OMEGA MELTS

Ok, so sardines are pretty much a superfood - one of the most concentrated sources of omega-3 fatty acids, full of vitamins B12 and D, as well as a very good source of phosphorus which is vital for bone health.  But lets be honest, how many of us eat them on a regular basis, and enjoy it?  That's what I thought.  Well, I am happy to announce that I have a sardine recipe that you will crave.  Once you try it, your going to ask yourself why you never thought of it before.

OMEGA MELTS

1 can of Atlantic sardines

1 can wild or organic salmon

homemade Omega Mayo, to taste (recipe follows)

2 organic green onions, chopped

1 organic carrot, grated 

1/4 cup lacto-fermented veggies, chopped (I used purple sauerkraut)

sea salt and pepper 

1 cup organic raw cheddar cheese, grated

5 slices organic sprouted or sourdough bread, lightly toasted

Method: Preheat oven to broil.  Drain some of the oil off the cans of fish.  Place the fish in a bowl, along with all the ingredients up to the cheese.  Mash and combine with a fork.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Sprinkle a bit of cheese onto each slice of bread.  Spread some of the fish salad on each top of the cheese.  Then top with the rest of the cheese.  Broil until the cheese starts to brown.  Enjoy.

If you aren't eating bread these days, this Omega Mash can be served with carrot sticks, stuffed into an avocado or red pepper, or rolled up in nori.

Don't be alarmed by the bright yellow hue of this kick ass mayonnaise.  You see, that is what something made with real eggs is supposed to look like.  Not only do eggs from pastured, organic, free range hens taste better, they are chock full of more goodies like Vitamins E, A, Omega 3's and Beta Carotene than confined factory farm eggs.  I supercharge this mayo with even more Omega 3's by adding flax and hemp oils.  A wee bit of coconut oil makes a nice thick and creamy spread too.

Most homemade mayonnaise only lasts about 2-3 days in the fridge, but this baby is lacto-fermented and so extends it to 2-3 weeks.

OMEGA MAYO

3 egg yolks (organic, pastured etc)

1 Tbsp organic apple cider vinegar or lemon 

(great way to use up herbal vinegars if you have them, I used Red Clover)

1/2 tsp sea salt

2 tsp local raw honey

1 tsp organic dijon mustard

1/8 cup organic hemp oil

1/8 cup organic flax oil

1/2 cup organic light olive oil

1/8 cup organic coconut oil

1/8 cup organic avocado oil

1 Tbsp organic whey liquid

Method:  Place egg yolks, apple cider vinegar, salt, honey, whey, and mustard into the base of your vitamix or food processor.  Blend on very low as you slowly drizzle in the oils.  When the mayo emulsifies, thickens and chokes the blender, it's done.  Pour into a jar and allow to sit on the counter overnight.  Refrigerate.

WHEN THE CAT'S AWAY.....

we definitely played.  My dad whisked away my eldest son for a few days, and so my husband and I have been leisurely accomplishing things we never seem to manage to with two kids around.  I harvested some nettle from the garden and made homemade pasta. Seriously good served with a filet of salmon in a balsamic mustard glaze.  I said, "Honey, you know what they say....the way to man's heart is through his stomach....".  A great way to say I love you. 

FRESH NETTLE PASTA with Fresh Tomatoes and Blue Cheese

The idea for using fresh tomatoes and blue cheese came from Hugh Fearnsley-Whittingstall's cookbook Three Good Things.  

1 1/2 cups unbleached organic white flour 

2 cups organic light spelt flour

3 organic eggs, beat lightly

1/2 tsp sea salt

6 cups fresh nettle 

Method: Wash the nettle to remove grit.  Remove leaves from woody stems and place in a pot with 1/4 cup of water.  Bring to a boil and then reduce, steaming until tender - about 4-5 mins.  Drain well and allow to cool.  Be sure to squeeze out excess moisture.  Chop finely.  

In the bowl of a stand mixer add the flour, salt, eggs and nettle.  With the paddle, stir for 1 minute on #2.  Switch to hook and mix for a couple of minutes.  Add more flour if necessary.  Then knead by hand for a couple of minutes.  Allow to rest in a covered bowl for 30 mins.  

     Use a pasta machine to make pasta.

SAUCE:  2 tubs of cherry tomatoes, quartered

1-2 cloves of garlic, sliced

sea salt and pepper

good olive oil

nice wedge of European blue cheese

Method:  Combine all ingredients and allow to macerate for at least 30 mins.  When pasta is cooked, toss with the tomatoes and then crumble on the blue cheese.  Season to taste with sea salt and pepper.  Stir lightly and serve.

SALMON with Balsamic Mustard Glaze

1 nice wild salmon fillet

4 cloves organic garlic, chopped

1 Tbsp organic white wine

1 Tbsp local honey or maple syrup

1/3 cup organic balsamic vinegar

4 tsp organic Dijon mustard

sea salt and pepper to taste

fresh organic oregano, chopped

Method: Preheat oven to 400*.  In a small saucepan combine the garlic, wine, honey, vinegar, and mustard.  Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for about 5 minutes or until it starts to thicken.  Allow to cool and then brush the salmon with half the glaze and sprinkle with chopped oregano.  Bake in oven for 10-15 mins.  Reglaze halfway through cooking time.

Salmon Heaven

What an exciting discovery at the fish counter at Superstore.  Fresh organic atlantic salmon! Once again this fish is farmed in Ireland, but this one is good.....so very, very good.  And not cheap.  $19.99 a pound which for 3 fillets was $25.  But so worth it.

ROASTED SALMON with Spicy Cauliflower

I adapted this one right outta Martha Stewart's Everyday Food mag.  

4 organic garlic cloves

2-4 anchovy fillets

1/4-1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

sea salt and pepper

2 Tbsp e.v olive oil

2 Tbsp anchovy oil (from the can) or olive oil

1 head organic cauliflower, cored and cut into large florets

2 organic atlantic salmon fillets

Method:  Preheat oven to 450*.  In a mortar and pestle, smush the garlic, anchovies and red pepper.  Then generously season with salt.  In a large bowl toss the paste, and oils with the cauliflower to coat.  Spread in a large cast iron skillet and roast until the cauliflower starts to soften, about 15 minutes.  

     Season salmon with salt and pepper.  Remove cauliflower from oven, pushing the florets to one side and place fillets in the centre.  Return to oven and bake until fish is opaque, about 15 minutes.  

GOLDEN RICE with Raisins, Cashews and Clove

This rice is unbelievably fantastic.

1 Tbsp organic butter

1 organic onion, chopped

1 cup basmati rice, rinsed

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp organic turmeric

1 organic bay leaf

2 organic cloves

2 cups water

1/3 cup organic raisins

1 handful organic cashews 

Method:  Saute onion and cloves in butter until the onion is soft.  Add the turmeric, salt, bay leaf and water.  Bring to a boil, then cover pan with a lid, reduce heat to low and cook for 15 minutes.  Add raisins, cover again and cook another 5 minutes.  Remove from heat, let sit 5 minutes, stir in cashews and serve.

Oodles of Noodles

My trip to the market this morning resulted in the purchase of two pieces of eco-certified salmon from Mike's Fish Shop.  I don't know much about what eco-certified means other than it abides to some sort of code that somewhat improves the state of salmon farming.  Initally I thought I was buying the fish just for Scott (he will eat anything) but once I started supper I decided to eat some too. It was very yummy, especially next to these awesome noodles.

TAMARI GLAZED SALMON with Nutty Somen Noodles

Salmon:

1/8 cup local honey

1/8 cup e.v olive oil

1 1/2 Tbsp organic tamari

1 Tbsp fresh organic lemon juice

1 Tbsp water

2 organic or the best you can find salmon fillets or steaks (about 1 pound)

Method:  Preheat oven to 400*.  Whisk together the marinade and pour over the fish.  Cook in hot oven for about 15-20 minutes.  Serve on a bed of noodles with the juices pour over top.

Noodles:

1 package of organic kamut somen noodles

1/2 cup organic nut butter (tonight we used some peanut, almond and tahini) 

1/4 organic tamari sauce

1/4 organic brown rice vinegar

1 Tbsp local honey

1 Tbsp organic toasted sesame oil

1 Tbsp raw organic sesame oil

1 handful organic fresh cilantro

2 cloves organic garlic

1 stalk organic broccoli, peeled and floretted and stalk cut into matchsticks

1/2 organic green pepper, slivered

1 organic carrot, grated

2 handfuls organic spinach, torn

handful of organic cashews

Method:  Combine the nut butters, garlic, tamari, honey, vinegar, cilantro and oils into a blender and process until smooth.  Boil noodles.  When noodles are almost done, toss in the broccoli.  When noodles are done, drain the water and toss back into the pot along with the spinach so it can wilt.  Pour half of the sauce onto the noodles and stir.  Plate the noodles, topping with the other veggies and cashew.  Drizzle with more sauce if you like.

Lunch for Me

The other day I was browsing around Sobey's.  I love grocery shopping and just checking out what is available.  This is especially fun at Sobey's because I don't normally shop there and so I never know what to expect to find.  To my great surprise I came across some organic Atlantic salmon from Ireland.  This was very exciting, especially since I started to crave salmon as I was walking past the fish department.  You see, ever since I found out about the sad state of salmon farming I have opted to not eat farmed salmon.  Which is really sad for me because I love Atlantic salmon.  It is very easy to find Pacific wild salmon in the stores, but I prefer Atlantic salmon which apparently is illegal to catch these days.  So I scooped up a pack and brought it home to cook for supper.  I was disappointed in the flavour and texture of this organic salmon and all my hopes for a new life of salmon eating disappeared forever.  I am hoping it was just in the Sobey's freezer for too long, so I will try another batch from a city Sobey's to see if there is a difference.  Anyway, so I had one more fillet left and decided it would taste ok in something like a fish cake.  I had some leftover mashed potatoes from supper the other night which made lovely fishcakes for lunch.

SALMON FISHCAKES with Sweet Potatoes and Capers

1 organic salmon fillet, cooked and flaked (about 4.5 oz)

1 cup organic mashed sweet and white potatoes

1 organic egg, beaten

1 very small onion, minced

1-2 handfuls of organic breadcrumbs

2 Tbsp organic parsley, chopped

2 Tbsp capers

sea salt and pepper

Method: Combine all ingredients in a bowl.  Mix together and then shape into patties.  Heat a cast iron skillet over medium low heat.  Melt some butter and fry the patties about 5 minutes on each side.  Serve over spinach salad

FALL SPINACH SALAD with Feta and Carrot in a Lemon Dressing

Organic baby spinach

Feta cheese, crumbled

Organic carrot, grated

Organic sunflower seeds

Organic lemon

Olive oil

Sea salt and pepper

Method:  Layer the vegetables, cheese and seeds in a bowl.  Squirt with some lemon, drizzle with some oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Toss and then add 2 warm fishcakes on top.