Restaurant-Worthy Weekday

I love to make meals that look and taste really fancy on random weekdays. They feel special, but really… they are super easy to make. I always ask Brent, “How many other men do you think are getting maple glazed salmon on a Monday?” He always responds, “Not very many, I'm sure” and that makes me smile. On the flipside, though, it’s kind of a curse. I make things like this and then Brent doesn’t want to eat out. You really can't get something fresher in a restaurant, and at home you can eat it in your PJs while watching 19 Kids and Counting.

There are so many recipes that are truly easy and quick to make and taste better than what you get at a restaurant at a fraction of the cost. On Wednesday, I made maple glazed salmon, dill & tomato cous-cous, and roasted asparagus. The preparation time was about 15 minutes and the cooking time was about 15 minutes. The result was AMAZING. You should make this restaurant-worthy dinner combo this week and then there will be a few more men eating well on a Tuesday :-)

Maple Glazed Salmon (adapted from Cooking Light)
2 t. paprika
2 t. chili powder
1 t. cumin
1 t. brown sugar
1 t. Kosher salt
Fresh Salmon
Maple syrup

Preheat oven to 410 degrees. Combine all spices (paprika through salt) in a small bowl. Rub on salmon and let sit for 15 minutes on a foil lined baking sheet. Bake for 12-15 minutes. Brush top of salmon with maple syrup and broil for 1 minute.

Dill & Tomato Cous-Cous (adapted from Cooking Light)
1 box Parmesan flavored quick cooking cous-cous
Handful of chopped fresh dill
1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
¼ cup finely chopped red onion

Follow directions on cous-cous package to prepare Parmesan cous-cous. Toss in a bowl with fresh dill, cherry tomatoes, and red onion.

Katie's Roasted Asparagus
1 bunch asparagus
Olive oil
McCormick Grill Seasoning
Zest of one lemon
Splash of soy sauce

Preheat oven to 410 degrees. Cut tough ends off asparagus and arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with foil. Drizzle lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with grill seasoning. Toss to coat. Roast for 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven and toss with a splash of soy sauce and lemon zest.

The garlic bread was homemade (by Whole Foods). It came free with the salmon for some reason. It had a lot of butter and it was REAL good. We just ate a small slice :-)