Watching the Makos, Dreaming of Salmon

I don't know if it was because I spent the afternoon at a Makos swim meet watching a bunch of kiddos splash back and forth in the pool, but I sure had a hankering for fish tonight.

I have not forgotten about the remaining 75 cookbooks I need to go through, but there was a particular recipe I saw on Pinterest that was calling me.

Salmon with Avocado Salsa.

After realizing that there were very few ingredients and not much work involved, I decided to stop at Whole Foods to pick up the fish. I know that Whole Foods has a reputation for being pricey, but the fish there is top-notch and worth paying a few extra dollars for. The salmon is ALWAYS good and I can't say that for some of the other stores around here. Once you get a batch of questionable fish, your taste for it is ruined for a looooong time, if not forever. So, I pay a little more and am always happy with what I get.

With my two pounds of salmon, a couple of avocados, a red onion and a bunch of cilantro, I was ready to go.

When I got home and read over the recipe I realized a few things. One was that I was not going to grill this fish. Partially because I have a charcoal grill and had no interest in fussing around with it, and partially because I have perfected searing fish in the pan and then finishing it off in the oven.

The other issue was that a couple of my spices didn't match up. I don't have Ancho chile powder. I have regular chile powder. It was going to have to do. Also, no onion powder. I had minced onion, so I swapped that out. Other than that, I was in business.

Here are the spices before the olive oil is added:

And here is the rub on the salmon:

While this sat in the fridge for 30 minutes, I made the Avocado Salsa. Here is where the final change was made. The original recipe called for one avocado. That wasn't enough for this avocado-loving crew, so I used two.

The finished dish:

Oh. My. Gosh. This was SO good. Like, company good. Like, my husband and son sang my praises good.

This dish is a major winner. I hope you try it out and enjoy it as much as we did. I had a small piece left over with a bit of salsa, so I hid it in the fridge for tomorrow. Shhh. Don't tell anyone!

Salmon with Avocado Salsa

Serves 4

• 2 lbs salmon, cut into 4 pieces
• 1 tbs olive oil (I used light extra virgin olive oil)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp paprika powder
• 1 tsp onion powder or minced onion
• ½ tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp black pepper
• for the Avocado salsa:
• 2 avocados, cut into chunks
• ½ small red onion, diced
• Juice from 2 limes
• 1-2 tbs finely chopped cilantro 
• Salt to taste

Instructions

1. Mix the salt, chili powder, cumin, paprika, onion and black pepper together, rub the salmon fillets with olive oil and this seasoning mix
2. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
3. Pre heat grill, or heat oven-proof pan on stovetop with a bit of non-stick spray
4. Combine the avocado, onion, cilantro, lime juice, and salt in a bowl and mix well, chill until ready to use.
5. Grill the salmon to desired doneness, or sear skin-side up in pan for a few minutes. Flip over and bake in 350 degree oven for 20 minutes. 
6. Top with avocado salsa

A Little Bit of Summer in Winter

There's snow on the ground, it was 16 degrees today, and we are all wearing thermal underwear.

I am dreaming of warm weather.

I complain in the Summer when its too hot, I complain in the Winter when its too cold. I can't help it.

Despite the freezing cold, I made a very "Summery" dinner.

Ina Garten's Salmon Salad.

This comes from the original 1999 Barefoot Contessa cookbook, and has always been a favorite of mine. Luckily, it fits in nicely to the 17 Day Diet.

I started with two pounds of fresh salmon. I've become pretty good at cooking salmon ever since I got the skillet that goes into the oven. I start it on top of the stove to sear, flip it over and then finish it off in the stove at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

After it cooked, I let it rest for a bit before I broke it up into pieces. It was really hard not to pop bits in my mouth as I was doing this. It was so good! All I did was drizzle a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper before searing. Yum.

After cooking the salmon, the rest is a cinch. Just dicing up the celery and onion, and chopping the dill. Other than that its a few tablespoons and teaspoons of this and that.

Miraculously, we all ate the same thing for dinner! Even the picky kiddo ate it, and went above and beyond expectations by thanking me for making it.

I'll have to thank Auntie for creating it. Another satisfied customer!

I Came, I Slaw, I Conquered

Pinterest is a veritable treasure trove of ideas.

Whenever I need to find something to make for dinner, Pinterest has become my go-to for new ideas. I try to dodge the ridiculously delicious looking unhealthy recipes and go for ones that will fit into the 17 Day Diet. Of course there are the few occasions where I will concoct some crazy Rolo S'mores or bake something with lots of butter and sugar, but for the most part I keep it clean.

A friend pinned a salad called Grilled Ginger Sesame Chicken Salad a few days ago. There were quite a few ingredients in it that I had in the house already, including a big head of cabbage that came from the farm share this week. She had texted me that it was a must-make, so that sealed the deal for me.

I decided to just make the salad on it's own to accommodate my non-chicken eating husband. I made the chicken on the side, and then also made some salmon that was flavored with the marinade in the recipe.

First of all…it was ridiculously delicious. I woke up this morning wanting to eat a bowl of it for breakfast.

Secondly…it really doesn't seem like a salad to me. It's more of a slaw. Raw cabbage and shredded carrots = slaw in my book.

It is mostly 17 Day Diet compliant…the small amount of Hoisin shouldn't be too destructive. Try it out, recipe is in the link above. Let me know how you like it!