Salmon 2 Ways

Salmon whether wild or farm raised has great health benefits in the form of Omega-3 fatty acids. Salmon is high in protein, and low in fat and calories. Omega-3 essential fatty acids help prevent diseases such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes, high blood pressure, etc. 

Recipe I

This is an easy way to get someone to eat Salmon who might not otherwise eat it. 

Miso Glazed Salmon

Ingredients:

4- Salmon steaks

1- Tablespoon Red Miso Paste (IT MUST BE RED) You will find this in the refrigerated section of your market where won tons are found. Whole Foods is a reliable source. 

2 Tablespoons plus 1 1/2 teaspoons granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon minced garlic

1/4 teaspoon, peeled and grated fresh ginger

1 Tablespoon Sesame Oil (toasted/Asian)

1 Tablespoon Mirin (found in the Asian section of your market

1/2 teaspoon soy sauce

1 large ziploc 

Combine all the above ingredients and place in a ziploc. Add the salmon steaks and marinate for 1 hour. 

To Cook:

Heat a large non-stick frying pan or grill pan. You will need a lid too! Add a little canola oil to the pan and when it is hot remove the salmon from marinade. Save the marinade. Place in pan skin side down and cook for 4-5 minutes. Turn the Salmon over and cook another 5 minutes. The rule is 10 minutes per 1 inch. Test with the sharp point of a knife to make sure the salmon is opaque inside. Just before removing fish, add the remainder of the marinade and let it thicken. Glaze with Salmon and serve. 

Recipe II

Cedar Planked Salmon

1- Cedar Plank, soaked overnight in water ( I found mine at Restoration Hardware, some markets carry them)

4 -Salmon Fillet Steaks

1 clove minced garlic

salt 

pepper

1 tablespoon butter

Fire up the barbecue. When hot, add the cedar plank and let the edges burn a little. The burning edges create the flavor. Season the salmon with salt and pepper. Rub garlic and olive oil over the surface. Turn the plank over and place the salmon on top skin side down. Cook 5 minutes and turn it over and continue cooking. Follow the rule of 10 minutes per 1 inch thickness. When done remove to a serving platter and spread soft butter over the top of the steaks. 

I served my salmon with cherry tomatoes sauteed in olive oil and pieces of garlic and sprinkling of parsley. An easy salad would be leaf lettuce, blue cheese crumbles, toasted walnuts, raisins or cranberries with a drizzle of olive oil and lemon juice. Keep it easy and enjoy the pleasure of eating a meal with those you love.  

Everything Old is New Again!

I recently received a gift from one of our patients. It arrived in a humble cardboard box with a very sweet note attached. Inside was a small set of deer antlers.  One of our physicians was so funny, he just couldn't get over someone giving a gift like that. He said he thought that was the strangest gift he had ever seen someone receive. Now I'm a vegetarian and it did shake me a little as I saw the raw state they were in. I sought advice from decorators and artisans and Sarah, Tracy Porter's friend offered the best advice. She brought up a good point that these antlers could have come from an animal that died of natural causes. It was possible since they came from a very remote part of our area. She suggested that I go for the chateau look where antlers and sumptuous artifacts are common. I looked through the book, "the New Eighteenth-Century Style: Rediscovering a French Decor by Michele Lalande. 

This is what I came up with. I realize this is not every one's style, but it works for me. The whole layout has layers of meaning to me from the selection of pictures to the heart shaped rocks on the raw marble tabletop to the aging worn books. It is my little piece of chateau living.  I encourage you to develop your own style. Create a look that is meaningful and timeless. 

We love Chi-n-ese (salad) if- you- please!

Click on pictures to see in larger format.

Classic Chinese Chicken Salad

I once served this salad in mini individual won ton cups for 300 guests at a friends wedding. Don't be alarmed at the amount of salt in this dressing. The salad itself doesn't get salted. Trust me, unless you have health issues, be brave and try it! Then modify as you like. Make it your own.

SALAD:

1 Whole pre-cooked chicken found at the market, de-boned and shredded

1 head Napa cabbage, washed, outer leaves removed and sliced into shreds

1 head Romaine lettuce, washed, outer leaves removed and slice into shreds

1 bunch green onions, washed, remove 1/2 of the top green parts and slice thinly

Shredded carrots, I buy pre-washed, ready to go. Use to your liking. 

Toasted Almonds (I buy mine at Trader Joe's already toasted) Use the amount you would like.

1 15-ounce can mandarin oranges, drained

1 small package won ton wrappers (found in the cold case at your market)

Canola oil to cook won tons

DRESSING:

1/4 cup granulated sugar (make sure it is a full measurement)

2 teaspoons salt

1-teaspoon ground pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

2 tablespoons sesame oil (found in the oil or Asian section of your market)

6 tablespoons rice wine vinegar (no substitutions please, must be rice wine vinegar)

1/2 cup canola oil

Step 1:

Make won ton strips. Cut 1/2 of the won ton wrappers into 4 strips each. You can cut a bunch at a time. 

Using a small deep saucepan, over medium high heat, add 2 inches of canola oil. Test the hotness of oil with 1 won ton strip. When oil turns won tons golden brown, remove  and drain on paper towels. THIS WILL GO QUICKLY! 

Make the dressing in a lidded jar (shake well) or blender. 

Add 1/2 of the dressing to the salad. Mix well. Taste to see if you have enough dressing. Add more dressing if needed. Be sure to mix in the toasty won ton strips. 

Interesting Fact:

USC and UCLA ran studies on diets that were rich in salads and raw vegetables. They found those studied had folic acid, vitamins C & E, lycopene, and alpha and beta carotene in their blood streams. This shows the quickness of our bodies to assimilate healthy foods.  

Spring has come again!

I am a pack rat as was my father. Some might say it was his worst trait, I say it was his best. While I am on a "debt diet" I must invent ways to recreate from what I have. This is just an inspirational snippet. 

Always keep your eye peeled for end-of-the-season sales on high-quality faux greens, berries and flowers. They can always be re-purposed in so many directions. Here are my spring re-do's. 

I checked the price of topiary at my local Home Goods store. They were reasonably priced, but I wanted a "deal". I thought about what I already had around the house. Many years ago my daughter gave me some fine quality olive branches that were being tossed out from her store's display. I had recently bought a bougie flower pot from Anthropologie. I was out of oasis foam so I used a large piece of bubble wrap, plugged in my hot glue gun and pulled out some moss from my "stash".  Determining the height I wanted I snipped off  the excess stem and intertwined them to create a cohesive look. Next, I folded the bubble wrap to fit inside my pot and then removed it and wound it around the base of the branches. I hot glued it in place inside my pot. I covered the bubble wrap with moss glueing it in securely. The leaves and olives needed fluffing and I coaxed them into a ball shape. 

I had another chippy, agey pot I got at Anthro. I took styrofoam balls leftover from a holiday project and covered them with moss, securing them with gold embroidery thread. Plopped on a stack of books, it adds springy wonderfulness.

I have a French aluminium hanging garden can I picked up on sale from a little French store and I  dropped a few faux mossy pebbles inside (from Z Gallerie, on sale of course!), snipped some lavender and boxwood from my garden, nestled in a small rustic nest. So easy!

Be on the lookout for great pots, they are usually inexpensive, but when dressed, they really pack some decorating punch. 

As I stroll through the LUSH GARDEN, I am in awe that not long ago this was once a MUDDLED DOODLE on graph paper...Carolyne Roehm

click on the pictures to see them in a larger format

 

Live Healthy, eat more plants!

It's a fact! You will feel better and enjoy great health if you will eat more plants along with taking a great walk or some form of exercise every day. I prefer a vegetarian lifestyle. On Sundays, I try to make a salad or soup for my work lunch that will last 3-4 days. Lately, the teenager in our house (Kailey) has jumped on the bandwagon and likes to take salads to school for her lunch too! This one is kid tested and approved. What Kailey loves are, potatoes, green beans, olives, feta, parsley, bell pepper, but not so much the white kidney beans also known as Cannellini beans. I need them for protein, so she picks them out and I get a double portion. If you don't want to add the beans, add crisp, crumbled bacon. 

Green and White Bean Salad a la Mediterranean

1-pound small potatoes (I use Trader Joe's red, white and blue mix mini potatoes, cooked in the microwave. Pierce each clean potato with a knife and place them in the microwave for about 6 minutes turning them over part way through the cooking process) Do be careful not to overcook them and remove the tender ones as they are done. 

1/4 red bell pepper, cut into 1/4 inch dice

1 medium sweet onion, peeled and 1/4 inch dice

3 ounces Feta Cheese (At Trader Joe's it comes already crumbled)

1-pound Cherry tomatoes, washed

1-bunch flat leaf parsley, remove stems and chop (this is a powerhouse of green goodness)

4 ounces pitted Kalamata olives, (again Trader Joe's, cut olives in 1/2)

1 15-ounce can White Kidney Beans or Cannellini Beans (yes Trader Joe's has these)

1 pound thin green beans AKA Haricot Vert (we got ours at our Farmers Market, but the grocer ones work just as well. Look for thin, def not thick beans). Cut beans into 1 1/2 inch lengths

zest and juice of one lemon

6 Tablespoons Olive oil, I use organic extra virgin (Trader Joe's)

salt and ground pepper to your taste 

To begin:

Start your potatoes.

Next, you will need a large skillet. I used cast iron. Heat your pan over medium + heat then add 2 tablespoons olive oil. 

Add diced onions and saute until golden and caramelized. 

Add green beans and saute approximately 4 minutes. Beans should still be green and crisp. Season with salt and pepper. 

Add white beans and heat through and check seasoning. 

If your potatoes are done, quarter them and add a titch more olive oil to pan with beans and onions. Toss in the potatoes and cherry tomatoes. Season. You could also add ground garlic powder (not salt)

Get a large bowl ready.

Add lemon zest and juice to the bowl and 4 tablespoons olive oil. Whisk to combine and season with ground pepper and salt. BTW I love the disposable salt and peppers mills at Trader Joe's. 

Add  to dressing bell pepper and parsley. Now add all the hot ingredients and mix to coat all the vegetables with dressing. How does it taste? Potatoes take more salt than many other vegetables. When salad begins to cool, add the Feta cheese. 

I store my salad in a big ziploc and take a portion to work every day. 

 Serve warm or at room temperature.