Salmon in Spring

Local it is not, but we found a place to bulk order wild caught salmon. That just leaves me with the task of figuring out some different ways to cook it. It turns out that one of the best things to do with a strong tasting - and delicious - fish, is to prepare it simply and match sides to it. Here is one example.

Leftover salmon served cold on top of slaw for lunch the next day.

Citrus Salmon with Sesame-Ginger Broccoli Slaw
1/4 c orange (or lemon) juice
1/4 c water
2 tb tamari
1 lb salmon (fillets or whole)
2 ts sesame seeds, divided
1 bag broccoli slaw
1/2 red pepper, cut into matchsticks
1/4 red onion, diced
2 tb chopped cilantro
2 tb sesame oil
1/4 c lime juice
2 ts ginger
1 ts orange (or lemon) zest
1 ts crushed dried red pepper

Whisk the first three ingredients together and marinate fish, skin side down, for one hour. Remove from marinade and place skin side up on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and sesame seeds. Bake for 20 minutes at 450 degrees.
Dump slaw into a large serving bowl. Add pepper, onion and cilantro. Whisk together sesame oil through dried red pepper and pour over veggies. Toss to coat and sprinkle with remaining sesame seeds. Chill until ready to serve.
This dish is also great the next day for lunch: top slaw with leftover salmon and enjoy cold!

The 12 recipes of Christmas - Part 3

Meat is neat, but side dishes are delicious!

Side dishes
Someone brought the mashed white potatoes - some consider the feast lacking without them - but I made three additional accompaniments: holiday sweet potatoes (not bad), cranberry sauce (rocked!) and spinach and gruyere casserole (not gonna lie - took it right from Real Simple). All were successful, although I did get distracted and over baked the casserole.

Cranberry sauce
1 tb butter
2 tb honey
1 bag fresh cranberries
1 tb ginger
1/2 jar St. Dalfour apricot conserve
2 tb apple juice (more as needed)
Melt butter with honey in saucepan. Add berries and stir to coat. When berries burst, reduce heat to low, stirring frequently and add ginger and conserve. When sauce becomes thick, stir in apple juice, adding more to reach your preference.
Use St. Dalfour peach conserve if you prefer a thinner, sweeter sauce. This is the only 100% natural, no added sugar brand I have found. If you aren't so picky, feel free to substitute whatever you like.

Holiday sweet potatoes
3 large sweet potatoes, sliced into rounds
2 tb walnut oil
1 c pecans, chopped
1 tb honey
2 ts thyme or rosemary
1/2 ts nutmeg
1/2 ts cayenne
1/2 ts coarse ground pepper
Toss potatoes with oil and bake, covered, in 13x9 dish 45 minutes at 375. Meanwhile, combine remaining ingredients. When potatoes have baked, top with nut mixture and return to oven, uncovered, for 10 minutes.

The 12 recipes of Christmas - Part 1

The family Christmas dinner is at my house every year. And every year, I spend weeks beforehand with recipes spread all over the place trying to plan, fine-tune and test an innovative menu that will wow everyone. But guess what? Nobody is wowed, nobody is disappointed. Everybody just eats and enjoys. Every year. I guess it truly isn't the food, it's the family. So this year I decided to simplify: no intricate recipes, no mounds of leftovers, no three days of cooking for 30 minutes of eating and 3 hours of cleaning. The rules: Yummy, Easy, Primal. Yep!

Appetizers
Shrimp and cocktail sauce is a Christmas tradition for us. So there was one munchie out of the way already. I make my own sugar-free cocktail sauce with tomatoes from my garden, but my in-laws brought a jar of store-bought with them. Fine by me! Easy, remember.
I made two cheese appetizers, neither of which impressed me much, but both of which served their purpose. The first was a goat cheese log rolled in dried cranberries and crushed pistacios (get it...red and green...very festive). Not awesome, but I would make it again for the simplicity (ok, and the fact that I love goat cheese). The second was a hot ricotta dip. Bland, wouldn't do it again.
Finally, I made baked stuffed mushrooms. Yummy. A winner. I actually got asked for the recipe, meaning not only was it good, but someone actually paid attention to what they were eating :)

Baked stuffed mushrooms
24 large baby bella mushrooms (or white button if you prefer)
1 tb olive oil
1/4 c fresh parsley
2 cloves garlic (or more to taste)
1/2 c shredded parmesan
1/2 c almond meal
Remove stems from mushrooms and reserve. Bake caps, stem side down, for 10 minutes at 375 degrees. Meanwhile, in a small food processor, chop the reserved stems (and a couple of extra whole mushrooms if there are any) with garlic and parsley. Sautee in oil in a frying pan for a couple of minutes until the oil is absorbed, the parsley is wilted and the garlic is fragrant. Combine parmesan and almond meal and add mushroom mixture. Stuff into mushroom caps and bake again, 15 minutes.

Happy Primal New Year

I have taken a break from blogging, but not from cooking!

This New Year's Day, my first as a primal eater, I was determined to come up with something that incorporated traditional "good luck" foods, but kept with the plan.

The Menu:
Appetizer - smoked salmon - fish scales resemble coins and symbol prosperity
Salad - mixed greens and veggies garnished with pomegranate seeds - the seeds represent fertility, but are also my take on lucky legumes
Entree - spaghetti squash with meat sauce - noodles symbolize a long life
Side dish - sauteed chard with bacon - greens symbolize money and pork symbolizes progress
Drink - wine - eating 12 grapes at midnight is considered lucky in Hispanic countries, I took a bit of liberty here!

Spaghetti squash with meat sauce
1 spaghetti squash
1 lb ground beef
1/2 onion chopped
1 can diced tomatoes (if using unseasoned, also add oregano, etc. to taste)
1 c broth or water
1 tb white wine vinegar
2 ts olive oil
2 cloves garlic

Cut squash in half lengthwise and place cut side down on a cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Meanwhile, sautee garlic and onion in olive oil. Add ground beef and crumble into chunks with spatula. When beef is browned, add vinegar to deglaze the pan. Add tomatoes and juice and stir until heated through. To thicken sauce, I use a bit of arrowroot powder dissolved in water or broth. You could substitute tomato paste whisked into the broth instead. Scoop squash strands out of the shell lengthwise with a fork onto plates. Top with meat sauce. Serves 3.

Ingredients for spaghetti squash with meat sauce.

Sauteed chard with garlic and bacon
1 bunch swiss chard (or kale, spinach or other leafy green)
1 ts olive oil
2 cloves garlic
4 slices bacon or pancetta
2 tb apple cider vinegar

Chop chard leaves and stems and set aside. Cook bacon and garlic in sautee pan in olive oil. Add chard to pan by the tong-ful, turning to coat in oil and mix with bacon and garlic. As chard wilts from heat and moisture, continue to add tong-fuls of chard and mix around untill it is all in the pan. Splash with vinegar and cover with lid for 30 seconds or until fully wilted. Remove from heat and swirl around before serving immediately.

Ingredients for sauteed chard with bacon

A slew of slaw

Not sure how many makes a slew. Probably more than the three I have posted so far. (see Waldorf slaw and Halloween slaw) Regardless, I made something yummy with the rest of the bag of shredded cabbage I used for the Halloween slaw, so I figured I would share it.

Asian slaw
1 bag shredded cabbage
1 apple, peeled and chopped
1/3 c slivered almonds (or chopped nut of choice)
1/4 c tahini
1/4 c apple cider vinegar
1 tb sesame oil
1 tb fresh snipped chives
fresh ground pepper
Combine cabbage, apple and nuts in a large serving bowl. In separate bowl, whisk together liquid ingredients (sauce will be thick). Pour over dry ingredients and mix through. Add ground pepper to taste. Top with chives. Best served chilled (my opinion).

Halloween slaw

This is a great colorful side dish any time of year, but the purple and orange look - plus the fact that I served it on mischief night - made me name it for the holiday.

Halloween slaw
1 bag shredded purple cabbage
1 large carrot
2 tb lime juice
2 tb grapeseed oil
2-3 sprigs fresh mint
Fresh ground pepper
Empty cabbage into large bowl. Shred carrot on top. Strip mint leaves, tear any large ones and add to vegetables in bowl. In a separate dish, whisk together liquids and pepper. Pour over vegetables and toss to combine.
If you need more liquid, I recommend adding lime juice first and then if it is still too dry, a little more oil. Grapeseed oil definitely works best with this due to its thinner consistency and very light flavor. You could substitute olive oil, but I would use a little more lime juice to balance it out.

Broccolicious

Except for asparagus, I feel like cooked vegs really need something done to them...just steaming really isn't enough. This combo dresses up broccoli, and puts this year's garden bonanza of shallots to good use.

Roasted broccoli
1 head broccoli
3 shallots, thinly sliced into rings
grapeseed oil (or olive)
1/4 c sliced almonds (or walnut pieces)
Pepper to taste
Trim broccoli and place in shallow baking dish. Top with shallots, drizzle with oil and use your hands to toss.
Bake at 400 for 20 minutes. Top with nuts and bake 5 more minutes. Sprinkle with pepper.

My new favorite dinner

Seriously. Good.

Dry rubbed, slow roasted, baby back ribs
Dry rub (inspired by a variation of a variation of an Alice Waters recipe)
1 tsp coarse ground pepper
2 tsp coriander
2 tsp fennel seed
2 tsp rubbed sage
2 tsp cumin
To prepare: Mix rub ingredients together and pat into all surfaces (especially meaty side) of 2.5ish pound rack of ribs. Let sit covered in refrigerator for several hours. Set on counter 1 hour before cooking to come to room temp. Drizzle with oil (I like olive or walnut).
To make: Turn grill on to the lowest setting possible. Grill over indirect heat, meat side down, for 30 minutes. Flip rack every half hour for 3 hours. Add a little more oil if absolutely necessary.

Did I mention there was slaw too? Especially awesome when apples are in season.

Waldorf slaw
1 bag shredded red cabbage
1/2 red onion, diced
1 apple, diced (something crisp and sweet!)
1 c sour cream (or greek yogurt)
1/3 c apple cider vinegar
1/3 c crushed walnuts
1 tb fresh parsley, chopped
fresh ground pepper to taste
Put cabbage, onion and apple in a large bowl. Whisk together sour cream and vinegar and add to bowl. Stir until solid ingredients are coated with dressing. Add walnuts and pepper and mix through. Top with parsley.


What I want for dinner every night...



Tomatoverload

You know that scene in Forrest Gump where Bubba lists every way to cook shrimp he can think of? The way my tomatoes are coming in, I think I might have to open up the BubbaGump Tomato Company. There's stuffed tomatoes, tomato fruit salsa, baked tomato casserole... You get the picture, now get the recipes.

I pick my tomatoes every 2-3 days and this is a typical harvest. The top two baskets are giant Chadwick Cherry tomatoes. From left across the bottom: Green Giant, Amish Paste and Margherita (in basket), Chancha red slicing, Sunsugar mini orange.

Fruit salsa
I make this as a summer topping for baked or grilled fish. We usually make it with a lighter white fish, such as rockfish, tilapia or sole, but you can put it on cod or halibut as well. The tomatoes I use are the little orange guys pictured at the bottom right in the picture above.
4-6 strawberries
1 kiwi
10-12 tiny tomatoes
1/4 red onion
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tb balsamic vinegar
fresh cilantro
Chop fruit, quarter tomatoes and dice onion. Stir together with garlic and balsamic. Top with chopped cilantro. Let marinate 30-60 minutes before serving. This makes enough for 2 large (like rockfish) or 4 small (like tilapia) filets.
Don't keep any leftover salsa, this doesn't save well.

Baked tomato casserole
This isn't much of a "casserole" per se, but it is a great quick way to use some tomatoes!
1 large green or yellow tomato (I use the Green Giants, bottom left in the picture above)
2 romas (in the plastic basket at the center of the picture above) or 1 red slicing tomato
2 tb almond meal
1/4 c shredded parmesan
fresh ground pepper
olive oil
In an 8x8 dish, put a little olive oil to cover. Layer 3-4 slices of green tomato and top with ground pepper. Layer red tomatoes, followed by remaining green tomatoes and more ground pepper.
In a small dish, combine almond meal and parmesan. Top tomatoes and bake @ 400 degrees for 15 minutes.
This makes 2 servings.