Salmon with Soba Noodle Salad and My Deepest Apologies

I have been slacking. Not intentionally. I'll blame it on my birthday. It doesn't mean I haven't been thinking about you.  I just haven't had access to my blog.

By my estimations I am three entries behind (1) Salmon with Soba Noodle Salad follow up and recipe, (2) Super Bowl Sunday, and (3) Week 6 Dinner Menu.

Would you like the good news, or the bad news first?

I'll start with the bad. It is going to take me three days to catch up. That's not TOO terrible, right?

The good news: I've been cooking and everything has been great.  Case in point, last Thursday's dinner.  I actually starting eating, and realized I should really take a picture.  Even though this recipe is technically for chicken, I figured the glaze would be wonderful on fish (I tend to interchange fowl for fish quite frequently). I was correct.  I would actually like to try this recipe with halibut, or even on grilled shrimp. I really liked the contrast of the roasted fish (warm) with the cool noodle salad.  I will definitely be revisiting this during the summer, with anything grilled on the barbie.

I'm sorry this isn't the best picture...I was hungry and got ahead of myself.

Sweet and Spicy Chicken (Salmon) With Soba Salad

Real Simple magazine December 2010

Ingredients

• 6 ounces soba noodles (I used udon noodles from World Market)
• 4 heads baby bok choy, sliced crosswise into strips (I used one large head - no babies available)
• 1 small red bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon Sriracha or other Asian chili sauce
• kosher salt (I used the recommended 1/4 teaspoon in the dressing but would recommend 1/2)
• 1/2 cup red currant jelly
• 2 tablespoons ketchup
• 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger (grating the ginger was the most time consuming part of this recipe)
• 4 6-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I used an 18 ounce salmon fillet)

Directions

1. Cook the noodles according to the package directions, adding the bok choy during the last minute of cooking. Drain and run under cold water to cool.
2. Transfer the noodles and bok choy to a large bowl. Add the bell pepper, oil, vinegar, Sriracha, and ¼ teaspoon salt and toss to combine.
3. Meanwhile, heat broiler. In a small bowl, combine the jelly, ketchup, and ginger.
4. Place the chicken on a broilerproof baking sheet lined with foil. Season with ¼ teaspoon salt.
5. Broil the chicken until cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes per side, brushing with the jelly mixture twice during the last 3 minutes. Serve with noodles.
6. If you decide to do salmon, or another kind of fish, I glazed the salmon, and roasted it on a sheet pan in a 400 degree oven for 10 minutes.  After 10 minutes I applied another coat of the jelly mixture and roasted the salmon an additional 10 minutes. It may take more or less time depending on the thickness of your fillet, so keep an eye on it.