Salmon Pesto and Hot Green Bean Salad

Because I'm not sure the photograph gives justice to this creative, delectable dish, I'll share a little bit about how I felt as I ate each melt-in-your-mouth bite.

"Wow, I'm so proud of myself for choosing fish and vegetables for lunch today. That's right diet - I win this battle! But the salmon tastes so....light and, delicate like butter. Wait, is that...yes, yes it is... a sun dried tomato pesto, freshly made from scratch? ohhh And, oh, oh, oh, do I taste coconut in my green bean bite? With a hint of spice???....I do, I really, really do..."

If that personal moment isn't convincing, I don't know what is.

Recipe:

Pan-Seared Salmon Pesto:

2 fillets of salmon

1/2 cup of cilantro

1/2 cup of sun-dried tomatoes

1/3 cup of almond slices

3 tablespoons of olive oil

salt to taste

Prepare the pesto by putting all the ingredients, except for the salmon of course, in some sort of food processor. Don't worry if you feel like your cooking is limited because you might not have what some would consider the basics in food preparation supplies - I made my pesto in a blender!

Cover one side of each of your salmon fillets with your pesto. Place 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil in your pan and wait until it is thoroughly heated. Add your salmon and cook each side for 5-7 minutes. This time is based on an average thickness - not too thin, not too thick. You may have to adjust this time depending on the thickness of your filet. Serves 2.

Hot Green Bean Salad

12 ounces of green beans

15 ounces of whole mushrooms, cut in half (They don't have to be fresh! The kind I buy are canned - Roland whole button mushrooms)

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1/4 cup of shallots, diced

3 tablespoons of olive oil

3 tablespoons of paprika

1-2 tablespoons of oregano

1 tablespoon of cayenne pepper

1/3 cup of cream of coconut (It comes in a can by Goya, 15 ounces)

1/2 lime

Blanch the green beans for about 10 minutes. While they are boiling, add oil and the shallots into a pan. After a couple of minutes, add the garlic. After a minute, add the mushrooms. Once the green beans' time is up, add them to the pan with the three spices. Take the 1/2 lime and squeeze the juice into your almost complete hot salad. Let the mixture cook together on low heat, covered, for about 15 minutes. Finally, add the cream of coconut. Taste the hot green bean salad, and add salt to taste! Serves 2, with a little bit of leftover for snacking!

a buen tiempo!

P.S. Don't worry, the first improvement to my brand spankin' new blog will be its FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY! Everyone has to start somewhere, right?