Oh my GOOdness! Amazing.....

Oh my GOOdness! Amazing.....

My dinner tonight was spectacular! So good, we barely spoke a word. With three rowdy kids and a husband that is a miracle. This took a little work, but really once you try it it's not too complicated. If you want all this work to last, triple the glaze and salad dressing. You can freeze them and use them for another day that you want something tasty without any work. You will not regret taking this on.

Balsamic Orange Ginger Glaze for Trout

2 steel head trout fillets (Salmon would be good too)
1/4 honey
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
1Tbs +1 tsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp orange juice
2 Tbsp orange zest
2 inch of ginger, peeled and minced
1tbs +1 tsp oil
Salt and pepper

1.Preheat the broiler and wrap a broiler pan with foil.
2.Season trout generously with salt and pepper on all sides.
3.Combine honey, balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, orange juice, orange zest, ginger, and oil. Mix well, divide in half. Coat trout with this mixture. Fillets should be only lightly coated, as too much of the glaze can burn under the broiler.
4.Broil fillets 4 inches away from the flame just until browned, 3-5 minutes. Pour the rest of the glaze on top of fillets and finish in the 425F oven until done. The total cooking time (broiling plus baking) should be about 8 minutes per inch of thickness. To test for doneness, separate the flakes in the thickest part and look inside. Fillets are done when a trace of translucency remains in the center.
5.Use second half of glaze to drizzle plate for dipping and 'looks'
 
Baked sweet potatoes

( I used baby sweet potatoes here, they were about 2 inches wide and three inches long)

-Preheat oven to *400
-Peirce potatoes with a fork
-Bake potatoes on a baking sheet for about an hour (If they are large sweet potatoes the can take up to an hour and a half)
-Potatoes are done when they are squishy to touch




Pomegranate salad

Dressing:

1 ½ Tbs red wine vinegar
1 ½ Tbs balsamic vinegar
2t honey
1 Tbs olive oil
1t orange zest
1Tbs orange juice
salt
pepper

Mix first four ingredients
Zest orange then squeeze juice, add to oil and vinegar. Add salt and pepper to taste

Salad:

1 head of red leaf lettuce
1 pomegranate seeded
¼ Cup toasted pecans
¼ Cup crumbled feta
1/8 Cup slivered red onion

Wash and dry lettuce. Cut into bite size pieces.
Cut pomegranate in half and remove the seeds. Be careful to remove the white stuff that may cling to the seeds
Toast pecans. Spread them out on a dinner plate so they are flat. Put them in the microwave for 1 minute. Check them to see if they are toasted enough. If you fell they need some more toastiness, keep on microwaving for 30 seconds until the desired toastiness has been reached. This technique is much easier than the oven/pan method where I always seem to burn them.
Save 4 whole pecan and crush the rest by putting them in a small ziplock bag and going over it with a rolling pin.
Crumble feta
Just before serving, toss lettuce with salad dressing.
For a nice touch, dish out salad into individual bowls. Sprinkle each with 1 Tbs with feta, 1 tsp crushed pecans, and a few slivered onions. Top each with a central mountain of pomegranate seeds. On the peak of the 'mountain' add the whole pecan. If your in a hurry, ignore what I just said and dump all ingredients together and presto yummy salad none the less!