Tuesday Dinner

Salmon with Lemon-Cilantro Vinaigrette
(served with couscous and steamed edamame)

Today wasn't my normal busy Tuesday, so I spent more time than usual in the kitchen. After the Muffin Fiasco this afternoon, I turned my attention to dinner. Luckily this recipe turned out perfectly, even better than I'd hoped, because I would have really been bummed if this one had been a failure, too.

This recipe came from RealSimple.com, and it was a winner (even though recipes called 'vinaigrette' that contain no vinegar is one of my culinary pet peeves). The treatment of the salmon was nothing special - just pan-seared in olive oil - but the lemon-cilantro vinaigrette really elevated this dish to another level. It was tangy and fresh and green, and I'd love to try it on grilled shrimp or chicken next. On the side I served couscous, as suggested in the recipe. I was apprehensive because I haven't been overly fond of couscous in other dishes. (Although, to be fair, I'm most familiar with it in salads using ingredients I'm not crazy about to begin with - namely cucumbers.) This dish might actually convert me because it was delicious when drizzled with the herby lemon dressing, and its starchy blandness was a perfect balance to the tartness of lemon and the richness of the fish.

This dish really called out for some sort of fresh vegetables I didn't have on hand tonight. I served steam-in-the-bag edamame, which wasn't a great combination, although it wasn't bad, either. It just didn't seem like a good fit - Asian with Mediterranean. Next time, I think I'll try it with sauteed spinach or maybe some sliced oranges.

Totals:

$3 - salmon (3 frozen individual portions from Aldi, sold in bags of 4/$3.99)
$1.25 - 1/2 box couscous
.30 - cup chicken broth (to cook couscous in)
.33 - lemon
.30 - cilantro, green onions
.83 - steam-in-bag edamame (sale + coupon)

$6.01 for dinner for 3