Haute Off the Grill!

Summer is here!  And just in time, I have some great summer recipes over at Haute Off the Rack…spiced salmon kebabs and frosty peach buttermilk popsicles.  Go check it out!  I had such a great time shooting this guest blog post with the talented Kaela and Jenn.  Thanks girls!!

Panko Crusted Salmon

Salmon is one of the things that I try to eat once a month…some say I should aim for once a week, but I’m not paying $20 a pound every week.  I’ll get my omega-3’s elsewhere (cheaper).

I usually wait until salmon is on sale at Whole Foods, the wild kind…not farm raised (read more about this here)!  This happens just about every month (I check the sales at the BR Whole Foods each week before I shop, which helps me save money…is that too type-A for you?!?). 

Last week when I checked I found this:

Buy 2lbs of Salmon and get the following free: French baguette, cedar plank (for grilling the salmon on…I passed on this), a bottle of organic lemonade, organic romaine, and green bean and carrot salad. 

Couldn’t pass that up!  I bought the 2 pounds, froze half and turned the rest into panko crusted salmon (I’ve been waiting to make this since Annie posted it in April).

So yummy!  The lemon really stands out!

Panko Crusted Salmon
adapted from Barefoot Contessa via Annie Eats

Makes 4 servings

2/3 cup panko
2 tablespoons finely minced fresh parsley (optional)
1 teaspoon lemon zest
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
4 (6-8 ounces) salmon fillets, skin on
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
Lemon wedges, for serving

Preheat the oven to 425˚ F.  In a small bowl, combine the panko, parsley, lemon zest, salt and pepper.  Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and toss with a fork (or fingers!) until the crumbs are evenly coated; set aside.

Place the salmon fillets skin side down on a work surface.  Generously brush the top of each fillet with the mustard and then season with salt and pepper.  Press the panko mixture thickly on top of the mustard on each fillet to help the panko adhere.

Heat the remaining olive oil over medium-high heat in a 12-inch oven-safe skillet.  When the oil is hot, add the salmon fillets, skin side down, and sear for 3-4 minutes without turning to brown the skin.  (If you don’t want to eat the skin, this step also helps the skin stick to the pan so the fillets can be easily removed without the skin later on.)

Transfer the pan to the preheated oven for 5-7 minutes, until the salmon is almost cooked through and the panko is browned (I broiled mine for the last minute or two to really brown/crisp the panko).  Remove from the oven, cover with foil and let rest 5-10 minutes.  Serve warm with fresh lemon wedges.

Per serving – 353 calories, 7 g carbohydrates, 17 g fat (3.1 g saturated), 38 g protein (exchanges: 3.5 fat, 5.5 protein, 0.5 starch)

What I Eat (Day 1)

It’s been a while since I’ve done this…and I’m officially starting my New Year’s resolutions today - was I really supposed to do that last week?  There was way too much football left to focus on new things :) But football is over for me, so no more excuses!

• Pre-run snack: 1/2 pear
• 4 mile run
• Breakfast: overnight oats (last night I combined 1 1/2 cups Oikos and 1 cup Magic Muesli; this morning to half of that I added a sprinkle of Kaia Foods buckwheat granola, 2 tsp maple syrup, splash of skim milk); 24 oz water; coffee (Cool Brew, 6 oz milk, 2 tsp half & half)
• Lunch: Salmon Nicoise Salad (inspired by this recipe) - broiled salmon, boiled potatoes and green beans, red peppers, 1 hard boiled egg, cherry tomatoes, dressing (I followed the recipe I linked to above but left out 1/4 cup of oil and used Italian Seasoning instead of the fresh herbs…can’t wait until I have an herb garden again); hummus and carrots; water
• Taught 3:30 – 9:00 (drank 24 oz of green tea mixed with water)
• Dinner: Green smoothie – 8 oz OJ, 1 frozen banana, 1 cup spinach, 1/2 of a small avocado, ice; 24 oz water; carrots and hummus

I almost didn’t run this morning…so cold!  But I bundled up and headed out and was glad I did.  Think I’m gonna do a little boot camp tomorrow!

I’ve been in a bit of a breakfast slump lately…can’t find anything that I really want to eat.  So I’ve been changing it up a bit from the usual “cold weather” oatmeal.  Last week I did toast with cashew butter.  This week it’s over-night oats with a little of this oh-so-crunchy granola I picked up at Whole Foods.  I’ve actually made buckwheat granola before from this recipe and really like it!

More water, less coffee!  And it was unsweetened!  And I drank green tea instead.  Did I meet all four of my resolutions?!?  Yep!  My plan is to drink at least 2 cups of water before my first coffee each day.

My salad for the week is based on two things…1) I haven’t had salmon in a while (I try to at least once a month) and 2) I need to “detox” from my weekend of football food (cheese burger, fries, M&M’s, roast beef poboy, chips, alcohol) which means I’m going to eat more like a vegetarian this week.  All of the salad ingredients are ready to go in the refrigerator…shopping/prepping ahead of time is so helpful/essential for healthy eating. 

 

And don’t let the smoothie scare you!  It tastes just like a banana-orange smoothie!  Promise!  The avocado makes it creamy and the spinach makes it more nutrient dense.  And you can’t taste either!

Night…Go Auburn (for tonight only!)

Soy Glazed Salmon

Now that I live in an apartment I have access to a treadmill…I refuse to pay for a gym membership when I can run outside for free and do boot camp at the studio.  I’m cheap, what can I say?  But now, even on rainy days I can get a workout in.  And since it has been raining so much lately (and not to mention how HOT it has been), I’ve done more indoor workouts than usual.  Which has helped me catch up on my magazine reading. 
I can’t run and read, but when I take a break to walk I’ll flip through one of my many food magazines.  Last week it was the August issue of Eating Well.  One of the 5 ingredient recipes caught my eye.  For Five-spice Tilapia, the fish is seasoned with Chinese five-spice powder, cooked on the stove top, and then coated with a soy and brown sugar glaze.  The selling points for me were the ease of the recipe and the glaze. 

But I wanted to try it with salmon…I haven’t eaten salmon in a while and needed to get my omega-3’s!  I also omitted the five-spice powder and just seasoned with salt and pepper (I didn’t feel like buying it for just this recipe).  I added freshly grated ginger to the glaze (I’ve mention it before, but I always have ginger in the freezer).
The recipe is for 4 servings…I only cooked 2 salmon fillets, but left the glaze amounts alone…the more glaze the better!  I served the fish with roasted broccoli that I tossed in sesame oil.  
   
Soy Glazed Salmon
adapted from Eating Well magazine
makes 2 servings
2 salmon fillets, 4 - 6 ounces each (preferably wild)
salt and pepper
1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
3 tablespoons light brown sugar 
fresh ginger, grated
1/2 tablespoon canola oil
3 scallions, thinly sliced
Sprinkle salmon with salt and pepper.  Combine soy sauce, brown sugar, and ginger (to taste) in a small bowl.
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the salmon and cook until the outer edges are opaque, about 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium, turn the fish over, stir the soy mixture and pour into the pan. Bring the sauce to a boil and cook until the fish is cooked through and the sauce has thickened slightly, about 2 minutes more. Add scallions and remove from the heat. Serve the fish drizzled with the pan sauce.
Per serving (based on 4 oz salmon) – 190 calories, 11 g fat (1.4 g saturated), 18 g carbs, 1 g fiber, 25 g protein (exchanges: 3.5 protein, 2 fat; WW points: 5)

Grilled Salmon Steaks with Honey Mustard Sauce

I try to cook salmon at least once a month (and then eat it all week). Not only is it delicious, but it is also very healthful...all of those omega-3 fatty acids are important for good cardiovascular and brain function! I buy wild salmon (as opposed to farm raised) for both nutritional and environmental reasons:

• Farmed salmon provide less usable omega-3 fats than wild salmon
• Farmed salmon are given antibiotics and exposed to more concentrated pesticides than wild salmon
• Farmed salmon are given a salmon-colored dye in their feed...without it their flesh would be a grey color!
• Salmon farming has a negative impact on the health of wild salmon

Buy wild!

I made this recipe a while back. The pics aren't too great (I took them at night), but the fish was incredible. The honey mustard glaze was perfectly sweet and tangy, and then caramelized once it hit the grill. I swapped the asparagus for grilled zucchini (it's zucchini season!) and I also oven roasted some red potatoes...I used the leftover honey mustard as a dipping sauce

for the veggies.

I have 2 stove top grill pans, which I love and use all the time. The one I use the most is reversible...one side is a grill and the other a skillet. I bought it when I was in college at Wal-Mart for about $20. Its great for grilling chicken, veggies, fish, etc and then it reverses to a flat surface perfect for pancakes! The other one is All-Clad and has a panini press...I found it cheap at TJ Maxx. Grilling is a great cooking method because it doesn't require a lot of additional fat.

I hope you try this recipe. It's a quick and easy week-night meal (there are only 6 ingredients, including the salt and pepper). Enjoy!

Grilled Salmon Steaks with Honey Mustard Sauce

adapted from EverydayFood

Makes 4 servings

1/2 cup Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons white wine vinegar (or any other vinegar)

Salt and pepper

4 salmon steaks (6 ounces each)

Oil or cooking spray for the grates

Make mustard sauce by combining the mustard, sugar, and vinegar. Divide sauce, reserving half for marinating and half for dipping. Set aside

Arrange salmon steaks on a plate and season with salt and pepper. With a brush or spoon, lightly coat both sides of the salmon with the mustard sauce. Cover with foil and allow to marinate for 15 to 30 minutes.

Heat grill to med-high and lightly oil grates. Grill salmon until cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer salmon to serving plates and serve with reserved sauce (and some veggies!).

Per serving - 267 calories, 11 g fat (1.7 g saturated), 6 g carbohydrates, 34 g protein (exchanges: 2 fat, 5 protein; WW points: 6)