Sunday, July 18, 2010

Out of the box

I'm no fan of processed foods... but when I'm cooking for one, I'm a little more amenable to the idea. Especially with yummy options like Trader Joe's Salmon Belle Mer.

TJ's makes scrumptious little salmon roulades, stuffed with crab, whitefish, and cheese. They're in the freezer section for $2.99 each. They may look small, but trust me - one's plenty. They're really rich. (Also, the fat count is kind of appalling. But they're soooo good.)

I made one tonight with fresh asparagus (Food Lion has beautiful bundles on sale right now for a song) and one of my favorite sides-in-a-box, Near East's Parmesan Couscous. You can find it anywhere, and it goes with anything - I kid you not. (The Pine Nut variety is also really good.)

Total prep time: Almost none.

Salmon: 25 min to cook, plus :30 to oil a pan and get the fish out of the bag. NOTE: These are terrible in the microwave, so suck it up and turn the oven on. You'll be glad you did.

Asparagus: 2 minutes to clean, 5 minutes in the microwave (glass dish, covered in plastic wrap, with 1/4 cup water), then 2 minutes to sit and steam.

Couscous: 2 minutes to boil, 5 minutes to sit.

I put the whole thing together while talking to my Mom on the phone. Now that's the kind of dinner I can get behind.

2 comments:

  1. I'll have to go to Trader Joe's tomorrow, I'm not the biggest Salmon fan, but my wife is, we'll try them. The only thing I'd suggest is that you roast the Asparagus in a pan with some olive oil and garlic rather than microwave, but that's my taste. I also love the Near East stuff, falafel from them is great.

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  2. Oooh, hey, you're right! I totally could've roasted the asparagus. It's so much better that way - just didn't think about it. Next time...

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