Pesto Salmon

This has got to be the most ridiculously easy way to cook delicious salmon. Prep time: 2 minutes. Sit around and do nothing cook time: 20 minutes. Dishes dirtied: 1 knife and a cutting board. I will be placing it in my clutch recipe file. I stole it from http://kalynskitchen.blogspot.com/. It's a pretty fantastic South Beach Diet blog.

• 2 salmon filets
• 4 Tbl pesto (make your own for extra points, but I just used a jar)
• 1 medium tomato, sliced thick- I recommend splurging for the good quality on the vine type
• 1 tsp olive oil
• lemon juice from 1/2 lemon
• aluminum foil

Preheat the oven to 450. Squirt some lemon juice over the fish and let it sit for 5-10 minutes. Alton Brown told me that when a fish dies, it releases chemicals that produce that fishy smell. These chemicals happen to be basic, so squirting something acidic on the fish neutralizes that acid and fixes that fishy smell.
Take about 3 feet of foil and fold it in half. Drizzle that olive oil on it and position the fish on top, squiggling it around to make sure the bottom is covered. Spread the pesto on top of each piece, place the tomato slices on top, and fold the foil to make a pretty little package. Put it in the oven for 15-20 minutes (depending on how thick the fish is) and serve.

-Jackie Nemunaitis

Pesto Stuffed Chicken Breast

This isn't exactly your "light summer chicken" recipe. It doesn't mess around. I ate mine with a simple side salad, and that's just what it needed. I also think it's not quite as bad for you as the ingredients list will make it sound- most of the fat cooks off when you bake it. Also, the low/no fat version of everything works fine. This recipe is surprisingly quick and easy, and produces very few dirty dishes, which is always nice. What you'll need:

• 2 chicken breasts, fat trimmed (A note about chicken breasts- I have always found that the most tender chicken I cook is from the frozen aisle. It's counter intuitive, but has never failed me).
• 1/3 c pesto (store bought or home made, if you're into that sort of thing)
• 1/3 c mozzarella cheese
• 1.5 tbl mayo
• 1/3 c Parmesan cheese, grated
• 2-3 cloves garlic, sliced* (I only recommend this if you share my boundless infatuation with garlic)

Preheat your oven to 375. You need to pound the chicken breasts flat. If you've never done this, just place one between 2 sheets of saran wrap and pound away with a kitchen mallet, or just something flat and heavy. Go ahead and release a little aggression. You want it as flat as possible without demolishing it- no more than 1/4 inch thick. Now mix the mozzarella, mayo, and pesto together. Spread this on the more raggedy side of the chicken, then roll it up. You may need a toothpick to hold it together, but this has never been an issue for me. Place the chicken in a baking dish, coated with cooking spray. Take that Parmesan and coat the chicken, pressing it in so it sticks. Top the chicken with the sliced garlic, if you're so daring. Put it in the oven for about 45 minutes, although you'll want to check on it around 40 minutes, and it might take a little longer. It all depends on how big the chicken breasts were that you purchased. You want the chicken to be firm to the touch. The garlic and cheese will be starting to brown. If you're not too concerned about calories, drizzle some of the cooked off sauce over the top.

Next time I make this, I think I'll add some chopped mushrooms to the filling. I think that would be a really nice touch.