Blackened Salmon + Cobb

Hello everyone!  Today we bring you a versatile, HEALTHY recipe, to help you get back on track after the holidays.  This blackened salmon, and the dish I created to serve it in, is inspired by a fav restaurant of mine here in Mpls., The Capital Grille.  Although a traditional steak place for dinner, they have an amazing cobb salad on their lunch menu.  In a previous life I would lunch their weekly, and almost always got this salad.  You could choose your protein I liked their blackened salmon because it is something I would rarely cook at home, and had an amazing flavorful crust.  This meal was easy, and now maybe I will eat it at home once a week!  

Servings: 2

Servings Size: 2 salads, each with 3 oz salmon, 1 egg, 1 full tomato, 1/2 oz blue cheese and 1 t. olive oil

Points Plus: 10 pp

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 12 minutes

Level of Difficulty: Easy

Rating: 5 stars - Excellent! 

Ingredients

6 oz raw WILD salmon

2 1/2 T. paprika

3/4 t. cayenne pepper

1 t. dried thyme

1/2 t. garlic powder

1 1/2 t. kosher salt

1 T light butter

1 lemon, cut in half

4 cups of lettuce, washed and chopped

2 eggs, hard boiled and sliced

2 tomatoes, sliced

1 oz good quality blue cheese, divided into two pieces

2 t. olive oil

Salt + Fresh ground pepper

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.  In a shallow bowl mix together your paprika, cayenne, thyme, garlic powder and salt.  Cut your salmon filet in half, so that each filet is about 4 oz. In another shallow bowl melt your butter and add a squeeze of lemon juice. Take the first filet and dip it into the butter, and then the spice mixture.  Use your hands to be sure it is completely covered with spices. 

Heat a non-stick skillet and cook the filets on your stovetop, about 2 minutes on each side.  Transfer your filets to an oven safe dish (or use a dish that can be used both on the stovetop and in the oven) and back them for about 8 minutes.

While salmon is baking, arrange your plate! Put down lettuce, and then arrange your egg, tomato and cheese around the outside.  When the salmon is done remove it from the oven and place in the middle.  Drizzle each salad with 1 t. olive oil, a bit of kosher salt and fresh ground pepper.

Tip

I didn’t know this until yesterday, but salmon is best right out of the oven (hence reheated salmon is gross J).  So find a buddy to share this salad with, or only cook the amount you will eat fresh.

XOXO - Katie

Grilled Salmon with Dill & Lemon

I really like to grill fish – it makes for a quick dinner.  Here’s an easy recipe for grilled salmon filet.  Adding in dill and lemon flavors will help to complement the taste of the salmon.  Serve this with a grilled vegetable – asparagus or Brussels sprouts and a side salad!

Servings:  4

Size:  ¼ of grilled salmon filet

Points Plus: 8pp

Level of Difficulty:  Easy

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time:  8-12 minutes

Rating: 4 stars – Very good

Ingredient List:

1 ½ lb. salmon fillet

2 Tbsp. olive oil

Salt

Pepper

2 Tbsp. dried dill

2 lemons

Directions:

Use heavy-duty aluminum foil and make a foil packet to grill your fish in.  To prepare your fish for grilling, start by brushing the olive oil over the salmon filet.  Next, sprinkle a generous amount of salt and pepper followed by dill.  Cut a lemon in half and squeeze the juice from one half over the top of the seasoned salmon filet.  This will help to cut down on any sort of fishy taste once your salmon is fully cooked.  Spray the bottom of the aluminum foil packet with cooking spray (PAM even makes a specific grilling variety).  Place the seasoned side down first in the foil packet, and skin side up.  This ensures you that you have a nicely grilled top of the fillet.  Cook on the grill for about 4-6 minutes before flipping the filet over to cook the other side for an additional 4-6 minutes.  While your fish is on the grill, slice up the remaining lemon into wedges to serve with your meal.

Tip:

Make sure you ask for a salmon fillet vs. steaks.  A filet is a long piece while salmon steaks are smaller cross-section pieces.  A filet allows you to serve larger or smaller pieces based on your guest’s preference.  The pp value above assumes you serve equal sized portions of the filet. 

XOXO Megan

Broiled Cod with Chipotle Creme

After a weekend of eating out, eating unhealthy, and eating pretty much whatever we wanted, I decided to take it down a notch and make a light Memorial Day dinner. I have wanted to try making fish tacos forever, and landed on cod, a light flaky white fish.  After some internet research (my fav!) I came up with a good spice mixture and sauce for this Mexican inspired meal. In an effort to lighten things up a little more I opted to skip the tortillas and just serve the fish baked with a side of cilantro lime rice. You could also top with traditional fish taco fixings, red onion, tomato, cabbage, shredded radishes, exc!

Servings: 4

Size: 4oz fish

Points Plus: 4pp

Level of Difficulty: Medium

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 7 minutes

Rating: 4 stars - Very Good

Ingredient List: 

1 lb Atlantic cod

1 T. olive oil

1 t. kosher salt

1/4 t. black pepper

1/8 t. garlic powder

1/2 t. paprika

1/4 t. chili powder
1 lime

1/2 c. light sour cream

1-2 t. chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (sauce only)

Cilantro for garnish

Directions:

Turn oven to broil and place oven rack a few inches from the flame. Line a cookie sheet with tin foil and lay cod on foil. Pour olive oil over cod and brush to cover evenly. Mix salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika and chili powder. Sprinkle spice mixture evenly over fish. I ended up only using about half of the spice mixture, so feel free to do the same depending on how spicy/salty you would like it. Squeese the juice from one lime over fish. Place cod under the broiler and cook until flaky, for me this was about four minutes. While fish is cooking mix sour cream and chipotle pepper sauce.  When fish is cooked remove from oven and top with 2 T. chipotle cream mixture.  Garnish with cilantro.

Tip: 

With summer on it's way you could easily grill this fish outside.  

Maple Glazed Salmon with Brussels Sprouts

Salmon is quick and easy to bake in the oven; and adding a delicious glaze to the top can really increse the flavor of your fish.  Pair it with Brussels sprouts (one of my FAVORITE veggies) and you've got an easy, healthy dinner on your hands!  You can substitute whatever veggie you want on the side, but honestly I cannot get enough of roasted Brussel sprouts.  They are so delicious!

Servings:  4

Size:  ¼ of the cooked salmon fillet

Points Plus: 10 pp

Level of Difficulty:  Easy

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time:  25 minutes

Rating: 3 stars – Good

*Recipe from Real Simple

Ingredient List:

1 pound Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved

½ large red onion, cut into 1 inch wedges

1 Tbsp. olive oil

Kosher salt

Black pepper

2 Tbsp. maple syrup

2 Tbsp. whole-grain mustard

1 ½ pounds salmon fillet, cut into 4 pieces

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 450°, with the racks in the upper and lower thirds of your oven.  On a rimmed cookie sheet, toss the Brussels sprouts and onion with the oil.  Sprinkle salt and pepper over the veggies.  Roast on the bottom rack, tossing occasionally with tongs until they are golden and tender (about 15-20 minutes).  In a small bowl, whisk together the maple syrup, mustard and ¼ tsp each of salt and pepper.  After the veggies have been roasting for 10 minutes, place the salmon in a glass 9x9 baking dish.  Brush the maple mixture over the top of the salmon fillets.  Roast the salmon on the top rack until cooked through, about 15 minutes.  Serve with lemon wedges if you prefer.

Tip:

The original recipe calls for skinless salmon fillets.  I usually buy the packaged fresh fillets at my local grocer that have skin on the bottom.  Rather than struggle to cut off this skin before it’s cooked, just bake the salmon as the directions say above.  Once your salmon is cooked, the fish will literally peel away from the skin on its own.  Just be careful to avoid any fish scales/skin on the pieces you will be serving.

XOXO Megan