FABULOUS FISH SAUCE

I am not sure why, but this year I am really impatient for the fresh vegetables to be available locally.  So much so that I've been cheating and buying stuff like asparagus, cilatnro, and dandelion greens from faraway places. I've also been buying pineapple and oranges!  I think it has something to do with the fact that we are eating way more vegetables and fruit now that we've reduced the amount of grains, pastas and breads we are eating with every meal, and I am getting tired of eating coleslaw and carrots.  And you know how good a bunch of asparagus tastes with a piece of fish, or how your body craves the bitterness of dandelion at this time of year.  The only sad part is that now when the local stuff comes out, it won't be as special or exciting.  Oh, who am I kidding, it will be very special still.  

     To make our two to three times weekly fish eating experience more exciting, I tried out a new sauce the other night, which I adapted slightly from a cookbook that has been sitting on my shelf for some time.  It's called Grilling Genius, and the two recipes I've tried out so far have been great, so I'm thinking, hey, maybe he is a genius.  Both Scott and I were blown away by the awesomeness of this sauce, and I think it would taste great on shrimp, scallops, and even chicken.  Our son Faegan wasn't so keen on it though, he kept scraping off the "green stuff".  Sigh.

HALIBUT WITH INTENSE CILANTRO GLAZE

(adapted form Grilling Genius by Scott Givot)

3 sustainably harvested Halibut steaks

1/2 Tbsp organic sesame oil (raw)

1/2 Tbsp organic toasted sesame oil

1 Tbsp fish sauce

1 Tbsp organic brown rice vinegar

1 Tbsp wheat free organic tamari

1 tsp organic coconut sugar

1/2 cup organic cilantro leaves

3 cloves organic garlic

1 organic red chili pepper, seeded (optional)

1 tsp sea salt

Method:  Rinse the fish and dry with a paper towel.  Blend the oils, fish sauce, vinegar, and tamari.  Add the sugar, cilantro, garlic, chili, and salt and blend again.  Pour the paste over the halibut and make sure the fish is completely coated.  Cover the dish and marinate in the fridge for 1 hour.  Turn the fish halfway through.

     Remove the fish from fridge 15 minutes before cooking.  Lift the fish from the glaze and cook on a well oiled ot grill for 6 mintues on each side, or broil in the oven for about 15 minutes.  Brush the remaining glaze over the cooked tops when turning fish.  

SWITCHING IT UP

     This whole grain reducing lifestyle thing can be challenging at times, but I find dinner time the easiest meal to plan for and make.  Eliminating grain options from my diet has actually made meal preparation simpler in a lot of ways.  For instance, dinner usually consists of either beef, lamb, chicken or fish which I generally broil, and either a salad or cooked vegetable, or both.  Pretty simple.  Good thing too because all the mental strength I have left is used up the rest of the day trying to think of snacks and foods to feed the kids and I.  We've been eating a lot more eggs, raw cheeses, apples, nuts, seeds, and vegetables.  My favorite go to snacks are apple segments dipped in almond butter, boiled eggs, apples and cheese, applesauce, frozen blueberries, and yogurt.  When we do indulge in grains it is usually some sourdough bread I recently made (I will share that recipe one day soon) either spread with almond butter, or my favourite, topped with camembert cheese and apple slices.  Speaking of which, I can't believe how much better the French camembert cheese made from unpasteurized milk that I bought from the boulangerie at the market tastes compared to the other French one I bought at the supermarket.  It is like night and day, and doesn't cost much more.  This week we've also been loving Carrot Raisin Manna Bread made from sprouted grains spread with almond butter.

     Anyway, so back to tonight's dinner.  I've noticed that when it comes to chicken, we usually eat wings, drumsticks and thighs, or whole chickens (can you tell we all like dark meat?) .  But this week, I picked up a couple of packs of organic skinless, boneless chicken thighs from the health food store and made them tonight in a wicked molasses and marmalade marinade. 

MOLASSES and MARMALADE MARINATED CHICKEN THIGHS

8 organic skinless, boneless chicken thighs

1/8 cup organic molasses

1-2 Tbsp organic tamari

2 Tbsp organic orange marmalade

2 Tbsp grated organic ginger root

a couple of squeezes organic fresh lemon juice

1 clove organic garlic, minced

freshly ground organic black pepper

Method:  Place the chicken in a large bowl.  Squeeze as much juice as you possibly can out of the grated ginger over top of the chicken.  Then add the rest of the ingredients.  Toss to coat each piece of chicken. Allow to marinate for at least 2 hours.  

     Preheat the oven to 375*.  Remove the chicken pieces from the marinade and place in a cast iron skillet.  Place in the oven and cook for about 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked.

MASHED ROOT VEGETABLES

1 large organic carrot, chopped

1 large organic parsnip, chopped

1 medium organic rutabaga, chopped

1 large knob of organic salted butter

1/2 Tbsp umeboshi vinegar

fresh organic parsley, chopped

sea salt

Method:  Place the vegetables in a pot of salted water and bring to a boil on high heat.  Reduce heat to medium and boil the vegetables until fork tender.  Strain the water and then mash the vegetables with the butter and vinegar.  Stir in the parsley and serve.