Before I make your bellies grumble with a Tim Byre’s inspired recipe from Smoke, I’d like to take a moment to share with all of you a very exciting project that I’ve been working on with friends for the past 2 years.  I introduce to you: 1-2 Simple Cooking, a cooking show designed for singles and couples where I teach you the secrets of becoming an efficient home chef.  Our goal is to encourage people to get back in the kitchen and equip them with the confidence and skills to design simple meal plans for the week and ultimately guiding them towards a healthful life.

The reality of smaller spaces and limited ingredients, limited budgets, and limited free time due to busy lives often get in the way of our health and well-being and so we want to find ways to incorporate simple recipes and techniques into our daily routine and take charge of the kitchen opposed to resorting to unhealthy eating choices. Our health is something we are all capable of controlling and we want to spread the good word: you are what you eat!

We are very passionate about bringing this dream and making it into a reality and would love if all of you readers, YES YES YOU, would be willing to take some time to spread the word to your friends and family (via E-mail, twitter, facebook, etc.) to check out our Kickstarter page and if you are able to support us in any way it’d be greatly appreciated. Even a small donation of $5-10 would really help us collectively reach our goal of $6000, we’re already at a whopping $1195 after 2 days!!!   I can’t put into words how excited I am about this project and I hope together we can make this show a success.

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Back when I interviewed Tim Byres for Sunday Brunch at Crave DFW   I knew I landed some place special.  It was this beautiful space filled with a smokey woodsy aroma, where you feel like you’ve been transported to your Texan grandpa’s lounge (doesn’t everyone have one of those?) –  equipped with a pool table, a large sexy wooden bar stocked with house-made whiskeys, and family portraits hung randomly throughout the walls.  It’s what being part of Texas is all about: the perfectly smoked BBQ, breads, relishes, sausages from scratch; Byres even orders a whole fresh pig every Wednesday but you better be quick or you’ll miss it by Saturday.  Upon eating his infamous Smoked Brisket with Corn Bread Hash, I knew there was no turning back: I was in love with Smoke.  He shares a bold and spicy rub which was originally for beef but I replaced it with a beautiful Coho Salmon filet from the lovely folks of Copper River Salmon. 

People of Dallas, you can actually purchase all the ingredients for the sandwich via Artizone .  It’s a great online market which has your basic grocery necessities from the top artisan purveyors in the city.  Remember to support your local businesses!

Ingredients for Texas-Style Chipotle Salmon Rub

Created from Tim Byres, Chef and Owner of SMOKE Restaurant in Dallas, TX

• 1/3 cup dark brown sugar, packed
• 3 tablespoons dark-roasted coffee grounds, finely ground
• 2 ½ tablespoons salt
• 1 ½ tablespoons granulated dry garlic
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano leaves
• 1/3 cup Tabasco brand chipotle pepper sauce

Combine dark brown sugar, ground coffee, salt, garlic, paprika and oregano in medium bowl.  Add Tabasco chipotle sauce; stir until well mixed.  Makes about 1 cup.  Rub on 1 ½ pounds salmon steak.  Or rub on roasts and ribs.  Refrigerate 20 minutes to marinate before grilling.

This recipe is really easy to put together, 15 minutes from start to finish (not counting marinating time with the rub).  It’d be perfect for a healthy simple dinner or even an afternoon snack.  The best part is, this recipe is heart healthy.  Copper River salmon is full of superior health benefits, rich in Omega-3 fatty acids which benefits your heart and brain.  Catch the last of Alaska’s best treasure: Copper River Coho Salmon — with its mild flavor and firm texture it’s great even for the pickiest of eaters.  Savor the last bits of Summer (yes it’s still Summer in Texas) and serve these sandwiches with a nice cold pitcher of Texas Sweet Tea. 

Ingredients for Open Faced Salmon Sandwiches

• 8 oz Coho Salmon Fillet rubbed with Texas-Style Chipotle Rub
  
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons mustard
• 1 cup organic greens, washed
• 4 slices whole grain bread

• 1 red onion cut into four 1/2 inch slices
• 1 avocado, pitted and sliced
•  Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat a cast iron skillet over high heat.  Brush the salmon fillets with 2 tablespoons of olive oil.  Place on the skillet until cooked through, about 2 minutes on each side. Lightly toast the bread if preferred over the skillet, about a minute on each side. To assemble the sandwiches, place greens on each slice of bread.  Place generous chunks of salmon on lettuce and top with avocado, onion and mustard sauce.  Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper.