Rachel Ray's Salmon with Warm Black Bean and Corn Salad

I am pretty sure my sister has made every recipe from Rachel Ray's cookbook, 365: No Repeats. In fact, she once was so dedicated that she wrote down each recipe's number that she had tried and enjoyed, and read them off to me over the phone. That piece of paper with random numbers jotted down is still stuck in the pages of this cookbook actually, and I'll continue to reference it whenever I try a Rachel Ray recipe. If it worked for my sis, it will work for me. She's a fabulous cook, and has managed to keep a healthy weight without obsessing over the calories, unlike me.

So, you can bet that recipe #288, Lime-and-Honey-Glazed Salmon with Warm Black Bean and Corn Salad, is listed on that piece of paper, and I've now tried it myself and it is delicious! I looked for the recipe online, but I'm convinced it's not anywhere. These ladies at Four Foodies gave it a good review, and even took a great picture of it, which unfortunately... I did not. But alas, there's no recipe listed, so the least I could do is type it all out for you.

Rachel Ray's Lime-and-Honey Glazed Salmon with Warm Black Bean and Corn Salad

Ingredients:

• 4 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 medium red onion, chopped
• 2 large garlic cloves, chopped
• 1/2 - 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (depending on how spicy you want it)
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• Juice of 2 limes
• salt and fresh ground black pepper
• 3 Tbsp. honey
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 4 6 oz. salmon fillets
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
  
• 1 20 oz. box frozen corn kernals, defrosted
• 1/2 cup of chicken stock / broth
• 1 15 oz. can of black beans, rinsed and drained
• 2-3 Tbsp. fresh cilantro, chopped
• 6 cups baby spinach

Whew... Let me just say that when I made this, Ben was in town and we were cooking together. Which actually turned into him doing all of the prep work (measuring, chopping, cleaning, rinsing - he is amazing) while I was finishing getting ready. So maybe I should say when he made this. Anyway... Directions:

• Preheat a medium skillet over medium heat with 2 tbsp. of the olve oil (twice around the pan.) Add the onions, garlic, red pepper flakes, cumin, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring ocassionally, for 3 minutes.
  
• While the onions are cooking, preheat a medium non-stick skillet over a medium-high heat wih the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil. In a shallow dish, combine the juice of 1 lime, honey, chili powder, salt and pepper. Add the salmon fillets to the lime-honey mixture and toss to thoroughly. Add the seasoned salmon to the hot skillet and cook until just cooked through, about 3-4 minutes on each side.
• To the cooked onions, add the bell peppers and corn kernals and cook for 1 minute. Add the chicken stock and continue to cook for another 2 minutes. Add the black beans and cook until the beans are just heated through. Remove the skillet from the heat and add the juice of the second lime, the cilantro, and spinach. Toss to wilt the spinach and then taste and adjust the seasoning. Serve the lime-and-honey-glazed salmon on top of the warm black bean and corn salad.

Ben and I agreed that on it's own, the salmon was overpowered with too much sweet from the honey, but when eaten with the veggie mix - which had a little kick to it - it was all delicious together.

I never calculated the points or calories for all this, but I say when you're eating a healthy piece of fish, and nothing but veggies on the side, why even worry about it? You're doing what you should by eating a healthy dinner, so just enjoy :)