Lemony Salmon Fillets with Asparagus, Sweet Beet Sauce and Lemon-Thyme Rice

(Originally posted by Blest)

If you ever watch Rachael Ray you might have noticed that she has some really great fresh and tasty recipes that are quite healthy.  I tried one last night out of a cookbook that Dan and the kids gave me for Mother’s Day this year.  It is the Express Lane Cookbook of her’s

The recipe is called Lemony Salmon Fillets with Asparagus, Sweet Beet Sauce and Lemon-Thyme Rice

4 servings

6 Tbsp EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)

4 garlic cloves, 1 crushed and 3 finely chopped

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

1 tsp dried thyme, 1/3 palmful

salt and pepper

1 1/2 cups white or brown rice

3 cups chicken stock

4 salmon fillets

1 pound pencil-thin asparagus, tough ends trimmed, spears cut into 2 inch pieces

1 softball size red beet

1 small onion, chopped

1/2 cup white wine (I used rice wine vinegar)

1 cup fresh basil, 20 leaves, chopped or torn

2 Tbsp cold unsalted butter

1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, a generous handful, chopped

Heat a medium pot with a tight fitting lid over medium-high heat.  Add 1 Tbsp of the EVOO, once around the pan.  Add the crushed garlic clove, the lemon zest, thyme, and a little salt and pepper and cook, stirring, for about 1 minute.  Add the rice and stir it to coat it in the oil.  Add 2 1/2 cups of the chicken stock and bring to a boil, then cover the pot and reduce the heat to a simmer.  Cook for 15 to 18 minutes or until rice is tender (brown rice takes twice that time)

In a shallow dish, combine the lemon juice, 1 Tbsp of the EVOO, and about 1/2 tsp of freshly ground black pepper.  Add the salmon fillets and turn them around in the mixture until all the fillets are completely coated.  Let the salmon sit while you prepare the beets and get the asparagus going.

Fill a large skillet with about a 1/2 inch of water.  Place the skillet over high heat with a lid or some aluminum foil on top to bring it up to a boil faster.  Once it is boiling, add a little salt and the trimmed asparagus.  If youi have pencil-thin asparagus about 2 minutes will do the trick; if you have thick asparagus then 3 to 4 minutes.  You want them to be tender but to remain bright green and keep a bite to them.  Once cooked, drain and run them under cold water to stop the cooking.  Reserve the asparagus.

While the asparagus is cooking, with a paring knife, peel the skin from the beet.  You might want to place some paper towels on your cutting board to avoid beet-juice stains.  Once the beet is peeled give your knife, your cutting board, and the peeled beet a rinse to make it a no-stray-grit zone.  Using the large hole side of a box grater, grate the beet over a plate.  Or, use the grating attachment on yoru food processor.

Preheat a nonstick skillet over medium high with 2 Tbsp of the EVOO.  REmove the salmon from the lemon mixture and season it with a little salt.  Add the salmon to the hot skillet and cook it on each side for 3 to 4 minutes, or until just cooked through.

While the salmon is cooking, return the skillet you cooked the asparagus in to the stove over medium-high heat, add teh remaining 2 Tbsps of EVOO, and when the oil is hot add the grated beets, chopped garlic, and onions.  Season with a little salt and pepper.  Cook for about 4 to 5 minutes, or until the beets are sneaking up on getting tender, stirring frequently.  Add the white win and cook for 1 minute.  Add teh remaining 1/2 cup of chicken stock and bring it up to a bubble, then simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, or until you only have about 1/2 cup of liquids left in the skillet.  Add the reserved cooked asparagus and heat through.  Turn the heat off and add the basil and the butter, then stir it until the butter melts.

Add the chopped parsley to the rice.  Using a fork, fluff the rice.  While you are fluffing, keep your eyes peeled for the glove of garlic, fish it out, and discard it. (I actually like to leave it in) 

To serve, arrange the salmon fillets on 4 serving plates and top them with some of the beet sauce and asparagus.  Serve the rice alongside.

italics are mine… 

The grovelling part… is that I started school two weeks ago and just have had no time to be online that much until today.  I will try to check in here once a day and see how everything is going but as for comments I may not be able to keep up with everything until I settle into a bit of a good routine or until I have days off.  I know, I know…  I should stop apologizing now and just move on… Thanks for understanding.

On a really positive note I am still doing great on my diet and being a good girl.