A Family Affair

Back when I was single, without a husband, child or full-time job, my criteria for a quick dinner were vastly different from what they are today. Now I come home from work to a household clamoring for dinner. My crew includes a husband with a discerning palate and a 3-year-old with finicky taste buds. In addition to cooking something everyone will like (or at least eat), I must include my daughter in the process as well. Because I’ve been away all day, she wants to play and likes nothing better than to “help” me cook dinner.

Do I let this limit my cooking to hot dogs and macaroni and cheese? Of course not. Well, at least not every night.

What follows is a meal that is simple to prepare and allows you to be everyone’s hero at dinner time. My daughter helps by breaking off the ends of the asparagus, and once I’ve added the minced herbs to the sauce, she whisks it with her mini-whisk.

Baking the salmon keeps it moist and broiling it for a few minutes at the end crisps the sauce. The rice and asparagus round off a meal that will satisfy all.

Dessert is, of course, your Popsicle of choice.

Menu

Salmon with Herb Sauce

Jasmine Rice with Pine Nuts

Steamed Asparagus

Popsicles

Salmon With Herb Sauce

Active Work Time: 10 minutes * Total Preparation Time: 25 minutes

1 1/3 cups mayonnaise

1 tablespoon fresh dill, minced

1 tablespoon fresh chives or green onions, minced

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Freshly ground black pepper

1 (1-pound) salmon fillet

1/2 lemon

* Whisk together mayonnaise, dill, chives, lemon juice and pepper to taste in small bowl until smooth. Set aside.

Squeeze 1/2 lemon into shallow baking dish large enough to hold salmon. Cut salmon fillet into 3 serving pieces. Place salmon pieces over lemon juice, skin side down, and bake at 475 degrees until fish is firm to the touch and is cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes.

Remove salmon from oven. Increase oven temperature to broil (or preheat broiler during baking). Spread reserved herb sauce evenly over fillets. (If your child is not fond of herbs, spread 1 teaspoon plain mayonnaise over her piece). Broil 1 to 2 minutes, until sauce is lightly browned and bubbling.

3 servings. Each serving: 595 calories; 797 mg sodium; 74 mg cholesterol; 42 grams fat; 29 grams carbohydrates; 27 grams protein; 0 fiber.

Jasmine Rice with Pine Nuts

Active work time: 5 minutes * Total preparation time: 25 minutes

1 cup jasmine rice, rinsed

1 3/4 cups water

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup pine nuts

Place rice, water and salt in small saucepan. Bring water to boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer 20 minutes, until rice is cooked. Remove from heat.

Toast pine nuts on tray in toaster oven until lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Set aside.

When ready to serve, toss rice and pine nuts together.

4 servings. Each serving: 263 calories, 296 mg sodium, 0 cholesterol, 10 grams fat, 39 grams carbohydrates, 8 grams protein, 0.16 gram fiber.

Steamed Asparagus

Active cooking time: 2 minutes * Total preparation time: 7 minutes

1 bunch asparagus, rinsed

* Trim 2 inches off asparagus bottoms.

* Bring 1 inch water to boil in the bottom of vegetable steamer or in medium saucepan.

* When water is boiling, place asparagus in steamer basket, cover and steam until spears are easily pierced with knife, 3 to 5 minutes depending on thickness of asparagus.

4 servings. Each serving: 13 calories; 0 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 0 fat; 2 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams protein; 0.47 gram fiber.

Game Plan

30 minutes before: Preheat oven. Begin cooking rice.

25 minutes before: Prepare herb sauce for salmon.

20 minutes before: Toast pine nuts. Prepare salmon for baking and place in oven to bake.

10 minutes before: Remove rice from heat. Trim asparagus and boil water in steamer.

5 minutes before: Steam asparagus. Toss rice together with pine nuts.

3 minutes before: Remove salmon from oven, spread herb sauce on top. Broil fish to crisp sauce. When sauce on salmon is browned, plate dinner and serve.

Ingredients

Shopping List

1 bunch fresh dill

1 bunch fresh chives

1 bunch asparagus

1 (16-ounce) salmon fillet

Staples

Mayonnaise

Lemon

Jasmine rice

Pine nuts

Salt

Pepper

*

Napkin and glass from Julienne, San Marino; plate from Bristol Kitchens, South Pasadena.