Soy Ginger Salmon with Rice & Broccoli

Soy Ginger Salmon with Rice & Broccoli

Warm days are coming. And boy, do we need it. Because while many of us are still practicing stay-at-home or safer-at-home, the outdoors are a welcome breath of literal fresh air. Why not take advantage of the sunny days to come and also cook outside? And if you can—if you also have a picnic table, or even just an accommodating step, eat outside, too.

This salmon: smothered in a salty-umami-sweet-sticky sauce, is served over rice with a side of grilled broccoli. It couldn’t be more simple. But a good fillet of salmon doesn’t need much to shine, and this sauce—well, you’ll want to make some extra. Drizzle it over the broccoli for an extra pop of flavor there, too.

Soy Ginger Salmon with Rice & Broccoli
Soy Ginger Salmon with Rice & Broccoli
Soy Ginger Salmon with Rice & Broccoli

Soy Ginger Salmon with Rice & Broccoli

Published May 12, 2020 by
   Print This Recipe

Serves: 4   |    Active Time: 30 minutes



Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoon maple syrup
  • 1/2 teaspoon corn starch
  • 1 teaspoon Sriracha
  • 1 clove garlic, finely grated (on a microplane)
  • 4 quarter-sized sliced of fresh ginger
  • 4 four-ounce pieces of salmon
  • 1 head of broccoli, roughly chopped into large pieces
  • 2 tablespoons cooking oil, such as avocado or olive
  • Generous pinch of salt
  • 2-3 cups rice, cooked
  • 3 green onions, sliced
  • 2 toasted sesame seeds

  • Directions:

    1. In a small sauce pan, whisk together soy sauce, maple syrup, corn starch, Sriracha, and finely grated garlic. Place on stove over medium heat. Add ginger coins, and bring to a simmer. As the sauce bubbles, it will thicken. Cook sauce, stirring frequently, until it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon well. Remove from heat, and use a fork or spoon to remove and discard the ginger coins.
    2. Heat grill to about 450°F.
    3. While grill heats, toss the broccoli with the cooking oil to coat, and season with a generous pinch of salt.
    4. Use a brush to coat the top of the salmon with about half of the soy sauce mixture. Using tongs, place salmon on pre-heated grill, skin-side down, along with broccoli
    5. Turn flame down to medium, and close lid, cooking the salmon for 6-8 minutes.
    6. Using tongs, turn broccoli to the second side. Then, brush the salmon with remaining soy sauce mixture, and close grill lid again, cooking for another 4-5 minutes, or until internal temperature of salmon reaches 130°F, easily flakes, and is opaque in the center. Transfer to a plate and allow to rest for 1-2 minutes.
    7. While the salmon and broccoli cook, prepare rice according to your preferences.
    8. Divide rice among serving plates. Top with salmon and broccoli. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and green onions. Serve.

    1 Comment

    Broccolini & Tofu in Chili Garlic Sauce

    Broccolini & Tofu in Chili Garlic Sauce

    Here is a recipe I’ve been cooking a lot lately, because it’s quite easy and also checks all the boxes (veggies, protein, lots of flavor). Though, I’ve learned some lessons along the way:

    • Broccoli rabe and broccolini are not interchangeable. While they seem similar at first glance, broccoli rabe is more like mustard greens—spicy and leafy, and the flavor overwhelms this dish. Opt for broccolini, and if you can’t find it, go for regular broccoli.

    • A clean towel from your pantry is just fine for drying your tofu. I’ve never gotten my tofu very dry before, because we don’t keep paper towels in the house and I always hesitated to use a kitchen towel. But in the January edition of Bon Appetit the suggested a clean towel in their tofu recipe, so I went for it, and now I’m not really sure what my previous hesitation was all about. (And yes, dry your tofu! It’s how you’ll get those nice edges!)

    • Add the garlic to the pan (not the marinade) for maximum roasted garlic flavor. Add the marinade to the pan at the end of cooking for that sauciness that’s so delicious. While we’re talking about sauce, here’s something else: broccolini is ideal for sauce, because it has all these nooks and crannies that soak up sauce (in other words: bites of broccolini are extra flavorful).

    Broccolini & Tofu in Chili Garlic Sauce
    Broccolini & Tofu in Chili Garlic Sauce

    Broccolini & Tofu in Chili Garlic Sauce

    Published January 21, 2020 by
       Print This Recipe

    Serves: 4 with rice   |    Active Time: 30 minutes



    Ingredients:

    For the marinade/sauce:
  • 3 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 4 tablespoons sambal olek (chili-garlic sauce)
  • 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
  • 1 tablespoon maple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon rice vinegar

  • For the stir fry:
  • 1 fourteen ounce block extra-firm tofu
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 bunch broccolini or 1 head broccoli, chopped into 1-2 inch pieces (note: I do not recommend broccoli rabe for this dish, which has a much stronger flavor that broccolini, and overwhelms the dish)
  • 1 teaspoon coconut oil
  • 2 green onions, sliced, plus more for garnish
  • 2 tablespoons minced cilantro, plus more for garnish
  • 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
  • For serving: cooked brown rice

  • Directions:

    1. Drain water from tofu, and wrap in a clean kitchen towel to remove excess liquid. Cube tofu into bite-sized pieces.
    2. Combine all ingredients for sauce in a medium-sized bowl or pyrex, and stir. Add tofu to sauce, cover, and place in fridge for at least 30 minutes (or all day, until ready to cook).
    3. When ready to make stir fry: heat coconut oil in a large skillet or wok or medium heat. Add minced garlic, and cook until it just begins to brown.
    4. Using a fork or slotted spoon, remove tofu from sauce, allowing excess to drip off. Place in pan (there may be some splattering). Cook tofu for 5 minutes, until tofu begins to brown on one side. Use a spatula to turn tofu over, and cook 3-4 more minutes.
    5. Add chopped broccolini to pan. Cook for 3-4 minutes. Drizzle remaining marinade over stir fry, along with sliced green onions. Stir briefly, and continue to cook for a few more minutes until broccolini is bright green and tender.
    6. Sprinkle with cilantro and sesame seeds.
    7. Serve: Scoop prepared brown rice into bowls, and top with stir fry. Add additional green onions, cilantro, and sesame seeds as garnish.

    Comment

    Red Curry Noodle Bowl with Shrimp & Broccoli

    Red Curry Noodle Bowl with Shrimp & Broccoli

    Happy 2019! 🎉

    What are your goals this year? Any New Year Resolutions?

    I haven’t written any down, but after the holidays I am looking for some healthy meals to tuck into. (After all that Eggnog, thumbprint cookies, and pie — oh my!)

    Plus, when the days are short and it’s dark before I leave work, there’s nothing like a colorful, warm dinner to brighten things up. Red Curry Noodle Bowls are exactly that.

    Rice noodles cook in 5 minutes flat — a big advantage if you’re rushing to get dinner together after the gym or a long day! In fact, if you’re really in a rush, and you’re good at planning (eh-em — not me), you can make the coconut curry broth ahead of time, and then dinner will be on the table in 10 minutes! 

    Red Curry Noodle Bowl with Shrimp & Broccoli
    Red Curry Noodle Bowl with Shrimp & Broccoli

    Other than being 1) super delicious and 2) super cozy on a cold January day, this bowl has it all: complex carbohydrates, protein, fat (specifically, medium chain saturated fatty acids), and fiber. Plus: Vitamin C, folate, omega-6 and omega-3s, and essential minerals.

    Thai Curry is usually served over rice, but sometimes you just want to mix it up! Rice noodles are slurpy, delicious, and a perfect match for curry flavors. (Besides, see above comment about cooking time… they cook faster than rice, which takes closer to 18 minutes.)

    To store leftovers, I put cooked rice noodles in one pyrex dish and the broth and veggies in another. I’ve found that some brands of rice noodles will continue to soak up any broth or sauce after they’re cooked, so when you store them together the noodles get a little too soft for my taste. Keep them separate until it’s time to eat and you’re golden! (Sort of like ramen — add the noodles last!)

    Red Curry Noodle Bowl with Shrimp & Broccoli
    Red Curry Noodle Bowl with Shrimp & Broccoli

    Red Curry Noodle Bowl with Shrimp & Broccoli

    Published January 1, 2018 by
       Print This Recipe

    Serves: 4   |    Active Time: 20 minutes



    Ingredients:


    For the red curry coconut broth:
  • 1 shallot, minced
  • 1 teaspoon coconut oil
  • 1 13.5-ounce can full-fat coconut milk
  • ¼ cup chicken broth
  • 4 tablespoons red curry paste
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice
  • 1 teaspoon maple syrup
  • Dash of fish sauce (optional)

  • For the shrimp & veggies:
  • 1 tablespoon coconut oil
  • 1 cup shrimp, raw, shelled & deveined
  • 2 cups broccoli florets
  • ½ cup sliced mushrooms

  • For serving: 
  • Brown rice noodles
  • 2 tablespoons scallions, sliced
  • Sesame seeds
  • Lime wedges
  • Hot sauce, such as sriracha

  • Directions:

    1. Make the sauce: Heat 1 teaspoon coconut oil in a sauce pan, and add minced shallot. Sauté until shallots are soft. Add coconut milk, broth, curry paste, lime juice, maple syrup, and a small dash of fish sauce (optional). Bring to a simmer, and stir until everything is well mixed.
    2. Sauté shrimp in veggies: Heat coconut oil in a large skillet or wok over high heat. Add shrimp and cook 2-3 minutes or until pink (about 1 minute on each side). Move shrimp to a plate, and reduce heat to medium. Add mushrooms to pan, and cook about 2 minutes, and then add broccoli. Cook for 3 mote minutes, stirring every minute or so — broccoli should be bright green and mushrooms should be soft.
    3. Cook noodles according to package. I used Lotus Foods Brown Rice Noodles (affiliate link!), and boiled them in hot water for 5 minutes, and then strained them.
    4. Serve: Divide rice noodles between 4 bowls. Ladle coconut curry broth over top, and then use a spatula to divide shrimp and veggies between each. Top with sliced scallions, sesame seeds, lime wedges, and hot sauce to taste.

    1 Comment