Panko Crusted Salmon over Swiss Chard Quinoa

Inspired by watching the Barefoot Contessa and wanting to make use of some of the goodies from my 1/20 Urban Acres haul, I came up with this delicious combo!

The panko crusted salmon is 100% Ina Garten, and the recipe can be found here. Basically, you just spread a thin layer of Dijon mustard on the top of the salmon, and sprinkle on top a mix of panko, olive oil, and fresh herbs. Then you put it skin-side down in a hot skillet to get the skin crisp, and then stick the skillet in the oven to finish. So easy, so yummy and perfect with the quinoa. It's crunchy, kind of spicy (thanks to the Dijon mustard), and just plain delish.

For the quinoa, I wanted a creative way to use the Swiss chard I had in my basket. Here's the Robin original recipe:

• 1 tbs. olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped fine
• 1 bunch chard, stems removed and chopped finely, leaves torn or chopped into medium sized pieces
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 1 tsp. thyme (dried is fine, fresh is better)
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic (1 clove)
• 1 cup quinoa
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1 3/4 cups chicken broth
• 2 tbs apple cider vinegar
  

1. Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. When hot, add onion, chard stems, salt, pepper and thyme and cook until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5-7 minutes.
2. Add garlic and cook an additional minute.
   
3. Add chard leaves and cook an additional 1-2 minutes or until leaves begin to wilt.
   
4. Stir in quinoa until well blended, turning heat up to medium/high.
5. Pour in 1/2 cup white wine and cook, stirring, until absorbed by the quinoa, about 30 seconds. Stir in 1 3/4 cups chicken broth and apple cider vinegar. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the quinoa is tender, about 15 minutes.
6. Enjoy!

The best thing about this recipe is that you can use any sturdy leafy green (spinach, kale, mustard greens, etc.) in place of the chard, and it's just as delicious! It also keeps well in the fridge and is just as good reheated the next day.

Robin Original: Cranberry and Kale Salad

Seeing this salad on my table this Christmas made me very proud. Not only was it healthy, it was also freakin' delicious! It's super-easy to make too, and the red and green color scheme made it feel special and Christmas-y.

1 bag cranberries
2 bunches kale
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup orange juice
2 tbs. honey
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp. salt
2 lemons

Add the cranberries, orange juice, sugar, and 1 tsp. of salt to a pot, and bring it to a boil. Bring down to a simmer, and let it cook until the cranberries are soft (about 10 minutes). Remove from heat, stir in honey, and put in the cranberry mixture into the fridge to get cold. (This step can be done 1-2 days in advance, by the way).

While the cranberries are cooking, wash the kale, and then cut out all the stalks. Take the remaining leaves and slice them thinly. The easiest way to do this is to take 4-5 leaves, roll them up like a cigarette, and then slice them thinly while they're in the roll. It's hard to explain, but super-easy to do. There's actually a video here that will give you a better idea. Thank you, Aarti.

Once the kale is all sliced up, but it in a large serving bowl. Juice the two lemons on top of it, drizzle the olive oil over it, and sprinkle 1 tsp. kosher or sea salt over it. The next step sounds weird, but you then want to stick your (clean, of course) hands into the kale and massage it. Yes, that's right. Massage it. Again, watch the video above for a better explanation, but you want to knead the olive oil and lemon juice into it until it begins to break down and turn a really gorgeous emerald green color, like in the picture above.

Once the kale is properly massaged, take 1/2 of the (now cold) cranberry mixture and stir it into the salad to make a "dressing." Then put the rest of the cranberries into a nest in the center of your salad. And there you have it! A gorgeous, healthy and delicious alternative to the usual ho-hum side salad. Your guests will love it.