Oven Steamed Salmon, Steamed Green Beans, and Mashed Potatoes

According to the planned menu for the week, I made salmon tonight.  Thanks to a neighbor who ended up not liking the frozen salmon she bought at the store, I ended up with a couple of fillets in my freezer.  I have done salmon a few different ways in the past but this time I tried something slightly different and a little bit healthier.  I paired it with still crisp steamed green beans and some mashed potatoes to use up the potatoes in the pantry.  I hope you like it as much as we did!

Oven Steamed Salmon

1 large salmon fillet (about a foot long)
1 lemon
1/2 tsp dried dill weed
1/4 tsp each: seasoning salt, black pepper, onion powder
1 tbsp butter, cut in half
1/4 c water
aluminum foil, for cooking
baking dish (keeps your oven clean--catches any leaky juices)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place a large sheet of aluminum foil inside your baking dish (needs to be at least 6 inches longer than the fish) Place salmon in the middle of the foil, and then sliced the lemon into rounds.  Place lemon rounds on top of the fish.  Top with seasonings and dill weed.  Top all of that with dots of the butter.  Pull up the sides of the foil to make a pouch and then add your water.  Pinch together the tops and sides of the foil to close the packet, and bake for 25 minutes.  Serve hot.

Mashed Potatoes (simple recipe, but everyone has a different one, right?)

6 medium potatoes
water
1 tsp salt
1/4 c butter
1/4 -1/2 c milk

Peel and cut potatoes into wedges.  (You don't have to peel them, sometimes I don't.  Potato peels are actually really good for you--full of vitamins.)  Put potatoes into a large pot, and cover with water.  Add salt, and bring to a boil.  Cook for approximately 25 to 30 minutes, until potatoes are tender and break when poked with a fork.  Drain, and then place them back in the same pot.  Add butter and milk, and mash til you get the consistency you want.

Green Beans-- so simple you'll laugh at how easy it is.

1 lb green beans
1/4 to 1/2 c water

Snap the ends off the green beans.  Place into a steamer basket inside a pot on the stove.  Add your water, which should be below the level of the basket, and cover with lid.  Bring the water to a boil, creating steam for the beans to cook.  Steam beans for 3-5 minutes.  Not long at all, just til they turn bright green.  You want them to still have their snap/crispness.  Steaming keeps as many nutrients in the beans as possible while giving you optimum flavor.  My favorite way to eat them.  Yum!