Simple Salmon

My father-in-law hates salmon.  If I were an amazing daughter-in-law I would have remembered this, but no, I invited him and his wife over for dinner and chose to make (you guessed it) salmon.  Realizing it and feeling awful half way through the meal, I immediately apologized.  To my surprise, he told me how he actually really liked MY salmon!  Hopefully he wasn't just being nice, but here's the trick to great salmon every time!

 

Ingredients:

· 2 6oz. wild caught salmon filets

· 2 tbsp. olive oil

·Seasonings: Good quality sea salt & pepper, dill seasoning, garlic powder

Directions:

1.      Heat a stainless steel pan to medium high and add the olive oil.  (should be enough to coat the bottom of the pan)  Heat until the oil begins to smoke.

2.       While the pan is heating, dry your filets with paper towel.  Season your filets with salt and pepper, plus the dill and garlic powder on both sides, to taste. (Note: Don't pepper the skin side - only salt)

3.      Add the fish to the pan, skin side down if you have skin, and let cook 2-5 minutes.  If the fish is difficult to flip and sticks to the pan, it's not ready yet.  Flip and continue to cook until desired doneness is achieved.

And there you have it...perfectly crispy & delicious salmon!  Now you can serve it like this, or add a yummy topping like one of the following:

 

Florentine Topping:

Ingredients:

 

• 2 10 oz. packages frozen spinach, thawed
• 1 tbsp olive oil  
• 1/4 cup diced artichokes (I use the ones in the jar)
• 2 tsp minced garlic or 1 tsp garlic powder
• 5 sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
• 1/2 cup part-skim ricotta

Directions:

Squeeze spinach of all excess liquid. Set aside. Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat.  Add garlic and cook about 1 minute. Add spinach, tomatoes, artichokes, salt, and pepper; cook, stirring, 2 minutes more. Remove from heat; let cool about 15 minutes. Add ricotta; stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Pack about 1/2 cup spinach mixture on top of each fillet.

Parmesan Whole wheat Gnocchi

Lent is upon us, and I am always looking for healthy, filling and meatless recipes.  This one not only comes together incredibly quickly, but also feels like comfort food because of the gnocchi. 

Ingredients:

•  
• 1-1/2 Tbsp garlic infused extra virgin olive oil (or sub regular EVOO)
• 16oz whole wheat gnocchi
• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 1 bunch asparagus, chopped into 1” pieces

1 cup cherry tomatoes

1/4 small onion, chopped

1 small zucchini, chopped

1/2 cup frozen corn

4 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 cup 2% milk

4 Tablespoons freshly grated parmesan cheese

 Directions:

1.       Boil gnocchi for 3 minutes to soften.  Meanwhile, heat EVOO in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When gnocchi has finished boiling, transfer to skillet with EVOO, spreading in a single layer.  Sauté for 3-4 minutes, or until golden brown on the bottom. Toss and then continue to sauté for another 3-4 more minutes until golden brown on all sides. Remove skillet from heat then set aside.

2.       While cooking gnocchi, heat butter in another large skillet and add asparagus, zucchini, corn, and onion. Sauté about 3-4 minutes, then add minced garlic and tomatoes. Sauté until tomatoes are warmed through.  Remove skillet from heat then add milk and parmesan cheese.

3.       Pour gnocchi into skillet and toss to combine. Serve topped with additional parmesan cheese, if desired.

  

Gouda Veggie Casserole

Ingredients:

1 zucchini, washed and diced

1 yellow squash, washed and diced

3 medium tomatoes, washed and diced (I like to use different colored tomatoes to add color and variety of flavor!)

4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

½ onion, diced

1 tbsp. olive oil

½ cup quinoa

1 cup shredded cheese (I used and recommend gouda)

 

Directions:

1.      Preheat oven to 350°F.

2.       Sauté onion and garlic in olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.

3.      Add zucchini and squash.  Continue to cook about 5 minutes more to soften.

4.      Add tomatoes and quninoa.  Continue to cook about 2 minutes more.

5.      Remove from heat and pour into an 8X8 glass pan.  Top with shredded cheese.

6.      Place pan in preheated oven and cook about 20 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly.

Crustless Italian Quiche

This quiche reminds me of the flavors of pizza.  You can whip it together in no time and make it ahead so all you have to do during the week is warm it up!

Ingredients:

• 16 oz.  low fat cottage cheese
• 2 cups fresh spinach, chopped (or substitute 10 oz. frozen chopped spinach, thawed & drained)
• 1 cup part-skim mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup tomatoes, seeded and diced
• 1/2 cup bell peppers, diced
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 1/3 cup parmesan cheese
• 1 tbsp dried italian spices

Directions:

Heat oven to 350ºF.  Mix all ingredients in a bowl until blended.