Salmon and Roasted Vegetables

I on occasion will make a stop at this really great grocery store near where we live.  I don't go there often because I have a tendency to spend a considerable chunk of money.  Today I was only planning on getting really one thing.  We all know how that is when you say that you end up with so much more.  When I am in this store I am usually inspired and buy what I need based on what I am thinking we will want for dinner that night.  Today was no different.

I begin in the vegetable section and work my way through the store.  I first picked up some eggplant but not your typical purple eggplant.  This was a sicilian type which is smaller and has a purple skin streaked with white. I then grab a yellow bell pepper, and some asparagus.  I am at this point putting a dish together in my head.  I am leaning toward roasted vegetables.  I have some small tomatoes at home that I can add to this dish.

I then head over to the seafood counter where I purchase 2 beautiful Copper River Sockeye Salmon fillets.  I have no idea what I am going to do with it at this point but I now have dinner in hand.

So here is what I did with my purchases:

Cut up the eggplant into bite size pieces, slice the yellow bell pepper into small strips, snap off the bottom portion of the asparagus (to do this just grasp the stalk with both hands and bend, the asparagus will naturally break off the section that is tough leaving the tender section).  Cut in half cherry tomatoes (I used one small package).   Add all of the vegetables to a ziploc bag.  Add 4 cloves of garlic that have been peeled, some fresh rosemary sprigs and some extra virgin olive oil.  Shake the bag to move around the vegetables to incorporate the olive oil.  Pour contents of bag onto a cookie sheet and lightly sprinkle with fresh ground pepper and a small amount of salt.  Bake in a 400 degree Fahrenheit oven for about 45 minutes.  You want the vegetables to be soft and flavorful.  About every 15 to 20 minutes flip the vegetables over to move them around to help incorporate the flavors.

For the salmon:

This recipe is one from the Food Network.  The recipe actually calls for it to be grilled but it is cold outside not to mention dark so grilling is out of the question.  I made this in the oven instead.  Also, we plan on eating this for lunch tomorrow.

2 large salmon fillets
extra virgin olive oil
salt
pepper
about 1 tablespoon fresh chopped rosemary
8 lemon slices
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup white wine (I used a chardonnay)
4 teaspoon capers
2 large pieces of foil

Drizzle the top and bottom of the salmon with olive oil.  Sprinkle both sides with salt, pepper and the chopped rosemary.  Place the each fish filet on a piece of foil.  Lay the foil on a baking sheet (it will make it easier to get in and out of the oven and you won't have to worry about any leaks).  Make sure the foil is large enough so that you can fold it to keep the fish and juices inside.  Pour equal amounts of the lemon juice and wine over each.  Add 4 lemon slices to each and 2 teaspoons of capers.  Wrap the salmon tight.  Place in 400 degree Fahrenheit oven for about 18 minutes.  You don't want to over cook the fish so take it out at 15 minutes to see if it is done.  Serve with lemon slices and some of the juice.

Biscuits

Decided to make biscuits this morning.  I love a egg, cheese and tomato biscuit.

Here is my recipe for biscuits:
2 cups flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut up in small pieces
2 tablespoons non-hydrogenated shortening
1 cup heavy cream

Mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Add butter and shortening.  Use forks to cut in the butter and shortening until the mixture resembles crumbs.  Make a well in the center and add cream. Stir until dough comes together and is sticky.  Put onto a lightly floured counter and gently fold dough over a couple of times to incorporate the ingredients.  Roll out to about 1 inch thick and use a biscuit cutter to cut out the biscuits (If you don't have a biscuit cutter a clean open ended can will work).  Reform dough and continue to cut until all dough is used.  Place on a lightly greased cookie sheet (If you use parchment paper they won't stick).  Place in a 450 degree Fahrenheit oven and bake for about 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown.  You can brush some melted butter on the top of the biscuits when they come out of the oven if you want.

I added a cooked egg, a slice of cheddar cheese and a slice of tomato.  For the egg, beat one egg and pour into a hot pan.  Cook on one side and then flip, cook until done.  Fold and add to biscuit.

Quick and Easy

Really wanted something quick and easy for dinner tonight.  With the preparations of the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday I didn't want to do too much cooking.

I bought a sun-dried tomato chicken sausage today at our local Co-op.  The ingredients in the sausage was simple.  Pastured chicken, garlic, sea salt, sun-dried tomato, tomato flakes, basil and black pepper.  The sausage had a really nice taste.

I cooked the sausage in a skillet until browned.  While the sausage was cooking I added a chopped up green pepper.  I cooked the green pepper until the pepper has just softened.

I cooked some egg noodle pasta.  Add the cooked pasta to a bowl with a little bit of butter, added the cooked green pepper.  Also added a chopped tomato.  The warmth of the cooked pasta warmed the tomato.  Add the sliced sausage.  Mix together.

Breakfast Omelet

This mornings breakfast is an omelet with tomato and smoked gouda.

I cut the tomato into wedges and then took the seeds out of it, then diced it.  I added the diced tomatoes to the skillet and let them cook.  I then added the two eggs stirred it a little to mix the tomatoes into the eggs.  Let it cook to set up.  Flipped the eggs over and then added 4 slices of smoked gouda cheese.

Grilled Tuna

Tonight we had tuna that we bought yesterday from our local fish market.  It is sushi grade tuna which is great because we like our tuna cooked rare.

I put a Thai sweet red pepper sauce on the tuna before grilling and then brushed it on while it was cooking.

I made a corn relish (or whatever you might like to call it).  It consisted of fresh corn cut off the cob, onion, tomato, cilantro, salt, pepper, and a little white wine vinegar.  This was put on the top of the tuna when it was finished.

I sliced some carrots that I steamed, after they were steamed I added a little butter and a little honey.  The honey adds a nice little sweetness.

I also took red potatoes, sliced them and put them in a foil pouch with butter which was cooked on the grill.  It was a hot day and the more stuff we could cook outside on the grill the cooler the house would remain.