Rosemary Roasted Salmon and Tomatoes

Today I splurged and cooked salmon, it was very fancy... though when I told the kids at school, they told me in fact, that I was not fancy because they had salmon all the time; such is the problem with working at a private school.  Alas, my fancy meal was delicious!   I bought salmon filets without skin, which is probably the best way for this recipe.  If you do have skin-on filets, either take it off or you should quickly crisp up the skin in a frying pan before putting it in the oven.  (No one wants flabby skin.)
I took a few liberties with this recipe, as I don't have fresh herbs, but it turned out great!  The original recipe also called for thyme instead of rosemary, but I thought with the tomatoes, I would go a little more Italian than the recipe said, but I suppose that's why this is my recipe instead of the original!

Rosemary Roasted Salmon and Tomatoes 

Rosemary Roasted Salmon and Tomatoes 

Ingredients:

1/2 pint grape tomatoes
1 tsp. dried rosemary
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 (6 oz.) salmon filets, no skin

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 425. Line a rimmed baking dish with foil.
Toss tomatoes, 1/2 tsp. rosemary, olive oil, and 1/8 tsp. salt and pepper on baking pan.  Roast 10 minutes.
Remove from oven.  Push tomatoes to one side.  Add salmon.  Sprinkle with remaining salt, pepper, and rosemary.  Roast 10 minutes, or until salmon is cooked through.
To serve, spoon tomatoes over salmon.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from The Woman's Day Everyday Cookbook

Black Bean Lasagna

Whilst looking for my vegetarian recipe of the week, I found this recipe and it piqued my interest.  I usually try to find variations of classic dishes, though I tout myself as a lasagna purest.  Lasagna is my favorite food, and I try not to mess with it.  This recipe seemed interesting, and anything with Mexican flavors is an automatic sure thing for me.
Shut up.  This was delicious.  I had seconds (which is rare), Matt had thirds.  I would perhaps add more peppers and some corn if you wanted to bulk up the vegetables, but it was great, as is!

Black Bean Lasagna 

Black Bean Lasagna

Ingredients:

12 no-boil lasagna noodles
1 tsp. olive oil
2 (15 oz.) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1/2 cup green bell pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 (29 oz.) can tomato puree
1/2 Tbsp. cumin
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 (15 oz.) container ricotta
1 (8 oz.)packed cream cheese
1/4 cup sour cream
Garnish: chopped tomatoes, fresh cilantro, sour cream (optional)

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350.
Mash one can of beans; set aside.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  When hot, add onion, pepper, and garlic.  Cook until tender, about 3 minutes.  Add mashed beans, unmashed beans, tomato sauce, cilantro, and cumin.  Heat through.
In a large bowl combine ricotta, cream cheese, and sour cream; set aside.  Spray a lasagna pan with cooking spray.  Arrange 4 noodles, slightly overlapping them, in the dish.  Top with one-third of the bean mixture, making sure to completely cover the noodles.  Spread half the cheese mixture on top of bean mixture.  Repeat layers two more times, ending with the bean mixture.
Bake, covered, for 40-45 minutes, or until heated through. Let stand for 10 minutes.  Garnish with tomatoes, cilantro, and a dollop of sour cream, if desired.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Recipe.com

Cilantro Jalapeno Spread

Tonight I decided to make some wonderful Mexican Burgers (though these I made with beef, not turkey) and found a great spread to go on top, which also helped to use the mass of cilantro I had in the fridge.  It turned out great, though very spicy.  (I thought bigger jalapenos were supposed to be milder!)    I ended up having to add extra yogurt to calm my taste buds.   

The spice has not been curbing my appetite however, I have been using the leftover spread on everything!  (Breakfast sandwiches, regular sandwiches, dip for chips...)

I realize that the side to my burger looks really gross, but it's refried black beans.  Apparently, those don't translate into pictures.  (They were good, I promise.)

Cilantro Jalapeno Spread

Ingredients:
2-3 jalapenos (depending on how spicy you like it/how spicy the peppers are), deseeded
1 large handful of cilantro
2 Tbsp. ranch seasoning
1 1/2 cups Greek yogurt
1/2 cup mayonnaise

Preparation:
Puree the jalapenos and cilantro in a food processor until blended into a paste.
Mix all ingredients together in a bowl.  If the spread is too spicy, add more yogurt.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from I save A2Z