This recipe comes from Mexican Everyday by Rick Bayless. The recipes in this book could mostly be considered weeknight-friendly; no three-hour ordeals. We really enjoyed this dish, where salmon is simply seared and then topped with a mexican-inspired creamed spinach. We served it a simple steamed green-bean and red onion salad.

Is there anything better than a seared piece of salmon?

Lisa says:

I’m sure there is, but I can’t think of anything right now.

Chris says:

What do you think of the spinach?

Lisa says:

You’re right, it just tastes like creamed spinach, but better.

Chris says:

You can actually taste the masa harina in the spinach; I really like it.

Lisa says:

You, me and Popeye.

Seared Salmon with Spinach and Creamy Roasted Peppers
1 fresh poblano pepper
~5 cups cleaned spinach
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, peeled and halved
1 tbsp masa harina
3/4 cup fat-free milk
2 6-oz skinless salmon fillets
salt and pepper

Roast the poblanos over an open flame, turning regularly until blackened all over. Place in a small bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and set aside.
Steam or microwave the spinach just until wilted and set aside.
Turn the oven on to its lowest setting. In a very large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring regularly, until browned, about 4 minutes. Scoop into a blender and set the skillet aside.
Rub the skin off the poblano pepper with a paper towel and remove the seeds and stems. Roughly chop and add to the blender, along with the milk and masa harina. Blend until smooth.
Return the skillet to medium-high heat. Sprinkle both sides of the salmon with salt and pepper. Lay the fillets in the oil and cook until browned, about 3 minutes. Use a spatula to flip the fillets and cook until the fish just barely flakes when pressed. Transfer the fish to an ovenproof plate and set in the oven.
Pour the poblano mixture into the skillet and whisk until it boils, about a minute. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for about 5 minutes, whisking in some more milk if it gets too thick. Season, add the spinach, and stir until warmed throughout.
Top each salmon fillet with a portion of the sauce.

2 Servings

This stew is based on one made with ground lamb in Mediterranean Hot and Spicy. I don’t usually cook with black-eyed peas, and don’t think I’ve had many dishes where they were a main component — usually I’ve experienced them as a side dish. This stew was bursting with flavor and, according to Lisa, was even better the next day as delicious leftovers for lunch.

Oh, I love the spices in this. The flavors are awesome.

Lisa says:

Yeah I really like all the different ways we’re finding to use the chard in our CSA box.

Chris says:

I want to make this with lamb some time, but actually, it really works with the ground turkey.

Lisa says:

I think it’s great with the turkey — I just haven’t been in a lamby mood lately.

Chris says:

Well don’t feel baa-aa-aa-aad; this is definitely one of those recipes that’ll enter the rotation.

Lisa says:

I only feel “baa-aa-aa-aad” for anyone reading this who had to put up with that pun.

Black-Eyed Pea, Ground Turkey, and Chard Stew
1 cup dried black-eyed peas
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 lb ground turkey
2 tbsp red pepper paste
1 cup canned chopped tomatoes, with juice
pinch of hot red pepper flakes
1 cup vegetable stock
leaves from 1 bunch of chard, coarsely chopped

In a medium saucepan, cover the black-eyed peas with water by 2 inches, bring to a boil, and cook for 5 minutes. Drain, add fresh water just to cover the peas, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes or until just tender. Drain once again.
In a dutch oven over medium-high heat, heat the oil. Add the onion, salt to taste, and saute for four minutes until tender. Add the turkey and saute until firm and cooked through, about 8 minutes. Add the pepper paste and stir for 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes, red pepper flakes, black-eyed peas, and vegetable stock. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 10 minutes, or until the peas are very tender. Add the chard and toss to wilt. If the dish is watery, increase the heat and stir until mostly evaporated. Adjust seasonings, and serve.

4 Servings

Here’s a dish we made a few weeks ago from The Ultimate Soup Bible. A salmon fillet is cut on the diagonal into thin slices which are seared and then placed into a bowl of steaming hot, richly-flavored broth and udon noodles. Baby bok choy adds color and some crunch.

Oh my god, it’s a miracle.

Chris says:

What?

Lisa says:

Okay, two miracles. One, you’re updating the blog. Two, the recipe doesn’t include mushrooms.

Chris says:

Since when are mushrooms a problem?

Lisa says:

They’re not… it’s just… I’ve gotten comments. I’ve heard things.

Chris says:

Uh…

Lisa says:

Yeah. People are starting to think that’s all we eat.

Chris says:

Well we do like mushrooms.

Lisa says:

That’s true… but… I’m just saying. That last post has been up there for a while. I was wondering if we were going to change the blog’s name to WeHeartShrooms.com…

Chris says:

Hey if that’s not registered yet, I’m gonna grab it. So…

Lisa says:

…yeah?

Chris says:

You want to talk about this dish at all?

Lisa says:

Oh yeah, right! I loved it! Those really thin slices of salmon were awesome. And I just love a big bowl of soup.

Chris says:

Same here — I hadn’t grilled such thin slices like that before. It worked out well. And those thick udon noodles are great for slurping. You know how much I love the slurping.

Lisa says:

Yes. Yes I do. And I guess if the biggest complaint about a dish is how loud it is when your dining partner eats it… well that’s really not much to complain about at all.

Salmon and Baby Bok Choy Ramen
6 cups vegetable stock
1 tbsp minced fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, crushed
6 green onions, sliced
3 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp sake
1 lb salmon fillet, skinned
1 tsp peanut oil
12 oz udon noodles
4-5 baby bok choy, broken into leaves
1 fresh red chili pepper, seeded and sliced
1 cup bean sprouts
salt and pepper

Pour the stock into a pot and add the ginger, garlic, and a third of the green onions. Add the soy sauce and sake, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, cut the salmon at a severe angle into 12 slices. Brush a grill pan with the oil and heat until very hot. Sear the salmon slices for 1-2 minutes on each side until tender. Set aside.
Cook the udon noodles as per the directions, then drain and cool under cold running water. Drain again.
Strain the broth into a clean pot, season, and bring to a low boil. Add the bok choy.
Divide the noodles among 4 deep bowls, along with the salmon slices, green onions, chili, and bean sprouts. Ladle in the broth.

4 Servings.

We made this recipe from Asian Flavors after one of Lisa’s running buddies put the thought of Korean food in our heads. I’d been wanting to make this recipe for a while, and the promise of a new hot sauce to dip them in made it a no-brainer. These pancakes aren’t as fluffy as American pancakes, and you can throw just about anything in them. These feature green onions, green beans, and red bell peppers. This is sure to be a fun recipe to experiment with later.

I could eat an entire meal consisting of just these.

Lisa says:

We’re almost there already…

Chris says:

Well, I had to toss the first one — my pan and oil weren’t nearly hot enought and it turned into a super-oily goo.

Lisa says:

Well it looks like you figured it out fine…

Chris says:

Yep, I think each successive one was better. By the way, I love that red hot sauce.

Lisa says:

I know! I like dipping them in that better than the soy sauce-based one.

Lisa says:

I didn’t think it was too spicy at first, but it builds… the more you have, the hotter it gets.

Chris says:

In that case, I have to find more stuff to dip into it!

Korean Green Bean & Scallion Pancakes
2 oz green beans
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup brown rice flour
1 large egg, beaten
1 cup cold water
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
peanut oil
4 scallions, sliced into thin strips
1/2 red bell pepper, cut into strips

Blanch the green beans in a saucepan of boiling water for about a minute. Drain, cool with cold water, and chop into small pieces.
In a bowl, mix together the two flours. Make a well in the center, add the egg, and stir into the flours until mixed, gradually adding the cold water. The batter will be runnier than breakfast pancake batter. Stir in the sesame oil and let stand for 30 minutes.
Heat a small, heavy, non-stick skillet over medium heat, and add peanut oil to coat. Pour in a quarter of the batter, then add a quarter of the vegetables. Cook for 3-4 minutes until set and browned underneath. Flip and cook for 2-3 minutes more. Transfer to a warming platter, and repeat to make a total of four pancakes.
Cut into squares and serve with the dipping sauces.

Dipping Sauce #1 (not pictured)
1/2 cup Korean Hot Pepper Paste (Gochujang)
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp of sesame oil
1 clove of garlic, minced

Dipping Sauce #2 (pictured)
4 tbsp Japanese soy sauce
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1/2 tsp ginger puree
1 tsp sesame paste
Pinch of sugar
1 tsp black sesame seeds

Sometimes you just need to bite the bullet and pay full price. That’s what I walked away with after Lisa made this version of Pad Thai from Almost Meatless, a great cookbook to give those in your life who are trying to eat less meat but can’t quite, or don’t want to, go vegetarian. When we went shopping to pick up the ingredients for this one (a few months ago, now), the lump crab meat at our local Whole Foods was something like $32/lb, and they didn’t have any whole crabs on hand. We already had the rest of the ingredients for this recipe at home, so we decided to go with the pre-pack cans of crab meat. The pieces fell apart rapidly and overly-infused the dish with too much crabbiness. One the other hand, we’d never made Pad Thai at home, and it’s good knowing that it’s actually pretty easy to do. Next time we’ll either wait for a sale, or go with tofu.

Whoa, way too crabby.

Chris says:

…but the noodles themselves are good.

Lisa says:

Yeah I like the noodles and the sauce, but the crab is still overpowering.

Chris says:

Although… hunger vs. tastebuds…

Lisa says:

Well obviously hunger wins. But next time I’m just making this vegetarian.

Chris says:

And I like the picture, so there’s that.

Lisa says:

Yes, there’s that — is that why you waited so long to post this one, though? Because it wasn’t exactly our favorite?

Chris says:

Hmm… laziness vs. pride…

Crab Pad Thai
8 oz rice noodles
1 cup tamarind water/concentrate
1/2 cup fish sauce
3 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp soy sauce
8 tsp vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 eggs, lightly beaten
8 oz lump crabmeat
2 cups bean sprouts
6 scallions, thinly sliced
1/2 cup roasted salted peanuts, chopped
2 limes, cut into wedges, for serving

Prepare the noodles as directed on the package by soaking in hot water for 10-15 minutes until just softened, then rinsing under cold water. Set aside.
Whisk together the tamarind concentrate, fish sauce, sugar, and soy sauce in a bowl and set aside.
Make each serving one at a time: Heat two teaspoons of the oil in a wok over high heat. When the wok and oil are hot, drop around 2 cups of the noodles (about 1/4th) and toss continuously for 30 seconds. Add 1/4th of the sauce mixture and 1/2 tsp of minced garlic, tossing to coat the noodles. Push to the side and add in 1/4 of the beaten eggs. Let it start to set, then scramble into the noodles. Add 1/4th of the crab meat, bean sprouts, and scallions, toss to heat through, then plate. Top with peanuts and add lime wedges. Repeat for the remaining three servings.

4 Servings