Fancy Pants

Sometimes you just need to treat yourself to a pretty meal. I did just that this evening :)
I don't know why, but I was craving a pretty looking dinner ALL day. Strange, right? So I pictured a potato crusted salmon and that was it. The side dish was pretty much up in the air until I got to the grocery store and saw some fatty asparagus (it's pretty rare I find asparagus this plump). Check it out:
I know, not super plump, but our Giant usually has super super skinny asparagus.

Potato Crusted Salmon for One
1 (6-oz) salmon fillet
1 tsp fresh rosemary
1 fingerling potato, thinly sliced
salt
pepper
olive oil

Preheat broiler. Place fillet on a baking sheet and scatter rosemary, salt and pepper on top of fish. Lay potato slices on fish, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with additional salt and pepper.
Broil for 5-7 minutes or until fish and potatoes are cooked through.
Do you like my super thin potato slice? The thinner you can get the slice, the better. I find myself wishing I had a fancy mandolin on days like this...

To supplement my fishy, I went with some Quinoa, Asparagus, Mushrooms and Artichoke "Risotto".

Since I usually make quinoa into a salad or tabbouleh, I thought I'd experiment and take a different approach this time around and treat it like I would a risotto...sort of.
Quinoa, Asparagus, Mushroom and Artichoke "Risotto"
1 c quinoa
1 1/3 c broth, plus 1/3 c
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1 small shallot, minced
1/4 c cremini mushrooms, diced
1/3 c artichoke hearts, quartered
4 stalks asparagus, cut into 1 inch pieces
1/4 c fontina cheese chunks
1 tbsp parmesan cheese
1 tbsp white wine
salt and pepper

Boil 1 1/3 c broth and salt in a small saucepan. Add quinoa, cover and cook for 15 minutes; set aside.

Heat olive oil and butter in a pan and saute shallot until softened. Saute mushrooms until softened and then add white wine. Add asparagus and artichoke hearts and cook for 3 minutes. Stir in quinoa and cheeses and reduce heat to medium low.
Slowly add 1/3 c broth to thin out cheese and add salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately
Once I had that done, I placed the fish on top
and worked on a quick sauce (I microwaved because I completely forgot about sauce until the last minute):
Lemon Mustard Sauce
1 tbsp dijon mustard
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp white wine
1/4 tsp olive oil
1/4 tsp maple syrup

Stir all ingredients in a bowl, microwave for 30 seconds stirring frequently.

Kinda reminded me of a dressing I've made, but you know what, I thought it tasted good with the quinoa AND the fish. Not too shabby for a last minute item!
Ok, now I MUST crash. Almost fell asleep while at job #2...perhaps I'm too old for sleepovers haha.