Comfort Foods: Crabmeat Crostini with Sriracha Mayonnaise and Toasting Another Happy Year

After a lovely Christmas with my family in Ohio, we came back to New York to enjoy the city with our daughters for the rest of the holiday vacation. After-Christmas shopping, Christmas windows and decorations and the giant tree at Rockefeller Center still hold their magic for all of us.

Last night, we opened a bottle of champagne to toast the end of a great year, and the start of a happy one. I made spicy crabmeat crostini, and they were a perfect accompaniment to the delicious champagne.

Easy to make, serve and eat, the crostini are elegant, rich and delicious. The crab gets an unexpected kick from the sriracha, and the toasty crostini adds crunch to the silky crabmeat pâté. If you are looking to cut down on carbs--you can spoon the spicy crabmeat into endive leaves for a light but crunchy amuse-bouche.

If you are looking for an easy and tasty appetizer to ring in the New Year--this is it. Not that a good glass of champagne needs much to go with it--a toast with loved ones and a grateful nod to all that is good in your life is plenty. Happy New Year!

Crabmeat Crostini with Sriracha Mayonnaise
1/2 pound fresh lump crab meat
2-3 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 teaspoons sriracha sauce (available in Asian grocery/markets)
1 baguette, sliced and toasted
Freshly ground pepper and chopped fresh cilantro for garnish

In a bowl, mix crabmeat, mayonnaise and sriracha with a fork until the sauces are mixed through with the crab. I prefer to keep the crabmeat a little chunky, but more mixing will make the pâté more smooth. Spoon onto crostini (or into endive leaves for a lighter dish) and garnish with freshly ground pepper and chopped cilantro.

Comfort Food: Lobster Rolls and Loving the Red Hook Lobster Pound!

Each weekend, we take a trip to Brooklyn to do our grocery shopping and some gastronomic exploring. It is an excursion I look forward to with delight, to find new ingredients to cook with, new places to eat, and new dishes to try to recreate at home in the little ethnic neighborhoods of Brooklyn.

When we discovered the Red Hook Lobster Pound on Van Brunt Street in Brooklyn—I knew I had hit the jackpot. A storefront that sells the freshest of lobsters from Maine to take home and cook (and they sell the lobster pots to cook them in—nice, deep pots for steaming or boiling), they also have a brisk and wildly popular business selling Maine and Connecticut lobster rolls for take out or to eat-in at the lovely Maine-inspired patio dining room next door. We love to order the rolls and sit in on the lovely picnic tables hand-crafted by owner Ralph Gorham, and study the lobster lore featured on the walls of the eatery. There are also benches outside for al fresco eating for the crowds that line up down the street to sample the delicious rolls. Two lobster rolls are offered—the Maine version—a chilled lobster salad with mayonnaise, scallions and celery is a favorite of my husband and daughter, while the Connecticut version, served warm and topped with lots of melted butter and chopped chives and scallions, is the best food discovery I have made in a long time. They also sell a steamed lobster dinner for eat-in or take out, with corn on the cob, and a choice of cole slaw and potato salad, and a host of sodas from Maine. And if the lobster rolls are not enough, they offer whoopee pies and Maine blueberry cupcakes for dessert.

Since lobster is an excellent low fat source of Protein, Niacin, Vitamin B12, Copper and Magnesium, and a good source of Fiber, Vitamin B6, Calcium, Iron, and Potassium—it can make for guilt free eating (even with the butter and bun!) I have taken to bringing lobsters home to steam and crack open with friends over a great bottle of wine, and have even created my own Lobster Pound-inspired version of the Connecticut roll. All I need is a sandy beach outside my Manhattan apartment building and life will be grand indeed…

Connecticut Lobster Roll (inspired by Red Hook Lobster Pound)

• ¼ cup chopped scallion greens (about 2 scallions)

• ¼ cup melted butter

• 1 tbsp. chopped chives

• 1 pound cooked lobster meat, roughly chopped (about 2 1/2 cups)

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 4 lobster roll buns or hot dog buns

On a griddle or in a skillet, add 1 tbsp. melted butter. Add lobster meat. With a pastry brush, add additional melted butter onto lobster, and sauté, turning lightly until warmed through. Add sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Butter insides of lobster roll and toast, butter sides down, on the griddle alongside lobster until lightly browned and toasty—about 3 minutes. Fill each with a generous 1/2 cup of the lobster, top with scallions and chives and serve immediately.

Comfort Food: Farfalle with Smoked Salmon, Red Onion and Capers and Remembering Rigsby’s

When I lived in Columbus, Ohio, one of my favorite restaurants was Rigsbys in the Short North neighborhood. The deliciously inventive food created by Kent Rigsby and his team was the best in the city, and one of their dishes, a farfalle pasta with smoked salmon, red onion and capers in a creamy sauce is still one of my favorite pastas of all time.

I love trying new things, and attempting to dissect the ingredient list and recreate the dish at home. My sister, her friend P.R. and I tried recreating this dish together a few times when I still lived there. P.R. finally got the recipe down and shared it with us, and I have been making this hometown dish here in NYC for family and friends for 22 years now. It is easy, delicious, elegant, and addictive, with protein loaded smoked salmon, heart healthy onions and that forever comfort food—pasta (in a creamy sauce, no less!). It makes both the health and comfort foods list. It is great as an appetizer portion and elegant as a main dish meal. With a green salad and crusty bread, you have a dinner party!

So, with gratitude to Kent Rigsby and his wonderful restaurant for creating this dish (and so many great memories of dinner at Rigsby's in my Columbus years!), I offer our inspired version of his Farfalle with Smoked Salmon.

1 lb. farfalle, cooked al dente according to package instructions (you can substitute your favorite pasta cut as well—I prefer farfalle)

2 tbsp. butter

1 large red onion, sliced thin

½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

2 tbsps. capers

3 tbsps. vodka (I just use a shotglass and add a shot)

1 cup chicken stock

½ cup heavy cream

fresh ground black pepper

3-4 slices smoked salmon, julienned

In a skillet, melt butter and sauté red onion for about 5-7 minutes, until they start to soften slightly. Add vodka and stir, then add chicken stock, capers and pepper, and allow sauce to reduce by about half. Add heavy cream and mix sauce together well.

Toss freshly cooked pasta with sauce and smoked salmon. Serve.

Comfort Foods: Pasta with Shrimp and Cilantro Garlic Lemon Pesto

My daughter runs cross country for her high school track team. Now that spring training has started, she practices three times a week (and runs with her Dad on weekends when she is feeling really ambitious). Needless to say, she comes home from practice famished, and wondering how quickly dinner can be served.

This week, to get both protein and carbs to refuel her for practice, I made a pasta dish with sautéed shrimp and a pesto of garlic, cilantro, and lemon. She gave it a two-thumbs up—so I am thrilled that she likes something that is both healthy for her and quick for me to get on the table. Served with freshly grated parmesan and a green salad, it is a great weekday dinner.

½ pound favorite pasta, cooked according to package directions

½ pound shrimp, peeled, washed and deveined

2 tablespoons olive oil

salt and pepper

Pesto

1 cup cilantro leaves, plucked from stems

2-3 cloves garlic

1/3 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons seafood or chicken stock (I use chicken)

1 teaspoon lemon zest

Juice of 1 lemon

Parmesan cheese for garnish

Mix all pesto ingredients in a food processor. Prepare pasta. Heat oil in a skillet. Add shrimp, salt and pepper. When shrimp is cooked, toss with pesto in skillet. Toss in pasta. Garnish with cheese, if desired. Makes 2 generous servings.

Healing Foods: Seared Sea-Scallop Salad with Spinach Pesto Vinaigrette

On Sunday, we had dinner with our wonderful foodie friends. I told them I was trying a new recipe—part of our 2011 eating healthier plan. My friend Berett was dubious. In our more than 20-year friendship, Berett and I have had a mutual love affair with food. Our friendship has included many wonderful, funny and heart warming stories---all involving good food and drink. We even decided to diet together to support each other (more than a few times), and have blossomed together too—so linked is our foodie friendship and love for one another.

I was making a fish stew as the main course (see Omega 3 For All…posted in May 2010), so I decided to showcase the beautiful scallops I found at the fish market as the appetizer. The scallops were sprinkled with salt and pepper, and seared quickly on each side in clarified butter. Once they were cooked, I placed them on a bed of fresh spinach and arugula leaves, topped with a spinach pesto vinaigrette and served with garlic crostini. The combination is delicious, and the scallop and spinach salad combination is both low fat and nutrient packed. And it is quick and easy to prepare.

I had been reading about the nutrient density of sea-scallops, a shellfish I happen to love for its delicate flavor and versatility. In addition to their delectable taste, scallops contain a variety of nutrients that promote cardiovascular health, and provide protection against colon cancer. Sea-scallops are an excellent source of vitamin-B12. In addition to their B12, they're a very good source of omega-3 fatty acids and a good source of magnesium and potassium, three other nutrients that provide significant benefits for the cardiovascular system.

So, in honor of my friend Berett, who has loved me through thick and thin (literally!), I offer this healthy recipe to all…

Seared Sea-Scallop Salad with Spinach Pesto Vinaigrette

12 large sea scallops, salted and peppered

3 tablespoons clarified butter

Heat large skillet over high heat. Add clarified butter and allow to heat for 30 seconds. Add scallops (gently) to the skillet, searing on each side for about 45 seconds. Remove from skillet to plate.

On each of four salad plates, place a mound of spinach/arugula leaves. Top with 3 seared scallops. Sprinkle spinach pesto vinaigrette (recipe below) over salad leaves, and a small dot on each scallop. Garnish with chives.

Spinach Pesto Vinaigrette

2 cups fresh spinach leaves

2 cloves garlic

¼ cup shredded parmesan

½ cup to ¾ cup olive oil

salt and pepper

juice of ½ lemon

In a food processor, process garlic. Add spinach and parmesan cheese. Pour in olive oil, a little at a time –about ½ cup for thicker pesto, ¾ for thinner pesto (I prefer thinner pesto—so more olive oil). Add the juice of ½ lemon to make vinaigrette.

Healing Foods: Crusted Tuna Steaks with Quinoa Salad and the Facts on Flax

I have tried to maintain my healthy juicing and eating in 2011, even as I went through my 50^th birthday bender—a series of dinners and parties to celebrate my launch into a new decade. It’s been fun—but I am definitely craving the energy level that my healthy eating and juicing have given me after all the champagne drinking and cake eating of the last several weeks.

My daughter and I have been trying to get more flax into our diet, sprinkling flax seeds into salads and using flax seed oil in our dressings to give ourselves more of the powerful healing agents flax contains. According to my research, flax is rich in lignans, powerful antioxidants that help prevent many types of cancer. Flax is also a natural food that is the richest source of essential fatty acids (Omega 3’s and alphalinolenic acid). It is packed with fiber, and helps in fighting cholesterol, diabetes, cancer, constipation, menopausal symptoms and heart disease. It is also an immune system booster and powerful anti-inflammatory. Why wouldn’t we want more of that in our daily diet?

So, in order to test some flax recipes I created, I invited my favorite food critics and friends, the Lee family, to try a flax-inspired dinner. I made flax seed and sesame crusted tuna steaks, and paired it with an Asian inspired quinoa vegetable salad with cucumber, crunchy sweet peppers, shallots and cilantro. To satisfy my friend John’s love of spice, I made a dipping sauce to accompany the tuna with tamarind sauce, sushi vinegar and Korean red pepper paste. Marilyn added delicious garlic sautéed broccoli and a yummy green salad to the healthy mix, and we had a lovely weeknight meal. They assured me that the tuna and quinoa were blog-worthy, so I am inviting my friends to get on the flax wagon and try some recipes of their own with flax seed and flax seed oil. Here are mine…I hope you enjoy them!

Flax and Sesame Crusted Tuna

3 tablespoons grapeseed or olive oil

2 tuna steaks (about 1-1 ½ inches thick

¼ cup black and white sesame seeds

¼ cup flax seeds

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon chili pepper

½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

Mix all dry ingredients on a shallow bowl or plate. Dredge steaks on each side to crust with seed/spice mixture. Heat oil on high heat in a shallow skillet. When hot, add steaks. Cook for 3 minutes each side for medium rare steaks (less if you like them rare). Allow to cool for 5 minutes, slice into ½ inch thick slices and serve.

Quinoa Salad with Vegetables

1 cup dried organic quinoa

2 cups water

1 tablespoon flaxseed oil

1 shallot, chopped fine

1 small yellow pepper, chopped fine

1 small red pepper, chopped fine

½ cup chopped cilantro

2 tablespoons sushi vinegar (seasoned rice vinegar)

4 tablespoons flaxseed oil

salt and pepper to taste

1 tbsp flax seeds (optional)

Put quinoa, water and 1 tbsp.oil in a saucepan over medium heat. When it begins to boil, reduce heat to low and cook for about 15-20 minutes until liquid is absorbed. Cool slightly.

Stir shallots, peppers, cilantro, vinegar and oil together. Add quinoa. Season to taste with salt, pepper and flax seeds.

Spicy Dipping Sauce

¼ cup organic tamarind sauce

1 tbsp seasoned rice vinegar

1 generous teaspoon Korean red pepper paste

Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl. Serve with tuna steaks

Healing Foods: Miso-Marinated Black Cod

I cooked for our friends Cynthia and Michael this weekend, which is always a fun challenge. Both are worldly, consummate foodies who love to cook, and they are great company. Our evenings together are always fun, and full of laughter and great conversation. I wanted to cook healthy, and when I saw the beautiful cod fillets at the fish market I was reminded of a recipe from one of my favorite food websites www.rasamalaysia.com. Bee Yinn Low, the blog founder and editor, is an amazing cook who has adapted (and created) many Asian recipes that are easy and delicious. Her Nobu inspired Miso-Marinated Black Cod is one of those—and is as easy as it is mouth wateringly delicious. And with two nutrient dense foods, miso and cod, it is a great healing dish.

According to the World’s Healthiest Foods website (www.whfoods.org), cod is an excellent low-calorie source of protein (a four-ounce serving of cod provides 52.1% of the daily need for protein for only 119 calories) cod contains a variety of powerful nutrients (vitamins B12, B6, and Omega 3 fatty acids) to aid in heart health, lowering cholesterol, and strengthening the immune system. Paired with miso, cod becomes an even healthier choice, since miso is recommended as a powerful B12 source. It also provides daily needs for manganese (for healthy bones and blood vessels), and the trace minerals zinc (for aiding immune function and healing) and copper (for aiding in energy production and antioxidant defenses).

We vowed to make this dish more often—so I will work on great sides to pair with it in future posts. Steamed broccoli and rice were our side dish choices this time around—which were tasty. So, with thanks to Bee and Nobu, I am happy to introduce you to this recipe.

2-3 black cod fillets (about 1 lb)

For the marinade:
1/4 cup sake
1/4 cup mirin
4 tablespoons white miso paste
3 tablespoons sugar

Mix the marinade ingredients thoroughly in a plastic container (with lid) and set aside. Save some for plating purposes.

Pat the fish fillets dry with paper towels and put them into the plastic container with the marinate. Cover the lid and leave to steep in the refrigerator overnight or for 24 hours.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Preheat an indoor grill at the same time.

Lightly wipe off any excess miso marinade clinging to the fish fillets but don’t rinse it off. Place the fish on the grill and lightly grill on both sides until the surface turns brown.

Transfer the fish fillets to the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes.

Add a few extra drops of the marinade on the plate and serve hot.

Adapted from Nobu: The Cookbook

Recipe and photo courtesy of www.rasamalaysia.com

Healing Foods: Cool As A Cucumber…Unless You Sear the Salmon or Tuna!

This week, I think I have finally come to understand the term “the salad days of summer”. It’s just way too hot to cook. So, while researching foods for my friend Gabrielle that were cool and refreshing, the cucumber came to mind. I love cucumber salads year round—but now that there is such an abundant crop of fresh and local cucumbers at the farmer’s markets, it is a great time to be eating them.

Cucumbers are primarily composed of water but also contain ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and caffeic acid, both of which help soothe skin irritations and reduce swelling. Cucumbers' hard skin is rich in fiber and contains a variety of beneficial minerals including silica, potassium and magnesium.

When paired with seaweed in a salad, you get a great vitamin and mineral infusion as well. Seaweed is an excellent source of iodine and vitamin K, a very good source of the B-vitamin folate, and magnesium, and a good source of iron and calcium, and the B-vitamins riboflavin and pantothenic acid. In addition, sea vegetables contain good amounts of lignans, plant compounds with cancer-protective properties. (Please see more about sea vegetables at www.whfoods.org).

This cucumber hijiki salad is refreshing, delicious, and soothing. The added crunch of chopped celery also brings a calming touch, since celery contains phthalides, which aid in relaxation (and help lower cholesterol!). The seasoned rice vinegar dressing is a perfect sweet/tart complement. So if you are looking for something cool on a day like this one, this is the recipe for you. Serve with baked tofu, seared salmon or sesame crusted tuna (recipes for salmon and tuna below--if your kitchen is air-conditioned!)

Cucumber Hijiki Seaweed Salad

Two cucumbers, peeled, sliced lengthwise, seeded and sliced into half moon slices

Two stalks celery, trimmed and sliced.

1 cup hijiki seaweed, soaked in water for 20 minutes, drained and press to remove water

4 tablespoons seasoned rice wine vinegar

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon sake

1 tablespoon mirin (rice wine)

8 tablespoons grapeseed oil or other neutral oil

sea salt

Place sliced cucumbers, sliced celery and hijiki in a salad bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together rice wine vinegar, sugar, sake, mirin and oil. Add to salad. Adjust to taste with sea salt, vinegar and oil.

Seared Salmon Steaks

2 salmon steaks

1 tablespoon cumin

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon cracked black pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

Rinse salmon steaks and pat dry with paper towels. On a shallow plate, mix cumin, salt and pepper. Dip steaks, one side at a time, into spice mixture to coat each side. Heat skillet over medium high heat, add olive oil and let heat. Add steaks to skillet, searing about 2-3 minutes on each side (a little less if you like your salmon rare in the middle). Remove from heat and serve.

Sesame Crusted Tuna

Two tuna steaks, about 1 ½ inches thick

½ cup sesame seeds (I use a combination of black and white sesame seeds)

1 teaspoon sea salt

½ teaspoon cracked black pepper

¼ teaspoon shichimi (Japanese 7 flavor chili pepper, available at Japanese markets)

Rinse tuna steaks and pat dry with paper towels. On a shallow plate, mix sesame seeds, salt, pepper and shichimi. Dip steaks, one side at a time, into sesame/spice mixture to coat each side. Heat skillet over medium high heat, add olive oil and let heat. Add tuna steaks to skillet, searing about 2-3 minutes on each side (a little less if you like your salmon rare in the middle--which is how I prefer it). Remove from heat and slice. Serve with cucumber seaweed salad.

Healing Foods: Shrimp Scampi with Brown Rice

Last night, I started cooking for a friend who will be having surgery this week. I began with some healing soups (spring onion, vegan vegetable/barley) and added some crostini toppers (roasted garlic and a tomato/curry/turmeric chutney). My good friend Wendy came over to taste and critique--I know I can always count on her to give her honest opinion about whether it’s tasty or not, and what might make it more flavorful. In the middle of tasting the soup and crostini with a glass of wine, my daughter came in to the kitchen to ask, “Mom, what are WE having for dinner?”

I needed something quick and nutrient rich, since my daughter is studying for year-end exams. I opened my freezer and saw a bag of frozen shrimp, and shrimp scampi came to mind. Since shrimp has more than 100% of the daily value of tryptophan (for calming nerves during test prep), and over 60% of the daily value of selenium, plus vitamins D, B12 and plenty of iron, I knew it would be a healthy choice. And it takes about 10 minutes to make (the rice takes longer than that!), so I could have dinner on the table in under an half hour. This scampi recipe, while improvised, is quite tasty. The lemon zest and lemon juice give it a zip, and the red pepper adds spice. With brown rice it is a lovely, quick weeknight dinner.

Shrimp Scampi

3 tablespoons butter

3 cloves garlic, minced

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (more if you like spicy)

1 pound jumbo shrimp, shelled and deveined

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

1/3 cup chopped chives

1 tablespoon finely chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves

In a large skillet over medium heat, melt butter and add minced garlic. Stir until translucent—about 3 minutes. Add red pepper flakes, shrimp, salt and pepper. Stir/sauté about 5 minutes until shrimp turns from pink to white. Add white wine, lemon juice, zest and sauté an additional 3-4 minutes. Add chives and parsley. Serve with brown rice.

Omega 3 For All: A Rich Stew for Healing and Comfort

We hear a lot about the importance of Omega 3 fatty acids (found in abundance in certain fish) as a powerful anti-inflammatory, to help lower cholesterol, and to help prevent cancer cell growth. Fish is a great source of protein as well. Protein rich foods are always a healthy choice, but loading up on protein and nutrient dense foods while undergoing chemo is vital to build stamina and keep your immune system strong. This rich fish stew is packed with Omega 3 fatty acids (read more about the benefits of Omega 3 fatty acids at www.whfoods.org). With an onion, garlic and tomato rich base, it is great for heart health, liver support and cleansing the body of harmful toxins. It is also deliciously comforting. I hope you will add this to your healthy eating plan….

1/2 cup olive oil

2 medium tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped

1 large onion, chopped

1 cup carrots, peeled and thinly sliced

2 pinches saffron

2 bay leaves

4 sprigs parsley

4-5 cloves garlic, crushed but not chopped

1 pound each boned and skinned cod and halibut, cut into 2-inch pieces

2 cups peeled and deveined medium shrimp

Juice of 1/2 lemon

Salt (I use ¼ teaspoon of pink Himalayan salt)

Freshly ground black pepper

1 cup fish broth

1/2 cup white wine

6 slices toasted country bread.

In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the tomatoes, onion, carrot, saffron, bay leaves and parsley. Peel and crush 3-4 garlic cloves and add to pan. Add the fish, shrimp and lemon juice, season with salt and pepper and boil for 10 minutes. Add the fish broth and wine, bring to a rapid simmer and cook until the fish is just cooked through. Adjust the seasoning, adding more saffron, lemon juice, salt and pepper as desired.

Rub the toasts with the remaining peeled garlic clove. Set a toast in the bottom of each of 6 bowls and ladle the soup on top. Serves 6.

Healing Foods: Steamed Salmon and Roasted Asparagus with Mustard Dill Sauce

I have done a fair amount of research about foods to eat while undergoing chemo to cook for friends as they go through it. During chemo, it is important to fuel your body with high protein, nutrient rich foods to help stave off the extreme fatigue and nausea that often accompanies the treatment. To strengthen the body to prepare for treatment, and to sustain the body in the days post treatment, healthy eating is essential (even when you feel that you can't tolerate more than a few bites). This salmon dish is a delicious, nutrient dense way to give your body excellent sources of protein, omega 3 fatty acids, vitamin K, niacin, selenium and tryptophan. Asparagus is an excellent source of folate for heart health, and potassium. This recipe is a gift from the World's Healthiest Foods website (reprinted with permission from George Mateljan, its founder.) I prefer roasted asparagus to steamed, which is in the WH Foods recipe, so I have adapted the asparagus dish here to roasted with olive oil and sea salt. This dish is wonderful hot or cold (for both the fish and asparagus). With gratitude to George Mateljan, and to my dear friend Glenn who enjoyed this dish, I am happy to introduce you to this wonderful healing recipe.....

Prep and Cook Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

1-1/2 pound salmon filet, skin and bones removed and cut into 4 pieces
1+1 TBS fresh lemon juice
2 bunches asparagus, bottom fourth removed
1+2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and white pepper to taste

Mustard Dill Sauce
4 oz. silken tofu
1 TBS prepared mustard such as Dijon
4 TBS fresh dill chopped
1 TBS honey
2 TBS fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup water
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp white pepper
2 TBS extra virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 350F. Snap off tough asparagus ends. Cover baking sheet with aluminum foil, and spread asparagus stalks on sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt and pepper. Bake 15-20 minutes. Asparagus should be crisp tender. Remove from baking sheet to serving plate immediately.

Put all sauce ingredients except olive oil in a blender and begin to blend on high speed for about one minute. While blender is running, drizzle olive oil in a little at a time. Set aside.

Rub salmon with 1 TBS lemon juice and season with a little salt and pepper. Place salmon in a steamer basket over 2 inches lightly salted, boiling water. Steam until pink inside, about 3-4 minutes. Place salmon on a plate with asparagus and pour desired amount of sauce over it.