Sheet Tray Salmon

Bae Rating: 3/5. It's healthy and easy to clean up. 

Vibes: Bikini season is around the corner, but you refuse to eat air, dreams or flat tummy tea.

Ingredients

• ~1.5 lb Salmon Filets, Skin On
• 4 baby Bok Choy, halved
• 4 cups Snap Peas (not snow peas) 
• 1 small Red Onion, halved and sliced 
• 1 small Red Chile pepper, sliced 
• 2-3 cloves of Garlic, minced
• 1 TSP Ginger Root, grated 
• 1 TBSP sliced scallions, plus more for garnish
• 1/2 Cup of Soy Sauce 
• 2 TBSP of toasted sesame oil 
• 2 TBSP cup of mirin
• 1 TSP Kosher Salt
• 1 TBSP White Pepper
• 1 TSP Ground Ginger
• 1 TBSP Garlic Powder
• 1 TSP chili powder 
• 1 TBSP Onion Powder
• sesame seeds for garnish 

For the Sauce:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 
2. Mix soy sauce, sesame oil, mirin, sliced chiles, minced garlic, grated ginger and scallions in a small bowl. 
   1. Tip: Fresh ginger is easiest to peel with a spoon! The skin is super thin, and using a vegetable peeler will sacrifice too much ginger. We also use a hand grater for our ginger, but a box grater on a super fine setting will work too!

For the Veggies:

1. Arrange snap peas, bok choy and sliced onions in a single layer on a sheet pan. Drizzle with the sauce (reserve two tablespoons) and place in the oven for 15 minutes. 
   1. Make sure you slice your onions thinly and evenly; about 1/4 of an inch is fine! If you have a mandoline, this would be the time to use it. 
   2. We rinsed our baby bok choy, sliced the ends off and separated the leaves. We gave them one more rinse before patting them dry, just to make sure no dirt or debris was deep down in the layers. 
2. Remove your veggies from the oven, and set aside. 

For the Salmon: 

1. Combine the salt, pepper, chili powder, onion and garlic powder and sprinkle over the salmon.
2. Pat the salmon dry, and season to taste with the spice blend. 
3. Place the salmon on the sheet pan among but NOT on top of the vegetables
4. Cook until the salmon is cooked through to your desired doneness. Our salmon was thin, so it took just under 10 minutes. 
5. Drizzle the reserved sauce over the salmon, and broil for 1 minute minute to crisp the salmon a little more, then remove from the oven. 
   1. We leave the oven door open while we broil. Broiling tends to turn to burning in a heartbeat, so watch closely.
6. Garnish with sesame seeds and sliced scallions, and serve hot!

Pesto Bucatini with Buttered Breadcrumbs

Bae Rating: 3/5. It's not particularly fancy, but it plates beautifully and everyone loves homemade pesto. 

Vibes: You have 15 minutes to make dinner before TGIT, but you still want to do a lil' something. 

Ingredients

• Bucatini, cooked al dente 
• 2 cups of basil, stems removed
• 2 TBSP of pine nuts 
• 1/2 a cup of parmesan cheese, grated
• 1/2 cup of olive oil
• 3 cloves of garlic 
• 2 TBSP of salted butter
• 3/4 cup of breadcrumbs 
• kosher salt to taste

 For the Pesto: 

1. Add pine nuts and garlic to a food processor and pulse for about 30 seconds until they're a crumbly paste. 
2. Add the basil leaves, a heavy pinch of kosher salt and pulse for another 30 seconds. 
3. While the processor is still running, drizzle in the olive oil and blend until the pesto is combined. 
4. Lastly, add the parmesan cheese and pulse for another 30 seconds. 

For the Breadcrumbs: 

1. In a nonstick skillet, melt salted butter on medium heat. Once the pan is hot, add the breadcrumbs. 
2. Cook the breadcrumbs for about 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly until they're a deep golden brown. 

This is the color you're looking for!

To Serve:

1. While the pasta is still hot, toss with your desired amount of pesto. Top with the warmed breadcrumbs and serve hot!

Notes:

• We use our pesto for everything from pasta, to chicken and fish, to vegetable dishes! Try tossing some roasted veggies in pesto as a quick side, or whisk it into some balsamic vinegar and olive oil for a quick salad dressing!
• If you have any leftover, you can store it in an airtight container with a thin layer of olive oil on top.