Cherry Chipotle Salmon and Millet Pilaf

Make sure you stop by and read Amber’s story on Faces of Beauty today!

 

As much as I like to play with recipes that are more involved, when it comes to dinner I’m very much a simple recipe kind of gal.  Nate and I have also been eating healthier these days, so the key is simple AND healthy.  Sometimes that combo is hard to find.

Well, my friends…look no further.  Your tastebuds will cry out in sheer ecstacy.  No, really…your stomach and tongue will be high-fiving your brain for making this.  I know that a lot of people say that their recipe is the bees’ knees, and most likely they’re right, but holy YUM this is good.

First off, the inspiration:

Now I told y’all a little bit ago about my chipotle pepper in adobo dilemma – you know, the fact that a recipe will call for ONLY ONE chipotle pepper in adobo and you still have about 2 trillion of them left to save in your fridge?  This is just another delicious way to use up those peppers!

CHERRY CHIPOTLE SALMON

• 1/2 cup cherry preserves (I am in LOVE with Bonne Maman‘s)
• 2-4 chipotle peppers in adobo (2 if you don’t want too much spice, 4 if you want to use a fire extinguisher on your mouth.  I went with 4.  I am crazy.)
• 1 Tbsp water
• 2 8-oz salmon filets
• pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 400.  Combine the cherry preserves, chipotle peppers, and water in a small saucepan.  Bring to a simmer over medium heat until it thickens just slightly.  Using a colander, drain the liquid from the mixture and discard the cherries/peppers that are left behind.  Set aside.

Line a baking sheet with foil (easy clean-up) and spray with nonstick spray.  Put salmon on the baking sheet and sprinkle with just a little bit of salt.  Bake for 5 minutes.

Pour the cherry-chipotle glaze over the salmon and bake for another 5 minutes.  Be careful not to overbake the salmon, so if your oven is a little hotter then decrease the cooking time and vice versa if your oven is cooler.

Make sure you save the glaze and use it on your salmon (or on top of the pilaf)!  It’s so incredibly addicting.

Moving forward, my sister bought me some millet the other day at Whole Foods in Dallas, and I had quite the itch to make something with it.  You basically cook it just like rice, so when brainstorming recipes I knew I wanted it to be a take on a traditional rice recipe.

I think does quite the job, it’s truly delicious, AND the leftovers are fabulous.  What more could you want?

MILLET PILAF

• 1 cup millet
• 2 cups water (or stock)
• 1 cup sliced carrots
• 1 onion, diced
• 2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1-2 cups frozen peas
• 1 Tbsp butter
• salt and pepper to taste

It’s probably best to start this one before the salmon if you’re serving them together since the cooking time is a little longer.  In a saucepan over medium heat, toast the millet.  The second you even get a whiff of a nutty flavor from it pour in the water.  Bring to a boil, then cover with a lid and simmer for about 25 minutes.  Once the millet is tender, remove from heat and set aside.

Onto the veggies!  Melt the butter in a pan over medium heat.  Add the onions and carrots, and saute until the onion is translucent, about 5-7 minutes.  Add the garlic and saute for another 2-3 minutes.  Add frozen peas and let them warm through.  Once the peas are no longer frozen, add the millet to the skillet (that’s totally on purpose – dork alert!) and stir to combine.  You want everything to be warmed through before serving!

Since I was actually just cooking for me that night I went with a simple presentation by pressing the millet into a ramekin and then turning it upside down.  Drizzle the entire thing with the cherry-chipotle glaze.

My stomach and my tastebuds high-fived my brain for coming up with this one 🙂  Now it’s your turn…go make it!

Happy Thursday y’all!