Poached Salmon in a Vegetable-Herb Broth

Fish is a great source of protein and good fats which help build muscle mass and keep metabolism high. Be heart-healthy and have some fish.

I’ve seriously been having too much fish lately so I’m probably going to die of mercury poisoning but poached salmon is so light and filling, I can’t give it up. I got the idea for this recipe from America’s Test Kitchen’s Light Recipes but 180-ed it as I find their recipe too light with not enough depth. Dill is a perfect, light herb to add to the dish but tarragon and parsley are also acceptable. I do not enjoy the taste of parsley very much (despite loving cilantro) but if the flavor is cooked off, I find the slight bitterness it provides to be an excellent addition.

This dish is perfect for a light summer lunch– the salmon is flaky and moist, the broth is warm and brightly accented with lemony dill and parsley, while the vegetables provide a slight bite. Leeks, which are essentially huge green onions, have a light onion flavor that isn’t as strong as their miniature cousins. If you’ve never used leeks, it is simple. Find light but fresh looking leeks. Cut them in half, lengthwise and wash the layers out as leeks are often full of dirt and grit. Cut off the top, dark leaves and discard them.

Poached Salmon in a Light Herb Broth
3 6-oz salmon fillets, halved length-wise
3 sprigs fresh dill, tarragon, or parsley
2 medium garlic cloves, peeled and crushed slightly
2 tsp black peppercorns
6 cups of water
2 tablespoons (low-sodium) soy sauce
3/4 c. dry vermouth
2 medium leeks, washed well, white and light green parts cut into matchsticks
2 carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch long matchsticks
1 celery stalk, cut into matchsticks
juice of 1/2 of a small lemon
1 tablespoon minced fresh dill, tarragon, or parsley
cheesecloth
~330 cals, 11g fat, 1.5g saturated fat, 14g carbs, 35g protein, 2g fiber, 610mg sodium with each 6oz of salmon

In the cheesecloth, bundle up your sprigs of herbs (I chose a combination of dill and parsley as I had leftovers), garlic cloves, and black peppercorn– a bouquet garni. Tie the packet together with twine (or natural cotton sewing string but preferably twine as this may contain chemicals). Place into a large pot or dutch oven along with the water, leeks, carrots, celery, and about a teaspoon or so of salt. Add soy sauce. Season with freshly ground black pepper. Squeeze juice from lemon but be careful not to add too much. Bring to a simmer (small foamy bubbles) and cook, partially covered, until the broth is flavorful– about 20 to 30 minutes. I also added a bit of chicken stock to make this more meaty but this is optional.

While the broth is simmering, pat the salmon dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Gently slip the salmon into the flavorful broth. Cover and cook until the fish just begins to flake– about 6 to 10 minutes.

With a slotted spoon, gently transfer the fish to individual shallow bowls. Discard the bouquet garni. Stir the minced fresh herbs into the broth and season with salt and pepper, if needed. Ladle vegetables onto or around the fish. Ladle hot broth over each serving and serve immediately.

Kale Crostini

Kale is a dark leafy green that’s in the same family as Brussel Sprouts and Cabbage so it has this slightly bitter flavor and is quite hardy. Because of the toughness of kale, this simple recipe calls for you to quickly boil the leaf and saute it with garlic and anchovies. Don’t be afraid to cook it thoroughly– it’s not as delicate as spinach but be sure to use the whole bunch as it does wilt. The anchovies may sound a bit strange but it adds a nice deep, saline flavor that this starter can’t go without. I had leftover extra-aged Gouda cheese so I used that instead of Pecorino-Romano– I think any white, hard cheese can be used in the place of Pecorino or Parmesan.

Anyways, I was totally craving dark leafy greens today and I was under the impression that kale has tons of calcium in it but it doesn’t really. It still has some but whatever.

I made this after driving home from freaking San Diego– which is a 1.5 – 2.5 hour drive– and after eating terrible, terrible things this weekend with my bf. (Of which included, lasagna and alcohol– although we did have light Mediterranean pita… oh wait, the serving size for that is as big as my size 7.5 foot.) Nevertheless, the guilt of having eaten considerable amounts of unhealthy foods in large portion sizes made me want to make something delicious, simple, and somewhat healthy.

Kale Crostini
adapted from Bon Appetit
1 bunch of Kale
2 cloves garlic, roughly minced
2 anchovy fillets in oil, chopped
10 1/3-inch slices baguette
Pecorino Romano Cheese shavings
extra-virgin olive oil
Makes 1 0 – 12
~150cal, 8.6g fat, 1.6g saturated fat, 16g carbs, 1.9g dietary fiber, 3.2g protein

Preheat oven to 400F. Boil water in large pot. Meanwhile, slice your baguette into thin slices. Brush each slice with extra-virgin olive oil and season with salt and pepper and place inside the oven. Bake for 10 – 12 minutes until the tops are golden.

To prepare the kale, slice around the hard stem and discard the center stem. Place kale in boiling water for 3 – 4 minutes until tender but still bright green. Thinly slice or roughly mince your garlic and slice the anchovies while the kale is boiling. Drain the kale. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a nonstick skillet and saute the garlic and anchovy until aromatic. Add the kale and cook until tender, another 3 – 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Divide the kale among the tops of the baguette slices. Shave Pecorino-Romano or Parmesan Cheese with a vegetable peeler and top each slice with some shavings.

Egg and Ham Sandwich

Sometimes in the morning, I would love nothing more than a fried egg and ham sandwich. Eggs are a great source of protein and I would normally tell you to have just egg whites but I do love that half-done center– still oozing with that delicious golden honey but firm on the outside.  Heaven.

Heaven in the form of heart-clogging cholesterol. (Attempts to limit egg yolks to once-in-a-while have failed but I’m working on it).

I hate whole-wheat bread so I opted for Squaw– which is made of whole-wheat flour but better tasting. And I definitely love scrambled eggs over a fried egg but I was craving a fried egg. This is a real simple recipe that doesn’t require much thinking but it’s well worth it and you’ll have a quick, satisfying breakfast.

Egg and Ham Sandwich
1 whole egg (or 2 eggs worth of whites) (or 2 whole eggs if scrambling)
1 slice of deli squaw bread, toasted
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 thin slices (reduced sodium or reduced fat) ham
chives
Serves 1

Toast the large slice of toast in an oven at about 300-350F. Meanwhile, heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a small pan. When oil begins to shimmer, carefully crack an egg over (Season with s/p). Cook for about 2 minutes on the bottom side. Now you can decide what kind of egg you want here, if you want sunny-side up, just cook it for a little longer and the yolks are still runny– I can’t do this raw.

You may wish to cover the pan so a thin film covers the top of the yolk or flip and cook for just a few seconds for over-easy. Or do like me, and cook for about a minute for somewhere in between over-medium and well-done.

Retrieve your bread when it’s done toasting to your liking and cut it in half. Slide the egg onto your bread. At this point, I took out some ham and lay it onto the pan and just toasted it a little bit to warm it up and folded it onto the bread.

Cut some chives and sprinkle it over your ham or eggs. You can always do cheddar, parmesan, or something of the sort– I always have scrambled egg (white) sandwiches with chives and (turkey) bacon. You can also choose to use thicker ham instead. Whatever is good!

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to obtain that runny center today as my dog was crying to get outside. Then when my egg was overcooked:

I let her in because we don’t have a dog door and she wanted my sandwich. But you can see the plate of uneaten food in the back. Pretty finicky for a Weimaraner. She doesn’t do breakfast but she’ll put my breakfast in her mouth any day, can you tell?

basic stuffed bell peppers

Stuffed Peppers are a perfect cold night meal— especially if you use huge peppers that I found. They’re a bit crunchy, soft, semi-sweet, semi-bitter and a great source of Vitamin C and A which is great for your skin. Although beef has gotten a bad rap for being fatty, using lean beef or ground turkey can be perfect if you’re trying to stay healthy. Turkey is the perfect protein— low fat, high protein which is essential for building lean muscle and getting rid of a skinny-fat look (that I have).

My dad doesn’t eat bird for some reason so I bought a pack of grass-fed, 97% lean beef. And fyi, I’m not real good at measurements so feel free to add more or less of something.

Ingredients:

4 large peppers (or 6 small ones)
1 lb (16 oz) lean ground meat (you can even use a little sausage)
1/2 c. slivered onions
1 jar tomato sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 c. fresh chopped parsely (or 2 tbsp dried parsley/ any herb combo)
1/4 c. freshly grated parmesan
1/4 c. low-sodium beef broth
3/4 – 1c. old white rice (I used a white rice, brown rice mix)
Salt and pepper
Serves 6 – 7 (they’re pretty huge!)
~400 cals, 27g protein, 40g carbs, 8g fat if using beef

Preheat oven to 375F. Cut the tops off the peppers and if you’d like, cut a ring through the top to make a cap. Scoop out the membranes and seeds. In the baking pan, mix together 1 cup of tomato sauce, the slivered onion, and the beef broth. You can add some dried herbs here if you like. Place peppers inside baking pan. In a large bowl, mix beef, garlic, parmesean, 3/4 c. sauce, parsley, and leftover rice. Season well with salt and pepper. Scoop mixture into pepper cups and top with a scoop of tomato sauce. Top with cap and cover peppers with foil. Bake for 45 – 1 hour. Remove foil and bake for 20 – 30 minutes, until peppers are cooked through.

QUICK:
Preheat oven to 400F. Place peppers on a dish, cover with plastic wrap. Microwave peppers for 1 – 2 minutes on high heat until crisp, hot, and a bit tenderized. Set aside.

Mix together beef, garlic, 3/4 c. – 1c. of sauce, rice, and S/P and brown the beef in a pan with a tablespoon of olive oil. (You can add some diced onion). After cooking for 5 minutes, add parsley and cook off the sharp taste for 2 minutes and fully brown beef (I’m just not a huge fan of really fresh parsley haha). Remove from heat and mix in grated parmesan. Feel free to add more tomato sauce if you like. Remove from heat Scoop mixture inside the peppers top with a dollop of tomato sauce and cap it.

Using the same pan, partially cook onion slivers until barely translucent.

Inside the baking dish, mix 1 cup of sauce, half-cooked onion slivers, beef broth, and some herbs.

Place peppers in dish over sauce. Bake, covered, for 25 minutes until peppers are tender. Uncover and brown for 5 minutes.

I have a healthy vegetarian (vegan, if without the cheese) stuffed pepper recipe coming up  later later.

hello.

this blog is eating and cooking. it’s about health, art, and photography. it’s about not having time. it’s about me and it’s a blog (just in case you think it gets pretentious and self-centered).

hi, my name is karen.