12. Salmon with lime and paprika

Rub some paprika (with salt and pepper and maybe a tiny bit of cumin) on some salmon filets. Take a lemon or lime and squeeze some of the juice onto the top. Cut round slices of said fruit and lay over filets. Bake them until they are done.

I made this and it melted in my mouth. [pictured here before cooking]

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A good dinner should have three balancing parts. The salmon here goes with the tomato asparagus feta salad and the curried carrots and potatoes.

9. Asparagus on the grill pan / 10. Baby spinach with garlic and soy sauce

I like to take asparagus spears, as thin as possible, and cut off some of the bottoms. I brush on some olive oil and then sprinkle with dry basil, thyme, ground black pepper, salt etc... then I heat my grill pan to high and lay them across so they get grill marks. They cook rapidly so I watch over them and remove with tongs. (The oil will smoke a bit so keep the fan on.) This is easy and delicious, almost tapa-like.

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I often brown a clove or two of chopped garlic in a skillet, then add the raw spinach, which will cook rapidly. When it is done I just put a bit of soy sauce in it and serve immediately. Both these vegetable dishes are quick and easy. Much better than boiled asparagus or steamed spinach.

2. Dark beer beer can chicken with paprika cumin gravy

I roasted a 5 lb. whole chicken using the "beer can" method." You stick a half full (of beer) beer can in the cavity of the chicken. I rubbed it first with a spice mixture of paprika, cayenne, cumin, and sea salt, making sure I rubbed of the spice misture under the skin too. The beer was dark and the drippings were abundant, so I made a gravy out of them by adding some skim milk and flour and thickening. The chicken took about an hour and 15 minutes to cook. We ate some spinach cooked with a tiny bit of canola oil, garlic, and a dash of soy to finish, and some roasted veggies: poblano peppers, onions, and red potatoes. Leftovers are abundant today.