Dinner for one

Let’s face it. Life is not a long string of parties!  We love our gatherings with families and friends, but with our kids growing up and moving away, we have noticed lately that quiet evenings at home alone are becoming a more common occurrence!

Always trying to look on the bright side, we haved found a few benefits to this trend.  Surprisingly, these quiet evenings lend themselves well to recipe development.  What better time to clean out your refrigerator and combine ingredients in new and unexpected ways?  Since there is no one there to judge you and no one to impress, you can let your imagination soar.  For this dish, the salmon was picked up at the fish market, while all of the other ingredients came tumbling out of the refrigerator, begging to be used!

 

Grilled Salmon and Mango skewers with Sriracha- cherry Glaze

For the glaze:

1 tbsp vegetable oil

4 tbsp cherry jam

juice of 1 orange

1 tsp orange zest

2 tbsp dry sherry

1 tbsp sriracha sauce

1 tsp sea salt 

1/2 tsp ground ginger

 

Combine ingredients for the glaze in a wide mouthed bowl and whisk until combined.

1 red onion, cut into 3/4 chunks

1 mango, cut into 3/4" chunks

1 red pepper, cut into 3/4" chunks

1 salmon fillet

salt & freshly ground black pepper

bamboo skewers

Preheat barbecue on HIGH for 5 minutes, then reduce heat to MEDIUM. Using a silicone brush, coat the clean grids with vegetable oil, to prevent sticking.  Soak bamboo skewers in a flat dish filled with cold water for 30 minutes. Thread the chunks of red pepper, mango and red onion alternately onto the skewers and brush with Sriracha-cherry glaze. Grill over MEDIUM heat, turning and basting with glaze as required, for about 12-15 minutes.  Meanwhile, pat salmon dry and season with salt & pepper. Place on grids, skin-side down, and brush with glaze. Grill for approximately 8-9 minutes, or until the salmon flakes easily with a fork.  Serve salmon and mango skewers with fresh greens.

 

Dinner for one?!!!

No dishes to clean up!

 Also,  luckily when cooking for one, the barbecue is a great asset- simple meals with little clean up being the most important when looking forward to a long evening of knitting, or yoga, or whatever you like to do when you have the house to yourself! So, here is what I had last night- Simple grilled sirloin steak and salad topped with a lovely piece of Cambozola Cheese. I had enough left over for a steak and avocado sandwich for tomorrows lunch! Perfect- no recipe required!