Orange-Ginger Baked Salmon

Please try this recipe if you love salmon and ginger! Flavor, spice, aroma... oh Wow! This was an unexpectedly delicious dinner. I mean, I did have high hopes. Tonight was an attempt to satisfy my week long, relentless craving for salmon! It needed to be good. It needed to satisfy. But I had no idea I would fall in love! Seriously. Needless to say, I will be making this again... And again and again! :-)

I can only hope my snatches in WOD 12.2 tomorrow morning will be just as successfully surprising! Good luck to all you "Openers". And I hope you enjoy this dish as much as I did!

Recipe

2 lb. salmon fillet

1 C orange juice

1 T coconut aminos

1-1/2 T finely chopped ginger root

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 C sweet red pepper, finely chopped

2 (heaping) T chopped fresh cilantro

1 tsp. red pepper flakes

pinch sea salt

dash black pepper

1 T olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Put salmon fillet in a baking dish. Place orange juice in a sauce pan and cook over medium low heat. Stir occasionally for about 10-15 minutes, while you prepare other ingredients, until juice is reduced by about half. Remove from heat and allow to cool. In a separate pan, saute garlic in olive oil (do not burn). Add ginger and sweet red peppers. After about 2-3 minutes, add coconut aminos, red pepper flakes and cilantro. Immediately add this to the orange sauce, season with salt and pepper and mix well. Pour 1/2 the sauce over the salmon. Bake, uncovered for 15 minutes. Add remaining sauce over the top and cook for another 5 minutes. Salmon should flake easily with a fork when it's done. And your house should smell really really good! :-)

I served this with a side of sauteed spinach and steamed asparagus. Hope you enjoy!

Simple Salmon & Cilantro Sweet Potatoes

Wow, what a weekend! We followed our very own Annie Sakamoto to the Nor-Cal Regionals and she sure gave us reason to cheer! I think I can speak for all when I say how very proud and awe-inspired we all were by her! Annie is one of those rare gems that encompasses the best qualities in an athlete, a competitor, a mother, a trainer, a friend, a wife and a person! A lovely lady who truly deserves this shining moment: 3rd for our Nor-Cal Region!!! We love you, Annie!

Tonight's dinner was delicious! However, it was the side dish that I was most happy with! Sweet potatoes are a mainstay in our diet, and it is always a treat to find new ways to prepare them. This tasty recipe could be enjoyed hot or cold. Hope you enjoy! We loved it!

Recipe:

4 sweet potatoes, peeled and diced

2 T coconut oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 C fresh cilantro, finely chopped

1/2 tsp. chili powder

Pinch sea salt

Fresh ground black pepper to taste

Place potatoes in a medium saucepan. Add just enough water to cover. Bring to a boil. Lower heat and cook at a low boil for about 8-10 minutes (until potatoes are just tender). Drain and set aside. In the same saucepan, heat coconut oil over medium heat. Add garlic and cook until tender. Add potatoes back to pan along with chili powder and cilantro. Mix well and season with sea salt and black pepper. Serve and enjoy this pleasant twist to the typical side dish! And... for all you cilantro dislikers (I do know a few)... substitute flat leaf Italian parsley!

Just for fun... here's a shot of (some of the) Annie's FANnies celebrating with Annie at the end of regionals:

Salmon & Kale

Oh my Gosh... my family RAVED over this dinner and crowned me queen of the kitchen! :-D

I wore my crown proudly all evening! The truth is though... this was an easy dinner to make and really didn't involve a whole lot of talent (but we don't have to let them know that)... I like being "queen"... if only for an evening!

Recipes-

Sauteed Kale:

1 T olive oil

2 shallots, sliced

5-6 oz shiitake mushroom, whole

1 T sesame seeds

1 bunch kale, break up leaves, discard thick stems

2 T coconut aminos (non-soy seasoning sauce)

Salmon:

8-10 oz. salmon filet (serves 4)

1 T olive oil

Approximately 1 tsp. black pepper

Approximately 1 tsp. ground ginger

1 T sesame seeds

1/4 C coconut aminos

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a heavy skillet (I used a cast iron) heat olive oil. Season fish on both sides with ginger and black pepper. When olive oil is hot, quickly brown salmon... about 3-5 minutes on each side (until nicely browned). Pour coconut aminos over salmon and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Place entire skillet in oven for 10 minutes.

While salmon is baking, in another skillet, heat olive oil and saute shallots until they start to caramelize. Add shiitake mushrooms, and stir in sesame seeds and coconut aminos. Add kale and mix well. Cook until kale becomes tender. The salmon and kale should be ready about the same time! Serve together on a plate... and become queen (or king) of the kitchen! :-) Enjoy!

Salmon with Bacon-Wrapped Asparagus Spears & Sauteed Spinach

I thought this was a hearty and decadent meal. It seemed the right thing to do for a Holiday! If you enjoy bacon (and I haven't met anyone who doesn't) then I promise you will love this!

The bacon-wrapped asparagus spears make a great appetizer, too! (I know what I'm bringing to my next Paleo party!)

Enjoy! :-)

Ingredients

1 large Salmon filet (wild-caught)

1 T spicy stone ground mustard

1 T capers

1 package bacon, uncured (reserve two slices for the spinach)

1 bunch asparagus (on the thicker side)

1 T olive oil

1 bunch fresh baby spinach (or 9oz pre-washed bag)

2 cloves garlic, minced

(2 sliced cooked bacon)... chopped

ground black pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush mustard on fish and top with capers and black pepper. Bake salmon for about 10 minutes. Remove from oven. Turn on Broiler. Cut bacon slices in half and wrap around a piece of asparagus. Place on a broiler pan. Broil for about 10 minutes, or until bacon browns. When bacon is browned, turn asparagus over and broil for another 10 minutes (or so) to brown the bottom side. Set aside. Put salmon back under the broiler for just about 5 minutes to brown the mustard topping. Serve with bacon-wrapped asparagus spears and sauteed spinach.

Spinach~

I cooked up a couple extra pieces of bacon to add to the spinach! Heat olive oil in a pan and saute garlic. Add spinach and toss until it cooks down. Toss in the bacon pieces!

Absolutely yummy!

Mediterranean Barbecued Salmon

I got this recipe with quick verbal communication between classes from Rachel Frankl (who is also on CF Santa Cruz Central's web site tonight)! Perhaps there are other reasons why she is always one of the first one's to finish a wod with impeccable form! She has an impeccable diet, too! We just can NOT deny that outstanding performance in the gym typically coincides with good nutrition!!! (Especially Paleolithic nutrition standards). Thank you, Rachel for sharing your wonderful, healthy and Paleo-terrific recipes! You're an inspiration... both in the gym, and in the kitchen!!! Thank you and keep up the awesome work! :-)

Recipe:

Salmon filet (cut into about 4oz individual portions)

Place each 4oz portion in its own tin foil wrap, and top with Mediterranean salsa.

Salsa:

2 tomatoes, diced

1 small yellow/sweet onion

2 cloves garlic,l minced

1 Avocado, chopped

Olive oil

some salt & pepper

lemon juice (or lemon slices)

Top each salmon piece with a little olive oil, mediterranean salsa, sprinkle with a little sea salt and pepper and place a slice of lemon (or lemon juice) over the top. Seal the tin foil around the filets and barbecue for 12-15 minutes on medium heat. You will be able to hear the juices bubbling in the foil before you take it off the barbecue. Adjust the time and/or heat accordingly. This was delicious! Fresh, fun, simple, and Paleo! ENJOY! :-)

Thank you Rachel!