Crazy Ingredient Challenge - Wasabi and Grapefruit

Are you a procrastinator like me?  I am sure that I have talked about this before, but here I am just before the day I need to post this, making my recipe... Sure glad that it turned out as I didn't have a back up plan.

Salmon with Maggi-Ginger Glaze

We eat a lot of salmon.  I usually buy smoked salmon but every once in a while I will buy some fresh salmon. The best way to cook it in my way of thinking is by pan searing it..

Roasted Salmon with Grapefruit and Avocado Salsa

Today I decided to do some major housecleaning in my kitchen.  I haven't done that in a while.  One of things that I have been meaning to do is move my cookbooks.  I have them over the stove and they are getting mighty greasy.  So, I took them down, washed all the covers (good thing they are all hardback cookbooks) and moved them so that hopefully they won't get as greasy and dirty.

Of course when I take my cookbooks down, I have to read a few of them.  I found my cookbook called Weeknight Fresh + Fast by Kristine Kidd.  I had bought this one a while ago at a book sale at work and really hadn't read it yet.  Long story short I found this recipe for Roasted Salmon with Grapefruit and Avocado Salsa that sounded interesting.  I planned on making salmon for dinner and I had a grapefruit and avocado in the fridge.  Perfect....

Well this meal was fantastic.  I loved the flavors of the salsa ~ tangy and sour of the grapefruit, sweet of the avocado with a hint of hotness from the peppers.  It worked well with the salmon.  I did have to change the recipe slightly but I think the way I did it worked. I will write the ingredients that she had and then what I used.

Roasted Salmon with Grapefruit and Avocado Salsa

Ingredients:

3/4 lb salmon 1 1/2 inch thick (I used about 1 1/4 lb)

olive oil

course kosher salt and fresh ground pepper

Ancho chile powder (I didn't have this so didn't use) 

fresh lemon juice from a Meyer lemon about 1/2 lemon used (I add this ingredient)

1 large grapefruit

1 small, firm but ripe avocado - pitted peeled and cubed

1/2 large jalapeno chile ~ seeded and minced (I used about 1 tsp of a hot pepper)

3 tablespoon red onion diced (I used 1/4 cup)

2 tbsp fresh cilantro minced (I used 1 tsp ground)

1 tbsp fresh lime juice (I used fresh lemon juice)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Place parchment paper on small cookie sheet.  Place salmon on parchment paper, skin down.

Brush flesh of salmon with olive oil.

Add salt and pepper to taste.  If you have ancho chile powder add it here.

Squeeze juice of 1/2 Meyer Lemon over salmon.  I just used my hand and then cut the lemon in slices and place over salmon.

Bake at 375 degrees for about 18 minutes until almost opaque in the center.  (Once it is easy to flake it is done).

While salmon is cooking, peel and remove white part of grapefruit.  Over small bowl, using a sharp knife cut between the membrane to remove grapefruit.  Squeeze membrane to get all the juice.  Cut grapefruit in small pieces.  

Add avocado, hot pepper, cilantro and lemon juice.  Mix gently.

To serve add salsa on  salmon and enjoy.    

April #SurpriseRecipeSwap - Seared Lemon Pepper Salmon

Looking outside and seeing all the snow and the blizzard that we are having, I can't believe that  April is here and just about over.  With that it is time for our Surprise Recipe Swap.  This is my second month doing this and it is so much fun.  Surprise Recipe Swap was started by Jutta from Hungry Little Girl.  At the beginning of the month we are give a blog to go and research and find a recipe that we would like to make.  Then on the 20th we reveal the recipe.
This month the blog that I received was Jessica's over at Simple, Clean and Homemade.  I was familiar with her blog as she has linked up some of her recipes to our Foodie Friends Friday Linky Party.  After reading her blog I found out that we started blogging around the same time.  She has so many wonderful recipes that I want to try.  One in particular is her Spice Lamb Flatbread and I would have used this one in the Recipe Swap but right now I am off eating grains and the flatbread is party of the recipe that I don't want to change. So I have filed that away for another time.
The recipe that I did pick was her Seared Lemon Pepper Salmon.  I picked this one as we eat a lot of fish and also salmon, although the salmon that we eat is usually smoked.  I have tried to bake and bbq salmon but it always seems to come out dry.  This recipe looked so good and I have to tell you it was.

Seared Lemon Pepper Salmon

slightly adapted from Simple Clean and Homemade

1 lb salmon, cut into four pieces

lemon pepper

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp butter

3 cloves of garlic minced

2 tbsp fresh thyme

juice of one lemon

Liberally add lemon pepper to the top of each salmon piece.  Heat your skillet on a medium-high heat.  Drizzle a small amount of oil on the pan.  Place the salmon flesh down onto the skillet and cook without moving for a few minutes until a crust forms.  Flip and add remaining ingredients.  I mixed the oil, butter, garlic, thyme and lemon and poured over salmon.  Turn heat down and cook until you reach desired temperature.  Spoon sauce over salmon while cooking.

We ate ours with roasted vegetables and grilled pineapple wedges.  This salmon was the best salmon I have ever tasted.  It was moist and the flavour was wonderful... buttery and lemon.  I used thyme instead of cilantro as I am not a very big cilantro fan and also because I had some fresh thyme that needed to be used up. 

I did make a pound of salmon so that we would have some left overs but it was so good that every little morsel was gone when we left the dinner table.  We had this for our Anniversary Dinner and it was lip smacking good.

Thanks Jessica ~ Simple, Clean and Homemade for a wonderful recipe.

I am no longer nervous to make salmon anymore.

✻ღϠ₡ღ✻   Marlys

(¯`✻´¯)
`*.¸.*✻✿*.¸.*✻ Enjoy your day....`*.¸.*✻✿*.¸.*✻

Links: 4 You with Love, Blogger Showcase April 2013

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• March Surprise Recipe Swap - Chai Tea Bread
• Surprise Recipe Swap - Strawberry Risotto
• Teriyaki Glazed Meatballs #SurpriseRecipeSwap

Salmon Croissant or Bread stick Casserole for breakfast

I am always on the look out for great breakfast recipes and I think I finally found something that is wonderful and fairly easy to make. You do have to plan ahead of time as it does take sometime to get it ready and cook... but once it is baking... just sit back and enjoy the smells.  I have made this recipe twice.  The first time I made it was with Pillsbury garlic bread sticks and it was yummy but the temperature the original recipe said I think was too hot and the bread stick got too brown for my liking.  The second time I made them, I used large buttery croissants and turned the temperature down and they worked out wonderfully.
My husband preferred the garlic bread stick one and I plan to make them again with the bread sticks at the lower temperature and see what happens.  I will let you know when  I do it.

Salmon Croissant or Bread stick Casserole

adapted from All Recipes Croissant and Salmon Breakfast Casserole

6 garlic bread sticks or 5 buttery croissants (large size)

1/4 cup onions chopped

1/3 cup mushrooms chopped

1/4 cup red peppers chopped

1 tbsp oil 

7 eggs beaten

1/2 tsp thyme

1 tsp dill 

1 tbsp garlic if using croissants

1 tsp salt

1/4 cup milk

1 cup Monteray Jack and Colby Cheese shredded

3 -4 oz smoked salmon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Bake garlic bread sticks or croissants as directed on package.  Cut up half of the bread sticks into small pieces or the bottoms of the croissants and place in the bottom of a 9 x 9 pan.  Place the other bread sticks and tops of croissants to the side.  

Saute onions, mushrooms and peppers in oil until golden and place on top of the broken pieces of bread sticks or croissants.  Spread cheese and salmon over mixture.  In separate bowl mix eggs and milk until frothy add thyme, dill, garlic (if using),and salt.  Pour this mixture over top of everything.  Arrange the left-over bread sticks or croissants on top, pressing into egg mixture.  Bake for 45 -50  minutes until eggs are set and croissants or bread sticks are brown.  Serve hot.

ready to go into the oven

the bread sticks came out very brown.  I also used a smaller
dish.  The second time I used a 9 x 9 pan and
it worked perfectly.

made with bread sticks...

made with croissants.

This dish would also be great for lunch with a nice salad or a light dinner.  You could change the meats, veggies and also the spices to make it your own.  The possibilities  are endless.  Enjoy!