Maple Mustard Glazed Salmon

I was in Victoria, British Columbia for about a week this month.  I ate a lot of fish there and it was AMAZING.  One of the best dishes I had there was a maple glazed salmon burger at the Pink Bicycle.  I devoured that thing.  Seriously.  I think it took me two minutes to eat.  It was a little embarrassing.

Ever since I ate that burger, I have been craving maple glazed salmon.  I bought some Oregon salmon (close enough to BC salmon, I think) from a natural food store here in Lubbock.  However, I knew that "Maple Glazed Salmon" wasn't just maple thrown on top of a salmon steak.  I sought some expert opinion:  my mother's :-)

Here is what we came up with:

Maple Mustard Glazed Salmon

1 salmon filet (about 5 ounces)
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
a dash soy sauce
salt
pepper
garlic powder
onion powder

I was feeling pretty lazy, so I just threw this on a pan in the oven and baked it at 400 degrees Fahrenheit with a sweet potato for a side.  It would be GREAT grilled either outside or in a grill pan/on a George Foreman.

1.)  Season the filet to taste.  I used salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder.  My pepper was Hot Shot, a blend of red and black pepper, so it had an extra layer of flavor.

2.)  Put the seasoned filet in the oven for about 10 minutes (mine was frozen so it took longer).
3.)  Mix together the maple syrup, dijon mustard (I used Jack Daniels mustard because it is awesome), extra virgin olive oil, and soy sauce.

4.) Pour mixture over the salmon filet.

5.) Continue baking until flakey.  My glaze burnt a little around the edges, but I recommend thawing your salmon more patiently if you buy frozen.

I ate it with a salad and a sweet potato.  So good.  It wasn't quite as good as the Pink Bicycle burger, but that may have something to do with the company.

Enchilada Lasagna

Oops.  I have had a bit of a crazy month.  I had a deadline June 1, then I went to Canada for work.  I am back, but I have had trouble recovering;  I am super tired.

I missed some posts, but I do have recipes to share.  This first one I made for a pot luck at work.  It is meatless, too.  I got the idea from a frozen meal I has that made all my coworkers jealous (Chili's Black Bean Lasagna).

Enchilada Lasagna

6 lasagna noodles (no boil)
1 can refried beans
1 can enchilada sauce
1 cup Mexican cheese blend, divided
1/4 cup chopped onions
1 small zucchini
1/2 cup frozen fire roasted corn blend
1 can fire roasted tomatoes, drained
2 tablespoons salsa
chopped green onions
chopped olives
Seasoning to taste

1.)  Soak lasagna noodles in warm water.
2.) Spray square baking dish and preheat oven to 425 degrees
3.) Saute onions

4.)  Add zucchini  and saute

5.)  Add frozen corn blend and cook until warm

6.) Season to taste.  You can use reduced sodium taco seasoning, but I used chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, chipotle powder, and a red and black pepper blend (hot shot).  I wanted to control the sodium with all the canned products.

7.)  Add drained tomatoes.  Turn to low and let simmer.

8.) While the vegetables simmer, add salsa and cheese to the refried beans and warm in the microwave.  You can add some sour cream here too.

9.)  Remove the lasagna noodles from the water and layer them between paper towels to dry.
10.) It is finally time to assemble.  You will start with enchilada sauce (just enough to keep the noodles frim sticking to the bottom).  Top with two noodles.  Add refried beans and part of the vegetable mixture then drizzle with enchilada sauce.  Put another layer of noodles.  Then, add refried beans, vegetables, and enchilada sauce.  Add the final layer of noodles, pour the last of the enchilada sauce and the remaining cheese on top.

11.)  Cover with foil and bake for 35 minutes or until bubbly.
12.)  Remove foil, top with green onions and olives.

13.)  Bake for another 5 minutes or until the cheese begins to brown around the edges.

Serve with jalapeno slices, tortilla chips, and sour cream.

Apricot Bran Muffins

Oops.  I skipped a week. In my defense, last week was exceptionally crazy.  I had a deadline June 1, so I pretty much spent the last week working on that.  I was frantic.  However, it is finished (until they give me revisions, which they almost certainly will).  My point is:  I apologize.  I didn't even think about my blog.

However, I do have a lovely, easy recipe for Apricot Bran Muffins that came up because I bought a bag of fresh apricots on sale and they were not very flavorful.  I ate three or four of them and then left them sitting on my counter.

Apricot Bran Muffins

1 package Martha White Honey Bran muffin mix
4 ripe apricots, chopped
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
~2/3 cup almond milk

Crisp Topping

1 tablespoon butter, melted
2 tablespoons oatmeal
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon cinnamon

This is really an easy recipe.  I mixed the cinnamon and muffin mix together, then added the chopped apricots and the wet ingredients on top of that.  I mixed it lightly (overmixing makes for tough muffins).

Next, mix the crisp ingredients together.  Divide it evenly among the six (or seven) muffins.

Bake at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for about 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffin is clean.

I ate these all myself.  I won't even pretend.  They were breakfast and a snack for several days in a row.