2-ounce) slices French bread, toasted
1/4 cup finely chopped balck olives

Preheat broiler. (I cook the salmon on the grill, when possible.)

Sprinkle fillet with salt and pepper. Place fillet, skin side down, on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray; broil 12 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Remove skin from fillet; discard skin. Break fillet into chunks.

Drizzle juice and Ceasar Dressing with Flaxseed over salad greens, tossing to coat. Add onion and capers; toss gently to combine. Divide salad evenly among 4 plates. Divide fish evenly among salads. Top each bread slice with 1 tablespoon olives, spreading with a knife. Cut each slice in half. Serve immediately. Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 2 cups salad and 2 bread pieces).

Totals include Caesar Dressing with Flaxseed.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 2 cups salad and 2 bread pieces)

NUTRITION PER SERVING: CALORIES 334(35% from fat); FAT 13g (sat 2.1g,mono 6.7g,poly 2.9g); PROTEIN 24.3g; CHOLESTEROL 56mg; CALCIUM 104mg; SODIUM 630mg; FIBER 4.7g; IRON 3.4mg; CARBOHYDRATE 29.9g

I talked about this recipe HERE.

Pesto Salmon

Source: based on Easy Pesto Salmon from Cooking Light

This recipe was developed by a fellow CL bulletin board participant. I often have homemade pesto in the freezer, though it uses a full-fat recipe. If I want to cut the fat a bit, I simply take several tablespoons-1/4 cup of my own pesto and run it through the processor with some fresh spinach. Not only does this lighten and add nutrition, but it also revives the pesto by giving it a nice, bright green color. Add a bit of olive oil or chicken broth as needed. I will include the recipe as written on CL, as well as a link to my own pesto recipe.

"We grow basil on our porch and are always looking for tasty new ways to use it. I created this dish on a whim to try and get my husband to eat salmon. I succeeded: He loved it, and now he even requests it on occasion. The salmon tastes wonderful served with grilled or steamed vegetables."

2 cups fresh spinach leaves
1/2 cup basil leaves
1/4 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 garlic cloves, peeled
Cooking spray
2 (6-ounce) salmon fillets, skinned
2/3 cup hot cooked brown rice
(pesto recipe)

Preheat oven to 400°.

Place the first 6 ingredients in a food processor or blender, and process until smooth. Spoon 3 tablespoons pesto into bottom of an 8-inch square baking dish coated with cooking spray. Top with the salmon fillets, and spread with the remaining pesto.

Bake at 400° for 20 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Serve with rice.

Yield: 2 servings (serving size: 1 salmon fillet and 1/3 cup rice)

I talked about this recipe HERE.

Salmon Packets

Source: Martha Stewart's Everyday Food

Serves 4; Prep time: 15 minutes; Total time: 25 minutes

To ensure that the packets cook evenly, buy salmon fillets that are uniform in size.

8 phyllo sheets, thawed
2 to 3 tablespoons butter, melted (I used olive oil to cut down the saturated fat)
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
4 boneless, skinless salmon fillets (6 ounces each)
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 1/3 tablespoons creamed horseradish
1 egg, beaten

1. Preheat oven to 425°. Lay 1 phyllo sheet on a clean work surface. Brush with melted butter; sprinkle with 1 tablespoon parsley. Top with another phyllo sheet.

2. Season salmon fillets with salt and pepper. Place one fillet 3 inches from short end of dough; spread 1 teaspoon creamed horseradish on top.

3. Make salmon packet: Carefully fold the end of the dough over one fillet; gently fold in both of the long sides of the dough. Roll salmon over folded sides to form packet. Repeat process, making four packets. Brush tops and sides of packets with egg.

4. Place packets on a baking sheet; bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Serve hot.

I talked about this recipe HERE.

Mustard-Glazed Salmon

Source: Martha Stewart's Everyday Food

Serves 4; Prep time: 5 minutes; Total time: 15 minutes

This dish is casual enough for a family dinner and elegant enough to serve to company. To keep the fillets from sticking to the pan, cook them with the skin side of the fish down. Some of the skin may stick to the pan a bit, but you can use a spatula to slide the fillets right off the pan without tearing them.

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Salt and pepper
4 pieces salmon fillet (6 ounces each), with skin
chopped fresh dill (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. In a small bowl, mix together olive oil, mustard, lemon juice, and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper.

2. Put salmon, skin side down, in a baking dish, and spoon mustard glaze over each piece of fish. Bake until salmon is just cooked through and no longer red, 6 to 8 minutes. Sprinkle with chopped dill, if desired, and serve.

Note: The mustard glaze will complement virtually any type of fish. You can try it on tuna, swordfish, or catfish. It's also good on baked chicken.

My notes: The glaze for this fish is very good, but there wasn't enough of it for my tastes. I would make this again, but next time I would make more glaze and cook the fish with only part of the glaze, reserving some to drizzle on at the table. I used dried dill and put it right in with the glaze before cooking the fish. A very easy dish for those busy weeknights.

I talked about this recipe HERE.

Ginger-Glazed Salmon

Source: Cooking Light

4 (6-ounce) salmon fillets (about 1 inch thick)
Cooking spray
1/2 cup pineapple preserves
1 1/2 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 1/2 teaspoons bottled ground fresh ginger (such as Spice World)
1 teaspoon bottled minced garlic
1 teaspoon low-sodium soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Preheat oven to 425°.

Place fillets in a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Combine preserves and remaining ingredients; pour over fillets.

Bake at 425° for 15 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 fillet)

NUTRITION PER SERVING: CALORIES 336(29% from fat); FAT 10.9g (sat 2.5g,mono 4.7g,poly 2.6g); PROTEIN 31.4g; CHOLESTEROL 80mg; CALCIUM 23mg; SODIUM 372mg; FIBER 0.1g; IRON 0.7mg; CARBOHYDRATE 29.5g

Cooking Light, JANUARY 2003

I talked about this recipe HERE.

Lime and Honey Glazed Salmon with Warm Black Bean and Corn Salad

Source: 365: No Repeats, by Rachael Ray

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (divided use)
1 medium red onion, chopped
2 large garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 to 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon ground cumin (1/3 palmful)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Juice of 2 limes
3 tablespoons honey (3 gobs)
1 teaspoon chili powder (1/3 palmful)
4 (6-ounce) salmon fillets
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and chopped
1 (10-ounce) box frozen corn kernels, defrosted
1/2 cup chicken stock or broth
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 to 3 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
6 cups baby spinach

Preheat a medium skillet over medium heat with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil (twice around the pan). Add the onions, garlic, red pepper flakes, cumin, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes.

While the onions are cooking, preheat a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil.

In a shallow dish, combine the juice of 1 lime, honey, chili powder, and salt and pepper to taste. Add the salmon fillets to the lime-honey mixture and toss to coat thoroughly. Add the seasoned salmon to the hot skillet and cook until just cooked through, about 3 to 4 minutes on each side.

To the cooked onions, add the bell pepper and corn kernels and cook for 1 minute. Add the chicken stock and continue to cook for another 2 minutes. Add the black beans and cook until the beans are just heated through.

Remove the skillet from the heat and add the juice of the second lime, the cilantro and the spinach. Toss to wilt the spinach and then taste and adjust the seasoning.

Serve the lime-and-honey-glazed salmon on top of the warm black bean and corn salad.

I talked about this recipe HERE.

Pan-Seared Tuna (or Salmon) with Ginger-Shiitake Cream Sauce

Source: Epicurious

6 6-ounce tuna steaks, each about 1 inch thick (I used salmon)
2 tablespoons peanut oil

3 tablespoons butter (I used 2 tablespoons)
1/3 cup thinly sliced green onions
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons finely chopped peeled fresh ginger
4 garlic cloves, chopped
8 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, caps sliced
6 tablespoons soy sauce
1 1/2 cups whipping cream (I used 1 cup of cream + 1/2 cup skim milk)
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
Lime wedges (optional)
Fresh cilantro sprigs (optional)

(We grilled our salmon.) Preheat oven to 200°F. Sprinkle 1 side of tuna steaks with pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in heavy large skillet over high heat. Place tuna steaks, pepper side down, in hot oil and sear 2 minutes. Turn tuna over and continue cooking to desired doneness, about 2 minutes for rare. Transfer tuna to rimmed baking sheet; keep warm in oven.

Add butter, sliced green onions, cilantro, ginger and chopped garlic to same skillet and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Mix in mushrooms and soy sauce and simmer 30 seconds. Add whipping cream and simmer until sauce lightly coats back of spoon, about 3 minutes. Stir in lime juice. Spoon sauce onto plates; arrange tuna atop sauce. Garnish with lime wedges and cilantro sprigs, if desired.

Bon Appétit, February 1999
Circa, Philadelphia PA
RSVP

I talked about this recipe HERE.

Grilled Salmon with Creamy Horseradish Sauce

Source: Epicurious

Sauce:
3/4 cup sour cream (we used light)
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons prepared white horseradish
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon soy sauce

Salmon:
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon prepared white horseradish
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 small garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
6 1-inch-thick salmon fillets (each about 6 ounces)

For sauce:
Mix all ingredients in small bowl. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.) (I recommend chilling this sauce overnight if possible - the flavors are better the next day.)

For salmon:
Spray grill rack generously with nonstick spray. Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Whisk oil, horseradish, soy sauce, garlic, salt, and pepper in another small bowl. Brush oil mixture over both sides of salmon fillets. Grill salmon just until opaque in center, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer salmon to plates. Serve with sauce.

Bon Appétit, July 2003
Jamie Purviance

I talked about this recipe HERE.

Salmon with Puff Pastry and Pesto

Source: Food Network - Giada De Laurentiis

4 pieces of purchased puff pastry, each cut to be just larger than a piece of salmon
4 (4 to 6-ounce) pieces salmon
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1/4 cup purchased pesto
2 tomatoes, sliced (I used roasted red peppers)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

On a foil-lined baking sheet, place the 4 pieces of puff pastry. Also place the 4 pieces of salmon, being careful to make sure they are not touching. Sprinkle each piece of salmon with 1 tablespoon of the sliced almonds. Bake for 10 minutes.

To serve, place each piece of puff pastry on a plate. Top each puff pastry with 1 tablespoon of pesto. Top the pesto with 2 slices of tomatoes each. Top the tomatoes with the salmon and serve.

I talked about this recipe HERE.

Salmon with White Wine Mustard Sauce

Source: Cooking Light

1/4 teaspoon salt, divided
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
4 (6-ounce) salmon fillets (about 1 inch thick)
1 tablespoon butter or stick margarine, divided
3 tablespoons minced shallots
2 tablespoons dry white wine
3/4 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
3/4 teaspoon cornstarch
4 teaspoons minced fresh tarragon (I used 1 teaspoon of dried)

Sprinkle 1/8 teaspoon salt and pepper over fish. Melt 1 1/2 teaspoons butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add fish, and cook 7 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Remove from skillet, and keep warm. (I cooked the fish in the oven at 400º for 20 minutes.)

Melt 1 1/2 teaspoons butter in skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots, and sauté for 1 minute or until tender. Add wine, and cook for 30 seconds. Combine 1/8 teaspoon salt, broth, Dijon mustard, and cornstarch, and stir with a whisk. Add to skillet, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer until reduced to 3/4 cup (about 1 minute). Spoon sauce over fish, and sprinkle with tarragon.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 fillet and 3 tablespoons sauce)

NUTRITION PER SERVING: CALORIES 318 (48% from fat); FAT 17.1g (sat 3g,mono 8g,poly 4g); PROTEIN 35.7g; CHOLESTEROL 111mg; CALCIUM 16mg; SODIUM 467mg; FIBER 0.1g; IRON 0.9mg; CARBOHYDRATE 2.4g

Marianne Marinelli
Cooking Light, JANUARY 1999

I talked about this recipe HERE.