On my most recent venture to the Union Square Farmer’s Market, I found myself constantly fighting to focus on procuring useful ingredients. I get so distracted by the beauty and bounty of fresh produce, that I loose track of what I need to aquire for my next meal. That day was definitely one of those occasions. I arrived home with a plethora of gorgeous fresh and somewhat unique produce and I wanted to delineate a little from my normal grilled corn or zucchini and tomato salad. To step out of my comfort zone, I flipped through my handy Moosewood cookbook and found an intriguing recipe for carrot and mushroom "loaf", which was perfect since I had snagged a bunch of carrots and a bag of cremini mushrooms. I also gathered some sweet potato greens, pimento padrao peppers, and what is a trip to the summer green market without corn, tomatoes and fuzy peaches.
Read moreDo The Cabbage Patch
On a recent sticky, tumultuously stormy evening, I was feeling like eating something with a spicy Asian flair, but decided against delivery…I always feel terrible for the delivery men when its pouring. So I slipped on my Wellies and braved the monsoon to head to Whole Foods to provision my meal. I am not always particularly enamored by the seafood selection or prices at Whole Foods. On quite a few occasions, I have had to augment my protein due to lack of selection or items being previously frozen. That evening was one of those occasions. I had originally envisioned grilling a steak of bloody red Yellowfin tuna, but compromised with some lovely plump fresh local diver sea scallops. I stuck with my original plan to make a spicy slaw, which would serve as the purple hued bed for the scallops. To start my slaw, I first made the vinaigrette that the slaw would be tossed in.
Read moreOH NO! Not Salmon Again!
Orange soy glazed salmon with ginger pepper salsa and black japonica rice with kale
Salmon can be boring, dry and flavorless and a lot of people feel inclined to eat it because of the widely advertised health benefits. Yes, salmon has a slew of healthy properties, but it does not have to be over cooked and bland. The gingery salsa, sweet and sour glaze, and crunchy kale with black rice created a nice flavorful and hearty balance that will leave you graving for your omega, protein, and anti-inflammatory fix.
This dish was inspired by a recipe that appears in the Canyon Ranch cookbook Nourish. For the salsa, I used a good amount of ginger, basil, red, green and yellow bell peppers, scallions, a little low sodium soy sauce, a splash of sesame oil, the juice of a lemon and lime, some fresh cracked pepper and some dashes of hot sauce. I made the salsa about an hour in advance to allow the flavors to meld together. The sauce, which was brushed on the salmon before pan searing, was composed of orange juice, low sodium soy sauce, agave nectar and minced garlic. The nutty japonica rice was cooked per the instructions and mixed with steamed kale. I mixed the rice with a little of the marinade and cracked pepper. I prefer my salmon on the rare side, so I only cooked the fish for about 3 minutes a side. The salmon was very moist and juicy, slightly crisp on the outside and bursting with flavor from the salsa and the marinade. This dish was very quick to make, especially with the advanced salsa prep. It was light, sweet, spicy and tart and was perfect for a hot summer night.
Ginger is an extremely beneficial root. It has anti-inflammatory properties as well as aids in GI discomfort, helps with nausea and is immune boosting. Salmon has a multitude of touted benefits. Not only is it an ideal source of omega 3 fatty acid, which decreases risk for cardiovascular problems, salmon possesses vitamin D, which lowers the risk for certain cancers, is integral for bone and teeth health, and aids with cognitive and certain organ function. Selenium is also present in salmon and aids in joint health, is cardio protective and helps convert the thyroid hormone to its active form.
Here fishy fishy……