Spice up your life with this tasty medley of black beans and salmon. This dish makes the perfect entree for entertaining with friends when served with margaritas, warm corn tortillas and grilled corn on the cob.

Ingredients

• 24 oz salmon steaks
• 1/2 lb black beans; soaked overnight
• 1 small onion; chopped
• 1 small carrot
• 1/2 celery rib
• 2 oz ham; chopped
• 2 jalapeno peppers; stemmed and diced
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 bay leaf; tied together with
• 3 sprigs thyme
• 5 cup water
• 2 cloves garlic; minced
• 1/2 teaspoon hot pepper flakes
• 1/2 lemon; juiced
• 1 lemon; juiced
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoon fresh basil; chopped

Combine in a large saucepan the beans, onion, carrot, celery, ham, jalapenos, whole clove garlic, bay leaf with thyme, and water. Simmer until beans are tender, about 2 hours, adding more water as necessary to keep the beans covered. Remove the carrot, celery, herbs and garlic, and drain off the remaining cooking liquid. Toss the beans with the minced garlic, hot pepper flakes and the juice of 1/2 a lemon. Set aside.

While the beans are cooking, combine the juice of a whole lemon, olive oil, and basil leaves. Pour over the salmon steaks, and refrigerate for 1 hour. Grill the salmon over a moderately high flame for 4-5 minutes per side, basting with some of the marinade every minute. Serve each steak with a portion of beans.

Per Serving: Calories: 480, Protein: 42 g, Carbohydrate: 25 g, Fat: 23 g, Saturated Fat: 4 g, Cholesterol: 106mg, Sodium: 291 mg, Fiber: 8g.