Thursday, April 5, 2012

Seared Salmon in Creamy Dill Sauce

I have made this 3 times in the last 6 weeks. The first time, I only made 2 salmon filets, and we wanted more. So the 2nd time I made an extra one for us to split, and with extra sauce and I just used the sauce during the week as a dip for cucumbers & veggies. The 3rd time I made it was when my in-laws came over, and I impressed them, they loved it.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup low fat mayo
1/2 cup nonfat (0%) Greek Yogurt
4 scallions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
3 tbl. fresh lemon juice
4 (6oz) salmon fillets, with skin
salt and pepper
1 tbl extra virgin olive oil

Steps:

In a small bowl, combie the mayo, yogurt, scallions, dill and lemon juice. Season the salmon with salt & pepper. (SIDE NOTE: I've added a bit of salt, pepper, and garlic powder to the sauce as well and it turned out yummy. Or a bit of fresh garlic. Play with it a bit!)

In a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium high heat. Add the salmon, flesh side down, and sear until browned, about 3 minutes. Turn and sear the skin side until the salmon just flakes when tested with a fork, about 3 minutes longer.

Spoon 3 tbl of the sauce of the dill sauce and serve.

Nutrition at a glance:
Per serving: 419 cals, 27 g fat, 6 g sat fat, 37 g protein, 5 g carbs, 1 g fiber, 235 mg sodium

Chicken w/ Cremini Cream sauce

Looking to jazz up your weeknight chicken dish? This is a very easy sauce to add to your usual grilled chicken.

Ingredients:

 4 (6oz) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
8 oz small cremini mushrooms, quartered (I just bought the bag of sliced cremini mushrooms from Trader Joes)
3 scallions, thinly sliced
1/2 cup lower sodium chicken broth
2 tbl reduced fat cream cheese (I added a little more than that to the sauce to make it more creamy)
1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary (I used about a tablespoon of fresh rosemary)

Steps:

Season chicken with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and pepper.

In a large skillet, heat 2 teaspoons of the oil over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and keep warm.

Add the mushrooms, scallions and remaining 1 teaspoon oil to the same skillet. Cook over medium heat, tossing frequently, until the mushrooms have wilted, about 3 minutes.

Add the brother, cream cheese, rosemary and remaining salt. stir until the cream cheese melts, about 1 minute. 

Return the chicken to the pan and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook until the chicken is cooked through and still juicy, about 5 minutes.

Nutrition at a glance:

Per serving: (Makes 4) 256 cals, 7 g fat, 2 g sat fat, 42 g protein, 4 g carbs, 1 g fiber, 594 mg sodium