Indian Roasted Cauliflower with Fenugreek Salmon

This is a dish I made for my lunches on the weekend. I am so obsessed with roasting veggies and having them with fish for lunch. I particularly like roasted cauliflower, the texture is so hearty and crunchy and roasting it adds so much flavour. Not: do not pick up with cauliflower with your hands after roasting because it will stain your fingers. I just got my nails filled and they are soooo pretty with sparkles at the tip so when I greedily ate the cauliflower with my hands I stained the tips yellow so it looked like gross yellow sparkles. But its ok because it faded now so I am no longer angry at this dish.

Ingredients

Yields 2 servings

Salmon:
2 single portion salmon filets
2 tsp fenugreek seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tbsp melted coconut oil

Cauliflower:
1 head of cauliflower, washed and cut into bite-sized florets
1 tbsp turmeric
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp mild curry powder
2 tbsp melted coconut oil
a drizzle of hot sauce (I used sriracha)
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Salmon:
1. Preheat a medium sized pan to medium heat.
2. Make a rub with the melted coconut oil and all the spices. Rub on the salmon filets.
3. Grill salmon in pan with a lid on it for about 6 minutes on one side. Flip to the other side and grill for another 2 minutes. Cook times will depend on salmon thickness, but each side should be golden and the middle flaky and juicy.
4. wow I thought there would be more steps...but you're done here!

Cauliflower
1. Preheat oven to 400 F.
2. In a big bowl mix the cauliflower florets and all of the spices, hot sauce and coconut oil so that the cauliflower is well covered.
3. Put the coated cauliflower in a large casserole dish or even a cookie sheet and roast in the oven for 10 minutes.
4. Take it out and check to see if it's getting soft. Stir it around so that the other sides get roasty. Bake for another 3-5 minutes. The done texture should be firm but a little soft on the floret side. They should also look a little golden and roasted.

Spicy Tuna Noodle Casserole

This is a classic dish that everyone seems to love and have a version of their own. We took Matt's family recipe and tweaked it a bit to keep it interesting. We added Dijon mustard and jalapenos to the regular recipe and it added a creaminess and a zing, if that makes any sense! The flavours compliment each other very well, so don't be afraid to try the unconventional combination.

 

 

Ingredients

serves 4-6

 

500 g elbow pasta (or pasta ends like we did!)

3 cups of shredded mozzarella

1 cup shredded cheddar

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

1 tbsp medium curry powder

3 jalapenos, minced

8 shakes Worcestershire sauce

4 shakes Tabasco sauce

4 cans tuna, drained

2 cans cream of chicken soup

1/2 cup bread crumbs

 

Instructions

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 F.

2. Prepare your ingredients: grate cheese and mix the two kinds together, mince jalapenos,drain tuna, and cook your pasta 3 minutes less than al dente.

3. In a huge mixing bowl, add the cooked pasta, 3 cups of mixed cheese, mustard, jalapenos, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco sauce, tuna, chicken soup and curry powder. Mix well.

4. In a greased casserole dish, spread out the mixture. Top with bread crumbs and remaining 1 cup of cheese.

5. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until the top is crispy and the cheese bubbly.

6. Eat with a green salad to balance the delicious out.

Meal Prep

This is what my Sunday afternoons consist of:

From left to right: chicken broth quinoa, wilted garlic kale, baja fish taco, lemon roasted brussel sprouts, lemon basil salmon, pumpkin pancakes.

Making food for the week. And this is only for breakfast and lunch for two days!
 

Chicken Broth Quinoa:

Rinse 1 cup quinoa and boil  in two cups of chicken broth with some salt and a drop of olive oil until all moisture absorbed. Top with sliced green onions.

Wilted Garlic Kale:

Put a drizzle of olive oil in a pan on medium, add a clove of crushed garlic and a dash of red chili peppers then a couple handfuls of baby kale. Move around for a bit, then add a tsp of water and cover with a lid to steam the kale.

Baja Fish Tacos:

For the fish: heat up a pan with coconut oil, add the Baja fillet, season with del orbo chili, chili powder, salt, pepper and lime juice. Cook until you can break it up. Top with sliced green onions. Eat with tortilla and guacamole.

Roasted Lemon Brussel Sprouts:

Cut the brussel sprouts into quarters and rinse well. Heat your oven to 350 F. Put brussel sprouts onto a cookie sheet preferably with a non-stick slip mat or parchment paper. Drizzle sprouts with olive oil, season with salt, pepper, lemon and herb spice mix, zest of 1 lemon, and lemon juice. Mix with your hands. Bake for about 20 minutes, moving the sprouts around a couple times, until the sprouts are soft and some of the loose leaves are roasty.

 

Lemon Basil Roasted Salmon:

Line a pie tin or something similar with a large piece of parchment paper. Place a salmon fillet in the centre. Drizzle fillet with olive oil, season with salt, pepper,  bit of lemon zest, and chopped basil leaves (4 or so), and some lemon juice. Wrap up with salmon in the parchment paper so that it creates a totally sealed packet. The fish will steam inside and keep the basil leaves moist instead of charred in the oven. Bake at 350 F for 15 minutes or less, depending on the thickness. I did this at the same time as the sprouts above.

Weight Watchers Pumpkin Pancakes:

 

For 1 serving: mix together 1/3 cup rolled oats, ½  cup egg whites, ¼ cup pumpkin, cinnamon to taste. I put sooooo much cinnamon in mine. I also let it sit for a bit so that the oats swell up and absorb the egg whites. This creates a more solid texture more similar to ‘real’ pancakes instead of feeling the oaty texture. Then you just bake them like normal pancakes with some coconut oil. Then serve them with a bit (as little as possible) maple syrup, mixed berries and fat free cottage cheese.

Greek Orzo with Shrimp, Artichokes and Spinach

This meal is great hot or cold. When it's hot from the oven the feta is all oozy delicious but when it's cold it makes for a great pasta salad. I was thinking it would be a great dish to take as a pasta salad to a pot luck since it's a meal in one dish. It has everything you need: veggies, carbs, lean protein and dairy!

Ingredients

serves 2-4

1.5 cups orzo, dried
3/4 cup very small pre-cooked shrimp
small bunch fresh dill, chopped
small bunch fresh mint, chopped
100 g feta cheese, crumbled
3 cloves garlic, crushed
3 cups baby spinach
4 green onions, chopped
4 artichoke hearts, in oil, rough chopped
1 tsp chili red flakes
1 lemon
olive oil
salt and pepper
Club House Greek Seasoning

Instructions

1. Cook the orzo until al dente and drain, set aside.
2. Pre-heat your oven to 350 C.
3. Heat up a medium sized frying pan to medium heat and drizzle with olive oil. Add minced garlic and the spinach and continually stir around until the spinach is wilted. Set aside.
4. Chop up the herbs, green onion and artichoke hearts. Take out a medium size casserole dish and add the cooked orzo, fresh herbs, green onion, artichoke hearts, spinach, shrimp, chili flakes and season with salt and pepper. Drizzle with olive oil and half the juice of a lemon and mix well.
5. Top with crumbled feta and sprinkle with the Greek seasoning.
6. Bake for 15 minutes and when you take it out of the oven, squeeze the juice from the remaining lemon over it.
7. Serve either hot or cold!

Zoodles & and Smoked Salmon

 

This recipe was a leftover recipe. The night before I marinated the salmon and Matt grilled it for me then the next day I made the “zoodles”. Zucchini noodles have many other names from the paleo community, along with many other methods for making this delightful substitute for noodles. Some methods include using a julienne peeler, or a mandolin, but I went the old school way and tried to slice them into noodles with a chefs knife.

 

To make this strict paleo, substitute the brown sugar in the marinate for maple syrup. I totally wish I did that, maple syrup on salmon as da bomb.

 

Ingredients

Yields 1 serving

 

1 salmon fillet (~150-200g)

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp low sodium soy sauce

1 tsp red chili flakes

1 tsp brown sugar

1 tsp fresh cracked pepper

1 tsp sesame oil

1 big zucchini or 2 small

4 tbsp diced red onion

1 handful of grape tomatoes, sliced in half

3 garlic cloves, crushed

1 tbsp Italian seasoning

1 tbsp olive oil

3 or 4 leaves of fresh basil, ripped

Salt and pepper to taste

 

Instructions

 

1. Mix together the extra virgin olive oil, soy sauce, chili flakes, brown sugar, cracked pepper, sesame oil, 1 glove crushed garlic and 2 tbsp of red onion. Place mixture over salmon and marinate for about 2 hours or however long you have.

2. Preheat your BBQ on medium with mesquite wood chips inside.

3. Turn BBQ heat down to low. Grill the salmon for 5 minutes on one side and 3 minutes on the other.

4. Zoodle time! Slice the zucchini to resemble noodles.

5. Heat a medium sized frying pan on medium heat. Add olive oil to pan. Fry the remaining onion (2 tbsp) until soft.

6. Add the remaining garlic (2 cloves), sliced zucchini, tomatoes, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper to the pan and combine.

7. Put a lid on the pan and cook, stirring intermittently, until the zucchini is soft yet firm. You want it to have a bit of crunch.

8. Remove the zoodles from the pan and place into a serving bowl then top with fresh basil and smoked salmon. Enjoy!



Fish Tacos

I'm on a big fish kick. I adore basa. So delish. Try these out! They are a healthier alternative to the traditionally deep fried fish tacos.

Ingredients

yields 1 portion

1 basa fillet

1 fresh Thai red chili, minced

1 tsp ground adobo chili

3 dried pequin peppers, crushed

salt and pepper to taste

1 tbsp olive oil

2 corn and wheat mixture tortillas

1 lime wedge

Cilantro, for garnish

chopped red onion, for garnish

sliced lettuce, for garnish

guacamole



Instructions

1. Start marinating your basa with the following - olive oil, thai red chili, pequin peppers, salt and pepper.

2. Make your guacamole, slice lettuce, pick cilantro, slice lime wedges, dice red onion.

3. Pre-heat a frying pan on medium heat. Add the marinated basa to the pan - you do not need to add more olive oil. Cook the first side for about 5 minutes and the second side for about 3 minutes. Once cooked through, break up the fish into flaky bite sized bits.

4. With a dry frying pan on high heat, heat up each side of the tortillas - for about 30 seconds each.

5. Fill your tortillas with fish and desired toppings and eat!

Coconut Crusted Salmon Drizzled with Sesame Oil and Spicy Green Beans

Again, terrible picture! But you get my drift. It's salmon and green beans. Simple! Quick! Healthy!

 

 

Ingredients

150 g salmon fillet

2 tbsp shredded unsweetened coconut

1 egg

salt and pepper

1 tsp sesame oil

handful of green beans, ends trimmed

1 tsp chili garlic sauce

1 tsp olive oil

 

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.

2. Whisk your egg. Dip salmon in egg.

3. Sprinkle both sides of salmon with shredded coconut, press the coconut down into the flesh.

4. Drizzle with sesame oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.

5. Put into an oiled pan and bake for 15 minutes.

6. While this is baking, steam your trimmed green beans for 3 minutes.

7. Put the beans in a frying pan on medium heat. Drizzle with a bit of olive oil and a touch of sesame oil.

8. Season with salt and pepper, add your chili garlic sauce, mix.

9. Saute for 3-5 minutes.

10. At the 15 minutes mark of cooking your salmon, turn the oven on broil for a minutes or so (watch it!) to make the top all crispy.

11. Enjoy!

 

Balsamic Roasted Salmon and Broccoli

This is one of my most favourite quick, healthy and delicious meals. I make it for lunch a lot and also when I'm on my own for dinner.

Ingredients

1 salmon filet (aprox. 250g)
2 handfulls of bite-size broccoli florrets
1/4 of a red onion, fine sliced
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp balsamic vinagarette
1 tsp red chili flakes
1 tbsp Italian seasoning
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 400 F.
2. Break up your broccoli florrets into bite sized peices. Slice your onion. Place noth into a small casserole dish with a lid. I use my Epicure cheese baker and it works perfect.
3. Season your broccoli with half the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, Italian seasoning. Season with salt and pepper to taste and all of the red chili flakes. Mix until well coated.
4. Place your salmon filet on top of the broccoli bed. Drizzel the salmon with balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Season with salt, pepper and Italian seasoning.
5. Place the lid on or cover with tinfoil. Put in the oven and cook for 15-20 minutes. At the 10 minute mark, check the middle of your salmon to see if it's flaking, then you can judge how much longer it needs. The thickness of your filet will affect cook time.
6. This dish is done when the salmon is juicy and flaky and the broccoli slightly caramalized, tender and crisp at the same time.