Lazy Dinner: Maple Glazed Salmon

I've been busy withs finals lately and have had some stuff come up in my personal life, but I decided Friday to thaw some salmon I had in the freezer. Today it was fully thawed and while I love cooking, I didn't want to buy extra ingredients or spend a lot of time in the kitchen. So next time you don't feel like cooking a lot or have less than 30 minutes to toss together a great meal... here's a recipe for you:

Maple Syrup Glazed Salmon

Prep Time: 5 minutes | Cook Time: 15 minutes | Serves 2

Ingredients:

• ~1lb salmon (I used two 6 oz fillets), fully thawed if frozen
• 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 pinch of sea salt
• 1 teaspoon of ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat over to 400 degrees
2. Whisk together maple syrup, soy sauce, garlic, salt and black pepper
3. Brush sauce all on the flesh side of the salmon (if using fillets with skin) or on both sides (if skin is removed).
4. Pour excess sauce right on top of salmon
5. OPTIONAL: Let salmon marinade in a air tight container in the fridge for 30 minutes. (Can be skipped, but the flavor won't be quite the same. 30 minutes to hop in the shower, or sip some beer or wine in front of the TV. If you do this, you can wait to preheat the oven.)
6. Bake for about 15 minutes or once the glaze seems to caramelize and you can pull some of the salmon easily with a fork. If you used skinless the time might be a little less and you'll want flip it over halfway through baking. If you use a fattier salmon, some of the fat will ooze out, that's normal!

To complete the easy dinner, I made Basmati rice which worked well because once I stuck the salmon in the oven and made the rice... both were ready! I also steamed some broccoli in the microwave:

1. Cut florets from two broccoli heads and toss into a large microwave safe bowl
2. Wash and drain while in bowl, twice. The excess water that clings to the bowl and the broccoli will help steam it.
3. Cover bowl tightly in saran wrap. Poke 2 or 3 holes with a knife.
4. Microwave on high for 2 minutes.

Easy! If you don't count or if you skip letting the fish marinade in the fridge this all will take less than half in hour including prep!

What are your favorite under 30 minute and/or super easy dinners?