Grilled Salmon, Brown Buttered Gnocchi, Sauted Spinach and Grilled Onion

It's Monday and that makes me think of the weekend.

It's best not to dwell on the present when it is a Monday and you have 4 days of work and school ahead of you.

I had a great weekend spent in Alta, UT skiing and relaxing in with the fam.  A Monday after a get-away weekend is kind of like a slap in the face. Mondays are cruel like that.

So on this Monday, we need a pick-me-up. Something to take our mind off of what we once had (glorious weekend freedom) and focus it instead on something else.

What better to think of then Grilled Salmon, Brown Buttered Gnocchi, Sauted Spinach with Shallots and Grilled Onion-- aka a fancy pants dinner.

I went to a restaurant a while back called Communal and it was incredibly good. So good that I was craving it the minute I finished my meal and decided I had to do my best to recreate it.

I would say that everything was just as good as Communal's food except the brown buttered gnocchi, which I will hopefully perfect someday. My gnocchi was good, but theirs was divine.  Baby steps.

This meal feeds two.

Let's do this, shall we?

Grilled Salmon

• 1 Salmon fillet 
• 3 Tbs lemon juice
• 1 Tbs butter
• Dash of onion powder
• Dash of garlic powder

1. Place butter on grill pan and turn heat to low. While heating, rub a dash of onion powder and garlic powder over the salmon. 
2. Place salmon on buttered grill pan and turn heat to medium.  Pour on 2 Tbs of lemon juice. Cook a few more minutes until the middle is a whitish pink (about 8 minutes) and pour on last Tbs of lemon juice. 
3. Remove from heat, serve immediately.

*From start to finish, 15 minutes

Brown Buttered Gnocchi

• 1 1/2 cups gnocchi, pre-made (you can buy it at a grocery store but it's yummier if it's homemade)
• Browned butter (directions on how to make it here)
• Onion powder
• Parsley

1. Boil water. When water has reached a full boil, add gnocchi and let cook for 3 minutes, or until they float to the top. As soon as they float, remove and drain immediately-- they get mushier the longer they are in there.
2. While the gnocchi are draining, place one inch of browned butter in a shallow pan. Turn heat to high. 
3. Pour gnocchi into hot browned butter and watch them sizzle. Let them brown.
4. Add onion powder.
5. Sprinkle on parsley for an extra kick. (Communal did this but I forgot to buy some at the grocery store. It made a big difference. I was sad I missed out.)

*From start to finish (minus the boiling water part) 6 minutes

Grilled Onions 

• 1/3 large purple onion
• 2 Tbs brown sugar
• 1 Tbs butter

1. In a small pan, melt butter. Over high heat add onions and cook for 2 minutes.
2. Add browned sugar and cook for an additional 3 minutes or until onions are soft.

*From start to finish, 6 minutes.

Sauted Spinach with Shallots

• Two large handfuls of spinach
• 1/2 of a medium sized shallot
• 2 tbs butter
• Feta cheese

1. Melt the butter in the pan used for the grilled onions.  Add shallots and cook for 2 minutes.
2. Add spinach and cook until whithered and shrunken (about 1 minutes).
3. Add crumbled feta cheese on top to add an extra level of deliciousness.

*From start to finish, 4 minutes.