Seafood

Honey Drizzled Wild Salmon on a Bed of Butternut, Topped with Spinach

At the end of a hard day, I am ready for a hearty meal that includes vegetables, Omega 3’s, healthy carbohydrates and fats. I want it to leave me feeling replenished, well fed and my belly full. If this is you, then this salmon recipe is what you are looking for! Join me in creating a beautiful, nutrient rich salmon entree!

Honey Drizzled Salmon on a bed of Butternut Topped w/ Spinach

The drizzle of honey around each plate pairs beautifully with the salmon and butternut. Just a touch of honey creates a Umami flavor and takes the dish to extraordinary. Although this entree looks restaurant fancy, I promise it is not too difficult. The hardest part is peeling the butternut squash.

Honey Drizzled Salmon on a bed of Butternut Topped w/ Spinach

Honey Drizzled Salmon on a bed of Butternut Topped w/ Spinach

Directions:

Prepare Simple Oven Roasted Butternut Squash ←recipe here

Tent with Foil to keep warm and then turn your oven to broil (high) and place the baking rack on the second level from the top of the broiler.

Ingredients:

For the Salmon:

1 1/2 Pound Sockeye Salmon Filet (approximate weight)

3 Tablespoons Olive Oil

1 Teaspoon Lemon Zest

1 Teaspoon Himalayan Pink Salt or Sea Salt

1/4 Cup Honey for Drizzling (clear if SCD/Low FodMap)

Lay Salmon on a parchment or foiled lined, rimmed baking sheet. Mix Olive Oil, Lemon Zest, and Salt in a small bowl and brush on the Salmon. Broil the salmon under the broiler for approximately ten minutes or until the thickest part of the salmon reaches 145º degrees.

While the Salmon is broiling prep your Sauteed Spinach:

Sauteed Spinach

Ingredients:

4 Cups of Fresh Baby Spinach

1 Teaspoon Minced Garlic

1 Tablespoon of Olive Oil (use Garlic Olive Oil if Low FodMap & Omit Garlic)

1 1/2 Tablespoons of Pine Nuts

1/2 Teaspoon Himalayan Pink Salt or Sea Salt

In a large sautee pan, place Olive Oil, Garlic (if using) and pine nuts. Turn the burner to high, and toast the pine nuts in the oil until lightly brown. This happens quickly (just a minute or two). Add the spinach and salt. Toss until spinach is wilted.

To plate your dish, start with roasted squash on each plate. Top with a generous portion of broiled salmon. Finally, add the sauteed spinach, and drizzle with honey…..so Delicious!

Serves 4

Eat Your Nutrients!

Chesapeake Crab Cakes

crab cake

I haven’t met many people who don’t love crab cakes, unless they are allergic to seafood. Here on the East Coast they are famous because of the Maryland blue crab. When my Aunt and Uncle were visiting from Arizona last May they did a lot of sightseeing, and my Aunt tried a lot of crab cakes at various restaurants. This is a favorite family recipe for crab cakes that I have reinvented to be grain free and low fodmap. They have completely delicious, wholesome ingredients. I serve them with sriracha sauce. They are exquisite without any sauce also! The sauce pictured in the photo is PaleoChef Sriracha Sauce I picked up at Whole Foods. My all time favorite homemade mayonnaise recipe is from the cookbook The Paleo Kitchen by Juli Bauer and George Bryant. It is 30-second mayonnaise and it is literally No Fail! You can find the recipe here. I had tried many homemade mayonnaise recipes before, and sometimes they worked and sometimes they failed. Plus, I just don’t have the patience to sit and drizzle! Sorry Julie Child. I still love you! This recipe uses an immersion blender, and is so fast! There is an SCD legal mayonnaise that is sweetened with honey that you can purchase as well if you don’t want to make your own, here. So let’s make some Chesapeake Crab Cakes!

Chesapeake Crab Cakes

Ingredients:

1 Pound Crabmeat (can use refrigerated pasteurized crab)

1 Tablespoon Garlic Olive Oil

1/2 Cup Scallions, chopped (green parts only)

1/2 Cup Finely diced Fennel

2/3 Cup of Mayonnaise (I use Primal Kitchen Mayo)

1 Teaspoon Djon Mustard

1/2 Teaspoon Paprika

1/4 Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper

1 Teaspoon Himalayan Pink Salt or Sea Salt

1 Teaspoon Black Pepper

1 1/3 Cup Superfine Blanched Almond Flour plus 1/3 Cup for dredging

3 Tablespoons Olive Oil

Directions:

Preheat your oven 300º degrees.

In a large frying pan, heat the garlic olive oil over medium heat, add the fennel and saute’ for 3 minutes, then stir in the green onion and continue to cook two more minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and set aside. In a large bowl combine the mayonnaise with the spices, salt and pepper. Add the crab stirring lightly then the 1 1/3 cup of almond flour and fennel scallion mixture, again stirring just until combined. In a shallow dish place the remaining 1/3 cup of almond flour for dredging. With a half cup scoop, scoop the crab cake mixture into the palm of your hand, and form into crab cakes. Dredge lightly in the almond flour and set aside on a parchment lined baking sheet. Use more almond flour for dredging if needed.

In a non-stick frying pan, heat 1 1/2 Tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat until ready to sizzle when cakes are added. Add half of the crab cakes to the pan and fry about four minutes per side until golden brown. Remove them from the pan, and place on the cookie sheet and pop them in the oven to stay warm. Repeat with the second half of the crab cakes. They are ready!

Makes approximately 8

chesapeak-crab-cakes

Eat Your Nutrients!

Asian Shrimp Egg Custard w/ Scallion Oil Drizzle

Do you like Chinese Steamed Egg Custard? When we were in China to adopt our beautiful daughters, we had the best savory egg custards! Our girls were babies, and they loved this delicate silky food. The nannies gave it to the children regularly as part of their daily meals, and I learned how to make it at home, so they could continue to enjoy it. I changed up this recipe of traditional Chinese Egg Custard by baking them and incorporating Coconut Milk and Macadamia Nut Oil, although there are so many variations depending on the province you are visiting. This recipe is one the family asks for regularly, and it is easy and kid friendly, but looks and tastes fancy enough to serve as an appetizer at a dinner party or festive occasion. Adults love it too! It is nutritious with two eggs per serving, shrimp and good fat.

Asian Inspired Shrimp Egg Custard with Scallion Oil Drizzle

Asian Shrimp Egg Custard with Scallion Oil Drizzle

Ingredients:

8 Eggs

32 shelled and deveined small shrimp, steamed

1 1/2 Cups Bone Broth or Chicken Stock

1/2 Cup Coconut Milk, Full Fat SCD Legal no Additives

3/4 Teaspoon Himalayan Pink Salt

Pinch of White Pepper

Duck Fat for Greasing the Ramekins

For the Scallion Oil:

2 fresh scallions green parts only, sliced

1/2 Cup Macadamia Nut Oil or Olive Oil

1/2 teaspoon Himalayan Pink Salt

Directions:

Preheat Oven 350º degrees. Grease 4 Ramekins with Duck Fat, set aside. To make your Scallion Oil, place sliced scallions, macadamia oil and 1/2 teaspoon Himalayan Pink Salt in a small food processor and blend until emulsified with a few bits of green scallion flecks, set aside.

In a large bowl whisk together your 8 eggs, bone broth, coconut milk, Himalayan Pink Salt and a pinch of white pepper. Stir in 3 Tablespoons of scallion oil and whisk again. Pour evenly into the four ramekins. Place 5 shrimp in the center part of each ramekin. They will sink, that is good! Place ramekins in a roasting pan or a pan with sides, and pour boiling water into the pan so it comes halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake 350º degrees for 25 to 30 minutes, just until set but still slightly jiggly in the middle. Remove from oven and top with three shrimp artfully arranged and drizzle each with 2 teaspoons of scallion oil. They should cool for about 5 to 10 minutes before serving so you don’t burn your tongue.

Served 4

Eat Your Nutrients!

Grilled Zesty Shrimp & Vegetables

Grilled Zesty Shrimp and Vegetables

Ingredients:

1 Cup Orange Vinaigrette (found here)

Zest of One Lemon

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil and Coconut Oil (melted)

2 Teaspoons Himalayan Pink Salt

1/2 Teaspoon Black Pepper

2 Medium Zucchini, Sliced

1 Green Bell Pepper, Sliced

1 Red Bell Pepper, Sliced

1 Serrano Chili Pepper, Sliced

1 Pound Shrimp

Grilled Vegetable & Shrimp Toss

Toss the vegetables together in a large bowl with the dressing and remaining ingredients, except Shrimp. Let marinate 30 minutes to an hour. Place the vegetables in a grill pan, and grill on medium heat 20 minutes or until desired doneness, tossing occasionally. Add the shrimp the last five minutes until pink and cooked through.

Eat Your Nutrients!

A Quick Snack That is Portable and Healthy – Sardines….Yep!

Some days are crazy and I don’t have time to “fix” a snack, or my homemade snack stash has run out. It is challenging if you have a couple crazy busy days doing errands, appointments and just life in general. This is when I grab a tin of sardines or mackerel, drain it, and put some mustard on it, sit down for a minute and refuel. I love the benefits of sardines and mackerel…..Calcium, Omega 3’s, Protein. It is a power snack. The last few days have been crazy. My daughter is getting married, and I am wedding planning. The other day we had dress fittings, piano lessons, pick ups, drop offs. I had a minute to sit down outside in a comfy chair and eat a can of mackerel, listen to the birds, and look at the sky. It was just right. I also find that eating a snack like that holds me over just fine until the next meal, and no sugar crashes. So, here’s to sardines!