Lime-Cilantro marinade/topping

(From Parents magazine, but I sure can't remember which issue.)

Whisk together 2 Tbsp each seasoned rice vinegar, lime juice, and soy sauce with 1 Tbsp chooped cilantro and 1 tsp grated ginger. Whisk in 1/3 cup canola oil. Makes 2/3 cup.

For 12 or fewer ounces of meat, reduce recipe by half.

The recipe says to use this with fish or pork. I haven't tried it with pork yet, but I have put it on salmon a few times and it is so tasty. Just pour over salmon prior to baking at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes (salmon is done when it flakes when pressed with a fork, evidently).

You can also bake or grill your salmon as desired and top with this after. That way the cilantro isn't all wilted. However, letting the salmon bake in this really helps the fish absorb the flavors from the lime.

I've also omitted the ginger a couple times, as I don't typically have ginger just laying around the kitchen. The ginger makes it even tastier, but is by no means necessary.

If I haven't made it clear how tasty this is, let me share this anecdote: I made this recently for a friend who had gotten food poisoning from salmon years ago (I didn't know!) and so only ate a couple bites of salmon off of others plates; she couldn't stand to eat a whole fillet herself. She liked it so much that she asked for the recipe and in doing so inspired me to revive Kuchenspiel. Thanks, Lexie!

BLT in a Bowl

(from Parents magazine June 2008)
prep time: Minimal. If you have precut lettuce, you might even be able to finish this in the time it takes to cook the bacon.

Salad
8 slices cooked bacon
4 cups sliced green-leaf lettuce
1 cup halved yellow and red grape tomatoes
1 cup low-fat croutons

Dressing
1/4 cup light mayonnaise
1 Tbs. water
1 Tbs. cider vinegar
1/2 tsp sugar
Pinch of pepper

Combine all the ingredients for the salad in a large bowl. Then, in a smaller bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients; toss salad with dressing. Makes 4 servings.
Nutrition per serving: 185 cal; 8g protein; 12g fat; 10g carb; 32mg calcium; 2g fiber.

Cook's notes: We thought just plain ol' red grape tomatoes were fine, thanks, and we didn't bother with the croutons since we had none in the house. I made about 3/4 the recommended amount of dressing, and next time I will only make half; only use the full amount if you really, really like dressing.

To cut some fat and some add protein, we only ("only"!) cooked 6 slices of bacon and we added diced, cooked chicken breast to the salad. This recipe was a definite hit: Darling Husband ate 3/4 of it while I was out of the house in the evening, and 2 year-old Darling Son didn't seem to notice that he was eating lettuce, which he has always previously refused to eat. I think we'd maybe rather eat this than the sandwich.