Honey Mustard Salmon and Colorful Orzo

I didn't know what else to call this Orzo dish... it was tasty.. but that's a boring adjective and applies to most food. It wasn't exactly Italian or any particular ethnicity. It was colorful and I'm sticking to that. And tasty.

I had been meaning to try a honey mustard salmon recipe because it seems I only know how to make "asian" salmon, or salmon with hollandaise. Time to branch out! I found this recipe on the FoodNetwork and it was a big bonus that this happened to be "Light and Easy" -- so we're going healthy here, too! This salmon is really good, very easy, and I highly recommend trying it. Using the Costco frozen salmon fillets makes this even easier!!! (Those are good, by the way).


Honey Mustard Glazed Salmon Fillets
From the Food Network

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon lemon zest
4 (5-oz) salmon fillets (I used three)
salt and ground black pepper to taste
cooking spray

Preheat oven to 400. Use cooking spray to grease baking dish that will fit your salmon pieces in a single layer.

Add lemon juice, mustard, honey and lemon zest directly to the baking dish and stir to combine.

Season both sides of the salmon fillets with salt and pepper and place into the baking dish. Flip to make sure glaze covers them (I even spooned some on top just to make sure).

Either cover and refrigerate for up to 3 hours or bake immediately for 10 minutes or until fish is fork-tender. Spoon extra glaze on top of each fillet for serving, if desired. As Rachel Ray would say, "yummo!"

To go with my salmon, I wanted to try using some orzo for a change, but didn't have a game plan. That's a little dangerous, because sometimes things don't work out great if I'm not "visualizing" the flavors in my head and know it'll match. But, this turned out tasty and a little different. I didn't want to over-season it but wanted to use something from my herb garden and keep it simple. What I really wanted to do was add a tangy cheese like a goat cheese or crumbled feta which would go great with the fresh basil or even some olives. Those strong cheeses aren't favored among Husbands who frequent my kitchen, so I added tang with the pickled banana peppers and stuck with "safe" parmesan.

Colorful Orzo

(Sorry for the lack of exact measurements. )

Half of a box of orzo, or 4 servings worth

4 cloves of fresh garlic, smashed and chopped

1 small onion, diced

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 roasted red bell pepper, diced (these come in handy jars)

4 tablespoons of yellow mild banana peppers (pickled), diced

salt and pepper

parmesan cheese to taste

fresh basil, chopped

Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook Orzo until tender, or about 9 minutes, then drain. Add 2/3 of olive oil to orzo and stir. While orzo is cooking, chop your veggies and add one third of the olive oil to a small sauce pan and cook the onions over medium heat. Add the garlic to the onions and saute, and then add the roasted pepper. When the onions are softened, add onion mixture to the orzo and cook over low heat. Combine the chopped yellow peppers and season with salt and pepper and parmesan cheese to taste. It's sorta a tangy but fresh tasting flavor. Right before serving, add the fresh basil and stir to incorporate, or sprinkle on top after serving. More parmesan is always tasty, too!