Mustard-Roasted Salmon with Lingonberry Sauce

Another great Salmon dinner. I used Shetland Salmon from Scotland.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon Maille Whole Grain Mustard
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, divided
• 2 6-ounce salmon fillets
• 2 tablespoons chopped shallots
• 2 tablespoons lingonberry preserves
• 2 tablespoons raspberry vinegar

Directions

Preheat oven to 450°F. Stir 2 tablespoons mustard and 1 tablespoon melted butter in small dish. Oil small rimmed baking sheet and place salmon on sheet, skin side down. Sprinkle salmon with salt. Spread top of salmon with mustard mixture and season generously with pepper. Bake until salmon is cooked through and mustard browns, about 10 minutes. 

Meanwhile, heat remaining 1 tablespoon butter in heavy small skillet over medium heat. Add shallots and sauté 2 minutes. Add preserves and vinegar; stir until preserves melt and mixture is smooth. Bring to simmer. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper. 

Spoon sauce over fish and serve.

~Based on a Bon Appetit recipe, March 2004

Ewa -- bean stew

Easy to prepare. And simply delicious.

From One World Vegetarian Cookbook; a great cookbook! Great recipes. Great photos. All printed a beautiful paper stock.

"A Nigerian dish like this would one cooked all in one pot, using dried, soaked beans -- but you may prefer to use canned beans to shorten the cooking process. You can experiment with different herbs and flavorings."

Ingredients

1 onion, sliced
1 can beans, such as black-eyes beans, drained
4 tomatoes, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped finely (I used an orange pepper.)
2 tbsp tomato paste
1/2 tsp chili powder (I used 1 tsp.)
1-inch fresh ginger, chopped
1 tbsp cilantro, chopped
1 tbsp lime juice
oil
salt and pepper

Directions

1. First cook the onions in oil until they are golden.
2. Add the beans, tomatoes, bell pepper, tomato paste, chili powder, ginger, cilantro and seasoning. Stir well.
3. Bring the post to boil and then reduce the heat and let it simmer 15--20 minutes until the flavors have combined. Add lime juice and stir. Serve with rice, sweetcorn or bread.

I served it over couscous.

Creamy Watercress & Artichoke Soup

Delicious!!!

From Dr. Perricone:

"Superstar detoxifiers Artichoke, Watercress and lemon juice are combined to make this a savory and slimming soup. Serve this with some Wild Alaskan Salmon the night before an event to banish fluid retention and get glowing skin."

Ingredients

• Two 14-ounce cans reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1/4 cup rice
• One 14-ounce can artichoke hearts, drained and rinsed
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 2 to 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, to taste
• 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
• 4 cups packed (2 bunches or bags) B&W watercress (a few sprigs reserved for garnish, the remainder cut into 2-inch pieces)
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Preparation

1. Combine the broth and rice in a large saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, uncovered, until the rice is very tender, about 15 minutes.
2. Place the artichoke hearts, eggs, and lemon juice in a blender and puree. With the machine running, ladle about half of the rice mixture through the opening in the cover, and puree until smooth. (Use caution when pureeing hot liquids.) Return the pureed mixture to the saucepan and cook, stirring constantly, until an instant-read thermometer registers 160F, reducing the heat as necessary to prevent the soup from boiling.
3. Stir in the dill, watercress and pepper. Garnish with the reserved sprigs of watercress.

Our Valentine's Day Dinner

Pineapple and Soy Glazed Salmon

Avocado and Strawberries with Honey Vinaigrette

Spinach with Sesame Dressing (Aona No Goma-Ae)

White Coconut Cake

WOW!

Ingredients

1 1/4 cup(s) pineapple juice

2 tablespoon(s) low-sodium soy sauce

1/4 cup(s) dry sherry

1 teaspoon(s) light brown sugar

2 tablespoon(s) miso

4  (6-ounce) skinless salmon fillets (I used Shetland Salmon from Scotland)

1/4 teaspoon(s) fresh-ground black pepper

Directions

Marinate the salmon: In a medium saucepan over high heat, cook the pineapple juice, soy sauce, and sherry for 20 minutes. Stir in the brown sugar and cook for 5 more minutes. Using a whisk, stir in miso. Remove from heat and allow the mixture to cool. Season the salmon fillets with the pepper and place them in a shallow baking dish. Pour the pineapple glaze over the salmon fillets, turning to coat each side, and chill for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Roast the fillets: Place the salmon on the top shelf of the oven and cook until the flesh turns opaque -- about 7 minutes. Change the oven temperature setting to broil and cook until the glaze begins to brown -- 2 to 3 minutes. Serve immediately. I served it on a sheet of Nori.

~From Country Living Magazine

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 tablespoon(s) lemon juice
• 3 tablespoon(s) honey
• 3 tablespoon(s) olive oil
• 1/8  sea salt
•  teaspoon(s) ground black pepper
• 2  avocados , peeled, pitted and cut into wedges
• 8 ounce(s) strawberries, halved

Directions

1. Whisk the lemon juice, honey, olive oil, salt, and pepper together.
2. Arrange the avocados and strawberries on 6 salad plates.
3. Drizzle the vinaigrette over the fruit salad. Serve immediately.

~From Country Living Magazine

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons shortening
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 teaspoon vanilla
• 3/4 cup flour
• a few grains salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 egg white
• 1 & 1/2 tablespoons shredded coconut

Directions

1. Cream the shortening with the sugar and vanilla.
2. Sift together the dry ingredients and beat in alternately with the milk.
3. Fold in egg white, whipped stiff.
4. Transfer to a small oiled loaf pan or a 9-inch layer cake pan. Sprinkle the coconut over the top.
5. Bake in a moderate oven (350--375 degrees) about 30 minutes.

~From "Table for Two" by Ida Bailey Allen (Garden City Publishing Co. Inc., 1947)

Susan made the cake. I made the other dishes. It was all delicious!!!

Kenchin-Jiru (Miso, Tofu, Vegetable Chowder)

Simply satisfying and delicious!

This delicious chowder contains, tofu, a variety of vegetables, and some chicken in a miso broth.

Ingredients

3-4 ounces cooked chicken cut into bite-size pieces
1 small carrot, peeled and cut into half rounds
1 small stick celery, cut into half rounds
1 medium onion, cut into chunks
1 tablespoon sesame oil
5 cups dashi or chicken broth (I used homemade chicken broth)
1 tablespoon sake
4 heaping teaspoons miso
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 cake firm tofu, cut into bite-size cubes
2 green onions, chopped
Dried Japanese red chili pepper (I used red pepper flakes)

Directions

In a large skillet, saute to carrot, onion, and celery over medium-low heat for 2 minutes. When all the ingredients are well coated with oil, add the broth. When the broth comes to a boil, remove any scum on the surface, add sake, and lower heat. Dissolve 2 tablespoons of miso in a few tablespoons of broth and add to skillet. When vegetables have softened, add soy sauce, chicken, tofu, and the remaining miso dissolved in broth. Serve with green onions and a dash of red pepper flakes.

~Based on a recipe from a great cookbook; Japanese Family-Style Recipes by Hiroko Urakami.

Vegetable & Corn Chowder

Delicious!

Ingredients

1tbsp vegetable oil
1 sweet onion, diced
1 roasted red pepper, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups milk
1 1/4 cups vegetable stock
2 cups broccoli florets
3 cups corn (I used frozen.)
3/4 cup Cheddar cheese, grated

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion, bell pepper, garlic and cook over low heat, stirring frequently, for 2-3 minutes.

2. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring for 30 seconds. Gradually stir in the milk and stock.

3. Add the broccoli and corn. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.

4. Stir in the cheese until it melts.

5. Season to taste with salt and pepper and spoon the chowder into warmed serving bowls.