Saucy Salmon - Isn't Everything Better on a Bed of Swiss Chard?

I admit it, I love salmon! If it were human, I would marry it. So with my sister, and her polar opposite taste buds, gone for the night, I jumped at the chance and ran down stairs to retrieve the frozen solid salmon fillets. I found this recipe a while ago while surfing Ellie Krieger's recipes on the food network website, but like always, I changed it a little to fully satisfy my palate. My parents absolutely loved it and I couldn't have been happier to have a full Tupperware container of leftovers!

Saucy Salmon

Ingredients

1 Tbs. olive oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 (14-ounce) can low-sodium diced tomatoes, juice included

1 (12-ounce) can low-sodium tomato sauce

1 (7-ounce) jar roasted red peppers, juice included

2 dried whole red chili peppers or 1/4 tsp. red chili pepper flakes

3/4 tsp. ground cumin

1/2 tsp. ground coriander

1/4 cup white wine

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

1 large bunch Swiss chard, washed well and dried, tough center stems removed

4 skinless salmon fillets

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup chopped parsley leaves

Preparation

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

• Heat oil in a large sauce pan over medium-low heat.

• Add garlic and cook until soft and golden, about 1 minute.

• Add diced tomatoes with juice, tomato sauce, red peppers with juice, chili peppers, cumin, coriander, wine, and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper.

• Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes until sauce thickens slightly.

• Remove from heat, and remove chile peppers.

• Layer Swiss chard on the bottom of a 9 by 13-inch glass baking dish.

• Season fish fillets with remaining salt and pepper and place in on top of chard.

• Cover with sauce and bake, covered, until fish is just cooked and chard is wilted (should resemble cooked spinach), about 30 minutes.

• Remove cover, sprinkle on Parmesan cheese and bake an additional 5 minutes.

• Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Oui Oui ...Sounds More Like Cave Man Speak Than Food

For the past few weeks I've been craving this strange dish that I originally learned about from my friend Sam, who she learned from her grandfather, (which I tweaked a bit). When people think Italian food, thick red sauces and deep flavors usually come to mind, however this Italian dish is actually quite different. The ungodly [wonderful] amount of garlic along with the anchovies which are basically used as a noodle marinade give the pasta a light, yet flavorful taste.

"Why would I want to eat something that I can't even pronounce correctly?" you may be asking yourself. Well I have your answer to that question. It's because it's delicious and it never hurt anyone to be a little adventurous.

"Well, I don't like anchovies." may be something else you're thinking. My advice would be to forget everything you know or have previously heard about anchovies entirely and give this try anyways because to be perfectly honest, you can hardly taste them at all.

So start running some water, and tell me what you think!

Oui Oui

(Makes enough for 4)

(I'll try to get a picture soon)

Ingredients

Noodles

1/2 large sauce pan of water

2 boxes of whole wheat linguini noodles

1/3 cup minced garlic

1 can oil packed anchovies

1 Tbsp. olive oil

A Healthier Creamy Garlic Sauce

1 Tbsp. finely minced onion
1 Tbsp. anchovy garlic paste
1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth
2 cups skim milk
1/3 cup flour
1/2 cup white wine
salt and pepper to taste
2 Tbsp. shredded Parmesan or cheddar cheese (optional)

Preparation of Noodles

• Salt water and bring to a boil.

• While waiting for the water to boil, heat the Tbsp. of oil in a pan and add the entire contents of the anchovy can to the hot pan and stir occasionally for 5 minutes.

• Add the minced garlic to the pan and stir for another 5 minutes.

• Once the anchovies are broken down into a paste and the garlic is browned, remove the pan from the heat and reserve a tablespoon of the mixture in a small dish.

• When the water begins to boil, gently place the noodles into the pot and when the water begins to boil again, add the anchovy garlic paste to the water

• Cover the pot, stirring occasionally until the noodles are al dente.

• Remove from heat but keep pot covered while the sauce is being made.

Preparation of Sauce

• Cook onion and garlic anchovy paste in a medium saucepan until liquid is almost all cooked away.

• In a small bowl, whisk the flour with the skim milk. Add to the saucepan and continue to whisk until the sauce begins to thicken.

• Add the wine and salt and pepper.

• If desired, add cheese, and cook over low heat for a few more minutes until well blended.

Finally...

• Strain the noodles, spoon some on to each plate, top with sauce, and enjoy your Oui Oui.

• Now go brush your teeth, garlic breath.