Salmon Success

Dinner tonight was salmon, broccoli, brown rice, and baked pears with raspberry preserves. And I enjoyed it.

All my childhood, I hated fish. The smell of seafood made me nauseous. But my tastebuds have been changing, so I figured I'd give salmon another chance. I bought a big ol' slab of wild Alaskan salmon and let it thaw in the fridge.

Then I wimpered, because I've always been scared of cooking fish. I can whip up a full South American meal like nobody's business, but put a little sea creature in the pan, and I'm calling for takeout.

But I recently saw this video by the great Pam Anderson and felt brave. I put foil down for easy cleanup, laid the fish skin side down, sprinkled sea salt, and ground some fresh pepper. And then I panicked and forgot the temperature and how long to bake, and all I can remember is Sharon putting the pan in the oven saying, "Even I can get behind that."

I think it was fifteen minutes, but salmon is thicker, so should it cook longer?

I started at 450 and then remembered that is for roasting root vegetables, so I knocked it back down to 400. At fifteen minutes, the thickest part didn't look quite finished, so I let it go five minutes more, all the while trying to find the link. I should have pinned it.

I ended up cooking the fish twenty minutes. After squeezing a lemon wedge, a took a tentative bite and was pleasantly suprised. It was good. And my husband loved it. Score!

After dinner, I searched around for the video and finally found it. Yay! So I posted the link just in case I forget again, and then I have it in print.

Menu Plan Monday

Here are my meals for the week.

Monday: Turkey Tacos with Brown Rice Tortillas

Tuesday: Chicken Stir Fry, Fried Brown Rice

Wednesday: Sesame Crusted Seared Sashimi Tuna, Edamame, Miso Soup

Thursday: Roast Turkey, Sweet Potatoes, Cranberry Wild Rice

Friday: Chuy's

Check out more at the source, Organizing Junkie.

Cranberry Pork Tenderloin

Tonight was a "What am I going to cook?" kind of night. I wanted dinner fast. Here's how it happened.

Cranberry Pork Tenderloin

2 T walnut oil
1/2 white onion
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1 t rosemary
1 pork tenderloin

Heat some walnut oil on medium high in a skillet. Slice some onion thinly and toss in the pan. Dry pork with a paper towel and add to the pan. Brown for about a minute, then flip. Add the cranberries and rosemary. Cook for five minutes. Flip and cook five more. Decide it's taking too long, and slice it lengthwise. Cook for five more minutes. Serve.


Asparagus

1 T olive oil
1/4 t oregano
2 c asparagus

Heat olive oil and oregano in a skillet. Add asparagus. Cook seven minutes.

Couscous and Quinoa with Vegetables

Pull bag from freezer and put in microwave. Follow directions. Cut open bag and pour into serving dish. Marvel at your masterpiece.

Dinner in under 20 minutes for less than $10. Score!

Climbed Off the Wagon

After weeks of healthy eating, Sunday evening, I embarked on a 24 hour period of gastronomic hedonism. Not that I went all out... But I had a Zero sandwich, chips, and Dr. Pepper for lunch. And pizza for dinner. And froyo after our run.

The bread was fresh-baked with a chewy, perfect crust. The chips tasted like powdered cheese covered shortening blobs. The Dr. Pepper was amazing.

After two slices of pizza, some cheese sticks, and an hour of American Pickers, we went for a jog. My body felt the difference in fuel. I ended up walking the last half because my energy tanked.

The salad, quinoa, and lean meat I had for lunch today tasted delicious, and I could feel it fueling my body with goodness. Saddle up, we're gettin' back on the wagon.

Herb Crusted Pork Tenderloin and Truffle Quinoa

Trim tenderloin into three inch sections.
Combine 1T each of rosemary, thyme, and crushed pepper. Think of the sweet friend who grew the herbs and wonder why I didn't get my mom's green thumb. It's pretty bad when I can't keep mint alive. Heat 1T grapeseed oil in an iron skillet. Add some sea salt to the herb mixture. Roll the tenderloin in the herbs and decide maybe that's not enough seasoning for my man. Sprinkle on some garlic salt. Sear one minute and flip and sear again. Then put into a 400 degree oven and bake 12 minutes. Check with a thermometer to make sure it's finished.

Meanwhile, while the meat is in the oven, bring 1 1/2 cups of water to a boil and add 3/4 cup quinoa. Cover and reduce heat to low. Cook 10 minutes. Decide it needs some flavor and bust out the truffle oil. Add 1T and fluff.

While the meat is resting, throw some frozen green beans in the microwave with a splash of water and 1T Earth Balance spread for 3 minutes. Grab a 1/3 cup measure, fill with quinoa, and turn onto plate so it looks fancy. Add green beans and meat, and wow your family with the plate.

Fruity Salad

Tonight, pork tenderloin was on the menu. So I made a fruit and nut salad to accompany it.

Organic Romaine
Sunflower seeds
Dried Cranberries
Chopped Walnuts

Dressing: Olive oil, Red Wine Vinegar, Sea Salt, Cracked Pepper

Verdict: The Walnuts made it too bitter, or it could be because they were languishing in the dark recesses of the pantry. Anyhoo, I'd use pecans next time. And add apples.

PeacH 2 O

We returned from a run tonight, and I wanted a Chick-Fil-A peach milkshake. Real bad. (Jennifer Coolidge in Legally Blonde 2)
But I'm on Week 2 of the Daniel plan, which means no sugar or dairy, so I improvised. I threw some ice in the blender. Then I pulled the last giant peach from the fridge and split it in half. I started peeling it, but it was too tedious, so I just broke it into a few pieces and tossed it onto the ice. Poured a little water on top, and zip, zip, zip, there it was. If I really wanted to get fancy, I could have poured a splash of So Delicious Coconut Milk Creamer, but I was in a hurry.
No, it was not as satisfying as what I originally wanted. But I think tomorrow morning, the button on my jeans will thank me.