Ginger Basil Salmon with Garlic Roasted Broccoli & Peppers

This past week was kind of a rough one on me. I'm activated in the substitute teacher call list for a school district about 25-30 minutes away. After a few weeks, no one had been asking for subs and I felt like that was all just a colossal waste of time and money on my part to get certified (after six months here, my only income has been infrequent tutoring and working a couple of college games here and there).

Anyways, I got a call Wednesday night to sub for a first grade class and accepted on the spot. School started at 9:05 a.m., and subs have to check in 30 minutes prior to obtain keys, lesson plans, etc. So basically I had to leave my house at 8 in order to arrive at 8:30 a.m. It was alright, the kids were fun but stretching out lesson plans to fill the entire day was overwhelming and exhausting! Luckily she had a student teacher who helped me get my bearings and taught the math hour of the day. All the coloring, singing and clapping really had my head spinning ;)

Then after school I had another call, I could choose between a sixth grade (elementary school) class, or 7th-8th grade (junior high) science. Without hesitation I opted for the junior high class. However, school starts at 7:20 a.m. at both the middle and high schools in that district. Ugh, that meant I had to check in at 6:50 a.m., leaving my house at 6:20 a.m., and thus waking up around 5:45 a.m. after showering the night before.

Needless to say I was exhausted. And now I think I'm getting a little sick from all the sick student teachers, co-workers and kids. Just two days and my body can't take it, ha! But the real reason I wanted to sub is coming soon! I'm on the primary call list for the ONLY French teacher in the district and I will be filling in for her in February. I can't wait! High school makes me nervous, but the middle schoolers all kept telling me how pretty and nice I was, and kept trying to guess my age... I remember my substitute teacher experiences in middle school to be horrendous. At least I didn't suffer the same fate as many of the fill-in teachers we had back then.

So all this talk about kids and education and learning... I just want something adult to eat and talk about :) Which is why I bring you my recipe for Ginger Basil Salmon with Garlic Roasted Broccoli & Peppers!

Ginger Basil Salmon

Ingredients:

• 1 medium salmon fillet
• 1 t minced garlic
• 1 t fresh minced ginger
• 2 T olive oil
• 1/2 t red wine vinegar
• 4 T chopped basil
• salt and pepper for seasoning

Directions:

Make hash marks on both sides of the salmon, season with salt and pepper and set aside. Mix all marinade ingredients in a large bowl. Add the salmon and coat both sides, stuffing the marinade into the cuts on the fillet. Cover and let sit for one hour in refrigerator before grilling.

Garlic Roasted Broccoli & Peppers:

Ingredients:

• 5 c chopped broccoli
• 1 c sliced red and yellow peppers
• 2 1/2 T olive oil, divided
• 2 T minced garlic
• Pinch of red pepper flakes

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450°F. Toss broccoli, peppers and 2 T olive oil in large bowl to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Transfer to baking dish. Roast 15 minutes. Top broccoli and pepper with remaining 1/2 tablespoon oil, garlic and red pepper flakes. Stir vegetables well until coated. Roast until broccoli is beginning to brown, about 5 minutes longer. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

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I served my salmon over a bed of quinoa and enjoyed the meal with a glass of Pinot Grigio :) It was heavenly. And on the bright side, I start my job with the Diamondbacks NEXT MONDAY -- in EIGHT days!!! I cannot wait. Until then, I'll be doing a lot more tutoring, subbing and working college athletic events. I'm a busy girl :)