The Skinny Pig

Honey Mustard Glazed Salmon with Sweet Potato Wedges

This is an incredibly easy meal for two (and you can easily make it for one as well) because everything goes on one pan (or two sheet pans if you have a small oven like I do).

2 4-5 oz salmon fillets

4 tbsp honey mustard

2 tbsp veg oil

2 tsp soy sauce

1 tsp garlic powder

12-14 cherry tomatoes (optional)

2 medium sweet potatoes, washed (peeled if you wish, I like to leave the skins on)

2 tsp olive oil (to coat)

salt and pepper (to taste)

Optional garlic/onion dipping sauce for wedges:

1/4 cup plain yogurt

1/4 cup reduced fat sour cream

1 tbsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp paprika

First prepare the honey mustard glaze: In a small bowl, add the vegetable oil first, THEN the honey mustard (the oil will help the honey mustard slide right off the tbsp, so no scraping with your fingers), then the soy sauce, garlic powder and salt and pepper. Keep in mind soy sauce has a lot of salt in it, so either use low-sodium soy, or just add a pinch or two of pepper.

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Put your cleaned fillets skin side down on a large sheet of tin foil. Spread the glaze all over the salmon, even underneath. Now cut the cherry tomatoes in halves and put them cut side down on the sides of the salmon and on top. This is optional, but I really love tomatoes and salmon together. Now you want to fold the tin foil up over the salmon and roll it down, pinching it to make it like a little pouch. Fold and pinch up the sides as well so none of that glaze leaks out during baking. This is a similar process to making a baked potato. Just make sure it's not a super-tight pouch, you don't want to squish the salmon or the tomatoes.

Now cut your sweet potatoes lengthwise, then cut those pieces into halves on an angle so you have nice wedges. Cover your sheet pans with tin foil (for easy clean up) and drizzle one with olive oil. Add the sweet potato wedges to the one with olive oil, coat evenly and toss with salt and pepper. Spread evenly over the pan and pop in the oven.

Put the salmon pouches on the other sheet pan and pop in the oven for 30-35 minutes, or to desired doneness. Sweet potatoes should cook in the same amount of time.

In the meantime, make the dip for the sweet potato wedges. Combine the yogurt, sour cream, garlic, onion powder, and paprika and mix well. Add salt and pepper to taste. 

Now if you have a big oven, you can easily make this all on one pan. I've done it before - all you do is put tin foil down on a sheet pan, toss the sweet potatoes around with the olive oil, salt and pepper, then make an opening in the center of the pan for the two salmon pouches. Voila - everything in the oven and on one pan.  Super!!

Turkey Meatballs

1 lb lean ground turkey

1 medium yellow onion, grated

2 cloves of garlic, minced or grated

1 large egg

1/2 cup Italian-seasoned, store-bought breadcrumbs

1/4 cup Parmigiana cheese

1 tbsp dried parsley

1 tbsp dried thyme

1 tbsp dried oregano

2 tsps ketchup

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

salt and pepper to taste

In a large bowl, combine the grated onion, garlic, egg, herbs, ketchup, worcestershire, salt and pepper together until well combined. Add the ground turkey, bread crumbs,  and cheese. Mix together with your hands, being careful not to overmix as this makes for a tough meatball.

Form the mixture into 1 1/2-inch meatballs and place on wax paper until ready to either bake or fry. If baking, set them on a cookie sheet (you can line it with tin foil for easy clean up) about an inch apart and bake for 30-35 minutes at 350 F.

If frying, heat a large saucepan on medium-high heat with enough vegetable oil to coat the bottom of the pan. You can use olive oil, but it spatters a lot more and doesnt handle as high of a heat. Saute the meatballs until browned on all sides and no longer pink inside, serve over pasta with your favorite marinara sauce.   

Oreo and Reeses Cheesecake

Yes, it IS as good as it sounds, and SO easy. This is my mom's fantastic cheesecake recipe with a few of my favorite things thrown in like Oreos and Reeses. But please feel free to substitute with whatever chocolates you like. I'm definitely going to try Snickers next time...

3 packages Philly Cream Cheese, softened

8-10 Oreos - or however many you'd like - chopped small (I recommend not using a food processor, as it will turn the cookies into crumbs)

12 Reeses miniatures, chopped in quarters

3 large white eggs, room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar

1 tbsp vanilla extract

1 tbsp lemon juice

Flour (for cookies)

1 store-bought graham cracker pie crust - I recommend this large size, but if you can't find it, use two small ones.

After you chop your Oreos and Reeses, put them in a medium bowl and sprinkle a bit of flour on them to coat them evenly. This prevents the heavy cookies from sinking to the bottom of the cheesecake during baking.

Beat the cream cheese in a large bowl on medium speed with an electric beater or stand mixer. Slowly add in the sugar, increasing speed slightly. Add the eggs one at a time, and blend each one into the batter until smooth. Add the vanilla and lemon juice, and beat until all ingredients are incorporated. Now add your chopped Oreos and Reeses to the mixture, but DONT BEAT. Fold in gently using a spatula until evenly dispersed. Pour cheesecake mixture into crust and thats it!

Bake at 310 F for 45 mins- 1 hour. And if crust edges get a little brown or start to crack, it's OK - it wont affect the taste.

Note: Last time I had a little extra batter left over, so I put it in a cupcake tin (with liners) and made cheesecake cupcakes. Nummas.