Tasty Tuesday: Savory Salmon Salad

How about that alliteration? You dig it? I dig it. 

As you can see by the title of this post, Jeff Boyardee strikes again. My man can cook. 

Luckily, he writes pretty well, too. I edited a few commas and periods, but I barely touched what he wrote. Hooray for less work. Oh, and for the record, this salad is DELICIOUS, gluten-free, and anti-inflammatory. The dressing might just be the best thing since sliced bread, especially since I can't eat most sliced breads. 

Cedar Plank & Lemon Pepper Salmon Salad 

with Tartar Vinaigrette

Excuse the poor quality. My husband sent the recipe as a .pdf file, which meant I had to take a screen shot of the image that he included in the file. Good grief.

Ingredients:

-Flank of salmon (steelhead trout is a great choice, too) 

-Lemon pepper seasoning

-Butter

-Cedar plank

-Salt

-Pepper

-Red Leaf Lettuce (or romain)

 -Cucumber

-Corn

-Tomatoes

-Strawberries

-Pine nuts

-Pickle slice/quarter

-Olive Oil

-Mayo (we used Nayonaise, which is and egg-free, soy-based version of mayo)

-Brown sugar

Preparation – Fish

1. Soak the cedar plank for about 20 minutes in water.

2. Pour a little olive oil on the wood where the fish will lay.

3. Put the fish on and season with lemon pepper and some chunks of butter.

4. Throw on the grill for a while until cooked (about 20 minutes)....I used a charcoal grill just because it’s better

Preparation – Salad

1. Slice up the lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, and strawberries. Mix together.

2. Heat up the corn (usually we use the one in the steam bag) and mix into the veggies 

3. Mix in the pine nuts

Preparation – Tartar Vinaigrette

1. Blend a pickle slice/quarter with 2-3 tbsp of mayo

2. Add some olive oil to get a thick and creamy consistency 

3. Salt and Pepper to taste

4. Add 1 tsp of brown sugar and continue to blend

Cooking –

1. All of the veggies are already mixed, so give them a toss to mix them up 

2. Plate the veggies and put a few chunks of salmon on top of the salad 

3. Pour some of the vinaigrette on top and serve

Enjoy! 

Should take about 40 minutes (unless you soak the plank earlier...then it’s just the time for the fish, as you will prepare the rest as it cooks.)

Tasty Tuesday: Blackbean Spaghetti, Chicken, & Broccoli Puree

So, I am hoping to make Tasty Tuesday a weekly installment. My husband makes a meeeean meal, which is why I call him Jeff Boyardee. 

We've started getting into what's called the anti-inflammatory diet because it will possibly help with my Sjogrens. I first read about the diet in a Dr. Weil magazine. I bought three books on it this past weekend. I've got some reading to do! 

Anyway, I'll share more on that at a later date, but let's move on to the recipe. 

Today's Recipe: Blackbean Spaghetti, Applewood Chicken, & Broccoli Purre

I took a picture after I took a bite. It was sooo delicious.

I'll be honest: this pasta worried me. I thought "black beans? Uh oh, I don't need any help staying regular" but I figured that it was on sale. How bad could it be? NOT BAD AT ALL. 

Scrumptious, in fact.

Here's what the bag looks like:

Source Image

Buy Here

(I found it at a local natural market.)

I asked my darling husband to write up the recipe so that I could share it with blogland, and he happily did :) I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I did. I'm excited to eat it for lunch tomorrow!

For the record, it is of his creation!

Jeff’s Black Bean Spaghetti with Applewood Chicken and Broccoli Sauce

-Black bean spaghetti (Explore Asian Authentic Cuisine)

-Broccoli (2 heads about the size of your hand)

-Boneless chicken breasts (1 per person)

-Olive oil

-butter

-Applewood dry rub (Grill Mates)

-Fresh garlic

-Grated Parmesan Cheese

-Basil

-Tarragon

-Salt

Preparation and Cooking (Start with getting the chicken going, as it takes the longest, and then once that is on the heat work on the broccoli.  The pasta can be last minute as it takes no time at all.)

Chicken

              1)    Start by butterflying the chicken breasts and slashing them with horizontal cuts to help cook faster.

2)    Put some olive oil in a searing pan along with some coarsely chopped garlic

              3)    Set the heat to medium to allow the oils in the garlic to heat up and blend with the olive oil

           4)    Spread some of the applewood rub on both sides of the chicken breast along with some tarragon (unique scent while cooking, but smooth taste)

               5)    Once you can see some bubbles in the oil or after about 3-4 pops of the oil, GENTLY lay the chicken breast down on the pan

               6)    I put a lid on it to help cook faster, so it takes about 8-10 minutes each side (first rotation)      
                and then I let it go for another 3-4 minutes each side to brown the meat and ensure the inside is white.

7)    Remove from heat

8)    Slice into bite-size portions and set aside

Broccoli

     1)    Cut broccoli heads into bite-size pieces

     2)    Put about 1” of water at the bottom of the pot to keep things steaming and not burning

           3)    Put the broccoli in the water at high heat and a lid on the pot.  Every 2-3 minutes shake the  
      pot around with the lid on to move the broccoli around a bit.  The darker green it gets, the more it is      
          getting steamed.  Usually about 10 minutes on high heat with constant movement and sealed lid will be enough.

        4)    Place all steamed broccoli into a blender along with whatever little water is left (adds flavor), 2
         Tbsp. of butter, about ½ cup of olive oil (if the mixture is really thick, add a little more olive oil
           until it has the consistency of tomato sauce), about 3-4 tbsp of chopped basil and salt to your liking.

5)    Blend it all and ensure it’s all thoroughly mixed.

Pasta

1)    Boil water with salt in it

2)    Place spaghetti in it and cook for about 6-8 minutes…..stir every now and again

3)    Strain water out, rinse with cold water, strain again and place in a bowl

Service

1)    Place pasta in serving bowl (whatever your serving amount is….mine is normally a lot J )

2)    Place a chicken breast equivalent of sliced chicken on top of the pasta

     3)    Pour in broccoli sauce to coat the pasta and chicken like you would with spaghetti sauce.  It looks off putting because of the color, but the taste makes up for it.

4)    Cover the dish with grated Parmesan to your liking and serve.

Total prep/cook time: ~30 minutes

Serves about 4 people with the amount of sauce you make with the 2 heads of broccoli. 

Let us know if you try it and like it!

Here it is again...

Obviously, the black stuff in the middle is pasta.