No Fat Salmon

How are your New Year's resolutions coming along? Still sticking to your healthy eating prescription? It's a challenge isn't it? I'll confess...  I had some carrot cake tonight, from the downstairs freezer while I was doing laundry! But you have to forgive yourself the little "cheats" and keep on trying.

Here's one of my favourite recipes for moist, full of flavour fish:  I simply take 2 lemons and slice them thin. I use the slices to line the baking dish. In this example, pictured,  I've used 1 lemon and 1 lime for a more complex citrus flavour. I placed the filets meat side-down on the lemon slices. Then I used sea salt, cracked pepper, dill weed & onion flakes on top of the skin. When the skin is removed it takes the spices, but leaves a fair bit of flavour. That's great if you are also watching your sodium.

There are no additional liquids or any fat added. The broth you see in the photo (cooked) is simply the moisture from the lemons/limes and the fish as it breaks down during baking.

I cover the pan with foil and bake in the oven at 325 for about 40 minutes. Time will vary on your type of fish (my favourite is salmon), the thickness of the cut and whether you started with fresh or frozen filets.

This is a great main course to serve with veggies and brown rice. Use leftovers on a salad for the next day's healthy lunch.

Baked lemon/lime salmon filets

Simple Soup

When winter weather hits and you are tempted to hibernate, isn't it a wonderful and comforting thing to have homemade soup?

I made this soup as a hearty and salt-free gift for my father. He, like so many others, watches his sodium intake carefully. Have you ever read the label of an inexpensive can of soup? 35% or more of your daily sodium requirement in one serving! And when you become conscious of your sodium intake anything over-flavoured with salt leaves your mouth dry and gasping for alternatives. That's why homemade soup, started with love and quality ingredients is always far superior.

I chose to start this soup with a ribeye steak. Ribeye is very tender and fairly fatty. It is not a typical tough soup or stew cut of beef. I selected it so that every bite of steak was a reward, not just a chewy chunk. It was the star of the show, as it should be.

The broth was favoured with two types of onions, celery, garlic and carrots. I used a variety of coarse and fresh peppers to add a bit of spice. Later I added soaked organic barley.

This beef barley soup, served with fresh rolls or rye bread could be the perfect answer to the winter chill you are feeling.

What would happen if...

This January we each resolve to do two things?

1. Use our recycled bags at the grocery store and at the mall.

2. We tried to eat "cleaner"... you know, foods that are closer to the farm. Foods that are more natural and are less fabricated. Foods that have fewer additives and preservatives.

Will you try?