Italian Salmon Pockets

I am approaching the 72-hour mark for my kickstarter campaign for Bowls of Love, and it is exhilarating! I am shamelessly plugging the cookbook everywhere I can, and I hope you all have had a chance to watch my video and check out some of the pictures from the book. I have connected with incredible people all over the world, each with a unique story why the project touches them. This experience has opened my eyes in so many ways, and the entrepreneur in me is quite happy.

Tonight's recipe was inspired by Giada's and was originally suggested to me by Mal. We went up to Ithaca this weekend for Mal and Mike's MBA graduation at Cornell, and it was incredible. Tons of great times, big laughs, and happy tears all around. More than anything, it made me really realize that Mal is on her way back to Stamford! There will be a few countries/trips in the meantime, but soon enough we will be neighbors sharing recipes (and memories) together just like the good old days.

This recipe is incredibly flavorful and a nice change from my go-to salmon recipe (post to come!). The salmon has a lot of juice from the tomato mixture, so it would be perfect served over zucchini noodles or your favorite gluten free pasta!

Italian Salmon Pockets: Serves 4, Prep time: 10 min, Cook time: 25 min

Ingredients:
- 4 salmon fillets (6 oz. each)
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, chopped
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1/2 lemon
- 1 Tbsp. chopped basil
- Salt & pepper

Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
2. Drizzle 1 Tbsp. olive oil on salmon fillets, and season lightly with salt and pepper
3. Mix the tomatoes, onion, garlic, lemon, basil, and 1 Tbsp. of olive oil in a bowl
4. Lay out 4 large pieces of foil on the counter
5. Put each salmon fillet (oil side down) on the foil, and top with 1/4 of the tomato mixture
6. Fold the foil packets closed, and twist the ends tightly (they should be sealed)
7. Bake for 25 minutes, and then serve immediately

  

  

Baked Sesame Nile Perch

After an amazing long weekend with my visitor from Dubai, the blog is back in action. I have so many great updates about life, love, work, and more, but I am going to have to pace myself! My old schedule of 4-5 posts per week is a bit unrealistic these days given my new routine in Stamford. We are officially in busy season at work, and I also am balancing a few health coaching clients. Things are going great, but I am excited to keep sharing new healthy recipes with all of my followers.

One of the stranger highlights of the past weekend was when Ry and I were watching Nik Wallenda walk across the Grand Canyon on a tight rope with no support, harness, or safety net. It was probably the most absurd thing I have ever seen. Besides the fact that it seemed impossible for something like that to be real, I could not get over how many times he praised Jesus, King of all Kings, his true savior. I can only imagine that he was deep in the meditative zone and using his spirituality to get across, but this was just hilarious. Thanks to Mal for sending me the recap... apparently I am not the only one who noticed: http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2013/06/video-wallenda-jesus-tightrope-grand-canyon-video.html

Tonight's recipe is a new fish I tried from Fairway a few weeks back. The friendly fish man convinced me to switch up my typical order and try out the Nile perch. I then found out that Nile perch grows to be over 6 feet long and 400 pounds. This puts the average Biggest Loser contestant to shame, so I had to go for it. It also sounded hardcore (and was on sale of course), so I couldn't go wrong. The fish is mild and flaky but thicker than the average white fish (think cod, tilapia, etc.). It needs to cook longer than your typical fish, but it was well worth it. The flavor was fresh and rich, and it was a bit meatier than other fish. I served mine over a simple spinach and tomato salad, but you can serve it as is with a side of roasted veggies or a quiona salad. Give it a try next time you see it at your fish counter!

Baked Sesame Nile Perch: Serves 2-3, Prep time: 5 min, Cook time: 30 min

Ingredients:
- 1 pound wild nile perch
- olive oil
- fine sea salt, pepper, and garlic powder
- sesame seeds

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Rinse perch and pat dry with paper towels
3. Lightly drizzle with olive oil and then season with sea sale, pepper, and garlic powder
4. Coat the fish with sesame seeds
5. Put the fish on a foil-lined pan
6. Bake for 30 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork

  

  

Spring Sea Bass Ceviche

Lots of updates from blog central! Since my last post, I have decided I am moving out of Boston and subsequently got my apartment rented, found a new one, worked in Stamford, went to a baby shower, and celebrated Passter/Eastover with the fam. It has been a wonderful and crazy week, and now the countdown for the big move is on. I am so excited for my next chapter, and I am looking forward to sharing my new adventures (and recipes) that I have along the way. 

Tonight's recipe is a beautiful spring sea bass ceviche that Ryan and I made in Dubai during a cooking class at the Taste of Dubai. It was an amazing food festival with all of the top restaurants and shops, famous international chefs, cooking demonstrations, classes, live music, and more. We had a great time, and we learned how to make our first ever ceviche. It is the simplest dish imaginable, and it is perfect for the warmer spring and summer days ahead! This recipe passes my test for freshness, color, texture, and taste. The recipe was a small one for two tasting plates, so feel free to double (or triple) the recipe if you are making it for a bigger group. Be amazed as the fish naturally "cooks" on its own when mixed with the lemon juice!

Spring Sea Bass Ceviche: Serves 2, Prep time: 5-15 min, Cook time: none!

Ingredients:
- 5 oz. sea bass fillet
- 1/4 cup chopped avocado
- 1/3 cup chopped hearts of palm
- 1/2 cup chopped papaya
- 1/4 cup sliced radish
- 1/4 cup diced red onion
- 1/3 cup chopped tomatoes
- 1 small chopped jalapeno
- 1 Tbsp finely diced garlic
- Juice from one lemon
- Sea salt & pepper

Instructions:
1. Slice the skin off the sea bass, and cut it into bite-sized pieces
2. Lightly season with salt and pepper, and squeeze lemon juice over the fish
3. Stir the fish so it is coated well, and let sit for about 5 minutes
4. Add all other ingredients, mix well, and serve!

  

  

Lemon Rosemary Salmon

Madness: I leave for my Dubai trip 3 weeks from tomorrow. To say I'm excited would be an understatement. I feel pretty sorry for whoever has to sit next to me on the flight over. The longest flight I've ever taken was 7 hours, so I think 14 will be interesting to say the least. I'll try to keep busy with movies, airplane yoga, paleo snacks, and hopefully some solid sleep. I watched Sex and the City 2 this past weekend, and I learned exactly what not to do while I'm there thanks to the shenanigans the girls had in Abu Dhabi. I will be full of stories (and new recipes) when I return, so get excited!

I had to share this picture on my blog. The other morning I woke up for yoga and the sun was rising and shining into my living room. That statue on the end table was my grandmother's, and it is the one thing in my apartment that I have of hers. The gorgeous sunrise created such a beautiful picture with the shadow of the statue. I felt like a little piece of my grandma was there that morning, and it was a perfect way to start the day.

Tonight's recipe is a quick and easy dish - beautifully cooked salmon in 10 minutes. You can buy some tasty wild-caught salmon frozen from Trader Joes for half the price of the fresh alternative from Whole Foods. It only takes a few extra minutes to cook, so give it a try!

Lemon Rosemary Salmon: Serves 3, Prep Time: 5 min, Cook Time: 10 min

Ingredients:
- 1 lb. fresh wild-caught salmon
- Olive oil
- 1 lemon
- 1 sprig of rosemary

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to broil
2. Place salmon filets on a foil-lined cookie sheet
3. Brush very lightly with olive oil
4. Cover filets with juice from the lemon and then cover in rosemary
5. Broil for 10 minutes or until fish is cooked through and flakes with a fork

  

Slammin' Salmon Cakes w/ Strawberry Avocado Salsa

Good morning from rainy Boston! Yesterday's cooking class was quite an experience. The turnout was lower than expected, but I still gained the experience of cooking food for 12 people for a solid 7 hours. Needless to say, my feet and back are tired, but it was great. I am separating the three courses into three different posts, and I hope you all enjoy the recipes. Before everyone came, I took out some interesting reading materials and also laid out some of my go-to paleo products so people could see some of the food I eat and ingredients I use. 

We started off the feast with salmon cakes/patties/burgers/whatever. I am going crazy over this canned wild salmon I found at Trader Joes, and I'm sure I will come up with some other salmon recipes over the next few weeks. Salmon cakes are incredibly easy to make, and they are perfect for leftovers. You can have one over scrambled eggs for breakfast, with a salad and sliced avocado for lunch, and with some roasted broccoli and a sweet potato for dinner! This is making me hungry...

Ingredients:

- 1 avocado, chopped

- 2 medium tomatoes, chopped

- 5-7 strawberries, chopped

- 1 lime

- Salt, pepper, & garlic powder

- Two 14.5 oz. cans of wild salmon

- 1 large onion, diced

- 3 eggs

- 1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp. coconut flour

- 2 Tbsp. dill

- 1 lemon

- Salt, pepper, & garlic powder

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees

2. Mix avocado, tomatoes, strawberries, and lime juice in a mixing bowl

3. Add salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste

4. Refrigerate so flavors meld while you prepare the salmon cakes

5. Add canned salmon to a large mixing bowl. Note that this wild salmon from Trader Joes (only $2.99!) has skin and bones. You can mash it all together to get the full health benefits.

6. Add onion, egg(s), coconut flour, dill, lemon, salt, pepper, and garlic powder

7. Mix well with a fork, and then dive in with your hands to solidify the mixture

8. Form into patties and arrange on a foil-lined baking sheet

9. Bake for 30 minutes and then remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes

10. Serve with a dollop (or two) of salsa

   

   

Paleo Seafood Trio

Huge news people! After meeting some great fellow paleo Bostonians last weekend, I was asked to teach a cooking class this weekend for a "Healthy Boston Adventures" meetup. There should be around 13 people coming to my apartment, and I will be cooking/teaching a 3-course paleo feast consisting of:

- Slammin' salmon cakes with avocado, strawberry, tomato, & lime salsa
- Acorn squash and grass-fed beef autumn casserole
- Crispy apple crisp (creative name, I know)

I just got home from Trader Joes after a huge shopping spree, and I can't wait for the class! I obviously love to cook, but this is my first attempt at a cooking class. I'm looking forward to teaching the group about paleo and showing them how easy and healthy the recipes can be. If it goes well, I would love to do more of them. I will post all of the recipes and a recap this weekend after the class! It should definitely be interesting because I have never made any of these things before, and I have to actually create the recipes before the group gets here. I decided to go with a salmon cake appetizer because it should be an easy, affordable seafood appetizer (and I just learned that Trader Joes has wild canned salmon). I absolutely love seafood, so on that note, I thought I would share a few summer seafood recipes I have made over the past few months. I highly recommend all three!


Wild Cod Lettuce Wraps topped with  Organic Peach/Avocado Salsa 

Ingredients:
- Wild cod (I used one frozen package from TJ - about 1lb)
- Olive oil
- Sea salt, pepper, & garlic powder
- 2 organic peaches, chopped
- 1 organic avocado, chopped
- Juice from 1/2 lime
- 1-2 cups brussel sprouts, halved
- Bibb/Boston lettuce cups

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Brush cod with a little olive oil and spices
3. Coat brussel sprouts with olive oil and spices
4. Bake cod and brussel sprouts for about 15 minutes
5. While fish and veggies are cooking, prepare salsa by combining peaches, avocado, lime, salt, pepper, and garlic powder
6. When the fish is cooked (should easily flake with a fork), pull apart pieces and put them in the lettuce cups. Top with salsa and serve with brussel sprouts. Perfect feast for roomie bonding night, right Katie? :)

Pecan Pesto Mahi Mahi w/ Summer Vegetables

Ingredients:
- Wild mahi mahi (I used one frozen package from TJ - about 1lb)
- Homemade pecan pesto (will post recipe separately - includes pecans, fresh basil, olive oil, lemon, salt, and pepper)
- 1 zucchini, sliced
- 1 summer squash, sliced
- 1 lb mini heirloom tomatoes, quartered
- Olive oil
- Sea salt & pepper

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Brush mahi mahi with a little olive oil and top with a dollup of homemade pesto. Bake for 15-20 minutes depending on thickness of the fish
3. While the fish is cooking, head some olive oil over medium heat and sautee the zucchini and squash for about 10 minutes or until cooked to your liking
4. Plate your fish on top of the summer veggie mixture and top with heirloom tomatoes


Very Berry Nutty Salmon Salad

Ingredients:
- 1 4-5oz piece of salmon
- 1-2 cups mache lettuce
- 1/4 cup raspberries
- 1/2 tomato, chopped
- 1 Tbsp. sliced almonds
- 1 Tbsp. raw sunflower seeds
- 1-2 Tbsp. paleo salad dressing (optional) - I used Steve's Original Wild Berry and love it!

Instructions:
1. Boil a pot of water. When boiling, add your salmon, cover the pot, and turn off the heat. 
2. Let cook 12-15 minutes
3. While your salmon poaches, arrange your lettuce, raspberries, tomato, almonds, and sunflower seeds on a plate
4. Top salad with salmon and add your favorite paleo salad dressing (or olive oil & lemon)