Summery salmon salad

Last year when I got the July/August 2010 issue of Clean Eating Magazine, I put this meal on my mental to-try list. Buying salmon isn't something I do often, thanks to The H's allergy and my desire to purchase small portions of wild-caught fish (the co-op requires a 2lb minimum), so it's something I have to plan ahead for since I don't often have fillets in the freezer.

Today my restock-the-pantry travels led me right to the door of one of our favorite local meat places, and I made it a point to grab a few small ones--mostly for this recipe, and to have a spare.

Arugula, Asparagus, & Salmon
from Clean Eating Magazine, Vol. 3, Issue 4
serves 4

12oz wild salmon fillet, skin and bones removed
Olive oil cooking spray
2 cups asparagus tips
2 cups blackberries, divided
2 tsp raw honey
4 tsp low-sodium soy sauce
2 tsp dark sesame oil
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
6 cups arugula
4 large scallions, sliced on the diagonal

1. Preheat the ovven to 400* and spritz a baking sheet with oil. Divide the salmon into four pieces, place on baking sheet, and bake 18-20 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.

2. Set a steamer basket over a pot of boiling water and steam asparagus for 2 minutes, until crisp-tender. Rinse with cool water and set aside.

3. In a small bowl, mash 16 of the blackberries, then add honey, soy sauce, oil, and orange juice. Stir to combine.

4. Divide arugula among four plates, then top each with asparagus, scallions, a piece of salmon, and reserved blackberries. Drizzle each portion with blackberry dressing and serve.

I subbed cranberry juice for the orange, used organic spring mix (which was surprisingly arugula-heavy) instead of the arugula, and omitted the asparagus because I forgot it was called for and didn't have any.

This was a light, fresh lunch that I didn't feel one bit guilty about eating after my many errands this morning, like I would have if I'd dashed to Buffalo Wild Wings... The salmon I used was 8oz (I halved everything else); once it was cooked, I packaged up half of it with half of the blackberry-honey sauce for tomorrow's lunch.

Salmon Wrap

This was a nice lunch-appropriate alternative to a plain old hunk of salmon on a plate with veggies. I had never steamed fish on the stovetop before, but I probably will again; I like how it kept the fish pleasantly tender. As with the curried chickpeas from earlier this week, this would benefit from a squirt of lime before serving.

Dilled Salmon Roll-Ups
from The Best of Clean Eating
serves 4

6oz raw salmon fillet
1/4 cup Greek yogurt
1/2 clove garlic, minced (I used 1/2 tsp dried minced garlic)
1/4 tsp dried dill
1 stalk celery, chopped finely
2 (12-inch) whole-wheat lavash breads
1 medium tomato, sliced
2 leaves cabbage or lettuce

1. Over medium-high heat, set a steamer basket over one inch of water in a medium pot; bring to a boil.

2. Place salmon in the steamer basket skin side down. Cover pot and cook for 6-10 minutes, depending on thickness of fish. The flesh should flake easily when it is done. Remove from heat, remove skin, and roughly flake fish with a fork.

3. In a medium mixing bowl, combine yogurt, garlic, dill, and celery. Add cooled, flaked salmon and stir to combine.

4. Place lavash wraps on a cutting surface. Spread the salmon mixture down the middle of each bread, leaving two inches to spare at each end. Place tomato slices over the salmon mixture and top with lettuce or cabbage leaves.

5. Fold the uncovered ends of the lavash toward each other and over the filling; roll up tightly. Cut each roll in half and serve.

I am rather inept at rolling tortilla-like products (these are Smart & Delicious wraps with olive oil) so mine cracked, but you get the idea, I'm sure. Next time I'll warm the wrap first.

Tuna Nicoise Stovetop Casserole

This recipe is one of the first on my "to make" list from the March/April 2010 issue of Clean Eating Magazine. It looked colorful and easy to make--i.e., very short--and the ingredients are things I usually have lying around anyway. I made it for lunch today because The H is out of town (again, I know!) so he and his fish allergy would not be endangered. I'm nice like that.

Tuna Nicoise Stovetop Casserole

from Clean Eating Magazine

serves 8

Ingredients:

2 cups couscous

8 small red potatoes, cut into halves, or 4 large red potatoes, quartered

2 6-oz cans or pouches water-packed tuna

1/2 lb frozen green beans, thawed

1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives, sliced

Juice and zest of one lemon

1 Tbsp Dijon mustard

1 Tbsp white onion, finely diced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

2 tsp extra virgin olive oil

2 tsp fresh flat-leaf parsley, minced

Sea salt and fresh black pepper, to taste

Olive oil cooking spray

Instructions:

1. Cook couscous according to package directions.

2. Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil; cook potatoes 10 minutes. Drain and set aside. In a large bowl, mix tuna, green beans, olives, and potatoes. Add couscous once it is cooked.

3. In a small bowl, whisk lemon juice and zest, Dijon, onion, garlic, vinegar, oil, parsley, salt, and pepper. Pour over tuna-couscous mixture.

4. Heat large nonstick or cast-iron skillet over high heat for 1 minute. Reduce heat and spritz with olive oil spray. Saute the tuna-couscous mixture about 5 minutes, or until heated through. Serve immediately.

My changes:

Quinoa for the couscous

Used a rice cooker for the quinoa

Lime instead of lemon

Shallot instead of onion

Doubled the garlic, even though I halved the recipe

Did not mix ingredients in bowl before heating in the skillet

I could have done without the potatoes, or at least made them much smaller. The flavor of the quinoa/beans/olives was fantastic, but getting a mouthful of plain, blah potato kind of killed the moment. Everything else had a delightful, well-rounded flavor and texture.

I'd say this would be good with chicken, or at least without the tuna, but I really think the tuna adds a subtle (very subtle, if you use canned like I did, since it breaks up so small) extra touch that would be missed if you subbed another protein. The magazine lists the cost of this recipe at $10.00 for the whole shebang, which comes out to $1.25 per serving. Not bad, especially for something so flavorful, fresh, and clean. Tell your friends--clean eating doesn't have to be expensive!