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!

Shirataki Pasta

This looks fabulous doesn't it?! Doesn't even look like "diet" food, but it sure is.

"R" and I went to do a little shopping at Mitsuawa market today, it is my favorite Japanese grocery store.

Among other things, I found some beautiful scallops, I can eat them this week then no more for a few weeks due to the sodium content.
 

I also picked up a few packages of Shirataki pasta- it's made from tofu and yam flour. If you follow Hungry Girl, you read about this years ago, it's actually available at almost any grocery store, in the refrigerator section. I tried it then and didn't care for it, but after tonight I have decided it had to have been my method of preparation that failed me previously.

It has a gelatinous texture, so it is crucial to prepare it correctly so that is almost eliminated. The pasta comes in water, drain it and rinse it very well, using tongs or your hands to clean it all off. Then boil it for 3 minutes and drain well again.

Now this is the most important part, lay it out on paper towels then dab it with more towels to get it as dry as possible.  Now let it sit till you plan to toss it in your dish.

I heated a cast iron skillet till very hot, then sprayed it very quickly with olive oil cooking spray. Salt and pepper on the scallops, and seared them on each side for 2 minutes.

I added 1 Tablespoon of balsamic vinegar (it can give sauces a meaty, rich flavor if used sparingly), it quickly cooked off, and I removed the scallops from the pan. I then added 5 ounces diced up fresh tomatoes, 1/4 cup chopped green onion, 2 Tablespoons julienned basil, a dash red pepper flakes and let it cook a couple minutes, then added salt, pepper and 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar.

Simmer a few minutes longer, then add 1/4 cup chicken broth. Add the pasta to the sauce, stir and warm a minute then add the scallops back in, stir.
Serve in a bowl with a few shreds of fresh basil on top.

 Now the good part-  An entire package of shirataki pasta is supposed to serve 2, I ate all of it. The whole package has the following nutritional breakdown:

Calories 40
Carbs 6 grams
Fiber 4 grams

Fat 1/2 gram

Protein 2 grams

Sodium 30 grams

So, when you add the other ingredients to this, the total breakdown was:

6 ounces (uncooked weight) scallops

5 ounces tomato

1/4 cup green onions

2 Tbls Basil

1 Tbls + 2 tsp balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup chicken broth

1 package shirataki noodles

258 calories

16.6 grams carbs (tomatoes have a lot)

28 grams protein

3 grams fat

To put this into perspective, if you were to use 2 ounces dried pasta (the recommended serving on the box, that's 1/8 of a box), instead of the shirataki noodles,  the breakdwon would look like this:

418 calories

51.6 grams carbs

33 grams protein

3.5 grams fat

That's a HUGE difference, I rarely ever eat a meal with that many calories, and the only meal I eat with that many carbs is immediately following a heavy training session.

I am making turkey meatballs next and shall try a meat based broth with just a few tomatoes and will let you know how it is!