The Other RED MEAT

     Alright, being from Sitka by the sea and all I have really been craving some salmon. With this dilemma I went to the super market in search for some decent fish, and alas I found what I would call "okay for the midwest". I also understand that desperate times call for desperate measures so yes, I Ashlee Wheeler went to the grocery store and bought some frozen Salmon. First thing however I would like to make apparent is that I was cognizant of the fact that what I may be buying could have potentially been farmed raised fish from Indonesia and I was able to dodge that bullet.

                                             (Friends don't let Friends eat Farmed Fish)
So even though this fish came in a prepackaged bundle, that is beyond foreign to me when thinking about fish I had to go out beyond the beaten path to obtain what my heart truly desired. (PS: debate on farm raised salmon topic, saved for another day)
   
Back to the Topic at Hand, My amazing dinner. This time I was needing some salmon for my taste buds.

Recipe:

1. Two Thawed salmon filets 
2. One bundle of green onions
3. 3 Fronds of parsley 
4. 2 cloves of garlic
5. 1 yellow pepper
6. 3 table spoons of capers 
7. White Wine
8. Salt and Pepper
9. Wild Rice 

     I started this journey out by getting the rice cooking, your typical rice will take an hour or so to cook. Don't let that discourage you from getting the real stuff. Minute Made and white rices have all of the nutrient removed from them after processing them and hey lets agree that it just doesn't taste as good. The rice will go in a 1-2 cup ratio, after boiling for just a minute you can turn the stove down to a simmer and let it cook for about 50 minutes.
     While the rice is cooking this is a good time to start preparing and chopping the other ingredients for the dish.  I began by chopping the "parsley" the garlic and the green onions in very small pieces and left the yellow pepper in nice long slices.

       Now I did however taste my "parsley" and realized I picket up cilantro at the grocery store. Now my next lesson will be how to decipher between the different green things in the super market.... The dish turned out fine with the little substitute.
     Once I had everything chopped I rinsed the salmon filets and patted them dry with a paper cloth. The skillet was then primed with some wine and water until it all came to a boil.

     Again with these recipes my intention is not to win Americas NEXT Top chief or anything so I grabbed some wine that was sitting around, a substitute could be chicken broth.
     Once the water and wine have come to a boil I added: capers, green onions, garlic, yellow pepper, cilantro and let them simmer for about 3 minutes. Then before adding the fish to the mixture I seasoned the fish with a little salt and pepper, next time I would be curious to know how some crushed red pepper would taste. With the skin still on the fish I cooked in the pan for 10 minutes, while also spreading some of the ingredients on top of the fish. After the fish was cooked all the way through I took it out of the pan and set it on top of the wild rice. I dipped out some of the veggies from the pan and I had a Fantastic healthy and satisfying dinner.

Full of color textures flavors and packet with tons of healthy fats carbs and protein :)

Spicy Yogurt Sauce

      Well again I am experimenting with different recipes, and OH HOW interesting it can get. The key to my experimentation is to have FUN with it. I also like to use the use healthy ingredients and things that are in my fridge when I get in the mood to create :).

  Today I needed to use some smoked pork tenderloin, thanks to the LIONs club ha ha, and I though eating it plain was not what I had pictured for today's lunch. SO with that being said I started to create a tangy sauce that was delectable on top of my pork with a side of veggies.

   What I used:
       1 half of a fresh lemon
       2 Tbs of chopped onion
      1/2 tsp of cayenne pepper
       1Tbs of parsley (fresh preferably)
       2 Tbs of fat free plain greek yogurt
       2 Tbs of extra virgin olive oil
       4 cloves of peeled garlic cloves

 I tossed all of this in a food processor and waah la! I served it over hot pork with a side of steamed veggies. The meal was pretty good HOWEVER the onions did burn my eyes a bit, so I would suggest using green onion or chives. Watch out because its spicy ;) Enjoy