Floating on a Cloud

I dreaded having lentils again last night for dinner.  If there is one thing we don’t like about the diet is that there is so much food that we can’t have.  The stuff we can have is often times so boring and never fills us up.  That is until last night.  On the menu was “The Girls’ Oven Roasted Salmon w/ Veggie Lentils”.  WOW!!!  Lip smacking good.

I was a little fearful of the ingredient list as it did appear long and I knew I didn’t have all of the spices but I thought I would try to make do.  The tomatoes added a great burst of flavor to the dish and what is even better; taking a bite of salmon along w/ a bite of lentils.  It feels as if I’m floating on a cloud, looking down and my mouth just comes alive.    The lentils are good just by themselves too so by all means try just the lentils if you don’t have salmon.

The recipe:

In a medium saucepan combine 8 oz lentils, 3 garlic cloves (I used 2 teaspoons of minced garlic), 2 bay leaves, a sprig of thyme (I left this out) and enough water to cover by 1 inch.  Bring to boil and reduce the heat to a simmer.  Cook until tender but yet still firm, about 15 – 20 minutes.  Drain.

Preheat oven to 425.

Rub the salmon filets with olive oil and season on all sides with the following:

salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, paprika.  I didn’t have cayenne or paprika so I used red and black pepper to add a little bit more a light kick.

Coat the bottom of a baking dish w/ olive oil and place salmon skin side down.  Roast for 8 – 10 minutes.

 

While salmon is cooking, saute in olive oil the following:

1/4 cup chopped carrot, 1/4 chopped onion, 1/4 cup chopped celery.

Add 1 teaspoon garlic and cook 1 minute.

Add 1 can of diced tomatoes, 1 cup chicken stock, thyme, the lentils, salt, pepper.  Cook, stirring occassionally until the lentils are tender and the liquid is reduced slightly.  Approx. 8 minutes.

 Create a bed of lentils on plate, top w/ salmon.  Drizzle with parsley, chives, and olive oil.

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Joel loved this dish and didn’t even need an evening snack which was music to my ears.  There is so much of this dish that can be done ahead of time or with left over lentils.  It was fabulous. 

I only hope I can find more “diet” food that doesn’t taste like it.  This is one meal that will stick around even after the end of any diet!