Salmon...and not from a can

That's right, we had grilled salmon tonight. Something about it being 75 degrees today made me want to make a summer meal. And I not only tried one new recipe for dinner, but two! I also sort of made up a recipe as well...it was pretty interesting to say the least! Here's what was on the menu tonight:

Grilled Salmon with sun-dried tomatoes

Cauliflower Au Gratin

Penne pasta with sun-dried tomato cream sauce

Steamed broccoli

First, the salmon. I found this recipe on......drum roll............kraftfoods.com! Are you surprised? It is actually called cedar-planked grilled salmon, but I didn't want to fool you into thinking I went all out like that. I don't even have a cedar plank....so here's what I did:

2 salmon fillets
non-stick cooking spray
1/2 cup fat-free sun dried tomato vinaigrette
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
1/4 cup finely chopped sun dried tomatoes

Just heat the grill (or in my case, stove-top grill), and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Place salmon fillets on top. Cook on medium heat for 4-5 minutes. In the mean time, mix the vinaigrette, parsley, and sun dried tomatoes together. Spoon over the tops of fillets and finish cooking another 4-5 minutes, or until they flake with a fork. 

Click here to see the recipe at kraftfoods.com

Next was the cauliflower au gratin. I saw Bobby Flay make this and I really wanted to try it. Of course, I made some alterations.

1 head of cauliflower
1/2 cup heavy cream  (I used skim milk)
1/2 cup monterey jack cheese, shredded (I used mozzarella)
1/4 cup fresh parmesan cheese, shredded
salt
pepper
*goat cheese, crumbled (I WISH I had some of this tonight!)

Wash & separate cauliflower into florets. Spray 8x8 pan and place florets in the pan. Pour milk/cream over to coat. Sprinkle with cheeses, salt, and pepper. Top with goat cheese. Bake @ 400 degrees for 30 minutes. YUM! Next time I will make this with goat cheese because I love it!

Click here to see Bobby Flay's how-to video.


Last, I made some whole wheat penne pasta and realized I needed a sauce. So....I mixed some ingredients together that sort of mimicked those on the salmon. And then I called it a creme sauce. It worked great!

2 Tbsp. fat free sour cream
1 Tbsp reduced fat cream cheese (the fat free won't melt well!)
Fat free sun-dried tomato vinaigrette, just a drizzle
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Dried parsley
Pepper

*heat ingredients 30 seconds in the microwave and stir. Pour over pasta to coat.

Oh, and I steamed some broccoli to add some color :)


The final product:

It was very delicious. I will be making this meal again!