Cooking for Ahhh's, Moans, and Sighs

There is no greater joy to any cook than preparing food that people love to eat.  I LIVE for those moans and sighs of pure pleasure at every bite. . . especially when the food is both delicious and GOOD for you.  About ten years ago, we had a couple over for dinner for a business meeting - the gentlemen - I'll call him Steve - was one of those folks that loved delicious food.  We started with a made-from-scratch pumpkin bisque (low fat - no cream!) seasoned with curry spices.  We followed with grilled salmon atop baby salad greens, sauced with a toasted sesame vinaigrette.  We served everything with a good bread and a great bottle of wine.  We finished the meal with small chocolate lava cakes and vanilla ice cream (back when lava cakes were the latest thing).  All the while, "Steve" was doting over the food.  "What's the spice in this delicious soup?" he quipped.  He asked me how long I was going to leave the salmon on the grill.  "Don't overcook it!" he worried.  "What are you putting in the oven?" he asked me when I put the lava cakes in to bake.  I knew we had nailed the meal when "Steve" took his first bite of salmon, moaned with pleasure, and said, "Oh my God, oh my God . . . " I would cook for "Steve" any day of the week!  And while he was enjoying his meal, I am pretty sure he had no idea that he was eating food low in fat and calories (except for the lava cakes, of course!).  Yes, healthy food can be drop dead delicious!

When my college student daughter comes home from school, I try out my latest new concoction on her.  When she takes her first bite and says, "Oh . . . My. . . Gosh . . . Mom . . . this is why I come home!" the pleasure in cooking her a from-scratch, healthy meal just increased exponentially.

Here is the recipe for the grilled salmon salad with toasted sesame vinaigrette - it can easily be prepared in about 15 minutes if you have all the ingredients ready to go.  It is adapted from a higher-fat version created by Chris Schlesinger and John Willloughby in their cookbook, Thrill of the Grill.

Grilled Salmon Salad with Toasted Sesame Vinaigrette (serves 4)

Combine in a large bowl:

5oz. baby salad greens, washed

6 scallions, sliced or about 1/3 red onion, sliced thinly

Toast:

2 Tablespoons sesame seeds
in oven or toaster oven at 350 degrees for about 2 minutes, till light brown.  Set aside.

Heat a large skillet on medium high heat; spray with cooking spray (or heat your grill and spray).  Coat:
4 wild-caught salmon fillets (about 4 to 6 ounces each) with olive oil (about one teaspoon per fillet).  Sprinkle with kosher salt and freshly ground white pepper.

When skillet or grill are hot, place salmon fillets in pan to sear golden brown.  Wait about 3 to 4 minutes (depending on thickness) to flip fillets; cook another 2 minutes until most of transparent color has left (I put my finger inside the fillet to test - it should be warm, not cool).  Meanwhile, make vinaigrette by thoroughly combining:
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons sugar, splenda, honey, or truvia
2 Tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
1 Tablespoon fresh ginger
2 Tablespoons rice vinegar
2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Presentation:
Toss salad greens with just enough vinaigrette to coat salad lightly - but not drench.  You should have extra vinaigrette.  Distribute salad greens on four serving plates.  Place one salmon fillet on each plate, positioning toward one edge of the salad.  Drizzle vinaigrette over salmon fillet; top salad and fillets with toasted sesame seeds and serve.