Simple Supper Friday: Salmon with Parsley Pesto Cream Sauce
Salmon with parsley pesto cream sauce.
I’ve been making an effort to try and eat more fish lately because it normally doesn’t happen very often. I’m aiming for 1-2 times per week and so far, so good. Otherwise, aside from my daily 2 oz of Green Pasture’s fermented cod liver oil, my wild fatty fish consumption is few and far between. Reason being, it’s pretty expensive and I’m kinda hit or miss with it. It doesn’t always taste good to me and I really have to be in the mood for it, unless it’s Loki Fish Co. smoked salmon. I love that stuff and can eat it much more often. Again though, it’s still expensive.
I think fish is much more enjoyable when it has a sauce, nut crust or glaze (remember my honey-lime glazed salmon?), so naturally, I whipped up a sauce. There will be leftover sauce, so feel free to mix some into warm zucchini noodles. It’s delicious and creamy.
Anyway, have a great weekend! I know I will…ring shopping tomorrow!
For the salmon:
- 2 wild coho salmon fillets
- 1 Tbsp grass-fed butter, divided
- Sea salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tsp fresh lemon juice, divided
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a 9×9 pan with foil or parchment paper.
- Place fish fillets skin side down in the pan. Sprinkle with sea salt and pepper. Then, dot half the butter on one fillet and half on the other. Then, squeeze 1 tsp lemon juice over each.
- Bake for 15-18 minutes or until fish is cooked through. Serve with parsley pesto cream sauce on top.
For the parsley pesto cream sauce:
- 1/2 cup curly parsley
- 1/4 cup cilantro
- 1 clove garlic
- Sea salt and pepper to taste
- Dash of red pepper flakes
- 1/4 cup raw cashews, preferably soaked
- 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 2-3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- Combine all ingredients in the food processor or a high-powered blender (I actually used my new Ninja Master Prep Pro System for this one!) and blend until smooth.
- Taste and adjust seasonings and olive oil quantity, if need be. Cream should be somewhere in the middle between thick and runny.
Simple Supper Friday: Mandarin Beef Stir Fry
Mandarin beef stir fry.
Whew, it’s been a busy day so far! I slept in until a little after 7 and then got up, changed, gathered my goods and drove to the food cart to replenish my treats. I was there about 90 minutes, then came home for a cup of green tea and a short bit of downtime before heading to Recreate for a 10 a.m. workout. I foam rolled and chatted with Jesse after the workout, and it was about 11:30 when I got home. Then, I cooked a big breakfast/brunch/lunch, whatever you want to call it (my first meal of the day) and enjoyed it in solitude. Now, it’s blogging and doing some other work at home. Then, after I finish my work, it’s on to studying exercise science and working on my homework. That class is really hard and complex, and I often feel lost when the teacher is lecturing. That equates to a lot of outside studying time to understand and know it!
Regarding the recipe, I’ve been getting a lot of citrus in my CSA boxes lately (grapefruit, oranges, mandarin oranges, etc.) and sometimes it ends up going bad before I use it. Jesse and I aren’t big citrus fruit eaters, so even if we do eat it, it takes effort and time to get through it. We like it, but it’s just not our preferred fruit that we would pick out ourselves. I actually don’t like grapefruit period, so Jesse is always responsible for those.
Anyway, as a means to use up some of the mandarin oranges we recently got in our box, I added some fresh-squeezed mandarin juice to this stir fry. I figured it would work well and boy, did it ever! I know it sounds generic, but the stir fry tasted so good with the mandarin juice. It really helped bring all the flavors together, and added a nice subtle sweetness. We ate our stir fry over scallion cauliflower rice (recipe below), but zucchini noodles or leafy greens would work as well. Heck, you can even eat it by itself.
For the stir fry:
- 1/2 Tbsp US Wellness Meats grass-fed tallow
- 1/2 lb skirt steak, thinly sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 stalks celery, chopped
- 3 carrots, chopped
- 1 cup shitake mushrooms, sliced
- 1 cup broccoli florets
- 3-4 Tbsp coconut aminos
- Splash of low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 mandarin orange, juiced
- Splash of rice vinegar (yes, it’s okay!)
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
- Sea salt and pepper to taste
- Melt the tallow in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and celery and let saute a couple minutes. Then, add the skirt steak and season with a little sea salt and pepper.
- Continue to cook a couple minutes, then add the mushrooms and carrots. Saute one minute more, then add the coconut aminos, mandarin orange juice, rice vinegar and red pepper flakes. Stir well, then after a minute or so, add the broccoli.
- Continue to cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. Once sauce has thickened up a little bit, after about 3-5 minutes, remove from heat and serve over scallion cauliflower rice (recipe below).
Yields: 2-3 servings
For the scallion cauliflower rice:
- 1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets
- 1 Tbsp grass-fed butter
- 2-3 scallions (green onion), chopped
- Sea salt and pepper to taste
- Add cauliflower to the food processor and pulse until it’s completely riced. If need be, you can do this in batches, depending on the size of your food processor.
- Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Then, add the cauliflower rice and season to taste with sea salt and pepper. Continue to cook a few minutes until cauliflower is heated through. If you like your cauli rice a little browned, you can cook it a bit longer.
- Stir in the chopped scallions and serve.
Yields: 4-5 servings
Easter Eats 2013
It’s hard to believe I go back to school already today, but then again, I did only have one week off. Anyway, I feel settled in again after my trip home to Michigan, and had a lovely weekend. It felt so good to not have any schoolwork and besides that, the weather was in the 70s! It felt incredible and I did my best to soak up the vitamin-D!
Look at all those daffodils in our back yard! Sun and green grass too! Hooray for spring!
Because this is already going to be a lengthier post, I’m going to recap about our Easter dinner and then talk about my Saturday in Tuesday’s post. Here’s a little precursor about Saturday though: sauerkraut tasting!
I mentioned on Friday that I was thinking of making deviled eggs, and so I did. I didn’t want to make a big batch, so I made just enough for Jesse and me to eat. I had never made deviled eggs before, but have looked at many recipes and eaten them before, so I knew the basic idea. These turned out great, and Jesse and I sat out on the patio in shorts and t-shirts while eating them. We also enjoyed some chardonnay in our new wine glasses that my aunt and cousin sent as a shower gift, and had some pleasant conversation.
For dinner, we had a petite ham from US Wellness Meats with a homemade glaze, pineapple chutney, a spinach salad and cooked asparagus. We had a cake for dessert, which you’ll see my note about at the bottom of the post. Recipes are listed below.
For the small-batch deviled eggs:
- 4 hard-cooked pastured eggs, peeled
- 1.5 Tbsp macadamia nut oil mayo
- 1/2 tsp yellow mustard
- Sea salt and pepper to taste
- 1/4 tsp dried dill
- Paprika for garnish, optional
- Slice eggs in half, lengthwise and carefully scoop the yolks out into a bowl. Mash the yolks with a fork and then add the remaining ingredients, except the paprika. Mix well and spoon into a small zip-lock baggie.
- Snip one of the corners from the baggie and pipe yolk mixture back into the egg cavity.
- Before serving, garnish with paprika, if using.
Small-batch deviled eggs.
For the ham and glaze:
- 1 2.5 lb US Wellness Meats sugar-free ham
- 1 Tbsp raw honey
- 1 Tbsp orange juice
- Pinch of cloves
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place ham in a foil-lined roasting pan and bake for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, whisk together the glaze ingredients. After 30 minutes, brush half the glaze on the ham. Roast for 10 minutes, then remove from oven and brush on the remaining glaze. Bake for another 10 minutes.
The chutney was inspired by a Whole Foods recipe, but modified to my liking. It was a wonderful accompaniment to the ham and together, it was out of this world (and the glaze was not overpowering or super sweet). I hadn’t tasted ham probably since early high school and boy, was it good! I’d buy this US Wellness Meats ham again in a heartbeat! Compassionate-raised pasture ham is hard to come by, especially one that is both sugar-free and nitrate-free. This is a major win.
For the chutney:
- 1 cup fresh pineapple, cut into 1/2″ pieces
- 1/2 medium red onion, chopped
- 2/3 cup orange juice
- 1 cinnamon stick
- Pinch of red pepper flakes
- Place all the ingredients in a medium-sized saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Continue to simmer for 10-20 minutes, until mixture has thickened.
- Remove cinnamon stick and serve warm atop of ham.
Glazed ham with chutney, spinach salad and browned asparagus.
The salad idea came together while grocery shopping for Easter dinner…on Easter Sunday. Ha, we never made it to the store on Saturday, like we usually do, so we had to go on actual Easter day. I expanded upon my salad idea as I assembled it at home, and the result was refreshing and summer-like.
For the spinach salad:
- 2 cups raw spinach
- 1/2 cup curley parsley, chopped
- 2 green onions, sliced
- 1/2 cup sliced strawberries
- 2 Tbsp chopped raw cashews
- 1/2 avocado, sliced
- 2 Tbsp Tessemae’s lemon garlic dressing (Whole Foods carries this line now! So excited!)
In a large bowl, mix together everything, but the dressing. Just before serving, mix in the dressing.
Easter dinner.
If you really want to know what I did for the asparagus, I melted 2 Tbsp of grass-fed butter over medium heat. Then, I added a bundle of asparagus (woody ends removed) and seasoned with sea salt and pepper. I tossed the asparagus occasionally and allowed it to brown and caramelize a bit. Once tender, after 5-7 minutes, I removed from heat.
We had a delicious chocolate cake for dessert that I will post about later in the week. I think there’s enough recipes here for one day!
I’d love to hear about your Easter, and what you cooked and ate! Feel free to share!
Simple Supper Friday: Fennel and Sausage Bowl
Fennel and sausage bowl.
Dishes like this one have been some of my favorite quick meals lately. There’s so much room for experimentation, and it’s easy to put together based on what’s in the refrigerator. It’s versatile and can be eaten for breakfast, lunch or dinner, and also serves well as a side dish.
I actually made this for lunch yesterday, and sat outside on my patio in the warm sunshine, while I savored each bite. It was in the 60s, which was lovely to come back to after the 30 degree temperatures in Michigan (thankfully, there was lots of sun there though). Lucky for us, the warm weather is supposed to continue and supposedly, it’s going to be in the 70s this weekend. Happy Easter to us, right?!
Speaking of Easter, I need to finish planning my Easter meal. It’ll just be Jesse and me for dinner and so far, all I know is that we’re having a US Wellness Meats sugar-free ham. I’m thinking maybe something with fresh pineapple and a seasonal veggie saute. Naturally, there will be some sort of dessert too because it’s a holiday, and I like to have dessert for holiday meals. I guess because it’s always been the tradition and makes the meal that much more special. Oh, and I’ve had deviled eggs on my mind, especially since my mom was talking about them in the car the other day, when driving me down to the Detroit airport. Funny, I’ve never even made deviled eggs before, but I have many good recipes to choose from.
What are all of you doing for Easter? Are you making anything special? Are any of you coloring eggs?
Ingredients:
- 1 chicken and apple Applegate sausage, sliced
- 2 tsp coconut oil
- 1 tsp grass-fed butter
- 1 small fennel bulb, chopped
- 1 pasture-raised egg, beaten
- 2 Tbsp low-sodium chicken broth
- 4-5 lacinato kale leaves, stemmed and torn into pieces
- Pepper to taste
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1/2 tsp ground fennel
- Dash of paprika
Directions:
- Heat coconut oil and butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sliced sausage and turn heat down to medium. Allow sausage to sizzle and brown in the melted fat for a few minutes.
- Next, add the chopped fennel and chicken broth, and continue to cook for a minute. Then, add the beaten egg and pepper. If need be, add a little more fat (butter or coconut oil) to the pan. Stir and allow to cook for a minute.
- Add the kale, red pepper flakes, ground fennel and paprika. Stir and allow to cook until kale is softened, about 1-minute or so. Add more pepper if needed.
Yields: 1 serving
Simple Supper Friday: Skirt Steak Stir Fry
Skirt steak stir fry.
It’s been a really long time since I made stir fry, and this recipe really hit the spot. I remember trying a stir fry variation a while back, but it was only okay. I think it’s because it was missing the salty flavor of soy sauce, tamari or coconut aminos. Soy sauce and tamari are both out for me because of the wheat and soy, and I avoided coconut aminos up until recently because they’re considered questionable on the SCD. Since I’m 1-1/2 years in on my healing process, I thought I’d give the coconut aminos a shot. Lucky for me, I had no problems. I used to cook with coconut aminos prior to eating SCD/paleo, because I learned a long time ago that wheat/gluten was not okay for me. Needless to say, I’m happy to have a bottle back in my refrigerator.
This recipe is flexible in the sense that you can use any protein or veggies that you like. I definitely recommend trying it with the skirt steak though. It works great for stir fry and cooks up quickly because of its thin nature. Plus, it’s oh so flavorful. I think I’ve said this before, but it’s one of my favorite cuts of beef.
This is great served with chopped raw cashews and/or green onion, and with an extra drizzle of coconut aminos. I’m not a sesame seed fan, but that would work well as a garnish too.
Ingredients:
- 1 Tbsp coconut oil, plus extra for eggs
- 1 lb grass-fed skirt steak, sliced into strips
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup shitake mushrooms, sliced
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 3 large carrots, chopped
- 1 medium broccoli crown, chopped
- 1 8 oz can sliced water chestnuts
- 1/4 cup coconut aminos, plus extra if needed
- 1-2 Tbsp rice vinegar (yes, rice vinegar is okay!)
- Splash of low-sodium chicken broth
- Dash of red pepper flakes
- Sea salt and pepper to taste
- 3 pastured eggs, beaten
Directions:
- Melt coconut oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and celery, and saute about 1 minute. Then add the skirt steak strips and season with a little sea salt and pepper. Continue to saute for a couple minutes.
- Then, add the carrots, broccoli and mushrooms. Add the coconut aminos, rice vinegar, chicken broth and red pepper flakes. Continue to cook over medium-low heat.
- Meanwhile, heat a small skillet over medium heat. Add a little coconut oil to the pan and once melted, add the beaten eggs. Allow to cook for a few minutes. Once it starts to set, lift the edges of the omelet with a spatula to allow some of the egg liquid to get underneath. When the omelet is stable enough, flip and allow to cook an additional minute. Remove from pan and place on cutting board to cool.
- Add the water chestnuts to the stir fry and stir. Turn heat down to low. Slice the cooled omelet into strips, then chop into small pieces. Add to the stir fry.
- Once everything is heated through and veggies are softened, but still slightly crisp, remove from heat. Serve over cauliflower rice or zucchini noodles (use a julienne peeler to make noodles). If desired, you can mix the cauliflower rice or zucchini noodles into the stir fry and then serve. Top with garnishes of choice and extra coconut aminos, if desired.
Yields: 4 servings
Simple Supper Friday: Chicken Spaghetti Soup
Chicken spaghetti soup.
The night I made this soup, I asked Jesse what he wanted for dinner. He suggested spaghetti squash with meat sauce, but I told him I didn’t feel like spaghetti. We’d been having it for dinner quite a bit and I felt like I needed a break. What’s funny, is that the recipe I whipped up is basically a thinner and soupier spaghetti sauce with squash noodles mixed in. Hence the name, spaghetti soup. So, I ended up eating a variation of spaghetti anyway. I guess I must have wanted it unconsciously.
Ingredients:
- 1 lb ground chicken
- 1 Tbsp grass-fed ghee
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 3 stalks celery, chopped
- 1 cup sliced crimini mushrooms
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 large carrots, grated
- 1.5 cups frozen kale
- 2 cups no-sugar added marinara sauce (I used Monte Bene Spicy Marinara)
- 1 26.4 oz box Pomi chopped tomatoes (or a 28 oz can)
- 2-3 cups bone broth (or decent store bought broth/stock)
- Sea salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 2 tsp dried thyme
- Red pepper flakes to taste, optional
- 1/2 large cooked spaghetti squash, scraped into strands with fork
- Italian herb-infused olive oil for drizzling, optional, but highly recommended
Directions:
- Melt the ghee in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the garlic, onion and ground chicken. Saute a few minutes, breaking up the ground chicken with a spatula. Then, add the celery and mushrooms and continue to cook, until the meat is fully browned.
- Add the marinara sauce, tomatoes, frozen kale, grated carrots, broth and seasonings, and mix well. Bring soup to a simmer, then reduce heat to medium-low and let cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the cooked spaghetti squash strands and adjust seasonings if need be. Serve with Italian herb-infused olive oil drizzled on top, if desired.
Yields: 5-6 servings
Simple Supper Friday: Garlic Butter Noodles with Turkey and Broccoli
Garlic butter noodles with turkey and broccoli.
I love when random, unplanned and experimental recipes turn into successes. That’s what happened with this dish. I needed to make a quick dinner because it was getting late, but wasn’t hungry for some of our go-to meals, like spaghetti. I only had ground meat in the fridge and had everything to make sauce, but really wasn’t in the mood for tomato flavors. Alternatively, butter and garlic sounded good, but then again, when does that combination not sound delicious? It’s a classic. Plus, I hadn’t eaten much butter on this particular day, so it was time to change that.
Ingredients:
- 1 lb ground turkey thighs
- 2-3 Tbsp grass-fed butter
- *1 medium cooked spaghetti squash, scraped with a fork to make noodles
- 2 cups chopped broccoli florets
- Sea salt and pepper to taste
- 4 cloves minced garlic cloves, separated
- Pinch of red pepper flakes, optional
Directions:
- Heat a large pan over medium heat and add the ground turkey. If necessary, add a little fat to the pan. Break up the turkey with a spatula and let cook for a couple minutes.
- Next, add three of the minced garlic cloves and the broccoli. Season to taste with sea salt and pepper. Continue to cook for several minutes, until meat is browned. Once meat is cooked through, pour mixture into a bowl and set aside.
- In the same pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the one remaining clove of minced garlic and saute for about 30 seconds, or until fragrant. Reduce heat to low, and add the spaghetti squash strands, tossing with the butter and garlic.
- Add the meat and broccoli mixture to the pan and toss with the squash. Season to taste with more sea salt and pepper, if needed. Add red pepper flakes, if using.
- Remove from heat and serve.
Yields: 4 servings
*If you’ve never cooked a spaghetti squash, it’s simple. I adhere to the following directions:
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Cut spaghetti squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds.
- Place cut side down on a baking sheet or roasting pan, and fill with about 1/4-inch of water.
- Bake in oven for 30-35 minutes. Be careful not to overcook or your strands will be mushy.
- Let cool and then scrape out the squash strands with a fork.
Garnish with extra red pepper flakes, if desired.
