The Full Package

Night 5 of my week long cooking adventure brought me on a trip under the sea. SHAPE's cook book had an interesting sounding recipe for Double Mustard Maple Salmon. I've really only prepared salmon one way so I knew I definitely had to try this one. To go with, I tried another SHAPE recipe for a creamy mushroom side dish and even whipped up some couscous. Very little words are needed for this meal. The mustard seeds mixed with the maple was great atop the salmon. I'd give it an A+!



Double Mustard Maple Salmon Recipe:
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup yellow mustard seeds (I bought a small container, so I used a little less than 1/2 cup)
3 tbsp Dijon mustard (I substituted spicy brown mustard in)
3 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1/4 tsp coarse salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
4 6 oz salmon fillets

Directions:
1) Heat oil in a small nonstick skillet over low heat. Add mustard seeds; stir to coat with oil. Cover and cook until seeds begin to pop. Turn off heat but keep skillet covered until popping stops, about 1 minute. Transfer mustard seeds to a shallow dish and blend together with mustard, maple syrup, vinegar, salt and pepper. Add salmon fillets and turn to coat with mustard mixture. Marinate in refrigerator for 20 minutes.
2) Prepare broiler. Remove salmon from marinate; reserve marinade. Place salmon on a foil-lined baking pan and carefully spoon mustard seeds from marinate over each salmon fillet. Broil 5 minutes; cover fist lightly with a pieces of aluminum foil (to prevents seeds from scorching.) Cook 5 minutes more, or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork.

Creamy Mushroom with Sage Recipe:
1 pound sliced mushrooms
1 tsp olive oil
1 small onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
1/2 tsp ground sage
1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1/8 tsp grated nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Trim mushrooms if necessary. Place oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add onion, sage and mushrooms; saute for about 13 minutes. Stir in sour cream and nutmeg. Season with salt and pepper.