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!