Great Fresh Salmon

Most of the salmon we have in Florida is "farm fresh" and not "wild" salmon. There is evidence that "farm fresh" may not be that good for you. We are looking for Omega 3 not Omega 6. I went online and found 2 Sisters Alaska Seafood. The web site is 2sistersalaskaseafood.com. I ordered the seafood sampler special and it arrived overnight Fedex (free overnight on 8lbs. or more). The salmon we ate tonight was fabulous. Also, cooked quick cooking barley in chicken broth using the recipe on the box. Another in the amazing grain family. Looking for a great sauce for salmon. Any ideas?

Dipping sauce for Hard Shell Crabs

This has to be immortalized because so few people use sauce when eating hard shell crabs. They don't know what they are missing. I found this in an article I saved from the Wilmington News Journal dated Jan. 22, 2003. It reminds me of the sauce they used to serve at DiNardo's on Lincoln St.(in Wilmington, De.) that closed a number of years ago. As I recall, the vinegar made it great and cut down on the salt from the Old Bay.

1/2 Cup dark brown sugar

1/2 Cup apple cider vinegar

1/4 Cup ketchup

1 teaspoon of hot sauce

2 teaspoons of Old Bay seasoning

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1/2 cup water

Combine in a pan and bring to a boil. Cool and serve in individual dipping dishes.

Spicy Baked Shrimp

Another low calorie recipe that is really high in flavor. The agave nectar can be usually found in the organic section of your grocer. It has as many calories as sugar but you don't have to use as much. I think it is the secret ingredient of this recipe. This probably has less than 200 calories per serving and was adapted from Million Meals Menu Planner

3 TBSP grape seed oil (or extra virgin olive oil)

2 TBSP no salt added Cajun seasoning ( I used 1 TBSP of Old Bay)

2 TBSP fresh lime juice

2 TBSP chopped fresh parsley (I used 1 TBSP dried parsley)

1 TBSP agave nectar

1 tsp low sodium soy sauce

pinch cayenne pepper

few drops of Tabasco or other hot sauce

1 lb. uncooked large shrimp, shelled and de-veined (I also butterflied)

Stir together well all ingredients in baking dish and refrigerate 1 hr. Bake at 450f until shrimp are cooked through (about 8-10 minutes), stirring occasionally. Serves 4

Shrimp and Yellow Sauce

I made this a couple of nights ago and it is roughly 200 calories per serving. It is a variation of a recipe from the Cooking Light annual recipes 2007. My friend, Kathleen, gave me the book. I served it with Quinoa (pronounced keen-wa). It is a super grain (and tastier than white rice). Also, serve with your favorite green vegetable.

Spice Paste:

1/2 teaspoon grated lime rind (get a microplaner or cheese grater and stop at the white part)

2 tablespoons lime juice

1 to 2 teaspoons sambal oelek (chile paste with garlic; easily available in the Asian section of your grocer and a great all around hot sauce)

1 teaspoon fish sauce (located in the same section of your grocer)

1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds

1/2 teaspoon tumeric

3 garlic cloves

2 shallots, chopped

1 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled

Remaining ingredients:

Cooking spray (like Pam)

1 lb. large shrimp, peeled and deveined ( I also cut them down the back; butterflied)

Chopped cilantro (optional)

1. To prepare spice paste, place first 9 ingredients in a food processor, process until smooth.

2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add spice paste to pan; saute 1 minute or until fragrant (fancy word: until you can smell it). Add coconut milk and shrimp; simmer 4-5 minutes until the shrimp are done. Garnish with cilantro, if desired. This makes 4 portions.

The path to cooking light and fighting 50

I'm ready to start posting some great new recipes but I have to put a frame around what is trying to be accomplished: reengineering 30 years of cooking habits because we can't burn the calories like we used to. (I thought about Nutrisystem and Jenny Craig, but who wants to eat that for the rest of their lives, plus I love to cook). It has been roughly two weeks of learning and experimenting and I already have a "top 10" list of my personal learning tips. Here they are:

1) Educate yourself about foods and their value to you. Read about nutrition. Some good books: Flat Belly Diet (from the editors of Prevention). Cook this, Not that by David Zinczenko and Matt Goulding (This one will scare you from eating out)

2) Eat like a cat (Eat a mouse sized portions 4x's a day). Most books say four, 400 calorie portions in a weight loss scenerio. If you do it right, it is very satisfying (see 3rd tip).

3) Experiment with foods that you can't even pronounce and never had as a child: like Quinoa, CousCous, bulgur wheat. All in the amazing grain family and more tasty than rice and easy to cook.

4) Like a friend with diabetes does: avoid the foods in white, white bread, white rice, white sugar, white flour, white potatoes, white pasta (you get the picture). Converts too rapidly into sugar.

5) Don't skip breakfast even if you aren't hungry. It sets the tone for the day and is said to jump start the metabolism.

6) Try drinking a glass of "sassy water" with each meal. It's mostly lemon juice in water. (It's documented in the Flat Belly Diet book). Again, helps get the full feeling.

7) Exercise. I just got a pedometer. Interesting.

8) Set realistic expectations. I now consider it a game that can be won.

9) Take the skin off the chicken. Ouch, next to bacon, it's a favorite food group. I cooked Ellen's Thai chicken with the skin off and it was better because the marinade permeated the meat better.

10) Buy one of the Cooking Light Annual Recipes books. I'm using one from 2007 that my friend Kathleen gave me a few years ago. I wish I used it more then.

So; there you have it and what I will be contributing to the blog next will fit in the world of cooking light. So long Paula Deen, for awhile.........

Coconut-Braised Salmon

We served this to my sister Emily. It was very good. The recipe is from one of my new favorite cookbooks--

American Masala

For the Marinade

¼ cup lemon juice

½ tsp. curry powder

2 tsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. ground peppercorns
6 6-oz. salmon fillets--I like Costco's frozen wild salmon

For the Sauce

2 Tbsp. canola oil

1 dried red chili

4 tsp. mustard seeds

2 tsp. cumin seeds

1 tsp. ground peppercorns

2 medium red onions, finely chopped

2 Tbsp. plus 2 tsp. kosher salt

6 medium tomatoes, finely chopped, can use canned plum tomatoes

2 cups coconut milk

½ cup chopped fresh cilantro

Place the marinade ingredients in a gallon-sized re-sealable plastic bag. Add the salmon and turn to coat. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 400. To make the sauce, heat the canola oil with the chili, mustard seed, cumin seeds, and peppercorns in a large skillet over medium-high heat for 2 minutes or until the mustard seeds begin to pop. Add the onions and salt and cook, stirring often, until the onions are soft and just beginning to brown. Add the tomatoes, and cook, stirring occasionally, until they break down and the sauce thickens, about 10 minutes. Stir in the coconut milk and bring to a simmer. Transfer to a large baking dish.

Place the salmon on top of the sauce. Bake the salmon until it is done—about 15 minutes. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve