It’s been a bit since I’ve posted so I’m feeling a bit rusty…the summer has been hectic with lots of travel and weekends spent with family and friends.  I’m finally starting to feel like I’m getting back into my normal routine, although I haven’t gotten back into working out in the mornings.  For now I’m just glad my schedule has allowed me to get in those workouts after work.  At some point I’ll get back to mornings because it’s so much easier to get it done first thing and know that no matter what the rest of the day throws at me, I’ve gotten a healthy start.

Being out of my routine has left me feeling a bit stressed and drained at times and working out in the evenings means less time to prepare a healthy dinner.  So our meals have consisted of things that cook up much more quickly, or don’t require any cooking at all!  The most time consuming part of this recipe is chopping up the fruit and vegetables for the salsa.  Even so, it can be done in the amount of time it took to get the rice going and the salmon in the oven to cook.

The mix of cool and crunchy fresh fruits and vegetables in the salsa totally makes this dish and makes it perfect for summer when you don’t feel like eating something hot and heavy.  Plus the mix of colors make it so beautiful that you can’t help but scoop it into your mouth :).  Using a store bought seasoning mix also cuts down on time and the ingredient list for this dish.

I used my favorite simple method for cooking the salmon.  This method can be used for cooking salmon for just about any dish with varying flavor combinations.  It leaves the salmon perfectly cooked and moist in the center, with a slightly crunchy texture on the edges, which I love.  The key is to get a pan that comes with a grill tray or rack.  This allows the salmon to cook evenly all around and achieve the slightly crunchy exterior with a few minutes on broil.  Line the bottom with foil for easy cleanup – extra bonus!

Here are some similar pans to the one I use:  11X13 or 9×13

I used both frozen salmon filets as well as frozen riced cauliflower in this recipe – having some staple frozen items on hand makes it easier to prepare healthy meals when I haven’t done a great job of planning ahead.  To quickly thaw the salmon, I simply placed the individually wrapped frozen filets in slightly warm water for about 20 minutes (don’t use hot water or you’ll start to cook the salmon!).

For the “nice” rice, I used a mixture of both cooked rice and riced cauliflower.  The riced cauliflower is an easy way to sneak in some extra vegetables, but you could certainly just use rice – just double the amount of rice and coconut milk called for in the recipe.  I don’t think this would work well only using riced cauliflower, as you wouldn’t be able to get as much coconut flavor into the riced cauliflower without making it mushy.  If you do try it though, let me know how it turns out!

Alright, on to the recipe…

Ingredients:

Servings:  4          Time:  30 minutes

• 4 x 5-6oz salmon filets, thawed if previously frozen
• 2 T chile lime seasoning, divided, such as Trader Joe’s
• 1/2 C jasmine rice
• 12 oz frozen riced cauliflower
• 1 C plus 2 T lite coconut milk
• 1 t olive oil or butter
• Salt and pepper to taste

Mango Salsa:

• 2 ripe mangoes, peeled, cored and diced small (about 1/4 inch dice)
• 2 red bell peppers, diced
• 1 small red onion, diced
• 3 mini persian cucumbers or seedless cucumbers, diced
• 1 large avocado, diced
• 2 limes, juiced + zest of 1 lime
• 1/4 bunch cilantro, chopped

Instructions:

1. Combine the rice and 1 C coconut milk in a small sauce pan and cook according to instructions
2. Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees F.  Line broil pan with foil.  Place salmon skin side down on grill rack.  Sprinkle with approximately 1 T of chile lime seasoning blend.  Place salmon in oven and cook to about medium wellness, 10 – 12 minutes.  Turn oven up to broil, and continue to cook salmon for another 3-4 minutes.  Remove from oven once slightly crisped on the outside and set aside.
3. While the salmon cooks, dice fruits and vegetables for mango salsa and toss to combine.  Ensure lime juice thoroughly coats the diced avocado to avoid browning.  Add additional 1 tablespoon of chile lime seasoning to salsa mixture.  Refrigerate until ready to use.
4. Once rice has finished cooking, remove from heat.  Heat a small amount of olive oil or butter in a small saute pan.  Add frozen riced cauliflower and saute until heated through.  Add cooked rice to pan, stir to combine, adding 2 remaining tablespoons of coconut milk to mixture.  Add salt and pepper to taste.
5. Plate 1/4 of cauli rice mixture, 1 salmon filet, and 1/4 of mango salsa mixture and enjoy!

Nutrition info:

580 tot cal, 23g fat, 51g carb, 44 g protein