salmon with pea & mint pesto

Lately I’ve been hearing about all these new fad diets.

The best (worst) one I heard recently was called “the mac & cheese diet.” All you eat is macaroni and cheese. The theory is that you will eventually get sick of it and then ultimately eat less. And in the mean time, you can quickly and easily let your cholesterol skyrocket!

One of my supervisors was telling me about another one where you eat whatever you want Monday-Friday, but then only 600 calories per day on Saturday and Sunday. So much for the freakin’ weekend. That sounds horrible.

I also heard that Jared (as in, Jared of Subway franchises) is worth an estimated 15 million dollars. Would you eat the exact same thing every day for 15 million dollars? I guess I probably would. Two out of three of my meals are the same every day anyway. And I’m poorer than poor, to the extent that I heard a commercial about donating eggs today and seriously considered it until I realized that I would then assume any child on the street that looked remotely like me was biologically mine.

I digress. In the spirit of throwing stupid diets out the window and still working for that bikini bod, here’s an easy healthy recipe for you that is ready in less than 15 minutes.

Salmon with Pea & Mint Pesto

2 salmon filets

1 cup frozen peas

2 garlic cloves

juice of half a lemon

7-8 fresh mint leaves, chiffonade

salt and pepper

olive oil

parmesan cheese (optional)

Let the peas simmer for 3-4 minutes in order to defrost. Drain and set aside.

Season both sides of the fish with salt and pepper. I was able to get wild caught Alaskan salmon on sale at my grocery store, but you could do this with any fish you like.

Pan sear, skin side down first, for a few minutes on each side or until slightly firm.

In a food processor, combine the peas, garlic, lemon juice, and mint leaves until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper.