If you are anything like me weeknight meals are a serious chore. Between my two hour commute, 50 hour work weeks, and what little spare time I have spent at the gym I have no time to cook during the week. Yes, I am aware I also have no life (my mom likes to remind when she laments that I am 31 and still single). At any rate, my lack of life and free time means that my usual weeknight meal is popcorn or a box of mac and cheese. I pretty much live of that 99 cent cheesy miracle that we all loved as kids.

That being said, I get occasional craving for substantial adult food. This is usually when I am on my semi-monthly “I am going to get healthy kick” or I am on my fourth straight day of mac and cheese. Fortunately for my precious time and my wallet. living near a large body of water puts me at a slight adventure for healthy easy to cook options (seafood) that won’t blow my bank. One of my favorite things to do is pick up some pre-cooked octopus, throw it on the grill and put it on a salad with a quick lemon vinaigrette. Eight legs not your thing? Swap out the octopi for some shrimp or even chicken if “of the sea” makes you a little sick.

The hardest part of this recipe is the oven dried cherry tomatoes which I make in mass quantities on Sundays and store in my fridge. These things will last a few weeks and take about 40 minutes to make. They are also are also like the of bacon vegetables, they go with everything and they are full of flavor. I put them on zoodles, in eggs, even with bacon.

To assemble simply throw all the ingredients in a bowl and toss with a lemon vinaigrette. It has everything you could want in a five minute seafood salad, or a gourmet meal for that matter. You get salty, sweet, tangy, bitter and a little pepper to round it all out.

If I am feeling really ambitious (like when I have time to actually wash my hair) I toss some oven roasted fennel (prepare the same way as the cherry tomatoes below) for a little licorice pop that pairs perfectly with the meaty and slightly salty octopus.

Oven Roasted Tomatoes:

One carton cherry tomatoes

2 tbsp salt

1 tsbp pepper

3 tsbp olive oil

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1/2 tsp garlic powder

Toss all the ingredients in a bowl and bake at 350 for about 45 minutes until they look shriveled like your fingers when you come out of a Jacuzzi (or a raisin)

Lemon Vinaigrette

1 whole lemon

1/2 cup olive oil

4 cloves garlic

2 tsbp salt

1 tsbp pepper

**Squeeze the lemon first and let the garlic sit in the lemon for about 10 minutes so it can “ceviche” it. It takes a little bit of the bite out of the garlic.