Salmon-vegetable dish is spicy, sweet, citrusy

A savory-sweet mixture of hoisin sauce, citrus and ginger flavor this quick-cooking salmon dish.

By cooking the salmon and vegetables together in the microwave, this meal comes together in about 20 minutes.

Hoisin sauce is a spicysweet sauce made with fermented beans, garlic and chile peppers. It will keep, refrigerated, indefinitely. Look for it with the Asian foods.

Orange-Soy Salmon With Carrots and Spinach

Zest and juice of ½ orange 1½ tablespoons reducedsodium soy sauce 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

or ginger paste 1 teaspoons toasted sesame

oil 1 (5- to 6-ounce) package baby

spinach 5 teaspoons water, divided use 4 (5-ounce) salmon filets 8 ounces sugar snap peas OR

green beans 1 cup matchstick-cut carrots 2 green onions, sliced

In a small bowl, combine the orange zest, juice, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, ginger and sesame oil. Mix well and set aside.

In a microwave-safe dish, arrange spinach in a mound filling 2/3 of the width of the dish. Drizzle with 2 teaspoons of the water. Place the salmon filets over the spinach. Arrange the peas and carrots on the other side of the dish. Drizzle with the remaining water and 1 tablespoon of the orange-hoisin sauce mixture.

Cover with vented plastic wrap (keep the wrap about 1 inch above the salmon) and microwave on 100 percent power for 5 to 7 minutes, or until fish is slightly opaque in the center and the vegetables are tender. Drizzle the remaining sauce over salmon and vegetables. Sprinkle with green onion.

Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition information: Each serving contains approximately 350 calories, 40 g protein, 13 g fat, 15 g carbohydrate, 100 mg cholesterol, 600 mg sodium and 4 g fiber.

Carbohydrate choices: 1. Recipe adapted from the Diabetes Diet Cookbook from the editors of Prevention magazine with Ann Fittante.