Maple Glazed Salmon With Tangy Strawberry Salad

Maple Glazed Salmon with Tangy Strawberry Salad

•  1 frozen 8-10 oz wild Alaskan or Coho salmon fillet (recommend from Trader Joes), defrosted in fridge overnight
•  5 oz baby or regular organic spinach leaves
•  1/2 cup goat cheese crumbles (or crumbled goat cheese)
•  1/2 pint of fresh organic strawberries
•  1/2 cup of toasted pine nuts (recommend Trader Joes)
•  1/4 cup  (or two hearty sprigs) of chopped organic green onion
•  a handful of organic mint or basil leaves (your choice)
•  1 organic lemon
•  3 strips of nitrate-free turkey bacon (recommend Trader Joes)
•  organic orange juice
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons Kerrygold butter
• tinfoil
• 1 teaspoon seasalt
• olive oil

Place the salmon fillet in a plastic bag or Tupperware container when you get home and pour in enough orange juice to coat the fillet. Add 1 tbsp soy sauce. Keep in fridge while preheating oven.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

While the oven is preheating, make the basting sauce: melt 1 tbsp butter in a small bowl in the microwave for 30 seconds to one minute, until melted. Once the butter is melted, add 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce and 1 tablespoon maple syrup and mix until combined into basting sauce.

Meanwhile, begin preparing the salad while the oven is preheating and finish making the salad once the salmon is in the oven. To make the salad, pour the spinach leaves into a large bowl. Then slice the strawberries and add to the bowl. Then add the goat cheese and pinenuts. Then chop the green onion and add the green parts to the salad. Reserve the white parts. Finally, pick off a handful of mint or basil leaves, layer the leaves on top of each other and roll together to form a cigar-shaped cylinder. Then slice into thin strips.

Once the oven is preheated, remove the salmon from the marinade and place on a long sheet of tinfoil inside a baking dish. Pull up sides of the tinfoil to create a pouch that will be sealed at the top. Before sealing, pour basting sauce over salmon. Then seal the foil and place the baking dish with the salmon, now wrapped in foil, in the oven. Bake for 20-22 minutes, depending on thickness.

While the salmon is baking, finish chopping any remaining salad ingredients and add to bowl. Then place 3 strips of nitrate-free turkey bacon (I highly recommend Trader Joes) and the white parts of the green onion in a saute pan with 1 tbsp butter and cook for 2 minutes per side over medium heat, or until lightly browned. Then remove from the heat, let cool, and chop into large pieces. Add atop the salad. Then dress the salad with olive oil, the juice of 1 organic lemon, and sea salt to taste.

When the salmon is done, unwrap and slice down the middle to check that it is fully cooked. If it is deep pink and translucent on the inside, rather than opaque and light pink or salmon colored (pun intended), rewrap and cook for another 5 minutes, or until fully cooked. Alternatively, you can finish cooking the salmon (if it needs a bit more time) in the saute pan for 1 minute.

Cherry Glazed Chicken

Cherry Glazed Roast Chicken with Rainbow Roasted Carrots

Ingredients:

    * 2 chicken thighs (recommend Trader Joe's organic chicken thighs)

    * 6 organic rainbow carrots, peeled and cut into 1/4" slices (recommend Trader Joe’s organic rainbow carrots)

    * 1/2 cup sour cherries, pitted

    * 1 tbsp orange juice

    * 2 tbps melted Kerrygold butter

    * olive oil

    * 1 pinch saffron

    * 1/2 tsp salt

    * garlic powder

    * sesame seeds

    * cumin

    * regular or smoked paprika

    * ground pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in the microwave for 45 seconds, or until melted. Pit the cherries. In a bowl mix 1/2 cup squashed, pitted cherries, 1/2 teaspoon salt, the 2 tablespoons of melted butter, 1 tbsp of orange juice, and 1/2 teaspoon saffron. Blend in food processor or with emulsion blender until smooth. 

Then place the chicken thighs on a baking tray and rub the chicken with the marinade. Then bake the chicken in the oven for 20 minutes. 

While the chicken is baking, slice the carrots diagonally into 1/4 inch slices. Toss them in a bowl with olive oil and a hearty sprinkling of salt, smoked paprika, garlic powder, sesame seeds, and cumin. Then add the carrots to oven and bake for 25 minutes. 

After the chicken has cooked for 20 minutes, flip the chicken, glaze again, and cook 8 minutes longer. When the chicken is done, cut the chicken at the thickest part. It should cut through easily with a knife and be brown and opaque inside. If so, it is ready to eat. If the texture of the chicken is still soft or gelatinous, cuts only with difficulty, or inside is pink or translucent, the chicken needs to continue cooking. Continue cooking in 5 minute increments until chicken is fully cooked. 

Then the meal is ready to serve.

Japanese Mac and Cheese

Japanese Mac and Cheese

Ingredients:

    * 1 pound regular or whole wheat elbow macaroni or, if paleo/gluten free, organic edamame spaghetti (available at Costco)

    * 4 tablespoons Kerrygold butter

    * grapeseed oil or organic cooking spray

    * 4 tablespoons regular or whole wheat flour or, if paleo/gluten free, brown rice flour

    * 2 cups of organic or regular half and half 

    * 1 teaspoon soy sauce

    * 1 teaspoon Sriracha sauce

    * 2 tablespoons of sesame oil

    * 1/2 teaspoon salt

    * 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper

    * 8 ounces shredded gruyere, or swiss/gruyere mix (available at Trader Joes)

    * 8 ounces grated sharp cheddar cheese

    * sesame seeds

Directions:

To make this tasty Asian update on an American classic, boil a large pot of water, covered. While water is heating, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Meanwhile, in a heavy, medium saucepan melt 4 tablespoons of the butter over low heat. Add the brown rice flour and stir to combine. Cook, stirring constantly, for 3 minutes. Increase the heat to medium and whisk in the half and half little by little. Cook 4 minutes, until thickened, stirring frequently.

The thickened béchamel sauce should look something like this:

While the béchamel sauce is thickening, add the pasta to the pot of water as soon as it has boiled and cook according to the package instructions, minus 1 minute to leave it al dente.

When the béchamel sauce has thickened, remove it from the heat, season it with the salt, pepper, soy sauce, Sriracha, and 4 ounces of the shredded gruyere or swiss/gruyere. Stir until cheese is melted and sauce is smooth. Cover and set aside.

The seasoned béchamel sauce will look like this:

Once the pasta has cooked, drain it in a colander and return it to the pot. Add 2 tablespoons of sesame oil and stir to combine. Add the béchamel sauce and stir until well combined. Set aside.

Then grease a baking dish with grapeseed oil or cooking spray and place one-third of the pasta in the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Top with one-third of the cheddar and remaining gruyere. Top with another third of the pasta and another third of the cheeses. Repeat with the remaining pasta and shredded cheese. Finally, top the macaroni and cheese with a drizzle of sesame oil and a healthy sprinkling of sesame seeds. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the macaroni and cheese is bubbly and hot and the sesame seeds are golden brown.