STEAMED SALMON WITH SOY GLAZE

4 6 oz skinless salmon fillets
3 T +1/2 cup soy sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
1 T finely grated giner, + 2 T shredded ginger
2 T rice wine or sherry
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2 T lemon juice
1 T sugar
2 T sliced scallions (green onions)
1 18 3/4 oz pkg soba noodles or 1 1 lb box whole-wheat pasta
1/2 lb small green beans, sliced in half lengthwise

Place the salmon in a shallow glass dish.  Combine 3 T of the soy sauce, the garlic, grated ginger, and 1 T of the rice wine and pour over the salmon, turning to coat.  Cover and marinate for 15 min in fridge.  Place the vinegar, lemon juice, sugar, remaining soy sauce, and the remaining rice wine in a small saucepan over low heat.  Stir to dissolve the sugar, bring to a boil, and cook until reduced by half, about 3 minutes.  Set the glaze aside and keep warm.  Fill a large saucepan with 1 inch of salted water and bring to a boil.  Remove the salmon from the marinade and place in a steamer basket that fits snugly over the pan.  Scatter the scallions and shredded ginger over the salmon.  Cover and steam over the boiling water for 4 minutes or until cooked through.  Remove and keep warm.  Add the noodles to the water and cook according to package directions.  Just before they are done, add the beans to the boiling water; strain.  Serve the salmon over the noodles and beans, drizzled with the glaze.

AVOCADO FETA DIP

2 plum tomatoes

1 avocado, halved, seeded, peeled, chopped

¼ cup finely chopped red onion

1 clove garlic, minced

1 T snipped fresh parsley

1 T snipped fresh oregano

1 T olive oil

1 T red wine vinegar

4 oz feta cheese, coarsely crumbled

Stir everything and chill for 2 hours.

PARTY POTATOES

3 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 ½ inch chunks
9 T butter
8 oz low-fat cream cheese, at room temperature
½ cup low-fat sour cream, at room temperature
2/3 cup 2 percent milk, warmed

Place the potatoes in a large saucepan with enough cold, salted water to cover them by at least an inch. Bring to a boil on high heat, then reduce to medium, partially cover and cook until the potatoes are tender.

for my children...

i have been promising my children a collection of my recipes for some time and although i have a powerpoint presentation on my computer, it has never made it to them.  while discussing blogs with daniel tonight, he brought up the missing recipe collection and we came up with the idea of doing it via blog.

so here goes...  i will write the recipes as blog entries and label them as main dish, salad, dessert, etc.  that way everyone can hopefully find what they are looking for.

it's worth a try.  hello Minna Cooks