Miso Ginger Salmon

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Miso… Ginger… Salmon

What more do I need to say about this?!?  So many delicious flavors combining to bring this beautiful flavor bomb!  And what could be easier than baking salmon and serving it along side a simple side of roasted vegetables.

Some time ago I came across a recipe for a miso salmon in a magazine in the waiting room of my doctors’ office.  I’ve kicked myself ever since for not taking a picture of that recipe or at least writing down the name of the magazine!  However, last week a memory of that flashed through my mind when I was trying to decide on how to make some frozen salmon I had on hand and I decided just to give it a shot.

Fortunately, I don’t think it could have turned out any better!  My normal taste tester (aka husband 🙂 ) even commented it was some of the best salmon I had ever prepared!  I’d call that a win! Especially since I prepare salmon so frequently!

I paired this with a simple side of roasted broccoli and cauliflower, sticking with the Asian theme and roasting it with a little soy sauce and a few other spices.

This recipe also features one of my favorite condiments, Chile Crunch.  This condiment is so versatile and delicious, and even better it has minimal ingredients! It contains just garlic, onion, chiles, canola oil, salt, and spices.  It contains no preservatives or MSG and is gluten free!

Miso Salmon Chile Crunch

I will definitely be making this again, and soon, and often! 🙂  Especially because I bought a rather large container of miso paste – any suggestions for how else to use it are welcomed!!!

Of course, fresh salmon is typically best, but that can be hard to find, especially in the mid-west, so I’ve had good luck with individually packaged and frozen fillets, from either Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s.  To thaw them, place them in the refrigerator the day prior to preparing or if you forget (like I often do!), place the frozen fillets, still in their packaging, in a bowl and run some lukewarm water over them for a bit.  Don’t get the water too warm or else you’ll start cooking the salmon, which is no good!

If you like to top it or like a little crunch for some extra texture, I highly recommend lightly toasting some sesame seeds and sprinkling them over the top!  To toast, place sesame seeds in a small skillet over medium-low heat.  Shake pan frequently for a few minutes while seeds toast.  They will turn a light brownish hue – keep an eye on them as they will toast very quickly!

This could also be served over a bed of rice or quinoa (as pictured above) for a more filling meal!

Enjoy!

Miso Ginger Salmon

Miso Ginger Salmon

Serves:  6      Total Time:  30 minutes

Ingredients:

For the salmon:

  1. 6 4oz salmon filets, fresh or frozen
  2. 2 t olive oil
  3. 2 t white miso
  4. 2 t rice wine vinegar
  5. 2 t reduced sodium soy sauce or coconut aminos (if using coconut aminos, reduce sweetener to 1/2 t as coconut aminos tends to be a bit sweet)
  6. 1 t mirin, honey, or sweetener of choice
  7. 1 t sesame oil
  8. 1 heaping tsp grated fresh ginger
  9. 1/2 – 1 tsp chile crunch condiment, or more to taste
  10. Couple grinds black pepper
  11. Toasted sesame seeds for topping, optional

For the veggies:

  1. 1 head broccoli, cut into florets
  2. 1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
  3. 1 t sesame oil
  4. 2 t soy sauce
  5. Couple good shakes of onion and garlic powder and black pepper
  6. You can also add some of the chile crunch condiment to your veggies, which I frequently do!

Instructions:

  1. Heat the oven to 450F
  2. Spread the broccoli and cauliflower on a foil lined baking sheet (yay for easy clean up!)
  3. Add sesame oil, soy sauce, and seasonings and stir to combine.
  4. Spread in a single layer on the baking sheet and bake for about 20 min, stirring once, or until fork tender
  5. In the meantime, whisk together the sauce for the salmon – olive oil, miso, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, mirin, sesame oil, black pepper, chile crunch condiment, and ginger
  6. Place the salmon fillets on a separate foil lined baking sheet
  7. Pour about half of the sauce over the salmon
  8. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until firm and flakes apart easily
  9. Remove from oven and drizzle with remaining sauce
  10. Top with sesame seeds, if desired, and serve!
Nutrition info:

202 total cal, 5.5 g fat, 15.3 g carbs, 25.8 g protein

 

Note:  CeceOnTheGo participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.  The products linked are products actually used when preparing this recipe

Taco Squash Bowls

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As you may have guessed by the name of my blog, I’m frequently on the go.  I have a full time job managing a team of healthcare IT professionals in the pharmacy department of a large academic medical facility plus 2 other part time/PRN pharmacist positions – one as a staff pharmacist at a smaller hospital and one as a consultant pharmacist for a physician-owned surgical center.  I’m also an active member of a women’s group focused on developing the potential of women and promoting volunteerism.  I play sand volleyball in 2 different leagues 3 out of 4 seasons of the year plus strive to squeeze in at least 4 workouts a week.

While I love cooking, there are weeks when I don’t have much time to devote to preparing meals so I have a few quick and easy things in the regular rotation.

Some variation of these taco squash bowls are eaten in my house on the reg.  They’re super quick and easy plus are basically just meat and veggies – so they pack a protein punch plus all the goodness that only vegetables can provide.  So it’s a no brainer that they make an almost weekly appearance on the menu at home.

Additionally, so many variations can be made that it never gets old!  Just use a little creativity and you’ve got a different spin every time!

Some of my favorite veggies to prepare this with include acorn squash, spaghetti squash, and even sweet potato!  These are all regularly found stocked in my kitchen so it just depends on what I’m feeling like or which one needs to be used first.

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I generally make these with taco meat, but I had some leftover pork tenderloin carnitas (don’t worry, I’ll post how I made that later!) in the freezer so I used that this past week and it was equally if not more delicious!

Toppings can be just about any of your favorite taco toppings as well!  I love mixing it up with diced avocado, various salsa varieties, green onions, cilantro…you name it!  I’ve also added diced, cooked onion and garlic to the taco meat mixture for even more veg and flavor!

Here’s the pork carnitas version with avocado2018-02-07_17-06-54_862

And here’s the original with taco meat, salsa, and non-dairy cheese substitute

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So…..let’s get started, shall we?!

Taco Squash Bowls

Serves:  6                                                         Total Time:  30 minutes

Ingredients:

  1. 2 lbs ground turkey, chicken, or lean beef (I generally use a 1:1 ratio of lean ground beef (at least 93% lean) plus ground turkey or chicken 99% lean)
  2. 2 packets reduced sodium taco seasoning (or 1 depending on the brand – follow instructions for 2 pounds of meat)
  3. 2/3 C water
  4. 1/4 C quick oats, optional
  5. 3 small acorn squash, roasted
  6. 1 T olive oil
  7. Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

  1. Roast the acorn squash.  Preheat the oven to 425F.  Cut the acorn squash in half length wise and scoop out seeds. Drizzle cut side with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Place cut side down in a baking dish lined with foil and bake for 20-25 min or until a fork inserts easily into the skin.
  2. Cook the taco meat.  Cook beef/turkey/chicken mixture in a skillet over medium heat until no pink remains.  Drain all fat.  Add taco seasoning, water, and quick oats (if using).  Stir to combine, cover, and cook for a few minutes until water has absorbed.  The addition of the oats makes the meat mixture less crumbly and makes it stick together more.
  3. Assemble the bowls:  spoon taco meat mixture into half cooked acorn squash.  Top with garnish as desired (definitely add the salsa!) and enjoy!

These store really well and reheat easily for quick weekday lunches with the leftovers!

Nutrition Info (including 2 T salsa and 1 T vegan cheese alternative shreds):

388 total cal, 36g protein, 36g carb, 10g fat

 

Note:  CeceOnTheGo participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.  The products linked are products actually used when preparing this recipe

 

 

 

Sweet Potato Protein Pancakes {gf, df}

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As I’ve mentioned in other posts, I try NEVER to skip breakfast.  Especially since I typically work out in the morning before work, I’d be a hangry mess by mid-morning if I skipped this important meal!

I also make sure to incorporate at least 20 grams of protein into my breakfast, as otherwise I’m prone to the dreaded blood sugar crash.  I used to be a carboholic in the mornings, generally eating only dry cereal and a banana, along with my coffee.  After wondering why, for the longest time, I was consistently feeling shaky, slightly nauseous, light headed, and on the brink of a major headache around 10:30am, I finally figured out that I was likely experiencing an insulin spike following my carb-loaded breakfast which resulted in low blood sugar and all the aforementioned symptoms.

So, alas, protein is a must in ensuring my first meal of the day sets me up for success! This generally means I tend towards savory breakfast items.  But sometimes I still crave something sweet so I started experimenting with protein pancakes.  I probably make these once a month, usually on a weekend morning, as a special treat.  This version incorporates sweet potatoes, but I’ve also done variations such as banana + slivered almonds, frozen blueberries + walnuts, even added powdered peanut butter for some extra deliciousness!  The possibilities are endless really…you may just need to adjust the non-dairy milk amount or coconut flour to get it to the right consistency.

I also recently started adding collagen protein to my pancakes, along with each morning in my cup of coffee, in smoothies, in oatmeal, really just about anything!  Warm or blended foods tend to work best as it can get a bit lumpy when incorporated into cold things.  A good brand should be flavorless, unless of course you’re looking for more of a flavored version.  Collagen consumption has many reported benefits and personally I’ve seen a definite effect in the strength of my hair and nails.  The link to the product above also contains a good description of some of the other reported benefits such as anti-aging, bone and joint health, and gut health.

Sweet potato pancake batter

The batter turns a bit orange, partly from the coconut flour and partly from the sweet potatoes.  As you can see, I also try to leave the sweet potatoes a bit lumpy as I like the texture of them.

Cook these over medium-low heat to allow them to cook through as well as to hold together better.  Let them hang out long enough until they slide around on the pan easily.  I constantly get too impatient and end up with broken apart, ugly pancakes.  Luckily I only ruined the first few of this batch and was able to get a few that were picture worthy!

Sweet Potato Pancakes

Sweet Potato Protein Pancakes {gluten-free, dairy-free}

Servings: 2-3

Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

  1. 1 medium sweet potato, cooked
  2. 4 large eggs
  3. 2 scoops collagen powder, optional
  4. 1/4 C coconut flour
  5. 1/4 C cashew milk or non-dairy milk of choice
  6. 1 t pure vanilla extract
  7. 1 T coconut sugar, honey, or pure maple syrup
  8. 1 t cinnamon
  9. 1 t salt
  10. 1/4 t baking powder
  11. 2 T coconut oil, divided
  12. Toppings of choice, such as drizzled almond butter and chopped nuts (pictured); thawed, frozen berries; additional maple syrup or agave syrup, gf granola, etc.

Instructions:

  1. In a small bowl, add eggs and lightly beat with a whisk.
  2. Add cashew milk, vanilla, 1 T melted coconut oil, sweetener, cinnamon, and salt and whisk to combine.
  3. Add baking powder, coconut flour and collagen powder, whisking just until no large lumps remain.
  4. Add the cooked sweet potato and use the whisk to incorporate and break up slightly as necessary, leaving it a bit lumpy.  At this point, you could include whatever add ins you want, adjusting the non-dairy milk or coconut flour as necessary.  Tip:  I didn’t have a cooked sweet potato on hand so I scrubbed one and then heated it in the microwave for 4-5 minutes until it was soft.  Then I cut it in half and used a spoon to scoop out the inside and discarded the skin.
  5. Working in batches, heat about 1/4 T remaining coconut oil in a skillet over medium-low heat.  Once oil is melted and the pan is heated, add small amounts of batter, approximately 1/4 C, to the pan.  Allow to cook for 3-4 minutes or until fully set, flip, and cook other side for additional 3-4 minutes.
  6. Top to your heart’s delight and enjoy!

Nutrition Info (based on 2 servings, without toppings):

450 total cal, 25 g protein, 29 g carb, 25 g fat

 

Note:  CeceOnTheGo participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.  The products linked are products actually used when preparing this recipe