Maple Sesame Salmon

I have posted multiple salmon recipes over the last couple of years but I had to add this recipe for Maple Sesame Salmon. The salmon was absolutely delicious. I was hesitant to broil the salmon, I have burnt numerous things due to broiling, but the salmon turned out perfect. This is hands down going to be my go-to salmon recipe for easy weeknight cooking.

Maple Sesame Salmon
*** adapted from Cupcakes and Kale Chips blog

2 salmon filets
2 T. olive oil
1/4 c. maple syrup
1 T. sesame oil
2 T. rice vinegar
2 T. soy sauce
sprinkle of crushed red pepper
sprinkle of sesame seeds
salt and pepper

In a small boil, combine the olive oil through crushed red pepper. Place the salmon in a large ziplock bag and pour the marinade over it. Put the bag in the fridge and let it marinate for at least one hour.

When you are ready to cook the salmon, preheat the broiler. I used the low setting on my broiler. Cover the inside of a baking dish with foil and spray with cooking spray. Place the salmon on the baking dish, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and some sesame seeds. Broil the salmon for 10-12 minutes. I turned the broiler up to high for the last 2 minutes and the salmon came out perfectly.

Panko Parmesan Tilapia

I came up with the below recipe for panko parmesan tilapia earlier this week and I have honestly had it for dinner 3 of the 4 nights this week. I'm always a little unsure about frozen fish but I tried the frozen tilapia from Trader Joe's for the first time and thought it tasted great, plus it's cheap and easy to defrost at the last minute for a quick weeknight meal. I served the tilapia with asparagus that I roasted on the same pan as the fish. I just tossed the asparagus in a little olive oil, salt and pepper and then roasted it for 10 minutes. I pulled out the pan, added the fish and then cooked an addition 10-12 minutes. Dinner in 20 minutes and one pan, can't get much easier than that!

Panko Parmesan Tilapia

2 tilapia fillets
1/2 cup whole wheat panko bread crumbs
1/4 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
dash of salt and pepper
dash of oregano
dash of red pepper flakes

Preheat oven to 375.

In a small bowl, combine the panko, Parmesan, and seasonings.

Cover a baking sheet with foil sprayed with cooking spray. Place the tilapia fillets on the baking sheet and then cover with the panko mixture. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until flaky.

Pecan Crusted Salmon

I'm keeping it brief with this blog post. We are watching the Emmy's, our at least half watching since apparently CBS is having sound issues. Or maybe it's just our tv, or the CBS broadcast here in Chicago, not sure...

We made pecan crusted salmon last week and I thought it turned out great. This is the good weeknight recipe because its quick and requires mostly pantry ingredients. We roasted some Brussels sprouts and tossed them with some chopped apple and a little turkey bacon- perfect healthy fall dinner in my opinion.

Pecan Crusted Salmon   

2 wild salmon fillets
1/4 cup toasted and very finely chopped pecans
1/4 cup panko (or regular breadcrumbs, in a pinch)
1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
1 tablespoon butter
1 large pinch of salt
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400.

In a small bowl, melt butter in the microwave. Add pecans, panko, parsley and salt and stir to combine. Set aside.

Season the salmon with salt and pepper. Working with the salmon skin side down, mound the pecan mixture evenly across each piece. Drizzle olive oil over the pecan mixture on the salmon and press firmly on the mixture.

Heat a splash of olive oil in a large skillet over high heat. When the oil is hot, add the salmon, pecan crust side down. Cook for 2 minutes or until the pecan crust has browned, flip the salmon and then put the skillet in the oven. Bake for an additional 6-8 minutes.

** Be careful not to overcook the salmon or it will become tough and chewy.

Maple Sesame Salmon

I have been holding off on posting this recipe since Monday because I honestly couldn't think of anything to write. I'll blame my writers block on all of the end of the school year craziness! What I can say, is that this is an incredibly simple way to prepare salmon. I've made Asian glazed salmon recipes in the past but I loved the addition of the maple syrup in this marinade, it adds a little sweetness and browns nicely under the broiler. I served the salmon with a little sauteed boy choy and black rice and it was the perfect healthy weeknight meal.

Maple Sesame Salmon

Serves 2
Prep/Cook Time: 25 minutes

2 salmon fillets
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
2 tsp rice vinegar
1 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp Sriracha sauce
sesame seeds


Preheat the broiler. 

In a small bowl, combine the garlic through Sriracha sauce. Place the salmon in a ziplock bag and pour the marinade over the salmon. Let sit for 15 minutes.

Line the inside of a small baking dish with foil and coat with cooking spray. Place the salmon in the pan and pour half of the marinade over the fish. Broil for 5 minutes and then baste with more of the marinade. Broil another 5 minutes or until cooked. Sprinkle with sesame seeds before serving. 

Cilantro-Pesto Salmon with Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Poblano Peppers

It's great when you come across a new recipe that you like, but it's even better when it bakes all in one dish! The below salmon recipe is the perfect one dish meal. I loved the combination of sweet potatoes and poblano peppers and the cilantro-pesto coating on the salmon was full of flavor. This recipe is incredibly simple and very adaptable. If you don't like salmon you could easily use a different kind of fish or even chicken in it's place.

 Cilantro-Pesto Salmon with Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Poblano Peppers
** adapted from Cara's Cravings

Serves 2
Prep/Cook Time: 45 minutes

2 medium sized sweet potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced

1 medium poblano pepper, sliced thinly

1/2 cup red onion, sliced thinly
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon honey
2 salmon filets
1 cup cilantro
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes
juice from1 lime
1 clove of garlic, peeled
handful of cashews
dash of chili powder 

Preheat oven to 375. Arrange sliced sweet potatoes, poblano peppers, and onions in a baking dish sprayed with cooking spray. Drizzle with the honey and olive oil. Season with a pinch of salt. Roast for 15 minutes. Remove pan from oven and toss the vegetables around, then return and roast for another 10 minutes. Meanwhile, season the salmon filets with salt and pepper.

In a food processor or blender, combine the cilantro, tomato, lime juice, garlic, and cashews. Pulse until smooth. Arrange the salmon filets on top of the roasted vegetables. Spread a layer of pesto on top of each piece of salmon. Bake for another 15-20 minutes, until fish is opaque.

Salmon Baked in Foil with Mediterranean Orzo

I have been awful about blogging this month. We've been cooking, I just haven't gotten around to posting what we've been making.  I tell myself that I am going to post some recipes and well, it just doesn't happen. I have a few recipes that we've recently made that I will eventually post but I wanted to start off with a dish that we had earlier this week. Brady made the below salmon and orzo recipe for us. I loved how simple the salmon was and cooking it in the foil really kept it moist and flavorful. Cooking fish in foil or parchment paper is a great way to keep your fish from drying out. The Mediterranean Orzo complimented the salmon perfectly but you could easily make the orzo on it's own as a main dish or serve it with grilled chicken.

I have no idea why the tomatoes look orange...

 Salmon Baked in Foil with Mediterranean Orzo
** Salmon recipe serves 2 and orzo serves 4

For the Salmon:
2 salmon fillets
1 T. olive oil plus 1 tsp.
salt and pepper
2 small Roma tomatoes, chopped
1 shallot, chopped
lemon, juiced
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried thyme

Preheat the oven to 400.

Drizzle salmon with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. In a small mixing bowl, combine the tomatoes, shallots, lemon juice, oregano, thyme and 1 tsp olive oil.

Place a salmon fillet, skin side down, atop a sheet of foil. Spoon the tomato mixture over the salmon and fold up the foil, covering completely. Repeat with the other salmon fillet. Place the foil packets on a baking sheet. Bake until the salmon is just cooked through, about 20 minutes. Use a spatula to transfer the salmon and tomato mixture to a plate to serve.

For the Mediterranean Orzo:

1 box orzo, cooked according to directions
8 large asparagus spears, blanched and cut into 1/2 in. pieces**
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cucumber, diced
1/2 red pepper diced
1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives, halved
1/4 cup feta, crumbled
2 T. Italian parsley, chopped
juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup balsamic vinaigrette

Cook the orzo according to directions, drain and run under cold water. Once orzo is cool, mix all ingredients in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste.

** To blanch the asparagus, boil a small saucepan of water. When the water is boiling, add the asparagus and simmer for about 4 minutes. Drain the water and run cold water over asparagus.

Lemon Basil Fish Tacos with Jalapeno Cucumber Sauce

We recently made fish tacos and I know I raved about the recipe, but the below recipe is another equally good way to prepare fish tacos. I loved the lemon basil marinade for the fish. It's light and fresh and in my opinion basil makes everything taste better. I will definitely be using the marinade in the future when grilling fish, shrimp, or even chicken. I was curious about the jalapeno cucumber sauce, but I thought the Greek flavor from the yogurt and cucumbers made these fish tacos unique and delicious.

Lemon Basil Fish Tacos with Jalapeno Cucumber Sauce
** adapted from Spabettie

Serves 2
Prep/Cook Time: 25 minutes

Lemon Basil Cod filets:
2 cod filets
2 T. olive oil
juice of 2 lemons
15-20 leaves basil, chopped
pepper

Jalapeno Cucumber Sauce: 
1/2 cucumber, chopped
2 jalapenos, seeded and chopped
2 cups plain Greek yogurt
1 tsp cumin

Additional ingredients: 
6 corn tortillas
3 ears of corn, kernels removed from the cob

For the cod filets, mix the oil, lemon juice, basil and a dash of pepper to a large plastic bag. Add the cod filets and marinate for 20-30 minutes.

Mix all ingredients for the jalapeno cucumber sauce in a food processor or with an immersion blender. Chill until ready to serve.

Heat a grill or grill pan. Remove the cod filets from the plastic bag and cook the filets for about 4 minutes on each side or until they begin to flake. Baste the fish with the reserved lemon basil marinade after flipping. Remove cod to a cutting board and cut into bite size pieces. Meanwhile, heat an oven to 350 degrees and warm the tortillas on a cookie sheet for about 5 minutes.

To serve, top warm tortillas with pieces of cod, corn kernels and the jalapeno cucumber sauce.

Cod Tostadas with Corn Relish

The below recipe is one that I had been wanting to try for months now, I was just waiting for summer to roll around to make it. As previously mentioned, I love good fish tacos. You can pretty much bet that if fish tacos are on a menu I will order then. This recipe is a great alternative to the typical fish tacos and one that wont disappoint. I made these cod tostadas two weeks ago and they were awesome. The fish is rolled in cornmeal and then cooked in a skillet so it has a fried-like appearance and texture but without all the calories. Plus the corn relish is delicious. Grab a few coronas and you have the perfect Mexican dinner!

Cod Tostadas with Corn Relish
** from I Just Love My Apron and Cooking Light

Serves 2
Prep/Cook Time: 20 minutes
print recipe

1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1/4 cup green salsa
1 cup yellow corn kernels
1/4 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
1 cup diced peeled avocado
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
2 cod fillets, cut into 2-inch pieces
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/3 cup yellow cornmeal
1 1/2 tsp olive oil
6 (6-inch) corn tortillas
1 cup packaged angel hair slaw

Preheat broiler.

In a small bowl, combine sour cream and green salsa. Set aside.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add corn, bell pepper, onion, jalapeno, and 1/4 tsp salt.  Saute about 5 minutes and then transfer to a medium sized bowl. Add in the avocado and lemon juice.

Sprinkle fish with salt and pepper. Place cornmeal in a shallow dish; dredge fish in the cornmeal.

Heat 1 1/2 tsp oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add fish and cook 3 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily.

Coat both sides of a the tortillas with cooking spray or oil. Place on a cookie sheet and broil 2 minutes on each side, or until crisp.

Place tortillas on a serving plate, top with corn relish and garnish with the sour cream mixture.

Salmon and Pasta with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

I'm back to blogging after a very busy week. Unfortunately I didn't do any blog worthy cooking this past week but I am still catching up from the week before. As you can tell I love to cook, and I love to cook with Brady and my family, but sometimes its really nice to come home to a meal that has been prepared for me. Two weeks ago Brady made us an excellent dinner of salmon and pasta with a roasted red pepper sauce. I can't say anything for the preparation because I wasn't present but I loved the flavor of the sauce and the whole dish felt very healthy and perfect for a light summer dish.

Salmon and Pasta with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
** from Allrecipes.com
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Serves 2
Prep/Cook Time: 40 minutes

2 salmon filets
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 cup roasted red bell peppers
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 teaspoons minced jalapeno peppers
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 cup chicken broth
1 (8 ounce) package angel hair pasta

In a small baking dish, arrange the salmon filets. Sprinkle the salmon with lemon juice and then tightly cover with foil. Bake at 450 degrees, about 12 to 14 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a blender, puree red peppers, parmesan, cornstarch, jalapeno pepper, and garlic. Add cilantro and chicken broth and blend.

Pour pepper mixture into a skillet. Stir over high heat until boiling. Reduce heat to keep warm. 

Cook pasta in boiling water, about 7 minutes. Drain, and return to pan. 

Stir juices from the baked salmon into red pepper sauce. Mix 1 1/2 cups sauce with pasta. Spoon pasta onto plates. Top with fish, and drizzle with remaining sauce.

Roast Salmon with Sweet Chipotle Glaze

It was so great being in Miami and having fresh fish each night. I wanted to continue the fish trend back here in Chicago so I picked up some fresh salmon last week. The salmon turned out great, sweet with a little bit of a smoky kick from the chipotle peppers. I loved that the glaze called for minimal ingredients, all of which I already had on hand, and the whole dish was incredibly quick and easy to prepare. The original recipe has the salmon served over hominy puree which sounds interesting and I think would be a good pairing with the fish. I will definitely be making this again and trying out the hominy puree next time!

Roast Salmon with Sweet Chipotle Glaze
** adapted from Eats Well With Others
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Serves 2
Prep/Cook Time: 20 minutes

3 chipotle chiles from canned chipotle in adobo, minced
2 tbsp apricot jam
1 1/4 tsp red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp ground cumin
2 (6-7 oz) wild Atlantic salmon fillets


Preheat the oven to 450. In a small bowl mix chipotle chilies, apricot jam, red wine vinegar and cumin.

Coat a medium size baking dish with PAM. Arrange salmon in the baking dish and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Spread half of the glaze on each piece of salmon.

Roast until opaque, about 10 minutes.

Mahi-mahi with Spicy Citrus Salsa

I am trying to use up the huge bag of frozen mahi-mahi that I bought months ago at Costco. I really like mahi-mahi and it's easy to prepare but I have gotten a little tired of the usual ways that I prepare it. I recently came across a recipe for mahi-mahi on foodgawker that sounded perfect for the onset of spring, combining fresh produce and grilled mahi-mahi. I thought it turned out great, it was light but the citrus salsa really added a kick to the mild fish.

Mahi-mahi with Spicy Citrus Salsa

** adapted from Indonesia Eats
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Serves 2
Prep/Cook Time: 20 minutes

1 grapefruit
1 orange
1/3 cup red onion, chopped
1/2 cup avocado, diced
2 tsp jalapeno pepper, seeds removed and minced
2 tsp lime juice
1 T. chopped cilantro
2 mahi-mahi fillets

Cut the grapefruit in half, cut between the membranes to remove the segments. Add the grapefruit to a bowl. Peel the orange, cut each orange segment in half and add to the bowl. Next combine the avocado, jalapeno pepper, lime juice and cilantro in the bowl and stir to combine. Cover until ready to use.

Heat a grill pan over medium high heat. Spray the pan with PAM and then cook the fish for about 5 minutes on each side or until flaky. Serve the fish over a large spoonful of the citrus salsa.

Salmon Nicoise Salad

I knew my blogging would be less frequent with the start of student teaching but I didn't think it would get this bad. I have had recipes that I have planned to make the past few weeks and it just hasn't happened, sorry!  The good news is that while my time in the kitchen (and at the gym) may be lacking right now, my first four weeks of student teaching have gone really well! I survived a field trip to the Planetarium with 30 kids, started teaching all of the subjects full time, and picked up some great stories (and germs). 

While most of my meals have consisted of whatever I could throw together in 10 minutes or less, I did manage to make a good dinner on Sunday evening. After eating too much junk food during the Bears game on Sunday I was craving a big healthy salad. Recently I had a Salmon Nicoise Salad at Nordstrom's Cafe and decided to try and recreate it. It ended up turning out great. The salad was easy to prepare, filling and nutritious with the omega rich salmon.

Salmon Nicoise Salad
** dressing adapted from a Weight Watchers Cookbook
print recipe

Serves 1 but you could easily double
Prep/Cook Time: 20 minutes

For Salad:
1 (6 oz) salmon fillet
2 cups fresh baby spinach
1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
2 T. pitted kalamata olives, halved
1/8 pound green beans, trimmed (about a handful)
1 large egg
1 small red potato, quartered

For Dressing:
** I made extra so I would have dressing for salads throughout the week
2 T. dijion mustard
2 T. red wine vinegar
1 T. honey
2 tsp olive oil
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 425. While oven is preheating, place potato and whole unbroken egg in a small saucepan; cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Remove eggs and run under cold water; set aside. Cook potato 5 more minutes and then add green beans. Simmer 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Remove potato and beans and run under cold water; drain. Peel eggs, and slice into wedges; set aside.

Coat a small baking pan with PAM. Season salmon with salt and pepper and cook for 12-15 minutes or until fish flakes easily.

Combine mustard, vinegar, honey, oil and a dash of salt and pepper in a small bowl; stir with a whisk.

Combine spinach, olives, and onion in a large bowl; add vinaigrette, potato, and beans, and toss to combine. Arrange salad on plate and top with baked salmon and eggs.

Grilled Halibut with Fennel Puree

During our recent trip to Seattle Brady and I ate at the excellent restaurant Tilth. Chef Maria Hines, a winner of the prestigious James Beard Award, menu focuses on organic sustainable foods. We had the Chefs Tasting Menu and everything that we ate was absolutely delicious.  One of my favorite dishes was grilled halibut served over a fennel puree. I have been wanting to recreate this dish ever since we had it back in September, we finally made the dish on Sunday night and it turned out great!

If you haven't checked out the William-Sonoma site they have a huge collection of recipes. I recently came across a halibut dish on their website and thought that it would be similar to what we had at Tilth. The William-Sonoma recipe included a recipe for fennel puree but I already had a Giada DeLaurentis recipe that  I had been meaning to try.  I mixed the two recipes and while it wasn't quite the same caliber as Maria Hines dish it was definitely a success.

Grilled Halibut with Fennel Puree
** Adapted from Williams-Sonoma and Food Network
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Serves 2
Prep/Cook Time: 30 minutes

Grilled Halibut
2 skinless halibut fillets, each about 6 oz. and 1 inch thick
1 T. olive oil
1 T. chopped fresh chervil, plus more for garnish (or parsley if you can't find chervil)
1 tsp. fennel seeds, crushed
Grated zest of 1/2 orange
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper

Fennel Puree
2 large fennel bulbs
1 medium potato
2 garlic cloves
2 cups chicken broth
1 cups milk
2 tablespoons mascarpone cheese (you could substitute light cream cheese)
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Brush the halibut fillets with the olive oil. In a small bowl, stir together the chervil, fennel seeds, orange zest, salt and pepper. Sprinkle the mixture over the halibut fillets, distributing it evenly so that all sides are seasoned. Set aside while you prepare the fennel puree.

Trim the fennel bulbs of their stalks and bottom root. Halve the fennel and slice each half into 1/4-inch thick slices. Peel the potato, halve, and thinly slice. Place the fennel, potatoes, garlic, chicken broth, and milk in a large, heavy pot over medium-high heat. Bring the mixture to a simmer and continue cooking until the fennel and potatoes are soft, about 20 to 30 minutes.

When the fennel is about cooked heat a grill pan and lightly coat with olive oil. Grill the halibut fillets, turning once, until opaque throughout, about 4 minutes per side.

Once fennel is soft, drain the liquid. Place the fennel mixture in a food processor or use an immersion blender and puree.  Add the mascarpone cheese, salt, and pepper. Mix to combine. Add more salt and pepper to taste.

Garnish the fish with chervil and serve immediately with the fennel puree alongside.

Seared Mahi Mahi with Edamame Succotash

I have made this Cooking Light recipe a few times now and each time I think to myself I should make it more often because it is incredibly easy, tasty and healthy. While the original recipe tastes great, it involves broiling red peppers and removing the skin, chopping and then mixing the peppers with frozen corn and edamame.  Not incredibly difficult but I have found a way to cheat and make it a little easier without giving up any of the flavor. I use frozen premixed Edamame Succotash from Trader Joe's which consists of frozen corn, red pepper and edamame, how perfect is that?!

Seared Mahi Mahi with Edamame Succotash
** adapted from Cooking Light
printable recipe

Serves 2
Prep/Cook Time: 10 minutes

Succotash:
1 cup frozen Trader Joe's Edamame Succotash- or other brand containing corn, red pepper and edamame
1 tsp fresh thyme
1 tsp rice wine vinegar
1 tsp lime juice
1 tsp olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 garlic clove, minced

Mahi Mahi:
Cooking Spray
2 (6 oz) mahi mahi fillets, or other firm white fish
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper

Heat grill pan or outdoor grill to medium high heat.  Coat grill pan with cooking spray.  Season fish with salt and pepper and place on grill plan.  Cook 4 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork.

Meanwhile, heat frozen succotash in microwave safe bowl for 2 minutes.  Add remaining ingredients, thyme through garlic, to the bowl and stir to combine.  Serve with grilled fish.

Salmon Salad with Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette

This past weekend Brady and I went to Seattle with friends.  We had an awesome time; we spent two days in Seattle and then two days out at the Gorge Amphitheater to see Dave Matthews Band.  While on vacation I had some great food, the highlight being an amazing dinner at Tilth (Top Chef Masters contestant Maria Hines' restaurant).  I also had way too much junk: pizza, an Egg McMuffin, fried cheese curds (they were worth it!), beer, and more beer while camping out at the Gorge.  Needless to say when I hit the grocery store this evening I went with a light dinner in mind.  I found a recipe for a cilantro lime vinaigrette and then just threw together the rest of this tasty and healthy salad.

Salmon Salad with Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette
  ** vinaigrette recipe from Cooking Light

Serves 2
Prep time 12 minutes

For the Salad
2 (6 oz) salmon fillets
mixed greens or spinach- about 2 to 3 cups per person
1 ripe avocado, sliced
1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
1 T. diced cilantro
dash of salt
dash of pepper
dash of cumin
dash of cayenne pepper (optional depending on how spicy you want the salmon)

For the Vinaigrette
1/8 c. lime juice
1 T. sugar
2 T. rice wine vinegar
1 T. olive oil
1 T. cilantro, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Heat grill or stove top grill pan.  Sprinkle salmon fillets with salt, pepper and cumin (or optional cayenne pepper).  Spray grill with nonstick cooking spray.  Grill salmon, about 5-6 minutes on each side.  While salmon is grilling, slice red onions, cilantro, and avocado.  Arrange lettuce on plates, top with red onion, avocado and chopped cilantro.  Prepare vinaigrette by whisking all ingredients listed above. Top salad mixture with piece of grilled salmon and then drizzle with cilantro lime vinaigrette.

Lemon-Artichoke Cod

Tonight I attempted to make Cooking Light's Lemon-Artichoke Halibut en Papillote (in simple terms, halibut baked in parchment paper).  I have made this recipe on numerous occasions because it's quick, healthy and tastes good.  I couldn't find halibut at Trader Joes so I bought Alaskan cod thinking that would work just as well, I was wrong.  I am not sure what the problem was but the fish got soggy, started falling apart and made me want to scrap the whole thing and run next door to Chipotle.

Instead of the last minute taco run, I decided to use the other piece of cod that I was saving for tomorrow nights dinner and try the recipe out in a skillet.  Thankfully it worked and ended up tasting great.  I would highly recommend the original dish with the halibut but this tasted just us a good and as it turns out, is even faster to throw together.

I served mine over a little bit of leftover quinoa from last nights stir fry dinner and some leftover sauteed green beans.  For those of you that haven't tried quinoa, it's a great substitute for rice or couscous. Quinoa is low in fat and high in fiber, vitamins, and omega 3-fatty acids. Give it a try!

 Lemon-Artichoke Cod
 ** modified from Cooking Light recipe above

Serves 4 (I just made a 1/4 of the recipe)
Cooking Time: 10 minutes

4 (6 oz) cod fillets
salt
pepper
1 shallot, thinly sliced
1/4 c. fresh salsa
1 (9 oz) package frozen artichoke hearts, thawed (I used a can)
juice of one lemon

Heat skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat.  Season cod fillets with salt and pepper and then add to the hot skillet. Squeeze the juice from one lemon over the fillets.  Cook for about 4 minutes on one side.  Flip the fillets over and cook for another 4 minutes.  Add the artichoke hearts and the salsa to the skillet and cook for another 2 minutes.  Remove fish from the skillet and top with salsa and artichokes. Serve immediately.