Back in Flag...

Well, I'm finally back in Flagstaff and until now I haven't been cooking anything exciting. Mostly, I've been eating very simple foods in an attempt to recover from the food-centered agenda that was my winter break. It's been plain steel-cut oats for breakfast and red lentils and rice for dinner-all of which I love...but nothing to really photograph or write about. I haven't baked any sweets-I don't even have butter in my house at the moment. The last few days I was home I ended up eating out twice a day in an effort to spend time with everyone before heading back to school. It was a whirlwind.
Now I am back and settled. School has started and I am excited for this semester-all of my classes seem like they will be very interesting. It's pretty cold and windy here though...but the crystal clear skies everyday more than make up for the temperatures. In response to the weather I made a BIG pot of black bean soup with a modified recipe from Simply Recipes. I also made some corn bread on the side. Topped with avocado, yogurt, and some cayenne pepper it was a delicious and comforting meal. There is not much that beats hot soup on a cold winter day. Plus, there is enough to feed me for the rest of the week-not bad at all.
I didn't take any pictures but tonight I made salmon that Brittney brought home from Alaska. I just seasoned the skinless fillet with salt and pepper and a squeeze of lemon. Then, I spread Dijon mustard over the top and sprinkled a ground spice mixture (1 tbsp. coriander seed, 1 tsp. mustard seed, and a pinch of red pepper flake) on top. I heated olive oil in a skillet and pan fried the fish, spice side down, for 2-3 minutes, until brown and crusted. Flipped the fillet over and put it in a preheated (425-degree) oven for 6 minutes. The top was crunchy with just a little heat and the flavor was amazing. I served basmati rice with peas and turmeric and a green salad on the side. Pretty easy and very yummy.