Favorite Healthy Recipe (Fitness Blog World post)

Monday I usually write a motivational blog but I am changing that a bit today. I belong to Fitness Blog World, a group of writers who write about fitness, and once every few weeks we all write about the same thing.

It's a Flash Mob Blog!

Today our topic is: Share your favourite healthy / clean recipe that uses 5 ingredients or less!

I have so many, but this is definitely one of them. 

Salmon wrapped in fig leaves with tomato basil salsa vinaigrette

Salmon fillets, skinned

Heirloom tomatoes

Fresh basil

Shallots

Vinaigrette with olive oil and red wine vinegar (homemade)

I like to BBQ this but it can be baked, poached or pan fried. It is so good at the end of summer when the tomatoes are ripe and juicy and full of tart acid. The fresh basil is found in most gardens and compliments the richness of the salmon.

Prepare the Salsa. finely chop 1/3 cup shallots, 3 large tomatoes and combine. Add chopped, fresh basil, about 1/2 cup (loosely packed). Make a vinaigrette (2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil and 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar plus salt and pepper), add this to the tomato and basil salsa. Mix gently and allow to rest while you prepare the salmon.

Salt and pepper the salmon and wrap it in fresh fig leaves. Now I happen to have two fig trees in my backyard, and if you don't, you can cook the salmon any way you like! If you want to grill it, you can place it skin side down on a piece of foil (cut just slightly larger than the fish), cook in a covered grill until done, the skin will stick to the foil! So this way is easy, no skinning needed.

Fig leaves will impart a coconut scent and flavor, try it if you can.

Grill the salmon until it is almost done. It should still be red in the center, barely warmed or it will be over cooked. This will vary depending on the thickness of the fish, but it can be anywhere from 3 to 6 minutes per side. Press on the fish, it will be firm and yield slightly when done.

Plate the salmon, spoon the salsa vinaigrette on top. This can be eaten alone as a low carb meal or you can add additional vegetables or some starch.

Please take some time to visit Fitness Blog World, where you will find 21 writers all sharing their favorite clean recipe using only 5 ingredients. The official post time is Monday at 8:00 pm, so don't fret if you don't see it early in the day!


Happy eating!

Tomatillo Salsa

I treat my body as royalty, I deserve the best! I am talking about my food.....So many people buy the cheapest thing they can get, I shake my head with wonder as I listen to people talk about how cheap their tilapia is or their frozen vegetables are. I think they don't even realize that the more alive your food is, the more nutrients and taste it has!

I get a CSA delivery of vegetables and fruit at my office every Tuesday, I get what I get, it's what is in season and I love it! It comes from J.P. Organics, but that doesn't last long so I also go to the Campbell Farmers Market every Sunday too.  

I fell in love with these purple tomatillos from Catalan Family Farm. The taste is sweeter than green tomatillos. Last week I made salsa with avocado for the boys, this week I made some a little different without the avocado, I wanted to control the fats a bit more. I decided to use the sweet tomatillos, shiny chilaka chiles (use pasilla if you cannot find these) and cilantro. 

First I shucked the tomatillos and pan roasted them until they were blistered and starting to bubble inside, some bursting slightly.

I then blistered the chiles on a cast iron pan, I wanted a slightly charred taste to go with the sweetness of the tomatillos. 

I roughly chopped the chiles, then put the chiles, tomatillos, cilantro and a splash of water into a blender and whisked it up. I added some salt and pepper then the juice of half a lime.

It was stunning. It was a party in my mouth! The sweet and tangy tomatillos, the earthy chiles and just a hint of lime.

For lunch I topped my bowl with some, I had 4 ounces sauteed ground turkey breast, cauliflower, 3 ounces rice and green beans. And my party salsa.


This is great because it is packed with flavor, no fat, minimal carbs (and it's not starches anyway, its mainly sugars just like a tomato). A little goes a long way, so adding just a bit adds pizazz to my meal.

For dinner I had Knee Deep Cattle Company vitellone. This is not veal, it is free range,  grass fed young beef. I buy it from Prather Ranch at the farmers market. I cooked it rare (you can see I think) topped it with a couple tablespoons of salsa and had green beans and my favorite, mushrooms.


Try the salsa, it is amazing!