oven-baked red snapper & shiitake parcels

This Japanese style recipe is so delicious and easy, yet very very healthy.  It takes no time at all and you are rewarded with an amazingly flavorful meal. 

Ingredients:
4 red snapper fillets (100g each)
1/2 tsp vegetable oil, for brushing
8 caps fresh shiitake mushrooms, stems discarded
8 thinly sliced pieces of broccoli
4 slices of lime, sliced thin
4 Tbsp sake
4 tsp GF soy sauce
1 tsp. ginger juice (squeezed from grated fresh ginger)
tin foil

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 325°F
2. Put each snapper fillet on a piece of foil (about a 12"square), and brush with vegetable oil.
3. Arrange 2 shiitake mushroom caps, 2 or three slices of broccoli and a slice of lime on top of each fish.
4. Pour portions of the the sake, soy sauce and ginger juice over each parcel.
5. Gather together the edges of the foil, seal tightly and bake the parcels on a baking tray in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes.  Plate each parcel individually and allow your guests to open their own parcel.

WE loved this dish.  The fish is steamed perfectly in a mere 10 minutes

a simple lunch

Sardines.  Yes I know most of you are thinking ewwww.  But honest, sardines are a very quick and flavorful lunch.  I simply drain the water, mash them lightly with generous amounts of fresh lemon juice, sea salt, fresh ground black pepper and whatever herbs I might have around.  Then I spoon the mixture onto my favorite crispy rice crackers .

Sardines are loaded with omega-3 fats.  Omega-3s help with mood, thinking, circulation, and glucose and insulin metabolism; they lower blood pressure; and they protect against heart disease.  Plus they are loaded with calcium!  Sardines also contain iron, magnesium, phosphorous, potassium, zinc, copper and manganese, plus B vitamins.  And because sardines are real low on the marine food chain, toxins like mercury don't accumulate in them.

Tilapia served with peppers, onions and olives

Ingredients-

2 Tbsp Olive oil
4 6-ounce Tilapia fillets
sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
2 red bell peppers, sliced thin
1 onion, sliced thin
1/2 cup pitted green olives
1/2 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped
2 Tbsp fresh lime juice

Directions:

1. Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a large non stick skillet over medium high heat.

2.  Season the fish with salt and pepper on each side. Cook until opaque (about 4 minutes per side)

3. Meanwhile, in a second skillet, heat the remaining oil over medium high heat.  Cook the onion and the peppers, stirring often, until tender.  About 8 minutes.

4.  Stir the olives, parsley, lime juice, salt and pepper to taste into the cooked onions and red peppers. Serve the vegetables over top the cooked Tilapia.

Meat & Seafood Internal Temperature Cooking Chart- illustrated

I got my illustration on tonight and made you this chart. Use a quality instant read thermometer to check the temperature of your meat and you should be able to cook it perfect!

Firecracker Salmon and shiitake stir fry

We love this recipe from allrecipes.com. I bet you will love it just as much!
Ingredients:
2 wild pacific salmon fillets
1/4 cup peanut oil
2 Tbsp. gluten free tamari soy sauce
2 Tbsp. quality balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp. green onions, chopped
1 1/2 tsp. sucanat
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, chopped fine
1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 tsp. sesame oil
1/4 tsp. salt

Directions:

1. Place the salmon fillets in a glass lidded dish, In a separate bowl, combine peanut oil, soy sauce, vinegar, green onions, sucanat, garlic, ginger, red pepper flakes, sesame oil and salt. Whisk together well, pour over fish. Cover and marinate in the fridge for at least 4 hours.

2. preheat barbecue grill on med heat and lightly oil the grill.

3. Grill the fillets for about 3 0r 4 minutes per side. (Done when fish just flakes with a fork.)

4. Serve with wild rice and quick shiitake stir fry.


Quick shiitake stir fry:

Ingredients:

1 yellow bell pepper, washed , seeded and chopped
2 small heads of baby bok choy, washed, and chopped with the greens separated from the white part
1 cup snow peas, washed and hard bits removed
2 green onions, washed and chopped
2 cups shiitake mushrooms
4 cloves garlic, pressed
2 Tbsp. fresh ginger, chopped fine
3 Tbsp. peanut oil
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 Tbsp. Agave Syrup
1 Tbsp. sesame seeds
1 tsp. sesame oil
1 tsp. corn starch
1/2 cup water

Directions:

1. In a large skillet or wok, heat peanut oil over high heat add green onion, ginger, garlic, and shiitake mushrooms. Stir and cook for a minute or two.

2. Add the white part of the bok choy and the yellow peppers, stir for another minute or 2 and add the remaining vegetables, Stir until combined, add the soy sauce, sesame seeds, agave syrup and sesame oil, stir.

3. In a small bowl, mix together the water and corn starch and pour mixture over stir fry. Reduce a little bit and then take your stir fry off the heat.

Grilled Salmon fillets with Papaya Salsa

This recipe is adapted from my fav recipe source, the food network (Canada)

Ingredients:
Salmon Fillets-

2 large salmon fillets (about 250 grams each)- fresh Pacific Sockeye salmon
salt, to taste
fresh ground pepper, to taste
1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

Papaya Salsa-

2 mango's, cubed (google how to do this if you have not used mango's before)
1 fresh papaya, cut in half, seeds removed and cubed
1 small red onion, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 yellow bell pepper, diced
1 handful of fresh basil, chopped
2 cloves garlic, pressed
2 limes, juice of
1 tsp. lime zest
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Salsa-

1. Place cubed mango's and papaya in a large ceramic bowl, add the diced onion, peppers, chopped basil and garlic.

2. Mix in the lime juice and zest, add the olive oil and red wine vinegar and stir. season to taste with some salt and pepper. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Salmon-

preheat grill to med/high heat

1. Season room temperature salmon fillets with salt and pepper. lightly brush with extra virgin olive oil

2. Lightly brush the grill with olive oil as well

3. Grill fish, starting flesh side down for about 2 minutes per side until done (the flesh should all be opaque)

serve immediately with Papaya salsa.


um yah. it's really delicious. serve with a nice side salad like we did or rice or potatoes if you want your starch.

Maple Soy Halibut & Orange Ginger Glazed Carrots with wild rice

Ingredients for maple soy glazed halibut:
Maple soy glaze-
2 Tbsp. gluten free tamari soy sauce
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 clove garlic, pressed

Halibut-
1/3 cup gluten free tamari soy sauce
1/3 cup maple syrup
1 clove garlic, pressed
2 halibut steaks
fresh ground black pepper
vegetable oil for grill

1. Stir together soy sauce, maple syrup and garlic in a small saucepan. simmer over med/high heat until slightly thickened. 3-4 minutes. set aside 2 Tbsp. worth in a small bowl for use before serving.

2. Whisk 1/3 cup soy sauce, and 1/3 cup maple syrup in flat bottomed dish. place halibut steaks in a single layer in marinade. refrigerate for 1/2 hour

3. Heat barbecue grill med/high heat, scrape and clean grill and oil it lightly. place steaks on grill, cook for about 5 minutes, flip, brush with glaze and cook for another 5 minutes or until the steaks are cooked through.

4. Arrange on plate and drizzle with reserve glaze before serving.


Orange-Ginger Glazed Carrots

Ingredients:

1 lb carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch slices (about 2 1/2 cups)
1/3 cup water
1 Tbsp. organic butter
1 Tbsp organic honey
1 Tbsp. fresh ginger, minced fine
1 med. sized orange, grate the zest from the orange and squeeze the juice out (1/4 cup juice needed)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. fresh ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Place ginger, butter, honey, salt and water in a large saute pan and bring to a boil. Add the carrots, cover and simmer over med/low heat for 5 minutes. Remove lid and simmer for another 15 minutes or until all the water has reduced. Add the orange zest and the orange juice, stir and simmer for another 5 minutes. salt and pepper to taste before serving.

Omega avocado sardine salad

see title for "adapted from" link

Salad Ingredients:
1 tin of sardines packed in water (remove sardines from water and slice into thin slices)
1 ripe avocado, peeled, stone removed and diced
several handfuls of washed and dried -mixed baby lettuce
1/4 cup sprouts
1/2 small red onion , very finely chopped
1 Tbsp capers, drained and chopped
1 1/2 Tbsp. raw pumpkin seeds (without shells of course)

Dressing Ingredients:
3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp Red wine vinegar
1 tsp. dried oregano
sea salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Directions:
in a large bowl, lightly combine baby lettuce, sprouts, diced avocado, sardine slices , chopped onions and capers.

To prepare the dressing: In a jar with a tight fitting lid, combine olive oil, red wine vinegar, oregano and a little salt and pepper. put lid on jar and shake vigorously.

add dressing to salad, toss lightly, divide into servings (a couple), sprinkle with pumpkin seeds and a little fresh ground black pepper.

great for lunch, nice for dinner.

Masala Fish

This is really delicious. I mean REALLY delicious
see title for link

Ingredients for fish:
1 1/2 lbs halibut or cod
1 Tbsp. salt
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 green chili
1 bunch cilantro
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. chili powder
1 Tbsp. shredded coconut
3 sprigs of curry leaves
1 Tbsp. whole coriander seeds
1 1/2 tsp. curry powder
1/4 cup lemon juice

Ingredients for curry:
1/4 cup macadamia nut oil
3 tomatoes (chopped)
1/2 tsp. garlic (pressed)
1 tsp. curry powder
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. tomato puree
1/2 cup fried onions (fry your onions in ghee)
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Directions for Fish:
1. Marinate the fish in 1 Tbsp of salt and 2 Tbsp. lemon juice for 30 minutes
2. Deseed the green chili, make a paste with the chili and remaining ingredients
3. Wipe the salty moisture from the fish and smear with paste
4. Bake in oven at 400°F for 20-25 minutes
5. while fish is cooking, prepare the curry (see below)

Directions for Curry:
1. Heat the macadamia nut oil on med/high heat. Fry the chopped tomatoes, add the garlic, curry powder, ground cumin. chili powder and tomato puree. Add the fried onions and water.
2. Cover pan and let simmer until it is a thick gravy (about 3 minutes)
3. Pour over the baked fish before serving and garnish with chopped cilantro.

Serve with rice. (nice with a simple onion salad on the side)

Spicy Coconut Milk & Mango Poached Halibut with Coconut Crust & Sweet Mango/Ginger Reduction

Ingredients:
8 oz of Halibut or cod
1 1/4 cup organic coconut milk
1 1/4 cup organic mango juice
2 Tbsp fresh ginger, minced
4 red hot chilies, sliced very thin
2/3 cup shredded coconut
1 tsp. salt
1 ripe mango, peeled and cubed

Directions:
1. preheat oven to 250 F
2. combine 2/3 cup mango juice (set the remainder aside) , 2/3 cup coconut milk (set the remainder aside) , salt, sliced red chilies and 1 Tbsp ginger (set the remaining ginger aside) in an oven proof baking dish.
3. Preheat the juice mixture in the baking dish on the stove top on med. heat until bubbly.
4. Add fish and place in oven.
Bake for 20-25 minutes (until fish is opaque)


(Reduction)
5. In a small saucepan, combine the remaining mango juice, coconut milk and ginger and heat on med/low, stirring frequently until the liquid has reduced. (about 15 minutes)

(toasted coconut)
6. Heat a medium frying pan on medium heat, add the shredded coconut and stir frequently until golden brown. Remove from heat immediately and set aside.

7. When the fish is cooked, plate individually, serve with brown rice, generously sprinkle with toasted coconut and diced mango pieces and pour some of the mango/coconut reduction on the fish and rice for sweetness. Go ahead and use the coconut milk mixture from the baking dish as well. :) YUM!

Fish paka with palak

The Fish paka has a nice lemon flavor while the coconut is more in the background. We used cayenne pepper in the palak to give it a real kick. some leftover Dal from the freezer and basmati rice and you have a great meal. Brown basmati would be better but once again, we forgot to start it in time. :)

Fish Paka (From "Simply Indian" Tahera Rawhi and Hamida Suleman)
Ingredients:
3 lbs halibut or sole
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. chili powder
1 large lemon (juice of)
1/2 tsp. tumeric

Ingredients for curry:
1 3/4 cups coconut milk
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. garlic (crushed)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. tumeric
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp. garam masala
1/2 cup water
1 sprig of chopped cilantro

Method for fish:
1. Marinate the fish in the 2 Tbsp. lemon juice and salt for 30 minutes, then wash and pat dry.
2. Mix together chili powder, remaining lemon juice and tumeric and smear over fish.
3. Bake in oven at 400°F for 25 minutes or until fish flakes when touched with a fork
4. prepare basic fish curry while fish is cooking

Method for basic fish curry:
1.pour coconut milk into large saucepan.
2. add chili powder, garlic, salt, tumeric and lemon juice and bring to boil, stirring continuously for 3 minutes
3. add the garam masala and cook for 1 minute. add water and switch off stove.
4. Pour over baked fish before serving and garnish with chopped cilantro

Stir fry Palak
(see title for link to original recipe) our adaptation does not use mustard oil. mustard oil is not safe to eat.

Ingredients:
5 tbs. macadamia oil
1/8 tsp. ground asafetida
1 bunch fresh spinach leaves (thick stems removed) washed and chopped
1 tsp. dry fenugreek leaves
1/2 tsp. ground tumeric
1/2 tsp red chilli powder (cayenne pepper optional)
salt to taste
1/4 tsp. garam masala

1. Heat the oil in a large pan, add asafetida and then all the spinach.
2. stir fry the spinach, add tumeric, chilli powder, fenugreek leaves, salt and continue to stir fry
3. add 1 cup water and steam the spinach. sprinkle garam masala powder on the spinach and stir it in.
(lift spinach out of excess water and serve)

Killer Fish Tacos

adapted from Tofino chef Lisa Ahier's Killer Fish Taco Recipe (see title for link)

Everyone we serve these to loves them and they reach for seconds and thirds. really delicious.
Killer Fish Tacos
16 organic corn tortillas
1 lb halibut fillet, med. diced
1 lb wild salmon fillet, medium diced
1/2 cup chipotle chiles canned in adobo, pureed (or more for kick)
1 cup red onion, small diced
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tbsp kosher salt

Fresh Fruit salsa
2 avocados, diced
1 pear, diced
1 apple, diced
(feel free to use, raspberries, blueberries, peaches, mangos, whatever is in season!)
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
juice from 3 small limes
a bit of mango juice

fresh fruit salsa-
dice the ingredients fairly small. combine the fruit, avocado and cilantro (and lime juice) refrigerate until ready to use

Killer fish tacos-
dice the red onion and finely chop the chipotles

dice the fish into 1 inch pieces

pat fish dry and season with kosher salt. Heat oil in a large non stick skillet over moderate high heat. add the onions and sauté them for 1 minute. add the fish and fry for about 3 minutes until just cooked. add the chipolte chiles, stir for 1 more minute and remove from heat.
fill heated tortillas halfway with fish mixture and then top with fruit salsa (heat tortillas wrapped in foil in oven or individually in a skillet)
serve with Organic Refried Beans, sour cream (if you eat dairy) , salsa and brown rice.