~Food~

~Food~
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Saturday, March 20, 2010

Salmon, Red Potato, and Asparagus Salad

Salmon, Red Potato, and Asparagus Salad
By: Williams Sonoma

1lb salmon filet, skin and bones removed
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1lb small round red-skinned potatoes, each about 1 ½ inches in diameter
¾ lb asparagus, tough ends removed

For the Vinaigrette:
4 dry-packed sun-dried tomato halves
Boiling water
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 Tablespoon finely chopped fresh flat-leaf (Italian) parsley
1 Tablespoon finely chopped fresh dill
1 teaspoon orange zest
½ teaspoon minced garlic
Kosher and freshly ground black pepper

10oz mixed baby greens (about 8 cups loosely packed)
3 green onions, including tender green tops, thinly sliced

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Season the salmon evenly with salt and pepper.

Place the salmon fillet in a baking pan. Place the pan in the oven and roast the salmon until opaque throughout when tested with a fork, about 15-20 minutes.

Transfer the salmon to a plate and let cool to room temperature. Meanwhile, place the potatoes in a large saucepan with water to cover. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a knife, about 15 minutes. Drain and, when cool enough to handle, peel and cut into slices ½ inch thick. Set aside on a large plate to cool completely.

If the asparagus spears are thick, use a vegetable peeler to pare away the tough outer skin of each spear to within about 2 inches of the tip. Cut the spears on the diagonal into 1 inch lengths. Place in a steamer rack over boiling water, cover the steamer, and cook until tender-crisp, about 3 minutes. Remove the rack from the pan and rinse the asparagus under running cold water until cool. Pat dry and arrange next to the potatoes on the plate.

When the salmon is cool, cut into 1 inch chunks and place the chunks alongside the potatoes and asparagus.

To make the vinaigrette, place the sun-dried tomatoes in a heatproof bowl, pour in boiling water to cover, let stand for 5 minutes, and then drain and cut into ¼ inch dice. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, tomatoes, parsley, dill, orange zest, garlic, 2 Tablespoons water, ½ teaspoon salt and a grind of pepper until blended.

In a large bowl, toss the salad greens with 2 Tablespoons of the vinaigrette. Spoon the remaining vinaigrette over the asparagus, potatoes and salmon. Using a large, flat spoon or spatula, gently coat the ingredients evenly with the dressing. Arrange the greens on a large platter. Top with asparagus, potatoes and salmon, sprinkle with green onions, and serve at room temperature.

Serves 4

No-Dairy Oatmeal Pumpkin Bread

No-Dairy Oatmeal Pumpkin Bread

1 cup quick-cooking oats
1 cup hot soy or rice milk
1 cup canned pumpkin
4 egg whites or ½ cup egg beaters
2 cups flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup raisins (optional)
½ cup chopped pecans (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

In a large bowl, combine oats soy/rice milk and allow to stand for 5 minutes. Stir in pumpkin and eggs.

In a separate bowl, sift and whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.

Gradually add dry ingredients to oatmeal mixture; stir in raisins and nuts if desired.

Place in 9x5 loaf pan sprayed with nonstick spray. Bake 55-60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool on rack.

Makes 1 loaf; 16 slices