Salmon and Salsa

Wednesday evening we made salmon, oven baked on a cedar plank. We were hoping for more cedar flavor but the salmon did come out perfectly. The salmon is sockeye from our local PCC market and is sustainably caught. The vegetable for the night was bok choy again but I think I'm going to have to find a new favorite vegetable as I've had it too often lately and just over done it.

I've been sleeping like crap ever since getting only 2 hours on Friday night and this morning came way too soon. I was supposed to get a cardio workout in but I just felt too awful. And honestly, I over did it on Monday, Tuesday AND Wednesday and I am just sore and tuckered out so I decided to let Thursday be my rest day again.

To get moving, I had my regular oatmeal for breakfast followed by an apple pie Larabar which got me feeling a little bit better. But even after my yogurt snack I was still starving by 11 a.m. so I dove into my afternoon snack early of a black plum and hard boiled egg.

Check out the photo of these eggs. I just love the colors - browns, blues and whites. Apparently the color of the egg is based on the type of chicken. As mentioned before, these eggs come from a gal who works at the same place as me who has a collection of chickens that roam her property in Puyallup. Delicious! Lunch was the same as yesterday, though I had an Amy's American Veggie Burger which I have to say wasn't as good as the Boca Vegan Burger.

So, on to tonight's dinner - corn and black bean relish with tortilla chips - more of a nachos style for us. We're still working on this recipe as this is the second time we've done it. We made it last night because the salsa needs to marinate and absorb more flavors. And actually, it was yummier last night right after adding the lime on - so I would make one adjustment and just eat it right away or if you let it marinate then wait to put the lime on until right before you're going to eat.

Corn and Black Bean Relish

1 White or Yellow Medium Onion Chopped
2 Bell Peppers (Red, Yellow and/or Orange) Chopped
2 Vine Tomatoes Chopped
1 to 2 Ears of Fresh Corn (a can of corn will do too)
1 15oz Can Black Beans
1 Teaspoon Celery Seed
1 to 2 Tablespoons of Honey Dijon Mustard (or your favorite mustard)
4 Teaspoons of Sugar (or a tablespoon of honey)
1 to 2 Teaspoons of Salt
1 Teaspoon of Crushed Red Pepper
1 Teaspoon of Black Pepper
1 Lime
2 to 3 Servings Tortilla Chips

1. If using fresh corn, remove husk, clean, break in half, put in pan and cover with water. Bring to boil and let boil uncovered for 2 minutes.
2. Remove from heat and let sit uncovered for 10 minutes. Drain and let cool.
3. Cut corn off ear and add to a medium bowl.
4. Add chopped onion, tomato and bell peppers.
5. Open can of beans and rinse, then add to bowl.
6. Add celery seed, mustard, sugar, salt, red pepper, and black pepper and stir to mix all ingredients well.
7. Let marinate overnight or if serving immediately...
8. Cut lime in half and squeeze juice from both halves over relish and stir.
9. Serve with tortilla chips as an appetizer or over salmon or your favorite protein as a relish.

This recipe makes 4 very generous servings around 150 calories each. You can add olives, avocado or cheese for additional flavors and calories and of course tweak the seasoning to your liking.