Baked Salmon with Brown Sugar and Chili Topping

Salmon is a crowd pleaser that’s easy to entertain with.  The best dinner parties I’ve attended have featured salmon as the main dish.  Every host appeared to be relaxed with a drink in one hand and a big smile to greet you at the door.  Life, like food should be pleasurable, relaxed and easy.

Making a simple marinade, setting it aside and getting the rest of your meal together is the way to go.  I’ve tried my share of salmon recipes but settled on trying my own marinade with the flavors I love.  The topping for this recipe was suggested to me from a girlfriend whose husband loves his fish sweet and spicy.  I serve it with just about anything, but mash potatoes or greens continue to be the repeating favorite.

I highly recommend purchasing wild caught seafood instead of farm raised.  If you purchase your fish at the seafood counter and have no plans to cook it within a day, buying frozen is the better option.  In some cases, the fish you see at the counter has been previously frozen.  You can find this out by reading the label next to the price tag where the seafood is displayed, or asking your fishmonger.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/5 pounds of salmon
  • 1/2 cup of orange juice
  • 2 tablespoons lemon
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/3 cup sliced green onions
  • 1 teaspoon salt

Topping

  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons of chili powder

Directions

In a ziploc bag, prepare marinade by mixing orange juice, lemon, olive oil, green onions and salt.  Marinade in the refrigerator for 1 hour, turning occasionally. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Place salmon in a baking dish with the marinade and topping mixture.  Bake for 15 minutes, and broil for another 5 minutes.

Fruit Smoothie – Acai Berry

I’ve been drinking this fruit shake faithfully for the past two years.  The list of ingredients has changed over time, but I feel that I’ve found my Fab 5.  At one point, I was spending over $25 a week on fruit.  I had to scale back and make sure I was spending my money on the best ingredients.  I’ve used every fruit and juice imaginable, from Pomegranate to Goji Berries, not a personal favorite.  I really do feel that you can customize this to your personal preference.  Also, adding fruit in season is a great way to save and mix it up.  My biggest tip is to make this ahead and store in juice containers (see pic below).  This will allow you to grab and go in the morning.

I can’t remember the last time I’ve been ill or even had the common cold.  This really does the body good!  If you have an off week and eating poorly, this will compensate for your bad eating habits.  Your fruit shake will definitely be a conversation starter at work, as it’s been for me.  I can’t tell you how many times I’ve said what’s in my shake and have even brought in samples.  Join the fruit shake band wagon and give this a try!

Ingredients

2 bananas
2 apples
1 bag of berry blend frozen fruit
1 pack of Acai Berry Puree – Unsweetened
2 cups of orange juice