Salmon Salad with Creamy Dijon Garlic Dressing

Ingredients:

1-2 Pounds of salmon (Wash and pat dry)
Salt
Pepper
3-4 Shallots (Minced)
1 1/2 T. Olive oil

Dressing:

1 T Dijon mustard
1/2 C. Light Mayo
1. T Lemon juice
1/2 T. Minced garlic
Salt

1. Mix all the dressing ingredients together. You may add salt if the dressing is too sour for you.

Note: I like to make the dressing a few hours before so you can taste the garlic in the dressing. 

Salmon Recipe:

1. Add salt and pepper over salmon
2. Heat pan or dutch oven pot over medium high heat
3. Add Olive oil and minced shallots
4. Once the shallots start to sizzle, add the salmon & cover over medium low heat for 15-20 minutes
5. Let the salmon cool for 10-15 minutes

Creating the salad:

I like to use local greens from the Farmer's market. I love using Organic spring mix an arugula with salmon, however, you can use whatever lettuce you enjoy the most. To make the salad more fun, I love adding sprouts such as : Wheat sprouts, lentil sprouts, pea sprouts, onion sprouts, and alfalfa sprouts. If you don't have that in your kitchen, you can always add sliced red onions and sun flower seeds. You can also add flax seed if you're a health nut like me! ;)

A little secret about my cooking......I NEVER buy ingredients for a particular dish. If I did that, it would create a huge hole in my wallet. ;) I try to use whatever I buy from the farmer's market and create a healthy dish for either breakfast, lunch, or dinner. I currently do meal planning to help assist people who work full time and don't have enough time to cook but would like to eat and live a healthier life style.

Spring is in the AIR!!!!

Spring is definitely in the air!! With the temperatures getting warmer, more and more people are visiting the Farmer's Market's during the weekends. A lot of fruits are coming out and several farmers are setting up their stations to sell their produce that they've worked so hard for over the season. I was more than excited when I saw several strawberry stands appearing at the Sunday's Farmer's Market. I couldn't resist from buying a basket of Strawberry's during the end of March. However, I must say, this is the time to get them. They are starting to get sweet and they are a perfect match with snacks, salads, juice, yogurt, and of course cocktails!!

Due to high volumes of e-mails that I receive every week, I will try my very best to update my food blog at least once of month. Please visit my website @ www.facebook.com/j.chans.corner

Pictures are posted almost every 2 days and I currently do meal planning on the side with my clients. This also means I work full time outside from J. Chan's Corner. This is my passion and I absolutely LOVE helping others create amazing dishes at home. :)  If you would like to contact me, please e-mail me through Facebook and I will respond as soon as humanely possible. Please feel free to ask any questions you may have in regards to my cooking, meal planning, or if you need assistance with finding a recipe!

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Spinach/Arugula salad with tomato, basil, and cucumbers. Topped with a variety of sprouts, local goat cheese, and flax seeds. Drizzled with my secret dressing. ;)

 

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Grilled Indian Eggplant with Sweet Orange Ginger Sauce

A couple of weekends ago, I spotted some Indian Eggplants for $1.50/lb. Normally, I like grilling my eggplants and making a sweet peanut butter sauce that melts in your mouth. This time I wanted to try something new! This recipe is simple an easy to make. Traditionally, I like using Indian Eggplants with curry or quickly frying them and adding a curry sauce. This dish is extremely light and pairs well with Basmati rice.

Ingredients:

10-15 Indian Eggplants (Cut in halves)
Olive oil
Sesame seeds
1 Packet of Katsuobushi (Japanese fish flakes)
2 Serrano peppers chopped or sliced

Sauce:
1/3 C. Fresh Orange juice
3 T. White rice wine vinegar
3 T. Soy Sauce
1 T. Minced ginger
1 T. Minced garlic
1/2 C. Brown sugar
1 t. Sesame oil

Sauce Recipe:

1. Combine all ingredients together and blend with a food processor or blender.
2. Pour sauce into a small pot over medium high until it starts boiling.
3. Turn off the stove once the sauce starts to boil and let it cool down before pouring it over the eggplants.

Eggplant Recipe:

1. Pour olive oil into a flat dish and dip eggplants into the olive oil on both sides. (Optional, you can brush the olive oil onto the eggplants as well)
2. Heat up your skillet and medium high. (I like using a skillet or pan that create grill marks on them)
3. Place the eggplants onto the skillet face down and cook for 2-3 minutes until the bottom starts to turn brown.
4. Flip the eggplants and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
5. Once the eggplants are cooked, place them onto a flat dish and add the Orange Ginger Sauce. I like adding some sesame seeds, Kastuobushi, and chopped Serrano peppers to give it a little kick. You may also add Siracha as well.

Enjoy!! :)