Orange Marmalade Salmon {#30DaysofFamilyHealth w/ @AMDiabetesBooks}

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of the ADA in conjunction with Kitchen PLAY. All opinions are 100% my own.

A few times during the month of September, I will be featuring a cookbook straight out of the ADA's (American Diabetes Association) library.  I will be one of 12 twelve bloggers sharing these books and some of the recipes within.  Today I would like to introduce you to The Smart Shopper Diabetes Cookbook by Robyn Webb, M.S.

This cookbook is all about the ability to make healthy, wholesome, diabetes friendly meals using true convenience foods to cut down on time.  Or if you're not so handy with a knife.  What does this mean?  Well, it means using frozen shrimp or veggies.  It means raiding the salad bar for ingredients.  And it means using items from the pantry like canned beans, grains, pastas, and tomato products - as well as having a good stock of vinegar, spices, and oils.

Webb aims to make this book an everyday tool, of sorts.  A book to hang out in your kitchen, and help you with your menu planning.  With a nod towards reducing waste (by purchasing only what you'll need), as well as balancing flavors to create dishes that are not only economical, but also delicious.

Now, you may be asking... Why do I need this book if I don't have diabetes?  My answer is simple - knowledge is power.  It's never too early to implement healthy eating habits.  Inside this book, you'll find little bonus pages filled with great information such as a crash-course on how to decipher what you see on labels at the grocery store (sugar free vs. no sugar added, without sugar, and no sugar added vs. reduced sugar).  Or learn some must-have basic items for keeping a well-stocked pantry.  Plus, a very cool chapter dedicated to menu planning.  In addition, each recipe comes with an Exchanges/Choices nutritional chart.

Speaking of the recipes, there are (as usual) about a ton that I have marked to try.  A few of those recipes are Refried Bean Soup, Chickpeas with Greens Soup, Garlicky Chickpea Soup, Roasted Cherry Tomato and Red Pepper Penne, and Gingersnap Peaches.  A few.  But the one that I decided that I wanted to make first was this Orange Marmalade Salmon!

The Orange Marmalade Salmon comes comes from the Cans, Boxes, and Jars from the Shelves chapter.  Webb points out that stocking a good variety of sugar-free jams and preserves is good for more than just your morning toast.  Orange Marmalade is a favorite of mine anyway, but I did have to go out and purchase a sugar-free variety (Smuckers...it uses Splenda).   Don't feel like orange is the only option here - choose apricot or peach, if you like.  Any of them would marry quite nicely with the mustard and spices used to as a glaze for the salmon.

The verdict?  YUM.  I served it alongside some sprouted quinoa and a salad with ingredients fresh from our road-side stands!  It makes me feel ridiculously mature and proud of myself when I eat meals like this.

Orange Marmalade Salmon

by Heather Schmitt-Gonzalez

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 10-12 minutes

Keywords: bake broil entree sugar-free Diabetic-friendly fish salmon

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 1/2 cup sugar free orange marmalade
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/8 teaspoon ground coriander
• 4 (4 ounce) salmon filets

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400° F. Cover a broiler tray with foil. Coat foil with cooking spray.

In a small bowl, combine the marmalade, mustard, ginger, cumin, and coriander.

Arrange the salmon filets on the broiler tray. Brush with half of the marmalade mixture. Roast the salmon for about 6-7 minutes.

Turn the oven to broil. Brush the remaining marmalade mixture over the salmon and broil for about 4-5 minutes until the salmon is cooked through.

    Exchanges/Choices
1/2 Carbohydrate | 3 Lean Meat | 1 Fat | Calories 225 | Calories from Fat 90 | Total Fat 10.0 g | Saturated Fat 1.8 g | Trans Fat 0.0 g |  Cholesterol 80 mg | Sodium 150 mg | Potassium 380 mg | Total Carbohydrate 11 g |  Dietary Fiber 4 g | Sugars 1 g | Protein 25 g | Phosphorus 260 mg

This post is part of the 30 Days of Family Health program sponsored by the American Diabetes Association (ADA).  The best prevention for diabetes is maintaining a healthy lifestyle, making healthy choices, and developing good habits at a young age.

Over the month of September, Kitchen PLAY and a group of 12 bloggers (myself included) will be featuring Healthy Family Recipes that come from the ADA library of heart-healthy, diabetic-friendly cookbooks.  Be sure to check the Kitchen PLAY page weekly for new featured recipes, and head over to the full online ADA catalog and use discount code: KITCHEN2013 for 25% off all books through October 4, 2013.

Head on over to the Kitchen PLAY Facebook page to enter the ADA #30DaysofFamilyHealth giveaway.  Five winners will receive their choice of three of the five cookbooks involved in the series plus a $50 Visa gift card.

Sticky Wholegrain Mustard & Ginger Cocktail Sausages

Often, when holiday meal planning rolls around, I tend to neglect the appetizers.  And, though I hate to admit it, the beverages often take a back seat, as well.  At least the "special" beverages.  It doesn't take much planning to grab some beers or a couple nice bottles of wine.  And pulling the liquor from the cabinet? No work at all.

Now, I find this to be an absolutely ridiculous predicament, as I am that person who stands around the appetizer table and nibbles.  Toothpick in one hand, cocktail in the other.  So yeah, two of my favorite parts of any get together, and I neglect them when it comes to my own planning.  So not cool.  Well, I'm making a vow to change that.  I'm going to start exploring more appetizer options.  And diversify my cocktail and mocktail offerings.

Now, one thing that screams appetizer is little weenies.  Now, normally I've used the little smokies or little hotdogs, but this time I went with the slightly larger breakfast sausage links.  Thanks to my girl, Nigella.  If anybody knows how to throw a party with plenty of hors d'oeuvre and cocktail options, it's her.  I mean, I know I want to be a guest at her house.

These are going in my permanent rotation, because they are so durn addictive.  Sticky.  Slightly sweet.  Slightly savory.  Perfect with a hunk of toasted sourdough.  Pass the toothpicks!

Sticky Wholegrain Mustard & Ginger Cocktail Sausages

by Heather Schmitt-González

Prep Time: 5-10 minutes

Cook Time: 45-60 minutes

Keywords: bake appetizer sausage ginger mustard Christmas Thanksgiving Super Bowl tailgating

Ingredients (50 sausages)

• scant ½ c. orange marmalade
• scant ½ c . wholegrain mustard
• 1 Tbs. vegetable oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 Tbs. soy sauce
• 2 tsp. freshly grated gingerroot
• 1 tsp. ground ginger
• 50 uncooked breakfast sausages (~2¼-2½ lbs.)
• thick-crust bread for serving, optional (preferably a round loaf, sourdough or rye, ~9" in diameter)

Instructions

If making immediately, preheat oven to 350° F. Line a baking sheet with foil (or use a couple of disposable foil pans) - it's gonna get messy.

Combine all of the ingredients except the sausages and bread in a large bowl and whisk together. Add the sausages and turn them around in the mix to coat (using your hands is easiest).

Dump the whole thing onto the prepared tray. Slide into the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Turn up the oven to 400° F and stir the sausages around, being sure to pick up any gooey juices and coat the sausages. Close oven and bake another 15-30 minutes, stirring again halfway through, until sticky and burnished and cooked through.

To serve in a bread bowl, cut a circle around the top of a round loaf of bread and lift it off like a lid. Dig out the bready center with your hands, leaving the crust intact. (You won't need the insides, so make them into bread crumbs for another use.)

Fill the emptied-out loaf with as many of the sausages as you can, refilling as necessary. Set out with toothpicks on the side for spearing the sausages.

Advance Preparation:

Place all of the ingredients except the sausage and bread into a gallon-size, freezer-safe, zippered baggie. Squish everything around to mix. Add the sausage, squeeze the air out and seal the baggie, and then squish around again until they are well-coated in the mixture.

Store in the fridge for up to 2 days, and then cook as directed. Freeze for up to 3 months, thaw overnight in the fridge, and then cook as directed.

notes:

You can also use a hearty, rectangular loaf of bread and hollow out the center in the same fashion to have a bread "tray" instead of a bread "bowl". This is especially handy when making a double-batch.

I am EXTREMELY picky when it comes to sausage. I don't like it floppy. And I don't like it even the least bit under-cooked. I want that sticky, browning on the outside for maximum flavor. If you these are cooked too long for your liking, start with the higher heat and decrease the cooking time by 15 minutes of so.

p.s...don't forget to eat the emptied-out bread bowl once the sausages are gone. That has that sticky goodness will have seeped into it, making it an irresistible midnight snack (in true Nigella fashion). Mmmm....

adapted from Nigella Kitchen