Wow! This work week has been KAH-RAZY! Notoriously, health care systems get busy towards the end of the year but in combination with October being breast cancer awareness month work has been nonstop! I am pretty sure South Benders got the memo that they need to come in and get their girls screened. Don't get me wrong, busy is a good thing and I am glad women are taking care of themselves, but a girls gotta get a minute during the day to take a break! Note to self: Invest in comfortable shoes, stock work locker with K-cups, and don't drink too much water during the day. By the way, have you had your mammogram yet? If not, what are you waiting for?
So, have you reached the point in your life when staying home on a Friday night doesn't actually sound too bad? Yep, me too. I am hoping I am not alone on this! It has been nice to do laundry (eeek... did I say this?), sit on the couch for a few minutes, and pick up the house. Apparently my husband is on the bandwagon too because he was excited to work on "garage projects". He takes a lot of pride in his garage and I have to hand it to him; it is a clean, organized garage and there is always a cold beer available! The garage is slowly but surely turning into a man cave. Cody and our friend, Andy, are working on installing a heater, installing a sink, and mounting a flatscreen out there as we speak. I think if we needed to survive in our garage we could!
On nights like this, when cooking for one, Salmon with Cucumber Dill Sauce is my go-to meal. Salmon is a great source of Omega-3 fatty acids. Our body can't produce Omega-3's so we must get it from the food we eat. It is important to consume Omega-3's because they help increase your HDL ("good" cholesterol), reduce blood pressure, prevents clots by acting as a blood thinner, prevents age-related macular degeneration, and acts as an anti-inflammatory. As if you need another reason to eat salmon, it tastes pretty darn good too! Just be sure to look for a wild salmon as it is the most sustainable choice!
The cucumber dill sauce recipe was given to me by a co-worker. Cody and I both love it. You know how it is hard to have peanut butter without jelly? Chocolate cake without milk? Well, that is us with salmon and cucumber dill sauce! The secret is time. The longer the sauce sits in the refrigerator the more the flavor develops. I would suggest chilling it for AT LEAST one hour before serving. My recipe below is for one but can be doubled, tripled, quadrupled, or whatever comes after that depending on how many you are cooking for!
Salmon with Cucumber Dill Sauce
Servings: 1
Ingredients:
3 oz. wild salmon filet
1/2 lemon
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 1/2 teaspoon dried dill, divided
1/8 cup sour cream
1/8 cup mayo
1/4 cup cucumber, seeded and diced
squirt of dijon mustard (approximately 1/2 teaspoon)
Directions:
1. Combine sour cream, mayo, cucumber, 1 teaspoon dill, and dijon mustard. Chill for one hour
before serving.
2. Place salmon on foil lined baking sheet. Squeeze lemon over salmon. Top with minced
garlic and 1/2 teaspoon dill. Cook, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Salmon
should be cooked to a temp of 145 degrees.
3. Remove skin bottom of salmon. Serve salmon with cucumber dill sauce.
I know I will be get my second wind the for the weekend after a good night of sleep! For now, I will settle for cuddling with Magic. I just love him. When did we start allowing him on the couch?!?
