A Dinner Too Good Not To Share

When my favorite cooking magazine came in the mail over the weekend I was inspired by a salmon salad that promised to be light, springy, and packed with good-for-the-brain omega-3’s. Who can’t use some extra brain power on a Monday? Magazine in hand, I charged off to work this morning, planning a quick shopping trip for the ingredients.

Those of you who know me well won’t be surprised to hear I somehow lost the magazine over the course of the day. Luckily I could remember some of the ingredients, and the more I started thinking about it, the more I thought the salad needed something fruity to compliment its purported springy-ness.

Not all my last-minute dinner experiments turn out so well, so I had to share this one right away. The fruit dressing was a great compliment to the salmon, as was the fresh spinach salad. Walnuts added another dose of omega-3 fatty acid, and avocados provide a dose of “good” fat.

No salmon meal is complete without rice pilaf, in my opinion, so I’ve included my recipe for that as well. The complete meal also came together in about an hour. So in addition to all the health benefits, you can enjoy a time benefit with this delicious meal!

Rice Pilaf
Makes 4 servings
1 T. butter
¼ c. orzo
1 ½ c. wild rice
2 c. chicken stock
½ t. pepper
¼ t. salt
¼ t. dried thyme
¼ t. dried parsley

Melt butter in a medium-sized saucepan. Add orzo and cook, stirring occasionally, until orzo begins to brown. Add rice and stir well. Add chicken stock, 1 c. water, pepper, salt, thyme and parsley. Bring to a boil, then cook until liquid is absorbed, about 45 minutes.

Meanwhile….

Salmon with Spinach Salad
Makes 4 servings
2 oranges
¼ c. blueberries
2 T. white wine vinegar
1 t. honey
½ t. Dijon mustard
½ t. salt
¼ t. pepper
¼ c. canola oil
1 t. poppy seeds
1 lb. salmon fillets
9 ounce bag baby spinach
¼ c. walnuts
1 avocado, cut into cubes

Supreme both oranges, reserving juice. Put orange juice, blueberries, vinegar, honey, mustard, salt and pepper in a blender; pulse to combine. While blender is running, add oil in a slow, steady stream until well combined.

Brush 1 T. dressing over salmon fillets. Bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes or until salmon is opaque and flakes easily with a fork.

Place spinach, oranges, walnuts and avocado in a bowl. Stir poppy seeds into remaining dressing. Drizzle dressing over salad and toss until spinach is well coated (you may not need all dressing).

Serve salmon with salad and rice pilaf.