Can you get a healthier dish than that? Please - I'd like to see you try! But the catch? It has to taste delicious! None of these strange sprouted bean lentil walnut no taste bland whatever things... something that manages to be nicely well rounded... where you get sweetness from the fish and beets, tartness from the vinegar and beet greens, and just whatever lentils taste like. Saltiness? I guess they taste like whatever you flavor them with. This was my first time working with lentils, so I wasn't sure what I was in for... but I was quite pleased. I've thrown together a dish with yellow split-peas... but those require soaking and way longer cooking time. Lentils are great because all you do is wash them off and cook them for like 20 minutes and they're done! Oh not to mention, they're loaded with healthy proteins, iron, fiber, and magnesium... and super cheap! Again with the budget thing for me.
So a trick to making this recipe a breeze.... don't wait until you're ready to make dinner to get your beets cooked. These can be done a day in advance, easy! I believe the lentils could also be made in advance and reheated. So, make this a staple for quick fix meals when you don't have a lot of time at night, but have some random free time earlier where you can at least get some prep work out of the way.
I have to be honest - I wasn't sure if I'd enjoy this meal... something about healthy on top of healthy on top of healthy always makes me think somethings not gonna taste so great. Well - I was way off. This really is a delicious dish and you wouldn't necessarily relate it to being good for you if it weren't for the delicious beet topping you put on top of the salmon.
Salmon with Beets & Lentils
adapted from Martha Stewart
serves 2
Ingredients:
- 1 large beet, trimmed and scrubbed (though, I bet you could use 2 and eat them up easily)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup dried lentils, rinsed
- 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 fresh sprigs thyme (didn't have any, so used oregano instead)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1T honey or agave nectar
- 2 six-ounce salmon fillets, skin on (or more like 10oz for hungry boyfriends)
- 1 large shallot, finely chopped, divided (save about 1 T of shallot for beet greens)
- 1/3 cup dry white wine
- 1 bunch beet greens from tops of beets you just purchased, washed and stemmed
- 1/4 cup fresh orange juice + 1t orange zest
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- Vegetable-oil cooking spray
- Heat oven to 400 degrees. Wrap beets in foil and place on pan in oven for 45 minutes+ until a fork/knife easily pierces through. Remove and let cool. Peel beets, and cut into 1/4-inch pieces; set aside.
- Combine 1 cup water, lentils, stock, garlic, thyme, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer until tender, about 30 minutes. Drain; remove thyme stems and garlic. Add oil, 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper; toss, and keep warm. (If preparing in advance, warm over low heat before assembling dish).
- Heat oven to 375 degrees. Combine coriander and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper; Brush salmon with honey/agave. Rub spice mix over salmon flesh. Spray a cast-iron skillet with vegetable-oil spray, and place over medium heat. When heated, add salmon, flesh side down, and cook until browned, about 3 minutes. Turn fillets, add shallots, and place skillet in oven. Cook about 4 minutes, or until cooked through. DO NOT OVERCOOK!
- Meanwhile, heat olive oil in large skillet. Add 1 T shallots and sautee until translucent and soft. Add beet greens. Season with salt & pepper. Toss in pan until wilted. Remove from heat.
- Remove and discard salmon skin and set salmon on separate plate; keep salmon warm. Place skillet over medium-high heat, and add wine, scraping pan with a wooden spoon. Reduce by half, and add orange juice, mustard, and remaining tablespoon balsamic vinegar. Add beets, and cook until heated through. Adjust seasoning, if desired. Arrange lentils and beet greens on plates; place a salmon fillet on top. Spoon beets and sauce over, and serve.
Enjoy!
Lauren
