Yummy Salmon Pasta

I had some leftover salmon, which I decided to flake into hot quinoa pasta.  I put some fresh baby spinach in the bottom of this pasta bowl.  I boiled some water, added the pasta and threw in some broccoli and cauliflower florets during the last 2 minutes of cooking.  Drained the water and dumped the pasta and veggies over the spinach, which wilted with the heat.  Flaked in the salmon, added a generous dollop of butter, parmesan, salt and pepper.  Amazing.

Husband inhaled this.  I'm allergic to fish...

Baked Orange Roughy With Vegetable Ragout And Roasted Fingerling Potatoes

Easy peasy. I sauteed everything but the kitchen sink (onion, garlic, yellow peppers, red peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms, snap peas...) with some olive oil. When it was all saucy, I poured it over orange roughy and baked it in the oven at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.

The potatoes were roasted in the same oven for 45 minutes. Done.

Halibut For Husband

Pan fried halibut with loads of veggies sauteed with a fish stock and thickened with a touch of hummus and mustard.

I think this was Monday...? My blog schedule is beyond lost. Once again, my apologies.

Tonight is Sunday and I'm watching Next Food Network Star with husband. I'm not sure who we're routing for. I'm sure we're not routing for Katie. Annoying.

Swordfish After An Audition

I pan fried a ginormous swordfish stead and served it with sharp cheddar polenta and sauteed veggies in a wine wine pan sauce.



Mine: crudites, a mix of hummus and Trader Joe's fat free balsamic vinaigrette, broccoli, nuts and 2 fruit bars. I was out of string cheese (NEVER thought that would happen), so I improvised with the crudites and hummus.

Today Denise asked me to accompany her on an audition for a wedding reality show. This brought back so many memories. The last time I auditioned, I was 25, or maybe 24? I'm 32 and I wore a $99 wedding dress and carried a cupcake bouquet. I still got it! It was so much fun and such an honor to be a part of the greatness that is Denise Vivaldo!




That's all I can say at this point and I will be posting more pics on Food Fanatics Unwashed in the next day or so. Needless to say, we are excited, we are hopeful and I am grateful!

Wednesday workout: YogaGlo 90 minute vinyasa flow with Isabelle. Ugh. Too hard and too easy at the same time. Weird and nothing flowy about it. Next.

Halibut Cakes And Mango Apple Crumbler

Yippee! Genius way to use up leftover cooked fish. Kind of like a crab cake, I suppose?

5 oz Halibut (or whatever cooked fish you have)
2 Tablespoons oatbran
1/2 cup chopped fresh spinach
1 egg
1/4 cup minced onion
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese (I used a soy based substitute for husband)
1 Tablespoon mayo
pinch salt
dash pepper

oatbran and cornmeal, mixed for coating
olive oil

Combine all ingredients, except the oatbran and cornmeal for coating and the olive oil. Shape into cakes. Coat lightly with the oatbran/cornmeal mixture. Put on a plate and stick in fridge or freezer until ready to use (it's good to give them a few minutes to chill before cooking, they hold their shape better).

Heat frying pan with the olive oil (just 1-2 teaspoons), and cook the cakes until golden brown, about 4 minutes per side. Enjoy!



I served them with the consummate steamed veggies and Lemonaise for dipping (ew...love husband).


Dessert was mango apple crumbler.

Sunday workout: 45 minutes cardio at the gym (elliptical and bike)

Salmon Sandwich On Fitness Bread

First, I poached the salmon in white wine, lemon juice and a bit of garlic for 10 minutes at 400 degrees. Then I spread mayo, mustard, thinly sliced white onion, tomatoes, cucumber and spinach on toasted fitness bread. Add salmon, serve with carrot sticks and tater tots.

Husband was eating this and suddenly said "you've tricked me into eating pumpernickel bread". I said, "do you hate pumpernickel bread?" and he said, "as much as I could hate anything that is food, I hate pumpernickel bread". Oh. Okay.

He's eaten it a few times with no complaints and since he doesn't want to eat wheat and isn't keen on floury things, I thought I was doing him a favor. No more fitness bread. Back to the bread drawing board. Any ideas?

I had my ritual meal.

Sunday workout: Eva's Hardcore class at Gold's Gym

Tuna Salad On Fitness Bread For Laid Off Husband

I'm gonna quit calling him "laid off" husband now. Probably not good juju to put out, right? We had another day home together, and it's still working. I type away in the living room while he shuffles between the bedroom and the office. He was working on his reel and I was working on a book proposal.

For lunch I toasted some fitness bread with a couple slices of tofu cheese and topped them with thinly sliced tomato, cucumber, spinach, avocado and tuna salad. To make the tuna tasty, I mix in mayo, mustard, light raspberry dressing, chopped onion and celery. I like to use light dressing or low fat yogurt to lighten up husband's tuna (he likes a LOT of mayo...ew), so I fake him out with other creamy things that are not as fatty. Hummus works beautifully as well.

After working on the proposal for 3 hours, I was ready for a break, but also wanted to do something active. So I organized the kitchen cupboards and now I'm very upset at myself for not taking before and after pictures. Bummer.

Friday workout: Squeeze Stronger dvd

Cornmeal Crusted Turbo With Roasted Potatoes

Husband is still on a fish kick and I've been buying different kinds of fishies to keep it interesting. Tonight was turbo, which is a thin white fish that I dredged very lightly in a seasoned flour/cornmeal mixture and pan fried quickly in oil and butter. Served with oven roasted fingerling potatoes and...


...spinach salad. Husband likes spinach because it's smooth. Same same with avocados. I tossed in some tomato and cucumber and dressed it with a lime vinaigrette spiked with cumin and cilantro.


We sat at the table; the first time in a couple of weeks. Husband was sick (wanted to eat while reclining) and working on a painting project (which took over the table completely). You will notice my lovely ritual meal in the background: broccoli, cucumber, cheese, nuts and dried pineapple.

Workout: pathetic 3 mile jog/walk/jog. My legs felt like rubber bands and I felt super fat, which has carried over to today. Don't know why.

Pan Fried Swordfish With Balsamic Reduction

I know it kind of looks like blood. It's a balsamic reduction sauce (I threw some balsamic vinegar in a sauce pan with a splash of maple syrup and cooked it down slowly until it was a syrup consistency). Sounds weird, but it totally works with swordfish.

I pan fried the swordfish in a bit of olive oil and butter, finished it with a squeeze of lime. Served with tofu cheesy polenta, steamed broccoli and cauliflower, and oven roasted carrots. Damn, do I deserve a wife of the year award or what? Considering I made an entirely separate meal for myself, although that is clearly my problem. One day this lady just might get tired, but not yet.

Workout: 3 mile run

Swordfish With Salsa Verde

Husband got pan fried swordfish with salsa verde, steamed veggies and roasted new potatoes. The fish was frozen from Trader Joe's and was really nice; not fishy at all. I learned in school that the trick to cooking fish on the stove top involves high heat and more fat (I'm a fat phobe). So I put a generous tablespoon of butter/olive oil combination and let it get nice and hot before I put the fish in. I cooked the fish for 4 minutes on one side, and about 3 1/2 minutes on the other.

The salsa verde was awesome, I found the recipe here. It was my first time roasting tomatillos and they are brilliant. Totally making this again very soon.


Nummy!

I had my usual.

Workout: Squeeze Strong with Tracy Effinger

Culinary School: Fish

I'm not much of a fish person. It's alright, but is certainly not something I crave and I don't think I would ever be in danger of overeating it. Nevertheless, I was glad to learn more about it as husband is a big fish fan. Most importantly, we learned that the best way to get good fish is to find a fish purveyor you trust. You can also educate yourself on which fish to enjoy and which should be avoided here.

Above is cedar smoked salmon fillet with parsley caper sauce. It was cooked on the plank (which was soaked in water previously) in a hot oven and was very tasty; salmon was moist and the cedar flavor was subtle and pleasant. The sauce rocked; parsley, capers, shallot, lemon zest, lemon juice, white wine vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper. Totally making that for husband. Soon.



Roasted tuna with garlic and sauce piperade. Again, the sauce was awesome. Tomatoes, peppers (sweet and hot), onions and garlic cooked until soft and buttery. It was really simple but super tasty; I would eat it with pasta. The tuna was tuna-ey; not my thing (but apparently semi-colons ARE my thing tonight).



Sole a La Meuniere. Sauteed sole with a white wine and lemon butter sauce with roasted potatoes. This was mine. Yeah, the potatoes were good. I learned that delicate fish and a not-hot-enough pan equals disaster. The fish fell apart and when we turned the heat up, the fat and the fish was crackling and I was awkward and burning myself...embarrassing. Chef Carol bailed me out and was very kind.


Smoked trout with scrambled eggs and toast. The smokiness really came through and made me feel like I was camping. Although the trout was cooked perfectly, I really just wanted to eat the toast.




Red snapper in Panang curry. Money. This was my favorite dish of the day. With coconut milk in the sauce and the fish was cooked in the sauce, which made it very delectable. Even the rice was super tasty, and I'm not a rice girl. This is one fish I could potentially crave.

Let me know if you'd like any recipes.

Workout: 75 minutes flow yoga

Boring Halibut

Poor husband. I broiled this halibut with lemon, butter, onions and garlic and finished it with fresh cilantro and parsley (really fresh, like, grown on my windowsill fresh)...to no avail. It even looks tasteless. Good thing he had spiced yam mash with extra butter and pecans.

Baked Cod On Good Friday

Husband is over the cod.  He only ate a few bites, then had tofu cheese, carrot sticks and almond butter out of the jar, because I only cook once.  We're going to try swordfish next.  If you want the recipe, you shall have it.

I had my ritual meal and on the workout tip, I went for a 4 mile fast walk, which I consider lazy.  I waited until the afternoon and often when I wait to workout, those workouts tend to be less ambitious. 

Salmon Salad With Olive Tapenade

What can I say about salmon salad?  It's fresh salmon:

Rubbed with a bit of olive oil,  lemon juice, salt and pepper, cooked for 10 minutes in a 400 degree oven (should still be a bit raw inside).  

I put it on a bed of greens and sliced cucumber dressed with a lemon chive vinaigrette.  I put some roasted tomatoes on the side: 

Halved tomatoes topped with olive oil, tofu Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper roasted at 400 degrees for 30 minutes) and topped it with an olive tapenade: 

Hand chopped olives mixed with chopped shallot, lemon juice, lemon zest, olive oil and fresh cilantro.

That is all.  I'm watching Dancing With The Stars and I keep crying because I'm so proud of the dancers.  Why all this emotion...hmmm...I guess therapy is working.

I've been scoping the food blogosphere and I've noticed many are disclosing their workouts and since I workout daily and it's a huge part of my life, I will let y'all know what I'm doing, too.

Monday's workout:  cardio at Gold's Gym- 20 minutes stepmill, 10 minutes running on treadmill, 10 minutes elliptical and some ab work.

Baked Cod

This came out so pretty; the carrot and yellow tomato turned the sauce a lovely yellow.  Follow this recipe if you dig it.

Husband's conscious flounder

Baked flounder and veggies in a white wine cream sauce (cream is tofu cream cheese based).  Served with roasted fingerling potatoes and cherry-mango crumbler.  After eating said conscious meal, husband wrote with Dirk and I ate my ritual meal in the bedroom.  With the TV on.

Salmon With Sauce

There is some salmon underneath the mountain of vegetables.  I've been taking techniques I'm learning in school and bastardizing them for my own purposes.  For this meal, I sort of did a buerre blanc (white wine butter sauce) but instead of shallots in the wine I put chopped onion.  I reduced the wine by 50% then added chicken stock instead of cream and a bit of butter and a bit of tofu cream cheese instead of, like, a pound of butter.  I reduced it until it was thickish, added chopped tomato, carrot, broccoli and cauliflower and poured that mixture onto raw salmon.  Topped that with some Romano cheese and cooked for 7 minutes in a 400 degree oven.  Squeeze of lemon juice and served it with corn pasta.

Dessert was husband's new favorite:  cherry mango crumbler.

Baked Cod

I'm very proud of this one.  Confession:  this was the first time I have ever cooked with wine.  I know, silly, crazy, but I'm not a big drinker (I think alcohol tastes like poison, pretty much, with a few exceptions, like some beers or champagnes).  I was always afraid the food would end up tasting like alcohol.  But after my culinary school adventure with fish stock (which had wine in it), I was ready to be brave.  

I sauteed chopped onion and garlic in a bit of olive oil.  I added chopped tomato, carrot, celery, cauliflower and broccoli and let them soften a bit, maybe two minutes.  I added 1/2 cup of wine, pinch of salt and pepper and let it simmer away for a few more minutes.  I finished it with a tablespoon of tofu cream cheese to make it creamy, poured it over a raw piece of cod, which I popped in the oven, with the sauce (to keep the fish moist) and baked at 400 degrees for 20 minutes, covered.

It came out perfect!  The wine simply added a lovely depth (it was a Chardonnay).  I served it with corn pasta that was tossed with a bit of olive oil, lemon and Romano cheese.

Cod and veggies in a foil packet

If anyone has experience, strength or hope to share regarding cod, I'm all ears.  This took for freaking ever to cook and I couldn't tell if it was done or not.  So firm!

I took the fillet and placed it on top of a bed of veggies (carrots, onions, garlic, cauliflower and broccoli), added some butter, salt and pepper and sealed it tight.  Put it in a 400 degree oven and it took over 20 minutes to cook (normally with salmon or halibut, it only takes 10-11 minutes).  Mysterious.

My dinner:  cucumber, broccoli, cheese, nuts and dried pineapple.  Yep.

Halibut, roasted tomatoes and cheesy pasta

I broiled the halibut steak with some garlic, lime juice and butter.  Served with oven roasted tomatoes with Romano cheese and brown rice pasta shells that I tossed with two kinds of tofu cheese, a splash of tomato sauce and steamed green beans.

Mine:  cucumber, broccoli, string cheese, nuts and dried pineapple.  Still.  Yep.