Hey y’all! How’s it going? This really couldn’t be a prettier morning in Boulder 🙂
So yesterday I got a very exciting package in the mail: POM!!! The sweet people from POM contacted me last week about sampling their product, and I really had to control my enthusiasm when I said yes 🙂 Last night Nate and I had fun with the bottles before putting them away!
First of all, thanks to everyone on Twitter who threw out great salmon suggestions yesterday! Honestly I didn’t end up using any of them, but I have a ton of salmon in the freezer, and since we try to eat it a couple times a week I now have a smorgasbord of great recipes to try. I just ended up getting so excited about the POM that I decided to make POM glazed peppery salmon, garlic brown rice, and roasted broccoli 🙂
For the rice I followed Estela’s recipe exactly, but I used sweet short-grain brown rice from the bulk bins at Whole Foods. It still has the husk thing on it and had the most incredible texture! I have a recipe coming up this week with the leftovers and am drooling just thinking about it…
For the broccoli I used the pre-cut veggies from the store. Massage the broccoli florets with 1 Tbsp of olive oil, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp of pepper. Spread on a baking sheet and roast at 375 for 20 minutes, stirring 2-3 times. I like kale chips and all, but roasted broccoli wins my heart 🙂
For the salmon I cracked a TON of black pepper on either side of the salmon and seared each side for about 2 minutes in 1 Tbsp olive oil over medium heat. Take off the heat and cover the pan with a lid…the steam finishes cooking the salmon so it’s not overdone. In a saucepan bring 1 cup of POM juice and 1/8 cup brown sugar to a boil. Turn down the heat a little, but continue to simmer until the liquid is reduced and coats the back of a spoon. Serve immediately by pouring over the salmon (it was great with the broccoli too!)
The POM juice was fantastic! It added a sweet-tart-spicy kick to the salmon, and I’m glad I have some leftover to use on pork or chicken later this week 🙂 Plus I have some fun ideas for drinks and desserts to try with it too! The rest of the night was spent running errands and relaxing with my sweet husband!
This morning I got up early, did some yoga, and made a chocolate peanut butter GM for breakfast. I had to get to Boulder to see LeeAnn for my physical therapy!
Seriously, I don’t know why I didn’t think to let her do stuff to my legs before. She’s a miracle-worker, that one! I now have an assignment to stretch my calf muscles and quads twice daily, in addition to some strengthening exercises. I’ve already noticed a difference, and can’t wait to go on my walk at lunch today! On the way to the office I stopped for some coffee at Panera Bread and picked up a slice of their coffee cake:
I ended up eating 3 bites and gave the rest to Nate…pretty proud of my self-control on that one! I had just enough to get a taste and it was AH-mazing 🙂
So last night I had a dream that I took a pregnancy test! But it was weird because we couldn’t figure out what actually meant “pregnant” and “not pregnant” because the form didn’t have the details on it. I KNOW I’m not pregnant, but that dream freaked me out so badly that I took a pregnancy test anyway. Confirmed: not pregnant. Thank goodness (for now)!
Have you ever had a dream that was so real that you weren’t sure when you woke up what was going on? Do tell!
I, too, received a generous package from POM and have yet to anything with it but sample 1 bottle. I’m loving the salmon idea! For Christmas, I made a pomegranate glaze for the turkey – yum.
So many pregnancy dreams! I had one last night. I was already planning how in the heck i was gonna finish school and have a baby and do everything I planned to do before having a baby. I always keep pregnancy tests on hand, just in case. Those suckers are expensive!
hahaha crazy! I’m so jealous you get to sample POM!! Love that stuff and the salmon, rice, and broccoli looks so delish!!!!
I’m definitely an ocean lover for sure
I have pregnancy dreams all the time. It freaks me out a little, and I keep pregnancy tests on hand.
That whole dinner looks delish! Especially that rice!! YUM!!
When I used to be really restrictive with my eating I ALWAYS had nightmares that I binged or overate, I would wake up super worried. Thinking back that was so miserable!! Another reason why restriction is bad news bears!
Awesome for getting a package from POM… 🙂
If you would like an additional recipe for Salmon… my mom always marinates hers in Lemon Juice and garlic, salt and pepper the night before… everyone raves about it 🙂
Love the POM juice and that salmon looks wonderful.
Those kinds of dreams are disturbing!
Haha…not exactly dream related but I had a stint where I would wake up feeling sick for about 2 straight weeks. I was so stressed that I was pregnant that I took a pregnancy test everyday for like 10 straight days. My husband finally had to cut me off from buying them! haha! 🙂
My most common “real” dreams are when I’m stressed out in life. I then start dreaming that I’m doing things that are on my to-do list… It’s bad when I wake up and then I’m disappointed that I “worked” so hard in my dream and nothing is actually done, but what’s worse is when it gets to the point where it’s little things and I think I’ve actually already taken care of something in real life!
Your POM pictures are so beautiful. And that sounds like a great way to use it. Delicious! Also, yay for having enough of the coffee cake to satisfy you but not feel like you ate too much unnecessarily.
Oh, and I’ve had a pregnancy test dream too. I dreamed I took a test and it was positive and I woke up all excited (since it was recent). Ended up being not pregnant, but oh well. It’s weird how our minds work.
Pom must have made an excellent addition to the salmon! I love your creativity with the bottles, I would of been busy chuggin them!
Came across your blog from Linda’s (Salty Seattle) and it’s awesome! 🙂 I have never roasted broccoli but am a huge fan of roasted cauliflower so I’ll have to give the broccoli a try!
LOL…pregnant dreams freak me out too!! Of course, they freaked me out more before we were married 🙂 When we were engaged, I once dreamed that I walked down the aisle only to find that Ryan was a BABY!! Like, an actual physical baby waiting for me. Hmmmm…perhaps a metaphor for something I was worried about? Which is hilarious, because I am totally the baby who gets taken care of in the relationship.
Anywho. Love your pom pics! Y’all are such talented photographers!
And I thought the coffee cake that I had from Starbuck’s yesterday was good…geez go Panera!
I am going to try out POM soon so I am looking forward to seeing all the uses that you find for it!
You made the rice! Did you like it? I need to try it with the rice that you use 🙂
I’ve never had the pregnant dream before… but I have crazy dreams ALL THE TIME! Its so strange!
Ahaha, I have those pregnancy dreams once in a while and they always seem so real that I’m always totally freaked out in the morning but have never done a test after a dream 😀
That’s funny that you actually took a real pregnancy test!
Mmmm Pom glaze. That would go well on all sorts of meat. Or made into a little BBQ Pom sauce.
Pregnant dreams are scary!! Someday it’ll be great but yeahh..
Mmm the salmon looks so good! You could reduce your dishes and up the flava a tad by using the same pan for your sauce that you did the salmon in. Remove the salmon when it’s done and keep it warm under some foil, then deglaze the pan with the Pom juice and reduce.
That coffee cake looks a-freaking-mazing. I wish wish wish we had Panera here. I have to get it when I got to the west-side of the state.
That’s cool you get to sample it! I’d never tried POM before but I recently drank the light POM with hibiscus and it was great.
Ohmigosh I ALWAYS have dreams that I am pregnant, sometimes even in labor, and I can FEEL it. What is up with that???
Pregnant dreams always freak me out! Ill sometimes have dreams I have a baby and I am so stressed out.
I probably would have polished off all of the coffee cake 🙂