Baked Pesto Salmon

This dish was so easy and fast to make.
It was very delicious and I plan on making it more often.

Pesto Salmon:

2 salmon fillets

Salt & pepper, to taste Pesto sauce

1 ripe tomato, sliced

Foil

Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees (I used my toaster oven).

Take a long piece of foil, drizzle with EVOO. Place salmon, skin side down on foil. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon pesto over salmon and top with tomato slices. Bring each side of foil together and crimp closed, to make a packet. Bake for 13 minutes. Let the fillets sit in the packet for 2-3 minutes before opening.

Mashed Potatoes:
2 large red skinned potatoes, quartered
2 Tbsp butter
1/4 cup milk or heavy cream
Salt & pepper, to taste

2 green onion sprigs, sliced

In a pot of boiling water, cook potatoes until fork tender, about 15 minutes; Drain. Return potatoes to pot with butter and milk; mash until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in green onions.

Serve salmon over a bed of mashed potatoes.

Grilled Salmon and Pesto Gnocchi

2 salmon filets, skin on
Salmon seasoning (salt and lemon pepper)
1 package of potato gnocchi (found near pasta in the grocery store)
1 jar of pesto
½ red bell pepper, minced
1 large garlic clove, minced
EVOO
Freshly grated parmesan cheese
1 tsp freshly minced parsley

Preheat grill to high. Cook seasoned salmon, skin side down over high heat for about 6-7 minutes.

Flip filets over, remove skin, and cook the other side for about 2-3 minutes. When fish is ready, it should easily flake.

Boil water in a large pot for the gnocchi. Cook according to the directions on the package by boiling for 3-4 minutes until they float to the top. Drain. Toss with pesto.

In a small sauce pan, heat a drizzle of EVOO over med-high heat. Sauté bell peppers and garlic for 3-4 minutes, until tender.

Serve by plating pesto gnocchi, add salmon and top with bell pepper mixture. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and parsley.

Veggie Pasta with Almond Pesto

½ bag of Rigatoni pasta
1 yellow squash, halved and then sliced
1 zucchini, halved and then sliced
10 asparagus spears, cut in thirds
1 tomato, chopped
3 cups basil leaves
1/2 cup unsalted, toasted Almonds
3 garlic cloves
1/2-3/4 EVOO
½ - 1 tsp Salt, to taste
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Boil pasta for about 10 minutes, until tender. Drain.

In a medium frying pan, heat the EVOO and sauté the zucchini, squash and asparagus. Season with S&P. Add tomato towards the end of the cooking.

In a food processor, add the basil leaves, almonds, garlic, EVOO and salt. Toss pasta with pesto. Top with veggies and parmesan.

Almond Pesto and Baked Brie on Sourdough

We had this awesome appetizer in at Posh Nosh in Nevada City during our vacation. I couldn’t wait to make it at home so we could enjoy it again.

Sourdough baguette
Almond basil pesto
Medium, ripe tomato, sliced
Brie cheese, sliced

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut baguette in half. Spread with pesto, add tomato slices and top with brie. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until cheese is melted.

Grilled Salmon with Pesto Pasta and Veggies

2-4 salmon filets, depending on people or how much leftovers you want
Grill seasoning
Lemon and Pepper seasoning
½ box of Gemelli pasta
½ jar of Classico Pesto sauce
1 large yellow baby summer or Pattypan squash, cut in bite sized pieces
About 5 mini bell peppers, red and orange, sliced
½ jar of marinated, quartered artichoke hearts, drained
2 large garlic cloves, minced
Crushed black pepper
Sea salt
EVOO
Freshly grated parmesan cheese

Boil pasta in salted water for about 12 minutes, until soft. Drain, return to pot and toss with pesto sauce. Cover and set aside.

Season salmon and grill skin side down over high heat for about 6 minutes. Flip filet, turn down heat and cook for a couple more minutes until the fish is not longer pink in the middle and can flake easily with a fork. While the second side is grilling you can peel the skin off the other side.

In a sauce pan over medium high heat, sauté squash and bell peppers in EVOO. Season with pepper. When the veggies are almost fork tender, add artichokes, garlic and season with salt to taste.

Plate salmon with a side of pasta topped with veggies. Finish with freshly grated parmesan cheese.

Note: I was going to add sauced baby spinach with garlic mixed in with the pasta, but I forgot to do it! This would add another healthy veggie and nice color to the overall dish.

Turkey and Brie or Cheddar Panini with Side Salad

Sourdough baguette
Mayo
Pesto sauce
Leftover grilled turkey tenderloin slices
Brie cheese
2 sharp cheddar cheese slices
Baby spinach (pick a few out of the mixed greens)

Side Salad:
Mixed greens
Red onion, sliced
Green bell pepper, sliced
Tomato, cut in wedges
Cucumber, sliced

Heat the George Forman grill until ready. Cut baguette into thirds. On one baguette third, spread with mayo and pesto, layer with turkey slices and brie. Press in grill until cheese is melted. On the other baguette third, spread with mayo and pesto, layer with turkey slices, cheddar cheese and baby spinach leaves. Remove turkey & brie and replace with turkey and cheddar. Grill until cheese is melted and spinach is wilted.

Make side salad by layering veggies on top of mixed greens. Serve with your favorite dressing.

Cut sandwiches in half. Either serve both of one type of sandwich or mix halves. Serve with salad.

Shrimp with Broccoli Pesto and Alfredo Pasta

2 Servings (with left overs)

I first made this Double Broccoli Quinoa recipe (http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/double-broccoli-quinoa-recipe.html) the night before, so I had broccoli pesto left over and decided to use the left overs this way. The recipe below includes the whole amount for the Double Broccoli Quinoa recipe, but I only used half the pesto for the recipe below.

5 cups raw broccoli, cut into small florets and stems
3 medium garlic cloves
2/3 cup sliced or slivered almonds, toasted
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan
2 big pinches salt
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup heavy cream
Alfredo sauce packet
1 cup of milk
Freshly grated parmesan cheese
Fresh cracked pepper - to taste

Steam broccoli by putting broccoli in a shallow bowl with ½ inch of water, cover with Saran wrap and microwave on high for 3 minutes. Uncover and drain excess water.

To make the broccoli pesto puree two cups of the cooked broccoli, the garlic, 1/2 cup of the almonds, Parmesan, salt, and lemon juice in a food processor. Drizzle in the olive oil and cream and pulse until smooth.

Make Alfredo sauce according to package (cup of milk and cheese powder). Add broccoli pesto puree to Alfredo sauce and mix together.

Cook pasta according to directions. I used Ditalini and/or Farfalle.

Heat butter and garlic in a hot frying pan. Sauté shrimp for 3 minutes. No longer, otherwise this will make them rubbery.

Drain pasta and mix with broccoli pesto and Alfredo combo sauce. Top with shrimp, parmesan and pepper.