Spicy Citrus Glazed Salmon, Eggplant Stacks, and a Butternut Squash Side

Is it just me, or is this time of year generally hectic? What I have are some weeknight meals that make you slow down and enjoy an evening, which is what a home cooked dinner should always be doing.

My first offering is a great lean protein, fish. The glaze for this is out of this world, a perfect balance of sweet and spicy.  Don’t worry about adding the glaze as soon as the fish is done cooking, the heat of the fish will warm it up nicely – simply put, don’t do like I did.  I wasn’t thinking and added the glaze for each time I turned the fish, which, being sugar-based, just burned the glaze. It still tasted pretty amazing.

Spicy Citrus Glazed Salmon

• 4 pieces (6 oz. each) Salmon
• 3 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 2 Tbsp. orange juice
• 1 1/2 tsp. paprika
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 1 tsp. crushed red pepper
• salt and pepper to taste

In a small bowl, whisk together brown sugar, orange juice, paprika, cumin, and crushed red pepper. Set aside.

Salt and pepper to taste the salmon, and place in a heated skillet. Cook 4-5 minutes per side. Brush on glaze and serve immediately.

This dish takes a little time to prepare, but could be something fun to do as a family or as a couple.  The best way to describe it is your own personal eggplant Parmesan lasagna.  If you’re crunched for time, it would definitely cut down some time to buy two boxes of breaded eggplant slices (in your freezer section) and bake according to packaging before building your stacks.

Eggplant Stacks

• 2 eggplants (about 2 pounds total) sliced into 1/2″ rounds
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 C all-purpose flour
• 3/4 C bread crumbs
• 1 (15 oz) container ricotta cheese
• 3 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
• 8 oz. shredded Mozzarella cheese.
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 1/2 tsp. olive oil
• 24 oz. jar of tomato sauce

Preheat Oven to 425 degrees.  Dredge the eggplant in first the beaten egg, then the breadcrumb-flour mixture.  Place on a cookie sheet, then bake for 10-15 minutes.

In small bowl, combine the Parmesan, Ricotta, Mozzarella, oil, salt and pepper, then set aside.

When the eggplant slices are done baking, pull from the oven and reduce the oven’s temperature to 350.  Sort eggplant slices by size, group by threes, with a large slice for a bottom layer and two smaller slices.  To build the stacks, spread 2-3 tablespoons of cheese mixture on top of each slice before stacking.

Spread 1/2 C tomato sauce in the bottom of a 9″x 13″ baking dish.  Transfer stacks to the baking dish, and pour some extra sauce over each stack.  Bake for 25 minutes, sprinkle each stack with extra mozzarella, and bake 5 more minutes.  Warm remaining sauce.  Remove stacks from the oven, plate, and add any desired sauce.

This is a wonderful side dish, though it could easily become a meal, in my case.  It’s warm, it’s hearty, and it reminds me of fall and Thanksgiving.  This started as a casserole, but I skipped unnecessary steps and came out with this.  Really, I don’t see a need to bake something when all the components are already cooked completely and warm.  It’s a great use of butternut squash, which is a higher source of potassium than bananas.

Butternut Squash and Rice

• 20 oz. butternut squash, 1″ dice
• 4 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
• 1 Cup chopped onionssalt and pepper
• 1 minced clove of garlic
• 1 1/2 C uncooked wild rice.
• 1 1/2 C cranberry juice
• 1 C vegetable stock
• 2 Tbsp. golden raisins
• 2 Tbsp. dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Toss squash with 2 Tbsp. olive oil, salt, and pepper.  Spread onto a baking sheet and bake 20-30 minutes, until soft.

Heat remaining olive oil in a deep skillet on medium-high heat.  Add onion and garlic, cook until soft, about three minutes. Add rice, let it toast 3 minutes.  Add juice, stock, raisins, and cranberries, bring to a simmer, cover, and let cook 10-15 minutes, until rice is done.  Gently fold in squash and serve.

Tip of the week: When making a stuffed pasta like manicotti, mix the filling in a large sealable bag, press the mixture down to the bottom, and cut off a corner. Instant pastry bag, and no messy clean up!