Grilled Salmon with Black Bean Salsa

I have had a pretty good record of consistently seeing my family practitioner in my adult(ish) life. I went for a physical shortly before embarking on my journey to college. The next time was around my 32nd birthday and then again a couple of weeks ago, right after my 45th birthday so really I am like clockwork. I also see a Doctor every time I cut off the tip of a digit or my appendix explodes, pretty regularly I would say. Plus I don't want anyone to think I am a hypochondriac. After my latest check-up I went in for the inevitable blood work, a few days later my Dr. Called me. Now I can't say that I am quoting her exactly it started like this.


"Bryan, this is Doctor Crystal, I just got your lab results, over all everything is in order, your triglycerides seem to be a little bit elevated but that really isn't a big surprise given your weight..."

OK this is where I don't quite trust that I remember exactly what she said...

"Do you mind if I ask if you drink?"

I answered, "yes... some"

"Yes I often find that FAT DRINKERS are prone to high triglycerides, that kind of explains your cholesterol levels too, *FAT people often have high cholesterol and yours is one full point above average. I also find that FAT people often have high blood pressure just like yours and the DRINKING doesn’t help. For the love of GOD it is a wonder you are still alive. By the way you need to make a follow-up appointment so we can check your blood pressure again and get a plan in place for your life as a SIMPERING IDIOT after your inevitable STROKE... Do you have some time next week?"

OK, maybe it isn't word for word...

Given the advise of my new family practitioner I thought I would try a couple of dishes without my usual friends, you have met them, butter, heavy cream and bacon.

Black Bean Salsa (enough for 4-6)
1 can of black beans, rinsed
1 whole tomato diced
1/2 onion diced
1/3 cup of fresh corn
2 cloves garlic minced
1 TBS chopped cilantro
1 Jalapeno pepper diced (I removed the seeds so it wasn't so hot)
1 TBS olive oil
Juice from one lime
Salt and Pepper to taste
Stir the ingredients together and set aside to rest while you make the rest of dinner.

Salmon
Really this was as simple as can be; I set a 4-5 oz salmon filet out and sprinkled a little salt, pepper and Olive oil on it. I grilled it for about 3 minutes on each side until done.

When it was time to serve I put a handful of fresh spinach on a plate then added about 1/3 of a cup of my salsa then topped it with the grilled salmon. I have always loved this salsa/salad, filled with the bright crisp summer flavors and textures, the Jalapeno it this one doesn't really add heat, it is more like a little pop of sunshine.

The whole meal clocks in well under 400 calories and is low enough in fat to keep the dietitians at bay. That gives me a little extra room for a Martini right?

*For the record I am 6 feet tall but to weigh myself the following criteria must be in place:
1. Weight must be taken first thing in the morning.
2. I must be right out of the shower and naked
3. I must have recently used the restroom
4. I must have skipped diner the night before and not yet eaten anything that day.

If all these criteria are in place I weigh in at about 206 pounds... Obviously the Doctor I see doesn't respect these rules so my weight at her office was a little higher.

Black Bean Hummus

I don't know why ideas pop into my head sometimes, probably at lunch one day.  I enjoy hummus for lunch a couple of days a week, it is easy to eat while I am at the computer finishing my work for the day.  A lot of times I am too busy working to get my work done so I hide in my office for a couple of hours after lunch to finish the things that my boss says are the most important things to do each day, you know except for the things that he pulls me away from those to do or the things that we have to have meetings about why they aren't done...  Wow, nothing so far has made sense I guess this is my round about way of saying that it has been a busy couple of weeks at work and I am a little brain addled and a lot tired.

Anyway I have wanted to share a hummus recipe for a  while, but hummus is kind of a "so what" kind of recipe, I mean everybody knows how to make it, so I wanted to bring something a little different to the table so to speak...  I thought of the can of black beans in the pantry, I enjoy the earthy meaty flavor of black beans then went to work

The recipe:
1 15 oz can of black beans
1/2 cup Tahini
Juice from two limes
1/4 cup of chopped cilantro
2 garlic cloves chopped
4 green onions chopped
1/2 tsp cumin
pinch of cayenne pepper
a little salt
olive oil ( about 1/4 cup)

Put all ingredients except the olive oil together in a food processor then add about 1/2 the olive oil and puree.  Add the remaining olive oil (or not) as you blend to get the consistency that you want.  Serve it with the flatbread of your choice or fresh veggies.  This one is a good play on traditional hummus while still being a little bit of a surprise.

Hopefully things will calm down soon and my posts will be at least somewhat coherent, although reading this one over it is at least funny in a tossed word salad sort of way.

Basic Black Beans

Black Turtle Beans have always been one of my favorites for a side dish or even center of the plate sometimes. It is a dense bean with a meaty texture and a flavor a little like a mushroom. I think those factors make it pretty versatile. If I am making this a center of the plate entree I usually add ham or another meat because I like to. If you don't it is a great veggie item. The ones pictured here are made with just a few ingredients and served over rice, it has:

3 Cloves Garlic minced

1 Small Onion Diced

about 1/4 cup Diced Red Bell Peppers

1 TBS Olive Oil

1/2 can of Diced Tomatoes (about 1/2 #)

1 can of Black Beans

1 tsp Cumin

Saute the Garlic, Onions, and Peppers in Olive Oil until the onions are translucent then add the tomatoes, Black Beans and Cumin stir it all together cover and let simmer for a while so the flavors marry nicely, I probably let it go for about half an hour. If you feel like it you can make this ahead and reheat (I think it tastes even better!)

The Rice I am serving it over was even easier. I minced one clove of garlic and about a TBS of red bell peppers together in oil and sauteed, then put in 1/2 cup of rice and cooked over high heat until everything was coated and hot then I added 1 cup of water covered and turned the heat to low for about 20 minutes.

When the Rice was done it was ready to serve, isn't it beautiful? The tomato covered thing in the background is the steak I made to go with this dish I will talk about that in a couple of days.