Tonight I put together a meal using three recipes from three different places. We're moving in less than two weeks, so I'm working on building meals with what we have in the house rather than buying specific ingredients. Less to move that way! We're running low on meat, and my only options tonight were hamburger, pork tenderloin, or salmon. (I think I might have one more pack of chicken thighs in the back of the freezer but I didn't feel like digging to look for it.) We just had hamburger chili a couple nights ago (and of course for lunch yesterday) and I'm a bit sick of tenderloin since I've made 4 of them in the past 2-3 weeks, so I opted for the salmon. After a couple of recipe searches I settled on a recipe that combined salmon with Dijon mustard and breadcrumbs; it sounded good and I had all of the ingredients. Well, sort of. The recipe called for Italian-style breadcrumbs. I just had regular ones. So I combined them with Parmesan cheese and Italian seasoning to make my own version of Italian-style breadcrumbs. Yum! I also had beans in the freezer and another online search resulted in finding a recipe that used Dijon mustard to create a flavour tie-in with the salmon. Finally, since rice always goes well with fish, I decided to also make an easy and versatile Rachael Ray recipe that I've made several times, sesame rice (I posted a link to the recipe awhile ago but now you can find it below). I love the crunchy, nutty sesame seeds in the rice and the sesame oil adds a nice level of flavour. Below are all three recipes and the super simple preparation instructions.Dijon & Italian Breadcrumb Salmon
1/4 cup fine bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tbsp Italian seasoning
2 salmon fillets (I used wild Sockeye)
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
salt & pepper to taste
3-4 tbsp butter, melted
Preheat oven to 400°F. Combine first three ingredients in a food processor, blending until the Parmesan is processed into fine pieces. Place salmon fillets, skin-side down, in a small casserole dish. Spread about a tbsp of Dijon mustard on each fillet (I used a pastry brush to spread it evenly). Sprinkle salmon with salt & pepper, then cover with the bread crumb mixture. Finally, pour the melted butter over the bread crumbs. Bake for about 15 minutes, until bread crumbs are browned and salmon is flaky.
Lemon Dijon Green Beans
about 2 tbsp butter
about 1 cup fresh or frozen green beans
about 1/2 tbsp Dijon mustard
about 1/2 tsp lemon juice
about 1/2 tsp dried dill weed
salt & pepper to taste
(I totally just eyeballed this recipe, hence the "about" amounts.)
Melt butter in saucepan and add beans, sautéing until tender crisp. (If you're using frozen beans, rinse in warm water first to soften them before sautéing). Add a spoonful of Dijon mustard, a splash of lemon juice, a few shakes of dried dill weed, and some salt & pepper if desired. Stir to combine and warm up the sauce.
RR's Sesame Rice
1 1/3 cup chicken stock
2/3 cup white rice (I used Jasmine)
2 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted
2 tbsp chives, chopped
1 tbsp sesame oil
Cook the rice in the chicken stock (I use a rice cooker. If you don't have one, it is worth your investment, especially since they don't cost much at all - you should have no trouble finding one for under $20). Once the rice is ready, add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine. I like to let it sit for a few minutes to allow the rice to absorb the oil. (Note: I toast my own sesame seeds - a couple minutes in the oven under the broiler - but you can buy them already toasted. If you toast your own, watch them carefully! I've burnt many a batch of sesame seeds...)
And there you have three quick and simple recipes that make a great meal when served together. My hubby raved about dinner tonight, so I guess it was good!
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