Stuffed Trout - yum yum!

How is everyone enjoying their summer?  We’re having some exceptionally warm days here in Colorado.  Needless to say, Dave and I have been hanging out a lot indoors, working on various projects.  Living in a small space, we’re constantly keeping an eye out for new ways to add storage and keep everything organized.  Dave is in the process of making several custom shelves for our laundry area, front closet, and bathroom.  My current organizational project is a condensed recipe book containing only recipes we use and love.  And, when I finally get around to my sewing project, we’ll have a couple of gorgeous throw pillows and a new curtain to “jazz” up our place.   

After our trip to Table Rock Lake in Missouri with my family this past May, Dave and I realized that we both have a real interest in fishing.  So, without wasting any time, we went to Bass Pro, bought a couple of poles and started fishing!  While we haven’t yet caught anything big enough to keep, we’re having a fun time enjoying nature together. 

Fishing is also an incredibly practical hobby.  I mean, what better way to cut back on the grocery bill than to actually hunt/gather/catch the food yourself?!  We are a very “fish-friendly” household, and buying fresh, good quality fish every week can get expensive!  I know many of you don’t care for the flavor and/or texture of fish or struggle with how to prepare it, so I hope the recipe below will help. 

After being “gifted” a batch of trout from one of Dave’s co-workers, we’ve been able to perfect our stuffed trout recipe.  Hopefully I will get to use this recipe on my very own catch once we get back from our upcoming fishing/camping excursion this week!

Stuffed Trout:

·         4 trout, cleaned, skin on and heads removed

·         Olive oil (for sautéing vegetables)

·         1 garlic clove, minced

·         1 green pepper, thinly sliced

·         2 green onions, thinly sliced

·         6 mushrooms, chopped

·         4 tbsp. melted butter

·         2 tsp. dried dill

·         2 tsp. dried parsley

·         1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice

·         4 lemon wedges

·         Salt and pepper to taste

·         Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, optional

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Sauté garlic, green pepper, onions, and mushrooms in a bit of olive oil.  Once softened, remove from heat.  Season skin of trout with sea salt (both sides).  Pour 1 tablespoon of melted butter over the flesh side of each fish.  Season flesh of fish with dill, parsley, salt, pepper, and lemon juice.  Place a lemon wedge on top of each fish.  Wrap fish individually in foil and bake for 15-20 minutes, checking after 15 minutes (fish should flake off the bone).  If desired, sprinkle Parmesan cheese over fillets beore serving.  Enjoy!

Smoked Salmon Recipe

As you can see with the lack of posting, I’ve been a bit of a slacker in the food department lately. Life gets so busy at times and I think we often put our food and nutrition needs on the back burner. As I’m digging myself out of this rut, I realize that I actually haven't been quite as unproductive as I originally thought...

Usually I browse through my favorite grocery store’s sales flyers on Friday, and then spend some more time looking through my cookbooks and online for the perfect recipes. I then put together a menu and grocery list for the following week. Lately I’ve just been winging it; I purchase my food staples and then grab whatever else is on sale or looks fresh. I’m a super organized person, so cooking like this for the past month or so has been driving me crazy! But as disorganized as it seems, I just came to the realization that it’s been a great learning experience for me.

Instead of feeling restricted by a menu and specific recipes, I’ve been creating meals on the fly with whatever I have on hand. Some have been delicious and others not so good, but I always get a sense of satisfaction out of my creations. I’d like to share one of my favorites with you.

Smoked salmon, veggies, and spicy cream cheese

I LOVE sushi but don’t get the opportunity to eat it all that often. The rolls are my favorite and I’ve always been a fan of the Philadelphia Roll made with smoked salmon and cream cheese. White rice is gluten free and one of the exceptions I’ll make in the grain category from time to time, but when I’m trying to emulate the flavors at home it’s certainly ideal to skip the rice. So this is what I came up with:

1 package smoked salmon
2 eggs, poached
1 avacado, sliced
½ cucumber, sliced
2 roma tomatoes, sliced
3 tbsp cream cheese
Wasabi, to taste
Salt and pepper, to taste

After slicing the tomato and cucumber, season with salt and pepper. Place the avocado slices in a small bowl, and season with a few drops of lemon juice, salt and pepper. Place the smoked salmon pieces on a large plate. Mix the cream cheese with the wasabi and spread evenly on the smoked salmon. Layer the avocado, cucumber and tomato slices on top of the salmon, covering the entire area. Top with the poached eggs, salt, and pepper.

I wish I had a picture to share because this dish has a fabulous presentation! Enjoy for breakfast, lunch or dinner!

Easy Summertime Salad

I love summer for many reasons, but the abundance of fresh produce, especially berries, is right at the top of the list. My favorites are raspberries and strawberries and I’m discovering more and more ways to incorporate berries into my meals. For breakfast, a simple coconut milk berry smoothie is easy to make in a pinch. Often I’ll mix plain full fat yogurt, cinnamon, berries and maybe a touch of honey together to make a satisfying snack or even dessert. There are tons of yummy sauces, salsas and chutneys made using berries and most are a wonderful accompaniment to meat dishes, especially pork. Today, I’m going to share my recipe for a quick and easy mixed greens salmon salad with fresh berries and balsamic vinagrette, perfect for lunch on a hot summer day.

Before I share my recipe I have to mention the most recent love in my food life: Taylor Organic Baby Herb Salad Blend. I’ve never been big on salads, especially packaged salad mixes, but let me tell you this is something else! I love the unique mix of herbs and greens, including arugula, dill, cilantro, beet greens, swiss chard, spinach, and romaine. Most of the time I’ll use this blend to make salads, but it’s also great underneath a couple of fried or poached eggs for breakfast. Using this salad blend along with some fresh berries, I created a quick go-to recipe for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Salmon, Herb, and Berry Salad

2-3 cups Taylor Organic Baby Herb Salad Blend
1-6oz. can Wild Alaskan Salmon, drained
Small handful of fresh berries (blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, sliced strawberries)
1 tbsp. chopped almonds

Balsamic Vinaigrette

1/4 cup olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper, to taste

Assemble the salad, drizzle the vinaigrette on top, and enjoy! If you have the time and want to dress up the salad a bit more, add some feta cheese crumbles, avocado slices, grape tomatoes, or any of your favorite veggies. If you don't have the salad blend on hand, use whatever greens you have in the fridge and throw in some snipped fresh dill and cilantro to add some extra flavor.