Last night I made a dinner that everyone simply ate -- no complaining, no bargaining, no faces.
I know.
I know!
I can hardly believe it myself!
The Husband devoured his plate before running out the door for tennis. The 14-Year-Old asked for seconds of the carrots and was disappointed I had no more rice left. The picky 8-Year-Old, well, actually ate a half of salmon fillet. He did not, however, like the carrots, so I just replaced them with raw. An exchange I don't mind making as he's still eating what we're eating and getting his veggies in.
In honor of my successful dinner preparation, I shall attempt to share with you how I made it. The recipe is quite simple and I use one marinade for all three dishes. I will, for sure, be making this meal again.
The Maple-Ginger Salmon, Carrots, and Brown Rice Dinner
Ingredients
- 10 g ginger root grated
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 lb carrots cleaned and cut into chunks
- 1 lb salmon fillets 4
- 2 cup cooked brown rice
- 1 cup frozen peas and carrots
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425. Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick spray and set aside.
- In a bowl large enough to hold carrots, whisk the ginger, oil, maple syrup, and soy sauce to make the marinade.10 g ginger root, 2 tbsp maple syrup, 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 lb carrots cleaned and cut into chunks, ¼ cup olive oil
- Toss the cleaned carrots in the marinade to coat. Remove the carrots from the marinade with tongs and transfer the carrots to the cookie sheet. Roast the carrots for about 20 minutes shaking the pan about halfway through.
- Pat the salmon fillets dry, and brush a few times with the marinade. Set them aside.1 lb salmon fillets
- Preheat a skillet or griddle large enough for all the fillets over medium-high heat. Spray with non-stick if necessary.
- Once the skillet is hot, add the fillets. Let them cook about 3 minutes or until you can see the doneness about halfway up the side of the fillet.
- While the salmon is cooking, toss the cooked brown rice and frozen peas and carrots into the remaining marinade. Set aside.2 cup cooked brown rice, 1 cup frozen peas and carrots
- Flip the fillets when ready and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes on the other side until they just about reach your desired doneness. Remove and set aside.
- In the same skillet, dump the rice and pea mixture with the marinade and "fry" it for a few minutes in the skillet until the peas defrost, and the rice starts to pop.
- Split the rice among four plates, add a fillet to each. By this time the carrots should be perfect. Remove from oven and add a quarter of them to each plate.
- Done! A family-pleasing dinner!
Notes
- I cut fresh ginger root into chunks and store in the freezer. When needed I pull out what I need and grate while frozen. It makes things so much easier!
- For the rice, I use one those simple 90-second bags like this. It's perfect for a fast midweek meal.
- Remember the salmon will continue to cook after you remove them from the skillet so you could pull them off a little early.