Soy Glazed Salmon

Soy Glazed Salmon
Makes 2 Servings
Recipe adapted from MarthaStewart.com

1 tbsp light brown sugar
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice (juice from ½ lemon)
½ tbsp dry white wine (or water)
8 oz. salmon, skin removed
½ cup basmati rice, dry
optional topping: sesame seeds

Cook rice per package instructions on stove. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a small bowl, stir sugar, oil, soy sauce, lemon juice and wine until sugar has dissolved. Spray nonstick cooking spray in square baking dish. Add fish in a single layer. Pour glaze over fish and turn to coat evenly. Bake until fish is opaque, 15 to 20 minutes. Serve over basmati, spooning remaining glaze on top as a sauce. Sprinkle with sesame seeds if desired.

Nutritional Information: 401 calories, 43 carbs, 14 fat grams and 26 protein grams.

Review: The glaze was very tasty, and it made plenty to allow for the sauce to give the rice flavor. I liked how easy this was, too – I had all of the ingredients on hand! I did use wine, only because I happened to have a bottle open already, but I feel certain it would be fine with water instead like the recipe suggested as an alternative. I will definitely have this again, and think it would be great with other grains, too, like couscous or quinoa, or with an Asian-inspired salad!

Sweet Chili Fish Tacos

Sweet Chili Fish Tacos
Inspired by a taco I had at Cheeky Taqueria; help with the tilapia from a Food Network recipe
Makes 2 Servings

2 tbsp all-purpose flour
½ tsp spike seasoning (or a seafood seasoning)
¼ tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
½ pound tilapia fillets
1 tbsp olive oil
½ tsp garlic
4 small flour tortillas (about 80 calories each)
Toppings:
2 tbsp fat-free sour cream, divided
1 cup romaine, shredded, divided
2 tbsp sweet chili sauce, divided (we use Frank's brand)
2 tsp sesame seeds, divided

 In a shallow dish, combine flour, seasoning, salt and pepper. Add tilapia and coat on each side, flipping six times. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic to pan and stir 10 seconds until fragrant. Place tilapia in skillet. Brown for 3 minutes on each side. Meanwhile, heat tortillas and get toppings ready (I heat tortillas by flipping them one at a time directly on the stove eye grate, then stack them up and microwave for 10 – 15 seconds just before prepping.) For each tortilla, spread ½ tbsp sour cream, then top with one quarter of the fish and lettuce, ½ tbsp sauce and ½ tsp seeds.

Nutritional Information: 412 calories, 48 carbs, 12 fat grams and 29 protein grams.

Review: Loved! The sweet chili sauce definitely made them - a great, jelly-like Asian-inspired topping. The tacos were very tasty and had a lot of flavor, and best of all - they were QUICK! From start to finish, I'd say maybe 15 minutes. I'll definitely be making these again, especially since I picked up the tilapia today for only $2.50 - woo! To make this 4 servings, simply double it. And note, I included all of the flour in the nutritional information, but at least 1 tbsp was left in the pan/not eaten. To make the recipe more filling, I'd just add more fish! We will absolutely be having these again!

Sesame Ginger Salad (Paleo)

Sesame Ginger Salad 
Makes 4 Servings
Recipe adapted from crossfitcda.com

½ cup red onion, thinly sliced
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp olive oil
1 pound 80/20 ground beef
4-6 cups romaine lettuce
1 cucumber, deseeded and diced
1 tomato, diced
Dressing
1/2 tbsp garlic, minced
1/2 tbsp ginger, minced
2 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp tamari
2 tsp sesame seeds
1/2 tsp each: salt, pepper, red pepper flakes

Whisk dressing ingredients together in a small bowl. Sauté red onion and garlic in olive oil. Stir constantly for 3 minutes. Add beef. Once beef is cooked all the way through, 4-5 minutes, place it in a bowl to cool. While the beef cooks, prepare a salad with romaine lettuce, cherry tomatoes, cucumber and avocado. Once beef has cooled, add to salad and add dressing on top.

Nutritional information (per serving): 420 calories, 8 carbs, 34 fat grams and 21 protein grams.

Review: LOVED - I had tried a few recipes like this and wasn't a fan - I felt this needed a bold dressing and i'm not a fan of the ones with fish sauce. This one was perfect, had a lot of flavor and the cucumbers added a nice little crunch. I will say that it was SPICY - so i'd suggest taking the red pepper flakes down a bit - maybe to just a dash or to 1/4 tsp. It's like the dressing activates the spiciness!