Broiled Salmon, Lavender Balsamic Reduction, Couscous & The Organic Giveaway!

9.9.10

The extended weekend is over. A dreamy weekend has come to an end and the reality check has begun! I hope everyone had a fabulous weekend and enjoyed the 3 or 4 days off. San Francisco was a fun city. We stayed in downtown. The sun, wind, and the city carried us away from busy lives. We dined out everyday and I didn't want to come back to the rain. It was a great time for our first anniversary trip although the city has 4% health charge at a restaurant!

Speaking of our anniversary, the date actually fell on a week day. On the day of we decided to stay in, cook dinner, and bake a cake together. Keith doesn't know much about cooking. It was a great opportunity for him to help me (although I wanted to do everything myself as he was so slow!). The man gotta learn how to cook... I picked the dish that was easy and fast. It's light, healthy, and perfect for a busy week day because it can be put together in less than 30 mins. With culinary dried lavender we got from a lavender field in San Juan Island, WA, it added a special scent and flavor to the rub and sauce. The name "lavender" is derived from the Latin word "lavare", and it means to wash. Lavender has become a popular ingredient in cooking for both sweet and savory dishes.

My 2 helpers of the day. Bella was helping Keith cook

Almost everything I used in this recipe was organic that was available at my convenience (you must be proud of me, Lazaro!). I won't say much as I have some exciting news to share. The recipe is at the end of the post.

Now, let's talk business. I've been contacted by Mambosprouts, an online community providing coupons, recipes, and healthy green living information to either review a product or give away the items. I of course wanted to give something back to my readers. I'm giving away an organic Arrowhead Mills Multigrain Pancake & Waffle Mix. It is made with a nutritious blend of organic whole grains, including whole wheat, brown rice, yellow corn, and rye. 

Photo from arrowheadmills.com

You don't need to click like, follow me, or tweet me (if you don't want to). All I need from you is positive attitude on giving back to the community and environment. Going organic is one of the ways that you as a person can do it for yourself and family. As I mentioned in the last article-Go Organic, is it worth the price?, if you're not ready to go entirely organic due to a limited budget, you can start changing little by little by looking at the source of each ingredient.

The rule of this giveaway is real simple. 

Let me know what you have done, or plan to do to give back to your community and environment. This includes charity work for your community/organization, going organic, going green and such. Even little things count: changing some items on a pantry list to organic, separating recycle and wet garbage, or using a disposable water bottle, etc. 

Come on folks you know you can do it, so please share with us. A small step that we all can make the world better. Don't be shy; be proud of yourself! The deadline is Sept 30. The winner will be randomly selected by a computer. Thank you technology!

Unfortunately, I will have to limit to only US residents. When I'm more wealthy, I will offer to ship across the globe (wink).

Broiled Salmon, Lavender Balsamic Reduction, and Couscous

Yield: 4

Ingredients for Salmon

4, 6 oz Salmon fillets, skinned (I used King Salmon from Whole Foods)

1 tsp culinary dried lavender

1/2 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp sea salt

1 tsp smoked paprika

black pepper

Cooking spray 
 

Ingredients for Lavender Balsamic Reduction

6 tbs balsamic vinegar
1 tbs sugar

1 tsp culinary dried lavender

Ingredients for Tomato-Dill Couscous
Recipe courtesy of Cooking Light

1 cup plain flavor couscous from Near East

1 cup plus 2 tbs chicken stock

1 tbs olive oil

1/8 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/2 cup halved cherry tomatoes

2 tbs chopped fresh dill

1/4 cup finely chopped red onion

Directions:

• Grind dried lavender to powder. Mix all the seasoning in a bowl.
• Dry salmon fillets and rub the spice all over on both sides.
• Heat up a small saucepan. Add balsamic vinegar, sugar, and dried lavender in a pan. Bring it boil and then to low. Simmer it for 5 mins or so. Remove from heat.
• Heat the broiler to high. Spray oil on a broiler wire rack. Place the fillets on it and broil for 6 mins or to your desire of doneness.
• While waiting for the fish to cook, let's work on couscous.
• Heat a small saucepan over medium high heat. Add oil to pan and stir in 1 cup uncooked couscous; saute for 1 min.
• Add chicken stock and salt. Bring to a boil. Cover, remove from heat. Let stand for 5 mins.
• Fluff with a fork. Stir in tomatoes, red onion, and dill.
• Brush fillets evenly with balsamic reduction. Serve with couscous.
• Yes, this dish IS as good as it looks - Enjoy!

On another note:

My organic reishi pomegranate iced tea won a tea challenge at Marx Foods -Yeah (smile)