Spriggles and Giggles

Happy Foodie Friday! Last Friday we tested out this recipe and it was really good! I had never cooked fish before, in fact I had never even ordered anything from the fish counter at the supermarket! I forgot the word "filet" and asked for "three, um, pieces of salmon". The guy behind the counter didn't even try to be helpful. He just stared at me blankly as I stumbled through my order! Anyway, I was nervous but it turned out to be really easy and good! So, if you've been avoiding eye contact with the fish guy too, now is your time to be brave and order a few good "pieces of fish!" =)

I revised a few things, as I normally do, but the big thing I would change is to let the Salmon marinate in the glaze for a while. Do it earlier in the day, stick it back in the fridge in a zip loc bag and you'll have less to do when dinnertime comes around!

Lime and Honey Glazed Salmon with Warm Black Bean and Corn Salad

by: Rachael Ray (revised)

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (divided use)

1 medium red onion, chopped

2 large garlic cloves, chopped

1/2 to 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon ground cumin (1/3 palmful)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Juice of 2 limes

3 tablespoons honey (3 gobs)

1 teaspoon chili powder (1/3 palmful)

4 (6-ounce) salmon fillets

1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and chopped

1 (10-ounce) box frozen corn kernels, defrosted

1/2 cup chicken stock or broth

1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained

2 to 3 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves, chopped (I despise cilantro so I left this out)

6 cups spinach (I only used 2... 6 seems like an awful lot)

1 avocado, chopped (optional... I added this and really liked it!)

Preheat a medium skillet over medium heat with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil (twice around the pan). Add the onions, garlic, red pepper flakes, cumin, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes.

While the onions are cooking, preheat a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. In a shallow dish, combine the juice of 1 lime, honey, chili powder, and salt and pepper to taste. Add the salmon fillets to the lime-honey mixture and toss to coat thoroughly. Add the seasoned salmon to the hot skillet and cook until just cooked through, about 3 to 4 minutes on each side.

To the cooked onions, add the bell pepper and corn kernels and cook for 1 minute.Add the chicken stock and continue to cook for another 2 minutes. Add the black beans and cook until the beans are just heated through. Remove the skillet from the heat and add the juice of the second lime, the cilantro and the spinach. Toss to wilt the spinach and then taste and adjust the seasoning. Add chopped avocado if desired. Serve the lime-and-honey-glazed salmon on top of the warm black bean and corn salad.