Skillet Salmon with Quinoa, Feta & Arugula

[Photographs: Yasmin Fahr]

Author:  Yasmin Fahr, Serious Eats Blog Contributor

Salmon seems to be one of those fishes that people either love or hate. Well, salmon lovers, or even haters, this recipe is easy and healthy, so you can get your fill of omega-3 fatty acids, protein and some greens all in one fell swoop.
Searing the salmon gives it a crispy skin and then finishing it on top of the quinoa helps avoid overcooking the fish, which unfortunately happens all too often. I'm partial to Bulgarian feta, which tends to be brinier and creamier than other types of feta, but go with your preference or what's available in a supermarket by you.

Ingredients

• 4 (6-oz) skin-on salmon filets
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 ½ tablespoons light olive oil
• 2 cups water or homemade or store-bought low sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup pre-washed or rinsed quinoa
• 1 ½ cups baby arugula
• 2 scallions, white and light green parts, thinly sliced
• ½ cup crumbled feta cheese (about 4 ounces)
• 2 tablespoons fresh squeezed juice from 1 lemon
• 1 to 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Procedure

1. Season the salmon with salt and pepper. Heat the canola oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add the salmon skin-side down and cook without moving until skin is crisp, 2-3 minutes. Carefully remove salmon with a thin metal fish spatula and set on a large plate skin-side-up.
    
2. In the same skillet, bring 2 cups of water to an active boil and generously season with salt. Add the quinoa and allow to cook for exactly 9 minutes.
    
3. Lower the heat to medium-low, stir in the arugula, scallion, feta and place the salmon back on top, skin-side up, cover and cook until the salmon is barely cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes longer. Portion out the quinoa and salmon and drizzle with fresh lemon juice and extra-virgin olive oil. Serve immediately.

About the Author: Yasmin Fahr is a food lover, writer, and cook. Follow her @yasminfahr for more updates on her eating adventures and discoveries, which will most likely include tomatoes. And probably feta. Happy eating!

The Food Police Are OK With Killing Us Slowly

So, OK, this is a rant........I'm reading Joel Salatin's latest book "Folks This Ain't Normal" right now and he has me all fired up all over again about the sanity, or lack thereof, that exists in our current US food system.  I highly recommend this book as a "Must Read" for all humans with a gut (our 2nd brain).  It's a manifesto of what is wrong about our current system and the "Food Police" that run it.  Mr. Salatin also offers ideas at the end of each chapter that I recommend we all really need to put in action by doing.  

Basically, this book illustrates what one farming family is doing to take back control of their food supply while also being good stewards of the land they love.  I adore Joel's sense of outrage and admire his common sense approach that could return us all to a more normal, natural way of living. And it's also a reminder that we've given over control to agencies and corporations that really don't give a rat's ass about our health.

As a holistic nutrition coach I get the opportunity to ask clients some tough and pretty personal questions.  You see, the health assessment questions all get back to "What are you putting in your mouth and what is coming out the other end".  Many times these questions are the first time they have given more than a passing thought to what they are actually putting into their body.  The challenge for me is to open their minds, leading them to make their own connections to what they eat and how they feel without scaring the crap out of them (literally).  That would only add more stress to their situation!

Another great read is this article by Dr. Mercola in Health Impact News Daily:
American Foods Chockfull of Ingredients Banned in Other Countries
“The food industry does not want us to pay attention to the ingredients nor do they care about the negative effects from eating them. They certainly don’t care about the astronomical medical bills that are a direct result of us eating the inferior food they are creating,” Vani Hari writes.
“…We as a collective nation must stop this trajectory of sickness and rising health care costs, by understanding the ingredients we are putting into our bodies. We must challenge the U.S. food industry to discontinue the use of banned ingredients that are not allowed elsewhere in the world. We deserve to have the same quality food without potential toxins.”

So, what are you willing to do today to stop the "Killing Me Softly" areas in your life? 

I'm voting with my wallet, choosing local producers at our Farmer's Market instead of the big conglomerate grocery stores.  We're also growing as much of our own eggs and produce as possible, buying meat from local sustainable ranchers.  Who's in to doing the same and more?


 

Vegan....Raw....Chocolate Pudding from Beautiful-Vegan.com

Chocolate pudding that's good for you!?

You're going to freak out when I tell you that it takes only 3 minutes to prepare...

In a blender, mix:

1 avocado (pitted and peeled, of course) -should be a ripe one
3 heaping Tablespoons of raw cocoa powder (you can use normal cocoa powder if you don't have raw)- *make sure it's fair trade though!
1/3 cup raw agave nectar
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 teaspoon vanilla extract (or the scrapings from a vanilla bean pod)
1/2 cup water (or more depending if your blender wants more water to work or not)-sometimes it needs quite a bit more.

Make sure it's really creamy, use a spatula to get the pieces of avocado that get missed. And that's it. I know it sounds weird to make chocolate pudding with avocado, but it turns out creamy and absolutely delicious! My son's friends (who are not vegan) love it and ask me to make it when they are over. It can be used for a breakfast, snack or formal desert. Just add berries (especially strawberries) or use it as a fondue with cut up bananas and other goodies. this recipe serves 2 big bowls. 

Freeze it in a container and it looks like this when you scoop it out:

 

If it's too hard let it thaw a bit before serving.

Raw cacao has lots of antioxidants, and...
"Avocados provide nearly 20 essential nutrients, including fiber, potassium, Vitamin E, B-vitamins, and folic acid.  They also act as a "nutrient booster" by enabling the body to absorb more fat-soluble nutrients, such as alpha and beta-carotene and lutein, in food that are eaten with the fruit"

 

Avocados and Cardiovascular Disease

"Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, but a healthy diet and exercise plan may help reduce your risk of developing the life-threatening illness.  The American Heart Association (AHA) Dietary Guidelines recommend a diet that has at least five servings of fruits and vegetables, contains up to 305 of calories from fats (primarily unsaturated) and is low in saturated fat, cholesterol, trans fats, and sodium while being rich in potassium.  Avocados can help you meet the AHA dietary guidelines because they have both monosaturated and polyunsaturated fat and contain potassium." (Info taken from http://www.avocado.org/nutrition/)

 

Giovanni's Hawaiian Garlic Shrimp

Brought to you by the JonesBrand Crew:
This recipe was inspired by a recent trip to the North Shore. We traveled up through Haleiwa and had to stop at the famous, mouth watering, shrimp trucks for some lunch. My hat is off to the folks at Giovanni's Famous Shrimp… their Aloha Shrimp is No Ka Oi! Below is my attempt at recreating that delicious plate lunch. The crew here at JonesBrand is still jonesin' for the real, authentic thing.



Watch this video to learn how to make Giovanni's Garlic Shrimp
that is a fixture in the Hawaiian Food Truck world.

Recipe:

12 U15 shrimp, deveined with shell on
1 head of garlic, peeled and roughly chopped (about 10 cloves)

Dust Shrimp with a mixture of:
1 cup of flour, 2 tbls Paprika, 1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper (add a little more if you like more heat)
Preheat Saute pan on high for about 2 minutes
Add 1/2 cup Clarified Butter
Immediately add the chopped garlic

Cook the garlic for about a minute then add the Shrimp
Sprinkle a Teasp Kosher or Sea Salt onto Shrimp
Cook for 3 minutes on each side

Add 1/8 cup of White Wine and 2 Tbls Butter
The garlic chips should just be lightly browned, don't burn or it will get bitter!

Serve with 2 small rounds of Sticky Rice and a lemon wedge

  Food Trucks Rule The Road to Succulent Shrimp Scampi

Garlic Shrimp with Sticky Rice