Walnut Crusted Salmon with Pomegranate Sauce

           Looking for a quick satisfying and healthy meal for the week or a meal to impress your family or friends this holiday season? Well, I've got something special for you! My walnut crusted salmon is the perfect winter dish packed with flavor, heart healthy omega-3 fatty acids from the walnuts and salmon and antioxidants from the pomegranate sauce. I have to say this dish is one of my favorite creations so far. It took very little time to prepare and is the perfect combination of sweet and savory.
           My inspiration for this recipe was a favorite Persian dish of mine, fesenjan, which traditionally combines sweet and tart pomegranate paste and ground walnuts to make a thick stew. I also had something similar at my favorite restaurant in my hometown called Sorentos (a fusion Italian and Persian restaurant).
          To make this dish I first made a pomegranate reduction sauce (a fancy word for boiled down liquid) which was super easy and only required one ingredient, pomegranate juice. Then for the fish I mixed together honey mustard and honey to use as the glue for the crushed walnuts with which I coated the top of the salmon. Then I baked the salmon in the oven for 10-15 minutes and served it over cooked quinoa and sauteed spinach. Yum, and all done in 30 minutes!
          This dish definitely looks and tastes restaurant worthy, but is easy enough for any home cook to make!

Walnut Crusted Salmon with Pomegranate Sauce
Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 2 cups of pomegranate juice
• 4-4 ounce salmon filets
• 2 tablespoons of honey mustard
• 1 tablespoon of honey
• 1/2 cup walnuts, ground

Directions

1. To make sauce. Heat pomegranate juice in a small sauce pan over medium heat for about 30 minutes or until reduced by half. Let cool.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
3. In a small bowl, mix together honey and honey mustard.
4. Spray baking sheet with cooking spray. Spread salmon filets with honey mustard sauce.
Then flip filets over and press lightly into processed walnuts. Then place filets on greased
baking sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes or until salmon is opaque and flakes.
5. Serve salmon over cooked quinoa and sautéed spinach. Spoon pomegranate sauce over salmon.

Meals in 30 Minutes or Less!

Whether you are a student or working professional  finding time to cook a healthy meal can be difficult.   But fear not, there are plenty of meals you can whip together in 30 minutes or less that are both healthy and delicious. Here are my top 5 quick cooking meals that are perfect for weeknights!

(click on link/recipe title for the recipe)

1. Lemon Garlic Shrimp

 This is my slimmed down version of shrimp scampi, one of my favorite meals! This meal only takes 20 minutes to cook and is light and delicious. 

servings: 4

total cook/preparation time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 3 garlic cloves
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3/4 pound of shrimp (fresh or frozen, de-veined/de-shelled)
• 2 cups fresh broccoli, blanched or frozen broccoli florets
• 1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 1/4 cup low sodium chicken broth
• 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, cut in half

Directions:

1. Blanch broccoli. Cook fresh broccoli in boiling water for 2-3 minutes then place in ice water for 2-3 minutes to stop cooking process, then remove.

2. Saute garlic in olive oil, over medium heat for 1 minute. Add in shrimp and cook until almost pink. Add in blanched broccoli, lemon juice, and chicken broth. Partially cover and cook for 5 minutes.

3. Add in parmesan cheese and cherry tomatoes. Cook for another 2-3 minutes.

4. Serve over penne pasta.

5. Add salt and pepper to taste.

2. Turkey Chili

Many people think chili is a meal that takes all day to cook, but those people haven't tried making my quick chili recipe! This recipe only takes 30 minutes to make and is easy to prepare. This recipe calls for ground turkey , but you can substitute with lean ground beef (90% or higher) or omit the meat and double up on the beans!

servings: 4

total preparation/cook time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 pound of ground lean turkey
• 15.5 oz can low sodium kidney beans, strained and washed
• 1 red pepper, diced
• 1 green pepper, diced
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 28 oz can crushed or diced low sodium tomatoes
• 1 Tablespoon chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)

Directions:

1. Brown meat in a large skillet. Drain any fat.

2. Add in peppers and onion and cook for 3-5 minutes until soft.

3. Add in seasoning, cook for another 1 minute.

4. Add in canned tomatoes and kidney beans and cook for 10 minutes until heated through.

3. Chicken Stir Fry

This is a great dish to make at the end of the week when you are trying to get rid of any vegetable odds and ends left in the refrigerator. Serve over quick cooking brown rice or quinoa! 

servings:2

cook/prep time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 pound skinless boneless chicken breast cut into thin slices or cubes
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 2 stalks celery
• 2 medium carrots
• one medium onion
• 2 cups broccoli florets
• 1 - 8 oz can drained water-chestnut (optional)
• 1 cup low sodium chicken broth
• 3 tablespoons corn starch

Directions

1. Trim and slice about 1 pound of skinless boneless chicken breast into thin slices or cubes. Heat oil in a non-stick pan over medium high heat and add the chicken when hot. Stir frequently.
2. Combine 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger and 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder in a small bowl. Mix well.
3. After chicken is cooked for about 5 minutes, add the soy sauce mixture and continue to cook until tender (about 6-8 minutes) and break into bite size pieces with a wooden spoon.
4. While the chicken is cooking, chop 2 stalks of celery, 2 medium carrots and a medium onion. Prep 2 cups broccoli florets.
5. Add all the veggies to the pan. Add a 8 oz can of drained water-chestnuts if you want. Stir and cook about 5 minutes.
6. While dish is cooking, mix chicken broth with corn starch until dissolved. Add the chicken broth/ corn starch mixture and stir continuously until boiling and veggies are tender. About 5 minutes.
7. Serve with brown rice or quinoa

4.  Fish Tacos

 Whether is tacos, quesadillas, burritos or taco salad Mexican dishes are delicious and easy to prepare. Here is one of my favorite Mexican dishes, fish tacos, where I have substituted fried fish with baked tilapia to cut back on added calories and fat from the breading and oil.

servings: 4

total cook/preparation time: 25 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 pounds tilapia fillets
• 1 lime
• salt
• pepper
• Seasoning:
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)
• 8 corn tortillas
• optional toppings: shredded cabbage, avocado, low fat sour cream or Greek yogurt, lime, shredded cheddar cheese, salsa

Directions

• Combine seasonings and set aside.
• Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
• Preparing baking sheet by lining with aluminum foil and spraying with cooking spray. Then place tilapia fillets on baking sheet, and squeeze lime juice on them. Season with salt and pepper and seasoning mixture.
• Bake tilapia for 15 minutes, or until fish opaque and juices run clear.
• While tilapia is baking prepare toppings and warm up tortillas.
• To assemble tacos. Place cooked tilapia in center of tortilla and then layer on toppings.

5.  Pesto Caprese Sandwich

This is one of my go to in a pinch meals! To liven up a basic caprese salad I add my homemade pesto sauce. For a lighter version use fresh basil and balsamic vinegar instead of pesto and omit the bread. 

servings: 1

 

Ingredients

• 2 slices fresh mozzarella
• 2-3 slices of tomatoes
• 2 slices of crusty bread ( e.g. sour dough, whole wheat, italian)
• 1 Tablespoon Pesto (see recipe below)
  

Directions

-Toast bread

-Spread one piece of toasted bread with ~ 1 Tablespoon of pesto mixture

-layer on sliced mozzarella and then tomatoes, top with another piece of bread

PESTO

Ingredients

• 3 cups basil
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

Directions:

In a food processor first process basil leaves then add in remaining ingredients and process until well combined.