Bacon, Celery Salad with Tomatoes; The New BLT!

It was one of those days where I was too lazy to go to the store and buy lettuce for a BLT, but noticed that I had plenty of celery in my fridge. Maybe lazy is not so much the word, but my hands were full with my two youngest at home and one with bronchitis. No way I was going to the store with these two in pursuit.

"Hmmmm, could I substitute celery for lettuce in my BLT?", I wondered to myself.

I think I should experiment and see if this can happen. The bacon was already under the broiler.  The toast in the toaster. What do I have to loose? I needed to decide soon or find something else for my Sunday afternoon lunch because my stomach was growling and so was the stomach of my three year old.

I made the leap and gave it a try, and let me tell you, I am so glad I did. It was wonderful and even my three old enjoyed it and asked for seconds!

Ingredients:
4 stalks of celery, washed and diced into small bite size pieces
1/3 pint of grape tomatoes
2 thin slices of onion, diced
4 TBSP Real Mayonnaise
A dash of salt, pepper, and basil

 Did I mention that I didn't have large tomatoes...only grape tomatoes in the fridge?!

 

All the vegetables diced and ready for the mayo, salt, pepper, and basil.

 

Ready for the toast and bacon!

 

This was delicious and something I will do again, especially when I am lacking the appropriate ingredients for the same old BLT. My new BLT, the BCsT; Bacon, Celery salad with Tomatoes!

Salmon

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup packed cilantro leaves
• 2 scallions
• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon grated ginger
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 4 center cut skin-on wild salmon fillets, about 6 ounces each
• 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
• 2 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 1/4 teaspoon black sesame seeds
• 1 1/3 cups cooked edamame
• Lime wedges, optional garnish

Preheat the grill over medium-high direct heat. Oil the grill grates. Finely chop the cilantro and scallion and mix in the oil and ginger. Season with salt and pepper.
Cut two 3-inch long slits through the skin lengthwise on the bottom of the salmon fillets, going about halfway into the salmon. Evenly stuff the slits with the herb mixture. Season the fish with salt and pepper.
Stir together the lime juice, soy and honey until smooth. Place the salmon, skin side up, on the grill and cook until well marked, 3 to 4 minutes. Turn the salmon and continue to cook, brushing the tops with the sauce, until the fish is cooked through, about another 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a serving plate and sprinkle the tops with the sesame seeds. Serve with edamame and lime wedges.
Broiler directions: Position an oven rack so that a baking sheet set on the rack is about 4-inches below the heat source. Preheat the broiler. Prepare the salmon as above and place the fillets, skin down, on a foil lined baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Broil, basting 3 to 4 times with the sauce, until just cooked through, about 6 to 7 minutes.
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Nutritional analysis per serving (analysis not including optional lime wedges)
Calories 345; Total Fat 15g (Sat Fat 1.8g, Mono Fat 4.1g, Poly Fat 5.8g) ; Protein 39g; Carb 10g; Fiber 3g; Cholesterol 93.5mg; Sodium 306mg

Pork Loin Ribeye Chops

Tonights supper consists of a recipe inspired by RealAge.com called Lemon Caper Chicken with sweet potato puree. I, of course, do not have any chicken thawed but do have some pork loin ready to go in the fridge and who buys capers...not me. I think these flavors will work just as well on the pork and the mustard almost crystalized on the outside of the chicken (when I last tried the recipe) during the broiling process.

Pork Loin Ingredients:
4 Pork Loin Ribeye Chops 5 oz each
1 TBSP Lemon juice
1 TBSP olive oil
2 TBSP finely diced onions
1 TBSP Dijon Mustard

Preheat broiler. Place pork in an aluminum foil lined shallow roasting or baking pan, whatever you have on hand. Combine remaining pork ingredients above and spoon over pork. Broil 6 inches from heat source for 12-15 minutes or until pork is cooked through.

I am all out of sweet potatoes so I think I will just bake some regular potatoes in the oven, coating with olive oil first and spearing with a fork/knife. I also have asparagus in the fridge. I will break off the hard woody ends and steam for a few minutes until the asparagus turns bright green. Can't wait until its all done!