Summery Salmon Salad

I love this time of year! The produce seems brighter, meals are lighter, days are longer and the possibility of eating outside isn't out of reach. This summery salad is versatile. Add fresh summer produce that you love and have one hand. Buy wild caught Alaskan salmon while you can too. It's worth every penny and can be cooked indoors or out. The fragrant basil vinaigrette is really just a pesto minus the cheese. Store leftovers in a jar and add it to pasta, use it as pizza sauce or spread it on sandwiches.
 
This is seasonal salad that screams dining al fresco! Enjoy!

                            

Seared Salmon, Green Bean & Potato Salad with Pesto Vinaigrette
 
Vinaigrette:
2 cups  loosely packed fresh basil leaves 
2 cloves garlic, peeled & left whole
¼ cup pine nuts or walnuts, toasted
Zest & juice of 1 lemon
1/2 teaspoon salt 
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 
¼ - ½ cup good quality extra-virgin olive oil
 
Salad:
1 pound green beans, tail trimmed and cut in half or left whole
1 ½ pounds fingerling or small red potatoes
¾ cup artichoke hearts, drained
½ cup baby tomatoes, halved or hydrated sundried tomatoes
6 pieces wild caught salmon (4 oz each)
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
6 large handfuls of mixed greens
6 hardboiled eggs*

Directions:

1.      Combine all of the vinaigrette ingredients except the olive oil in a food processor or blender. Pulse a few times to chop the ingredients. With the motor running add the olive oil until desired consistency is reached. Taste & adjust seasoning. Set aside.

2.     Bring salted water to a boil in a large saucepan. Once water comes to a rolling boil, add green beans, and cook for 2-4 minutes or until tender-crisp. Remove beans from water with a slotted spoon, and place in a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Once cooled, drain beans & place in large salad bowl.

3.     Meanwhile carefully add the potatoes to the saucepan, bring water back to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are cooked through when pierced with a knife but still firm, about 8-12 minutes depending on the size. When the potatoes are done, drain in a colander, rinse under cold water to stop the cooking and let cool in to room temperature. Once cooled, halve potatoes and add to the salad bowl. Add artichoke hearts and baby tomatoes to the bowl as well. Set as aside.

4.     To cook the salmon, season salmon fillets with salt and pepper. In 10-inch nonstick skillet over moderately high heat, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil until hot but not smoking. Add 3 fillets, skin-sides-up, and sear until undersides are well browned, about 4 minutes. Turn fillets over and sear until just cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes more. Transfer to serving platter and keep warm. Repeat with remaining 3 fillets.

5.     Assemble the salad: in a large bowl separate from the veg, toss the salad greens with just enough vinaigrette. Once lightly dressed, mound a handful of greens on each plate. Next toss the set aside veg with just enough vinaigrette to coat. Divide dressed veg between all six plates. Finally top each salad with salmon. Lightly drizzle vinaigrette over each salad if desired. Place 2 hardboiled egg halves on one side of each plate.

Note: leftover vinaigrette will keep well in a jar in the refrigerator for a few weeks. Top pesto with a film of olive oil to keep its bright green color after each use.

*to hard-boil eggs, place eggs in a small saucepan and cover with 1” of cold water. Bring water to a boil. Once boiling, turn off heat, remove saucepan from hot burner, cover and let sit for 11 minutes. Shock in an ice bath (ice water) to stop the cooking. Peel & halve.

Serves 6
Recipe adapted from Mediterranean Fresh

 

Homemade granola - better than store shelve bags & boxes

Got 15 minutes? Make homemade granola. It won't take you longer than 15 minutes to prep your ingredients and get them in the oven. If you keep a decently stocked pantry, the ingredients are probably at your disposal. If they aren't, they won't be hard to find. Seek out your nearest grocery store that has a decent bulk section. Warning - this stuff is addictive and your living quarters are about to smell like a bakery.

Homemade Granola

Ingredients:
4 cups old fashion oats

1 1/2 cups nuts – any combination (I like half raw almonds, half pistachios, slightly crushed)

1 1/2 cup seeds – any combination (I like raw sunflower seeds, flax seed meal & raw pumpkin seeds)

1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes/chips

1 teaspoon kosher salt

3/4 cup dark brown sugar (light is fine too)

1/3 cup Grade B Maple syrup (the real stuff)

1/4 cup honey

5 tablespoons unsalted butter or 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil to make it vegan

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 cup dried fruit – optional

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 300˚F

2. Place the oats, nuts, seeds, coconut and salt in a large bowl. Place the sweeteners, butter* and vanilla in a small saucepan and heat on medium, stirring often, until the sugar has melted & the butter has dissolved, about 5 minutes. Let it come to a rolling boil for 1 of the 5 minutes. *If using olive oil, whisk it into the melted sugar mixture after it has boiled. Pour hot liquid over the dry goods and using a rubber spatula, stir to evenly coat.

3. Divide the granola between two rimmed baking sheets that have been lined with parchment. Reynold's brand now sells a non-stick pan lining paper that has foil on the underside & parchment on the top which is fantastic because it will stay put in the corners. Spread the granola out until it’s flat and evenly distributed. Bake for 30 minutes, rotating the trays from front to back & top to bottom halfway through the baking process. After 30 minutes, take out the trays and use a heatproof spatula to stir granola. Rotate the trays again and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes until golden brown. Take trays out of the oven and let cool completely. Mix in dried fruit if desired. Store in an air proof container. Eat by the handful, serve with milk or layer with Greek yogurt & berries to make a delicious parfait.

Makes roughly 12 cups of granola

Note: it's a forgiving recipe so feel free to play around with the ingredients some

Recipe inspired by Bi-Rite Creamery's Sweet Cream & Sugar Cones Cookbook