Indian Dinner - Salmon and zucchini with couscous

Ok, I've made these recipes a few times now and they have become a favorite, so I thought I'd share them with you all in blogland... The first is for an indian spiced salmon which is super simple to make and super yummy! The second recipe is for an indian zucchini which I've also made with eggplant, both of which are super yummy! I serve both these dishes with some tri-color couscous, made according to directions. Both the zucchini and salmon recipes come from the web, with a little tweaking of my own. Enjoy!

Indian-spiced Salmon
This recipe was originally from Everyday Food on PBS

Serves 4 | Prep Time: 5 minutes | Total Time: 20 minutes

This salmon recipe utilizes a combination of spices — ginger, turmeric, and coriander — for unique results that draw on the flavors of India.

1/4 cup low-fat plain yogurt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 skinless salmon fillets (each 6 ounces and about 1 inch thick)
Vegetable cooking spray

1. Heat broiler. In a small bowl, combine yogurt, ginger, turmeric, coriander, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper.
2. Spray a broiler pan or rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray. Place salmon on pan. Spread yogurt mixture on top of fillets, dividing evenly. Broil until fish is just opaque throughout, 12 to 14 minutes. Serve immediately.

My notes: For me this is done in more like 10 minutes and is about 6" from the broiler element in the oven. It makes a great left over salad addition too!

Indian-Style Zucchini

This recipe was originally from Earthbound Farms, the produce people...

A potpourri of Asian spices and aromatics really jazzes up zucchini, or many other vegetables for that matter, such as green beans, okra or eggplant. The dish is delicious served hot or at room temperature.

Serves 2

3 tablespoons sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon black or brown mustard seeds
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
1/2 cup finely minced yellow onion
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic
5 cups diced zucchini (about 5 medium, cut into 1/2-inch dice)
1 small jalapeno or serrano chile, finely minced, or to taste
Salt, to taste

Place a large skillet over medium-high heat; when it's hot, add the oil and mustard seeds to the dry skillet. Cover the pan with a lid, and cook until the seeds pop, about 1 minute. Uncover the pan and add the cumin, turmeric, coriander, garam masala, and onion, and cook, stirring frequently, until the onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Add the ginger, garlic, and zucchini, and stir fry until the zucchini is crisp-tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the chili and cook another minute. Season to taste with salt.

My notes: I've tried this with eggplant as well as zucchini and both are delicious. The first time I made this I didn't have any turmeric or ground coriander on hand so I used yellow curry powder instead of the cumin, coriander and turmeric. It tasted great that way too. For anyone having trouble finding garam masala, check your local Cost Plus World Market. They have a great international food selection! Also, I cooked this for longer than they specify since we like our zucchini a little softer and cooking the eggplant down makes it more custardy and yummy. I also didn't have any serrano peppers on hand so used two green thai peppers instead. This is a fabulous dish and my new favorite leftover as well.

Hope you enjoy!