Quick Dinner Fave: Grilled Salmon w/Sautéed Greens & Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes

Ever since I moved from my apartment to my new house, I have been a grilling machine! Pizza, fish, veggies, chicken, you name it! But out of everything I've made so far, this is definitely my favorite.  In my opinion, this meal is nothing short of perfect, and overall, it's pretty healthy too!  The potatoes are so tasty, not too rich, seasoned just right, and the greens, heated just enough to wilt, but not get soggy (I just can't eat 'em that way!).  Overall, this one is yum, yum, YUM. 

For the buttermilk mashed potatoes, follow this recipe courtesy of Ina Garten.

Grilled Salmon & Sautéed Greens:

Serves 4

2 lb Salmon

Olive Oil

Chef Paul's Magic Salmon Seasoning

8 cups of arugula and spinach mix

1-2 teeth of garlic

1 c grape tomatoes

Pre-heat grill to Medium. Lightly coat meat side of salmon with olive oil and sprinkle generous amount of seasoning (but don't over do it!), set aside.

Meanwhile, cook potatoes according to recipe.  About halfway through the potatoes, put the salmon on the grill meat side down.  Close grill and cook for about 6 minutes turning once, until fish flakes easily with a fork. 

Once salmon is on the grill, heat 1-2 tbsp of olive oil* in a medium saute pan, and add minced garlic and tomatoes and saute for 6-8 minutes.  Remove from heat, then add spinach/arugula mix and cover immediately.  Stir greens every few minutes until wilted buy not soggy. 

Once salmon and potatoes are done, plate and enjoy!

Notes:

• Timing is key to getting this on the table quickly! Read all recipes ahead of time, and follow the order above and you should be good to go!
• Much of this meal is seasoned to taste, don't over do it.
• The potato recipe calls for peeled potatoes, but feel free to leave some skin on for a more homemade texture. 
• DON'T overcook the greens. Okay that's the last time I'll say it. :)

Cheers! 

Claud

*For an extra treat - cook 1-2 pieces of bacon in pan prior to garlic, and omit the oil, but drain the pan before adding the garlic! You don't want all that grease in your greens, just enough left lining the pan to saute the garlic, etc.

Healthy Eating: Mediterranean Couscous w/Shrimp & Arugula

SO easy, SO good. I got this idea from another recipe I read in Cooking Light, but I decided to give it my own twist. I've recently started sautéing small tomatoes, and I love the way they turn out, tart but sweet and full of that 'tomato' flavor.  This one is a must try, no excuses!

Mediterranean Couscous w/Shrimp & Arugula

Serves 4

3/4 lb shrimp, pealed & deveined

4 oz. feta, crumbled

1 c. kalamata olives, chopped

1 - 1.5 c of grape tomatoes, halved

2 tbsp scallions, chopped

1 box couscous, I prefer Near East Whole Grain Wheat, Roasted Garlic & Olive Oil

Olive oil

Salt

Pepper

Red Pepper Flakes

Preheat oven to 400*. 

Rinse shrimp and place in bowl. Drizzle with olive oil, season w/salt, pepper and red pepper flakes.

 

Spread shrimp onto ungreased baking sheet and place in oven for 10 - 12 minutes until pink and cooked throughout, turning once at 6 minutes.

While shrimp bakes, cook couscous according to the package directions. While couscous is cooking, slice grape tomatoes in half and saute w/1 tbsp of olive oil until they become soft and start to break down, about 7 minutes.

While tomatoes, couscous and shrimp are cooking, chop kalamata olives and scallions and set aside. Once all are done, combine all ingredients in a medium sized bowl, folding in arugula last.  Serve immediately.

Cheers!

Claud

DIY: Alambres w/Shrimp & Veggies

My coworkers and I have a little place we looove going to for special occasion lunches, (or when we just need a little extra motivation to make it through a Friday!), Manuel's on Congress not only has the best, most addicting salsa, but awesome margaritas and lunch specials.  One of my new faves is the Alambres, "skewered and grilled gulf shrimp and fresh vegetables..".  (Side note: "Alambres" is a common term used in Latin cuisine used to describe a dish of roasted skewers of meat w/ veggies). 

Well after a recent trip to Manuel's, I decided to recreate this super tasty, and healthy dish at home.  It was really simple, delicious and thus, definitely blog-worthy.

Alambres

1 Red bell pepper

1 Green bell pepper

8 oz. Pineapple

1/2 White onion

1 lb. Shrimp, uncooked, peeled, deveined

Extra-virgin olive oil

Salt

Pepper

Soak wood skewers in water for 30 minutes.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (or fire up the grill to med/high!).  Toss shrimp with 1-2 tbsp of EVOO, and 1/4 tsp. salt and pepper.  I also like to sprinkle on some of Chef Paul's Magic Salmon Seasoning, it's a little hard to find, but SO tasty.  If you use it, you could probably cut out the salt and pepper, because it provides plenty of flavor. 

Chop the peppers, onions and pineapple into 1 inch squares.  Skewer the shrimp and veggies, alternating ingredients. If baking, place cooling rack on a baking sheet and skewers on top of rack. Place in oven and bake for 8-10 minutes until shrimp are pink and firm. If grilling, 5-7 minutes should do the trick.

 Serve with your favorite rice and black beans.  Enjoy!

Cheers!

Claud