stumped

I have lost my groove. It is gone - who knows where or why? - and I have been waiting for it to come back as quietly as it went. Today I am tired of the waiting and so I am pursuing the mysterious motivation to share whatever it is I have previously taken such delight in sharing. I could blame it on the dryer-fire or the ongoing restoration project that is frustratingly stalled. It could have been the brand-new fridge sitting in the middle of my kitchen for a few weeks that chased my groove away (I am notorious for needing every element in its rightful place before I can be creative) or the empty pantry that short-circuits so many kitchen adventures before they even begin. I find myself paralyzed by the incredible abundance of healthy recipes beautifully photographed that fill untold numbers of food blogs and wonder if the world really needs another entry in that class. Somedays I love the old-school look of the blog and other days I think it really needs an overhaul but that thought completely overwhelms me. Whatever the cause I have missed being involved in this endeavour and so here I sit, fighting the temptation to check my Pinterest feed or see what is newly posted on Instagram in an effort to procrastinate the exercise of writing. I confess I have gotten lazy and the only way to get my groove back is to get ... grooving?

Tonight's dinner seems like a good place to start. This morning my plan for dinner was a kale salad with beets and roasted salmon. Simple, undemanding, healthy. Certainly nothing to write about. And then. Then I saw this recipe on Food 52 and it just had to be what was done with the kale and the salmon. I was so right. This is better than good and almost as easy as the easy plan that wouldn't have been news of any kind. Sometimes the day just ends up a lot better than it begins.

Turns out this recipe was inspired by one of Heidi Swanson's recipes from Super Natural Everyday. I in my turn have made minor changes to the recipe that Ashley Couse published on her lovely blog Bloom & Nourish. Granted my changes are truly minor but aren't those little changes that we make when we cook what gives a recipe our signature, a personal flavour? I like a touch of heat to make things interesting but another might find that level of spice either entirely bland or too intense. My preference for food with virtue colours the dishes I choose or create. Feeling free to add or subtract from a recipe or an idea is what makes being in the kitchen gratifying and fun. Sometimes things work out amazingly well, other times not so much but every time I learn something for another day. 

crispy coconut kale with roasted salmon, sweet potatoes & coconut rice
(adapted slightly from Bloom & Nourish)

1 cup brown basmati rice
1 cup coconut milk
1 cup water
1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
1 tsp roasted sesame oil
2 Tbsp Tamari
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp Sriracha sauce
2 sweet potatoes, cut into 1/2" cube
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1 Tbsp grapeseed oil
1 bunch kale, ribbed and chopped
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
1 lb salmon fillet

Combine the rice with the water and coconut milk and cook. (I confess to having a rice cooker for so long that I would have a hard time managing or knowing what to do without one. It is just what happens when you live in Japan - everyone has one like everyone here has a stove.)

While the rice is cooking turn the oven on to 400 degrees F. Using a small tightly lidded jar combine the coconut oil, sesame oil, Sriracha, sea salt and Tamari. Close tightly and shake well to emulsify. Set aside.

Toss the cubed sweet potatoes with the grapeseed oil then spread on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with sea salt and smoked paprika and slide the lot into the oven to bake for about 25 minutes or until tender. Turn or stir the potatoes once during roasting.

Give the coconut oil dressing another good shake and pour roughly 2/3 of it over the chopped kale and coconut flakes. Mix well so that everything is well coated and spread on another baking sheet. Set aside.

Drizzle the salmon fillet with a couple tablespoons of the remaining dressing. Add the salmon and the kale to the oven with the sweet potatoes and roast for the last 15 minutes or so of the sweet potatoes baking time. Remove from oven when the kale is crispy, the salmon flakes easily and the sweet potatoes are tender. Serve the salmon on a bed of coconut rice topped with crispy kale and sweet potatoes. And be amazed.

baked cod with dill sauce

This is definitely comfort food for our family. It is another one of those super-simple recipes that  gets pulled out when time or tempers are short and dinner needs to be on the table tout de suite. I found the recipe in a magazine (long forgotten now) when I was a very newly married lady. It worked for two very poor and very tired university students and was popular with a tableful of toddlers and preschoolers. We ate it often all the way through soccer games and ballet classes and then another generation of university students. Now the grandkids love it and so do their moms because it is just that easy and yummy. All the ingredients are usually stocked in my pantry or fridge so it doesn't even need to be planned for. Just whip it up and  dinner is ready. 

This is not something that plates up beautifully but it sure goes down well. We always serve it with rice and peas. Always. Just works.

If you don't have sour cream use plain yogurt. If you are out of dill weed or chives, try another herb. We have used herbes de provence among other options. Any firm white fish is good. Double or halve the recipe depending on how many you want to feed - or if you want anything left for a lunch another day. This is that kind of dish. Simply easy and very forgiving. Like the best friends.

baked cod with dill sauce

4 small cod fillets

1/2 cup sour cream (or plain yogurt)

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 Tbsp dried dill weed

1 Tbsp dried chives

1 tsp sweet paprika

2 tsp fresh lemon juice

Arrange the cod fillets in a baking dish that just accommodates them. Drizzle with lemon juice.

Mix together the sour cream, mayonnaise, dill weed, and chives. Spread over the fish. (There will be a lot of sauce but you will want it. Trust me.) Sprinkle with the paprika. Bake at 400 degrees F. for 20 minutes or until the fish flakes easily.

Serve over rice  - that's where the sauce comes in :)

slow roasted asparagus with miso dressing

I made this as a side for the salmon we had on Sunday for Thomas's birthday dinner. The recipe looked interesting and as Thomas loves all things with even a hint of miso (and salmon and miso do get along so very well) it seemed like a natural choice. We love asparagus here but I was still surprised by how much everyone liked this; it was the run-away favourite dish of the day - aside from the cake :) Inspired by a recipe from Nobu's Vegetarian Cookbook, Nobu  recommends dipping the asparagus in hot oil for a minute or two (deep-frying in other words?) but I don't deep-fry ... well, almost never anyway. Too messy and just not a healthy choice. Slow roasting the asparagus is perfect, resulting in a beautifully tender, bright green stalk and slightly crisped tips.  While this method is not in any way a new idea it is close to my favourite way to cook the vegetable.  Fast. Easy. Dependably delicious. 


One of the happiest (unplanned) parts of this recipe is that the dressing makes a totally perfect accompaniment to slow roasted salmon. In fact if you don't make the dressing for the asparagus you really need to try it for the salmon. It comes pretty close to this recipe for salmon amazingness.


All miso is not created equal. The darker the miso, the saltier it generally is. Lighter - sweeter. For an all-purpose choice my favourite 'colour' of miso is a light red and South River is a brand that I really like. For this recipe I used their 'Sweet-tasting Brown Rice Miso'. It's a bit hard to find but totally worth the effort. Or just order online.


To be honest I am not sure how much asparagus to suggest you buy. I used the better part of two large bunches and had more than enough dressing - in fact enough dressing for all of us to have some with our salmon as well. There were eight adults and six hungry kids at the table. Judge from there :)


slow roasted asparagus with miso dressing
(adapted from Nobu's Vegetarian Cookbook)


To slow roast the asparagus:


Wash and trim the hard ends off the bottom of each stalk of asparagus. In a large bowl toss stalks gently with 1 tbsp of olive oil until coated. Arrange in a single layer on a parchment covered baking sheet. Bake at 325 degrees F for about 25 minutes, watching closely for the last 5 minutes to be sure not to over do.


miso dressing:


3 Tbsp miso
1 small garlic clove, pressed
1 tsp soy sauce
1/2 cup olive oil (not extra-virgin)
1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp rice vinegar


Combine the miso with garlic, soy sauce, oil, and vinegar.


Spoon the dressing over the roasted asparagus. Or over some salmon....you won't regret it.

Thai-Style Halibut with Coconut-Curry Broth

A girl from the Prairies, I did not grow up eating (or liking to eat) fish. It has taken a lot of travel to places where the fish is fresh and well-prepared to convince me that it is not only good for me but just plain good. Since eating fish regularly is a smart thing to do, I keep my eyes open for recipes that look promising - even here in land-locked Calgary. (Fortunately we can now get fresh fish, imagine!) The other night I tried this one from The Food You Crave by Ellie Krieger, a cookbook I am currently loving - not one single recipe that I have auditioned from it has been less than fantastic. Another really nice thing about the cookbook is the great nutritional information with each recipe (calories, fat breakdown, protein, fibre - all that, plus a list of "excellent source of..." and "good source of...").

I am not sure about the absolute authenticity of the Thai-ness but having been to Thailand a couple of times (and loving the food there) I can attest to the tribute this recipe gives to the tastes of Thailand. Plus it is super easy and comes together very quickly - on the table in less than half an hour ..... if you don't count the time it takes to cook the brown rice ;)

Thai-Style Halibut with Coconut-Curry Broth

(adapted very slightly from The Food You Crave by Ellie Krieger)

2 teaspoons coconut oil

2 large shallots

2 teaspoons Thai red curry paste

2 cups chicken broth

1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk

3/4 tsp sea salt

4 (5 oz) halibut fillets*

6 cups lightly packed baby spinach leaves

2 cups cooked brown jasmine rice

3/4 cups coarsely chopped fresh cilantro

2 green onions, thinly sliced

2 Tbsp fresh lime juice

freshly ground black pepper

Heat the oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook, stirring a few times, until they begin to brown (3 minutes or so.) Add the curry paste and cook stirring for 30 seconds. Add the broth, coconut milk, 1/2 tsp of the salt and simmer until reduced to 2 cups (about 5 minutes).

Season the halibut with the remaining 1/4 tsp salt. Lay in the pan with the sauce and shake pan gently to coat the fish. Cover and cook until fish flakes easily with a fork - about 7 minutes.

Meanwhile, put the spinach in a microwave safe bowl, cover tightly and microwave for 2 minutes.

Place 1/2 cup of the rice and a pile of cooked spinach in the bottom of 4 soup plates. Top with the fish fillets. Stir the cilantro, scallion and lime juice into the sauce left in the pan and season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle all of the sauce over the fish and serve.

I am definitely not a food stylist and this does not look nearly as good as it tastes - or smells - even so, it looks (pretty) good...better in 'real life'. It is a for sure make-again at our house.

*I made this with halibut but would try it with any white fish - couldn't be bad.


(Small note on serving/eating - in Thailand most dishes are eaten with a large-ish spoon. Definitely what I would use here.)

Salmon, Quinoa and Asparagus

I made this a few weeks ago and wished I had taken a picture of it so that I could share it with you but I hadn't and all I could show was a very empty plate. Because I have been telling all sorts of important people (my kids, good friends, strangers in line at the grocery store) that they really need this recipe and because it is fast, easy and good I made it again today. And this time I did take a picture. This meal is very good, just as fast, super easy, and extremely healthy. (You know all the lists of super/power foods that abound? I think almost everything in this recipe is on those lists!) The recipe is from Quinoa 365 the Everyday Superfood by Patricia Green and Carolyn Hemming. I haven't tried anything close to all 170 recipes but the ones I have tried have been winners. This one for sure is on our "make again soon" list. It looks pretty amazing plated up - almost as good as it tastes. 


Salmon and Red Quinoa on Asparagus with Lime Cilantro Sauce
(tweaked ever so slightly from Quinoa 365 the Everyday Superfood )
1/2 cup red quinoa
1 cup water
1/2 cup light sour cream*
3 Tbsp mayonnaise
1 tsp grated lime zest
2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
1 tsp grated ginger
3 Tbsp minced minced fresh cilantro
1/4 tsp salt
Four 4 oz wild salmon fillets
1 lb asparagus


Bring the quinoa and water to a boil in a small saucepan. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat but keep the pan on the burner for another 6-8 minutes, then uncover and fluff with a fork.


Preheat oven to 400 F. Place the fillets on a foil lined baking sheet, rub with olive oil. Bake for about 12 minutes or until salmon flakes easily.


While the salmon and quinoa cook, steam the asparagus.


Combine the sour cream, mayo, lime zest and juice, ginger, cilantro and salt in a small bowl. Mix well.


Arrange the steamed asparagus on individual plates. Spoon on a portion of quinoa, top with salmon and drizzle (or pour if you want - it's really good) the lime-cilantro sauce over the salmon. Enjoy! I served additional sauce at the table - just because we liked it so much.

(My empty plate - again! I practically licked it clean! mmmmm )

*The first time I made this I used the sour cream called for. This time I didn't have any so I subbed non-fat Greek yogurt (plain) for the sour cream and it was equally delicious.

Fast and easy to cook, quinoa has been identified as one of the world's healthiest foods - it is a nutritionally superior source of non-animal protein, contains all the essential amino acids, and is a good source of fibre. It can be used in many ways and incorporated into almost any type of dish from appetizers to desserts, soups to breads.