salmon without garlic

I always make salmon the same way: lemon juice, olive oil,

salt and lots and lots of garlic.

Last night I was too lazy to get the garlic from storage (the garlic harvested from this summer)

so I threw together some spices and the results were great - so let me share them with you.

You will need:

1 piece of salmon fillet

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp curry powder

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp coriander

1/2 tsp salt

1 tbsp maple syrup

1/2 cup orange juice

Mix the spices and add the maple syrup to form a paste. Gently spread the paste on the salmon and allow to sit for a minimum of 3 hours in the fridge. Preheat the oven to 375, add the juice to the salmon as a baste and bake until done. Baste the salmon a couple of times while it is baking.

You can also broil the salmon for 5 minutes before reducing the heat to bake. I like it this way as well. The top layer of the salmon sears in the juices.

Lentil soup

Wet and dark days make me think of soup.

In my world everything has an association with food. Weather is a great inspiration for food ideas!

Hot and sunny means light food, easy to prepare and involving very little cooking.

On the other hand, this very wet weather speaks soup to me. Hot fragrant thick soup is a meal in a bowl. Soup is one of the easiest meals to prepare. You basically toss vegetables in a pot add spices, water and boil. Of course there is more to it than just that and the varieties are endless.

So let's start with a basic but totally satisfying lentil soup.

To serve 6 you will need:

1 and 1/4 cup red lentils

1/2 cup of rice

1 large yellow onion, chopped

1/4 cup clarified butter or olive oil

6 cups vegetable or chicken broth or water

1 tbsp vegetable stock seasoning (if using water)

t tbsp ground cumin

salt to taste

lemon wedge (optional)

plain yogurt (for garnish, optional)

Soak the lentils and rice in water and set aside. Heat the oil or butter in a soup pot and sautee onions until soft and opaque. Drain the rice and lentils and add to the pot along with water and seasonings. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Serve with a wedge of lemon or if desired try it with a teaspoon of yogurt in your bowl.

Eat Well

Be Well,

Stay warm, dry and happy!

Is it winter yet? Oatmeal is the breakfast of Champions!

I usually think of oatmeal for breakfast when I wake up to the cold, 

wet and dark days of fall.

It is a hearty meal that can be dressed up in many ways, eaten sweet or savory with a pinch of salt and pepper.  Yes, you read correctly - there are those who prefer their oats with chicken broth instead of milk.  In fact oats were the main ingredient in my mother-in-laws turkey stuffing recipe and not a spoonful was leftover!

The basic way to cook oatmeal is a ratio of 1:2 (oats to liquid).  Once the oats are simmering you can add more liquid for a thinner porridge or let them absorb all the water and become thicker.

I like to add a variety of spices to our oats -and yes, we eat them sweet.  Consider any combination of the following:

cinnamon

nutmeg

ginger

cloves

Dehydrated fruit adds flavour and nutrition to breakfast.  Try raisins, apricots, dates or prunes.

Fresh fruit, the ideal choice, makes for an easy way to sweeten without adding maple syrup. 

Grate or cube an apple and mix it in, or slice up a banana instead.

Nuts and seeds are a tasty addition and provide essential fatty acids, protein, calcium and other vitamins and minerals.

I like to sprinkle Grains Plus on my oats as it already has a mix of 6 organic seeds ground to bite size.

Enjoy your hearty breakfast!

Eat Well

Be Well

Fried Rice

What do you do with left over rice?   

I usually make way more rice than my family eats at a meal.   Leftover rice though, is never a problem, it is a dish waiting for inspiration.

The great thing about rice is it's versatility.  You can turn it into breakfast, salad, hearty dinner or dessert.   

For breakfast I like to reheat the rice in a frying pan with a touch of oil.  Once the pan is hot I reduce the heat to medium low add a bit of water (about 1 tablespoon) and cover to fluff up the rice.   

Eggs are a great addition to rice and so are frozen peas and corn.  

Scramble an egg or two in a bowl and add to the hot rice.  Increase the heat to medium high and continue to stir the egg into the rice.  Salt and pepper (maybe a touch of paprika or cumin) are really the only 'necessary' spices - they are the basics.  

If you would like to add something green then the list is limited only by what is in your kitchen.

I have mixed in peas (frozen work well as they thaw out at the same time that the eggs cook), small pieces of broccoli, onions, spinach, rapini, kale ... you get the idea.

This is a quick and tasty way to start your day.  Also makes a nice light meal!

Eat Well

Be Well

Enjoy!

Hot Weather Food

What do you eat in the summer heat?  

Fresh fruit and smoothies go down so well in the hot summer days.  

But what about dinner?

I like to make it easy, simple, fast and delicious.  

Salad!

Greens galore - a big bowl full of fresh leafy greens are the base for dinner.

The recipe is the simplest equation:

vegetables + protein + dressing = dinner

Vegetables

The obvious choice are salad greens, cucumber, tomatoes, carrots and peppers.

Try incorporating other vegetables like zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower and red or green cabbage.  Parsley, cilantro and basil can be chopped and added for more intense flavours.

Your salad will look and taste slightly different if you shred vs. chop your vegetables.  By finely shredding instead of chopping the vegetables you will find that more flavour and water is released.

Protein

Look in the fridge for leftover chicken breast from last night's bbq.  

Canned tuna is a fast and tasty protein idea as are chickpeas or hard boiled eggs.  

Dressing

A simple dressing of lemon juice, olive or flax seed oil and sea salt is a great base.

If time and an abundance of ingredients is what you have, then check out the Salad Dressing recipes below.

Eat Well,

Be Well.

Shakshuka – Poached eggs on vegetables

Shakshuka is an Israeli egg and tomato dish.  

Very simple and easy to make, all you need are eggs and tomatoes.  

You can incorporate other vegetables if you like, onions and peppers are a tasty addition.  

To simplify the recipe below, use only tomatoes.  

Use one small to medium onion and 2 tomatoes for every 2-3 eggs.  The idea here is to cover the bottom of the pan with vegetables so the eggs rest on them while cooking.  Slice onions and tomatoes thinly and you may also add peppers ( red/green ).  Sautee over med high heat adding water to prevent sticking.  Add 1 tsp of cumin and hungarian paprika (the sweet kind).  Use salt, chili peppers and cayenne pepper to taste.  When vegetables have softened crack the eggs on top and cover.  Reduce heat to med-low until eggs are ready (about 5-10 min).  

To shorten the time, add the eggs into the vegetables after they have started to cook, add the seasonings and toss with a fork to scramble the lot.  When done serve with hot sauce and Grains plus sprinkled on top!

Enjoy.

Garlic Tops

What to do with all those garlic tops?

As the garlic grows it forms a long green stalk with a white flower head.  

After it has grown and curled it is usually removed to allow the garlic bulb to continue to grow. By removing the scape the energy goes to growing the bulb not the flower.

Garlic scapes are in abundance.  If you have a food processor or a sharp knife, patience and a freezer, the rewards pay off big time!

Garlic tops have the same garlic flavour with less heat/spice.

Collect the garlic tops, slice off the flower and trim the bottom off a bit (about a 1/4 inch).

Place in food processor and chop until fine (it does take longer but a sharp knife works just as well).   

Now comes the easy part.

You can simply freeze as is and then when needed break off a piece when garlic is called for.

Use the minced garlic tops in your cooking.  Simply add it to the recipe as you would garlic cloves.  

You can also blend the garlic tops with olive oil and basil, parsley or cilantro and sea salt.  Place in a container, cover and refrigerate.  This will keep for months in the fridge and can be used raw to flavour pasta, rice any grain or vegetable.