Pineapple-Teriyaki Salmon with Caramelized Onion, Green Bean, and Cherry Tomato Tian and Asiago and Balsamic Caramelized Onion Focaccia

Whew, that was a mouthful. The salmon was tasty, light, and delicious, but I truly cannot say enough about the accompanying vegetable and sides. The tian is made with enough flavor (and cheese) that even the staunchest vegetable haters will find a reason to enjoy it. And the bread was worth every minute of waiting and kneeding. I could not get enough of it! And, tested on someone who is not even a huge fan of caramelized onions, it was a massive success.

Keep in mind as you make this meal that the bread is made from scratch and takes a fair amount of time to prepare. Allow enough time so that it can rise twice and still finish in time to be enjoyed for dinner. I started early with the bread and then when well into the second rising turned my attention to the tian. The tian and the bread were put into the oven within a few minutes of each other which is when I was able to, at last, take care of the fish. The salmon cooked relatively quickly, allowing all three dishes to be served warm and at once. Just make sure to check all of the cooking and rising times and to plan in advance!

Asiago and Balsamic Caramelized Onion Focaccia
Mmmmmm! I truly cannot say that enough. I recommend this recipe as forcefully as any other that I have blogged about. Cooking Light has knocked this one out of the park!

Haven't made bread before? It is not hard, but it does take quite a lot of time. I faithfully followed along with this recipe, but needed a good deal of flour in order to knead the dough. It was far stickier than I imagined. Add in small amounts but do not be afraid of spreading it on your counter and coating your hands (and the dough) well enough to avoid any sticking. Otherwise you will not be able to properly knead the dough.

As you can probably tell from the picture above, I also added a bit more cheese than asked for. I used freshly-grated asiago and coated the entire top of the bread. It was a very thin coating, but the cheese left no bare spots once melted. Perhaps not quite as healthy, but definitely delicious. So while I do not suggest going overboard, feel free to indulge just a little more!

Caramelized Onion, Green Bean, and Cherry Tomato Tian
I have had this recipe hanging around for a while with good intention of making the dish, but did not get around to it until now. I am sorry it did not happen sooner.

Once again, Cooking Light continues to wow. And here, too, I was a bit liberal with the cheese. The recipe, as you will see, calls for 1/4 cup of parmesan. I preferred instead to use a blend of low-fat shredded mexican cheese with some parmesan on top. This was a bit more flavorful, helping to convince non-green-bean-lovers to dig into the dish. I kept the cheese topping quite thin to cut down on calories while making the dish look more appealing to the general public.

If you are not a fan of mexican cheese you can simply toss in a bit more parmesan or use a low-fat cheddar or low-fat mozzarella as well. The vegetables came out slightly sweet (from the caramelized onions) and the sweetness worked very well with the savory flavor of the cheese.

This dish continued to reheat well as I took the leftovers in to work for the next several days, enjoying them at lunch.

Pineapple-Teriyaki Salmon
To round out this meal I made Pineapple-Teriyaki Salmon as the main course. This is a very simple preparation that allows many opportunities for experimentation or simply customizing to your own particular tastes.

Create the teriyaki marinade by combining 1/4 cup teriyaki sauce (no salt added), 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 6-oz of pineapple juice, 2 teaspoons canola oil, salt, and pepper. Stir well until the sugar is dissolved and all of the liquids are well blended.

Place a small amount of olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the salmon filet. Pour the marinade over the salmon, allowing it to run off the salmon into the bottom of the pan. Place 8-10 slices of pineapple in and around the fish in the pan.

Cook for about ten minutes and then flip. Cook for another 5-10 minutes. Continue to keep an eye on the fish to avoid overcooking. The cooking time will vary greatly with the size of the filet. The salmon should have just lost its bright pink/orange color and be fading to a paler pink when you remove it from the heat.

Serve immediately and enjoy!