Dear Gourmet Diva

Can I make a meal for under 20 dollars?

Help me out in NYC,
Mark Frazier

Dear Mark,

Yes you can make a meal for under $20 (thank you for the gracious budget). This is one of my go to recipes when I need some thing economical and tasty. The spinach is mixed into the rice. Using frozen vegetables also cuts down on time, so you can prepare this in less then an hour.

I take a bottle of Kikkoman Teriyaki sauce and add freshly grated ginger, garlic and brown sugar. You can also have broccolli and julienned (matchstick shaped) carrots.

Add a few extra bucks in and you can have some ice cream for dessert – put it in a martini glass if you are having guest for an extra flair.

Salmon Teriyaki (Rosemary Black – Daily News March 13, 2005)

Serves 4

1/3 cup bottle teriyaki Sauce

4 salmon fillets (6 to 8 ounces each)

1 (10 – ounce) box frozen spinach

1 ½ cups instant brown rice (or white rice)

Salt and pepper to taste

Fresh dill springs for garnish (I use toasted sesame seeds)

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 475 degrees and line the bottom of a large shallow baking pan (with edges) with foil. Pour all but 3 tablespoons of the glaze into the baking pan. Add the salmon and turn to coat with glaze. Bake 10 minutes or until done.

Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, bring 1 ½ cups of water and the frozen spinach to a boil over high heat . Stir in the rice and salt and pepper to taste. Cook, covered for about 10 minutes until the rice is done.

In a 1 – cup measure, stir remaining teriyaki sauce with ¼ cup water. Stir into hot rice. Serve with salmon with the rice.