Hot n' Sweet Salmon with Cilantro- lime rice

Yesterday was Jon's 24th Birthday!

What to prepare for dinner on this special day?


I had purchased 1.71 lbs of fresh salmon that was originally 14.94$ but reduced to 8.53$ for quick sale post Hurricane Irene a couple days prior, so I thought I could definitely fix something delicious up for my man with this great starting ingredient.

We had a bag of organic brown sugar left over from our honeymoon that was at my disposal, and Jon had mentioned he would love to savor the taste of my cilantro- lime rice I had made for his surprise birthday party on Saturday.

Perfect- Mexican inspired salmon it was!

I had to run out to our local Stop and Shop for some Chipotle all purpose seasoning because, although my parents had graciously given us an array of spices as a housewarming gift, we did not have this one!

Main dish: Hot n' Sweet Salmon

What you will need:

• salmon filets (frozen or fresh)
• brown sugar
• chipotle all purpose seasoning
• EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)

1. Preheat oven to 350F
2. Drizzle some EVOO on the bottom of a baking dish (you will want to use something with edges because this recipe will produce a lot of delicious juices that you don't want at the bottom of your oven!)
3. Place all your salmon filets on the baking dish (thaw fish if you are using frozen)
4. Sprinkle Chipotle seasoning over top the salmon (the more you sprinkle the more spicy it will be)
5. Sprinkle brown sugar over top the salmon until the top of filet is lightly coated with sugar
6. Place in oven at 350 F (now depending on the size of your filets and the number of filets you are using, the cooking time will change) Rule of thumb: Salmon is ready when it is flaky and pinkish/ white in color. So keep checking!

Side dish 1: Cilantro- Lime Rice (makes 3 cups of rice)

What you will need:

• rice (any kind will do) 
• 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped 
• juice of 1/2 lime

1. Make up your rice as directed on rice package. I used an enriched long grain rice last night. ** it is important to follow instructions carefully because all rices cook differently.
2. While rice is cooking, chop cilantro leaves until you have 1/4 cup
3. Juice 1/2 of your lime into a bowl. I use a fork while squeezing to get all the juice out.
4. Add cilantro and lime to rice and stir

Side Dish 2: Fresh Green Salad
(it was a last minute alternative to steamed broccoli... that was no longer edible in the bottom of the fridge)

What you will need:

• head of lettuce 
• tomato
• green pepper
• light salad dressing

1. Chop up lettuce, tomato and green pepper
2. Place in serving dish and serve

Desert: Chobani Yogurt

Greek yogurt is a great source of protein and we love chobani because it tastes great too.

So there you go! A fast, easy, healthy and complete meal that kept us within budget! I like it! And Jon did too!

I made sure to make large dinner portions to ensure that my Marine was full and also to make sure we had leftovers for a healthy lunch today.

If you do get a chance to try out any of the recipes above, please let me know how you liked them!

Make healthy choices! Bon Appetit!

- Kimmie