A hefty meal featuring a trio of recipes - an exquisite wild salmon glazed in soy sauce with a hint of maple, an asparagus and pasta melange married with pesto sauce and a fresh spinach salad with grilled chicken, virgin olive oil, roma tomatoes and topped with hard-boiled eggs. If you are really hungry this will conquer any gargantuan appetite; of course, each of these could be made singularly as its own meal.

Ginger Soy Glazed Salmon



1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

1 teaspoon of powdered ginger

1 (2-lb) piece center-cut salmon fillet with skin (1 1/2 inches thick)



Asparagus Pasta



1 handful of asparagus with tips

1 cup of pasta of your choice

1 teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil

pinch of sea salt

1 1/2 cups of pesto sauce





Spinach Chicken Salad



2 cups of washed raw spinach leaves

2 teaspoons of sea salt

2 teaspoons of cracked black pepper

1 teaspoon of savory, basil or other spice you deem appropriate

1/8 cup of extra-virgin olive oil

4 roma tomatoes

3 hard-boiled eggs

2 grilled chicken breasts, diced into cubes

Ginger Soy Glazed Salmon



Preheat oven to 450°F. Line bottom of a broiler pan with foil, then oil rack of pan.



Boil soy sauce and maple syrup in a small saucepan over moderate heat until glaze is reduced to 1/3 cup, about 5 minutes.



Arrange salmon, skin side down, on rack of broiler pan and pat dry. Reserve 1 1/2 tablespoons glaze in a small bowl for brushing after broiling. Brush salmon generously with some of remaining glaze. Let stand 5 minutes, then brush with more glaze. Sprinkle salmon with powdered ginger.



Roast salmon in middle of oven 10 minutes. Turn on broiler and brush salmon with glaze again, then broil 4 to 5 inches from heat until just cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes.



Transfer salmon with 2 wide metal spatulas to a platter, then brush with reserved glaze using a clean brush.



Asparagus Pasta



Wash asparagus thoroughly, place in a pot and bring to a slow boil. When water in the pot takes on a slight greenish tinge and asparagus is tender, remove from heat and drain. In another pot, bring pasta to a boil until al dente and then drain. Chop asparagus into 1/2 inch pieces. In a separate skillet, heat olive oil until it can be evenly spread around skillet by rolling it manually. Add pinch of sea salt, followed by asparagus pieces, and lastly by pasta. Stir in pesto sauce and let simmer for two minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and serve in an appropriate bowl.



Spinach Chicken Salad



Wash spinach thoroughly and drain well. (Use a salad spinner, if you have one handy). Placer spinach in a bowl, combine olive oil, sea salt, savory and pepper and toss to make sure throughly mixed. Spinach leaves should glisten slightly when coated with oil. Chop roma tomatoes and add to spinach, tossing to evenly distribute. Similarly add chicken cubes and toss. Finally, when salad is ready to be served, cut boiled eggs into slices and spread on top. (For visual effect you can add paprika to the eggs for festive occasions).