Browse Tag by Tomato
Dinner, Fish, Lunch

Spiced Up Salmon

Spiced Up Salmon is served!

Continuing the theme of more fish in November, and going vegetarian for December, I had a craving for grilled salmon! Now normally, mum or myself will cook it by topping the salmon with garlic, ginger, chilli and seasoning and eating with some salad, but I wanted some taste and a little of a kick to my food, so I came with this! And even mum enjoyed the sauce, even if she’s not a big fan of salmon!

Salmon is a big part of my diet for my breakfasts and occasional lunches, where I eat the smoked variety on top scrambled eggs and avocado or with a mouth-watering salad!

Instead of normal onions, I went with a red onion this time, because the scent of salmon is lovely but for me the red onion breaks up the taste and adds a layer of pungency to the dish! I added the green chilli and pepper for both taste and colour, otherwise it would be a very red dish! And as usual, I had it with some quinoa! I made sure that had a good mix of protein, fats and healthy carbs in this dish, and this one has the macronutrients covered!

You can have this dish with rice, naan, chapatti, bread, bulger, buckwheat or anything like that but I love my quinoa so had it with that!

Spiced Up Salmon Ingredients!
Spiced Up Salmon Ingredients!

INGREDIENTS

Spiced Up Salmon

2 salmon filet

1 fresh lemon

Pinch of salt

Pinch of pepper

Mixed herbs

Spiced Up Sauce

1 red onion

3 cloves garlic

1 cm ginger

1 cm turmeric

½ red chilli

½ green chilli

½ red pepper

½ green pepper

½ teaspoon dried coriander

½ tin of chopped tomatoes

Salt and pepper to taste

2 teaspoons coconut oil

Quinoa

40 g quinoa

½ small onion

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon coconut oil

200 mL filtered water

RECIPE

Spiced Up Salmon

  1. Lay the salmon filets onto aluminium foil;
  2. Season with salt, pepper and mixed herbs (as I said in the vlog, you can do what I used to do, which is top the salmon with garlic, ginger, chilli and seasoning and have it with salad but I wanted something tastier!);
  3. Wrap the aluminium foil around the fish, closing all ends and leaving space for it took, it should look like a boat tent;
  4. Place on the middle shelf of your oven at gas mark 5/375F/190°C for 30 minutes;
  5. Bring out, unwrap the aluminium foil, place on your dish and top with slices of lemon, and your almost there!

Spiced Up Sauce

  1. In a large saucepan, melt 2 teaspoons coconut oil, and add in ½ sliced and diced red onion, crushed garlic, chopped ginger, and chopped turmeric, and cook and stir until the smell goes, cooking on 3/4 heat;
  2. Add in ½ tin chopped tomatoes, dried coriander, ½ teaspoon salt, and cook until the water evaporates;
  3. Add in the chopped chillies and peppers and cook until you have a tight sauce with all the water evaporated, around 10 minutes on ½ heat;
  4. Continue to stir occasionally and check the vegetables are done as you like them;
  5. Spiced Up Sauce is served! (If you wish, garnish with fresh coriander, parsley, basil or even mint!).

Quinoa

  1. In a saucepan on ¾ heat, add 1 teaspoon of coconut oil (put the filtered water on to boil);
  2. Slice and dice in the ¼ onion and stir, sauté until the onion caramelises;
  3. Add the quinoa and stir gently for 30 seconds, and then add in the boiling water and a ¼ teaspoon of salt, and allow the quinoa to simmer by turning the heat down to a quarter and covering with the lid;
  4. Check on it 3 to 5 minutes later and gently turn the quinoa over with a plastic or wooden spoon to ensure you keep your quinoa seeds intact. Repeat until the quinoa is cooked and all the water has evaporated;
  5. Cooking time is about 20 minutes and your quinoa is ready to eat!
Spiced Up Salmon is served!
Spiced Up Salmon is served!

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking/baking time: 30 minutes

Eating time: 15 minutes

Serves 1 person – mum loved the extra sauce I made her but didn’t fancy the salmon!

Let me know how you get on and please feel free to provide feedback 🙂

Dinner, Lunch, Vegan, Vegetarian

Spicy Spinach

As part of my little experiment to go meat free, I decided to get mum in to help me out when I decided to cook! She suggested I cook her dish Spicy Spinach, which I have enjoyed for many years. The only thing we have changed recently is using coconut oil instead of other oils.

Traditionally, we ate this with every other Saturday with yellow rice, (mum uses turmeric for the colour!), and kurhi, a heated watered down yogurt, not great for my digestive system! Mum also enjoys this with chapati, naan or pitta bread, however, with my gluten intolerances, I guess I could handle wholemeal or jasmine rice, but I went with my tried and trust quinoa, made Indian style!

This dish is perfect for a light lunch or dinner, contains potatoes for some carbs (mum said sweet potato or butternut squash would make the dish too sweet, so I went with starchy potatoes!), iron and zinc from spinach and other spices to up antioxidants. You will also receive a decent amount of protein from 40 g of quinoa!

Spicy Spinach and Quinoa Ingredients
Spicy Spinach and Quinoa Ingredients

INGREDIENTS

Spicy Spinach

200 g spinach (we used a bag we’d frozen before)

50 g peas (we used a bag we’d frozen before)

¼ tin chopped tomatoes

4 charlotte potatoes

4 cloves garlic (we used a bag we’d frozen before)

2 cm ginger (we used a bag we’d frozen before)

2 green chillies (we used a bag we’d frozen before)

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon dried coriander

1 teaspoon red chilli powder

1 teaspoon

2 teaspoon coconut oil

Pillau Quinoa

40 g quinoa

¼ onion

2 cinnamon sticks

200 mL of filtered water, boiled.

¼ teaspoon Salt

1 teaspoon Coconut oil

INSTRUCTIONS

Spicy Spinach

  1. In a large saucepan, add in ¾ chopped onion, 2 teaspoon coconut oil peas, garlic, ginger, chilli, ¼ tin tomatoes, chopped potatoes, spices and seasoning, place on ½ heat and cover for 5 minutes whether ingredient are frozen or not due to moisture from the spinach;
  2. Simmer on ¼ heat for 20 minutes and stir occasionally to mix;
  3. Spicy Spinach is served! Yes really!

Pillau Quinoa

  1. You can begin cooking this simultaneously with the Spicy Spinach;
  2. In a saucepan on ¾ heat, add 1 tablespoon of coconut oil (put the water on to boil);
  3. Slice and dice in the ¼ onion and stir, sauté until the onion caramelises;
  4. Add in the cinnamon sticks;
  5. Add in the boiling water and a ¼ teaspoon of salt;
  6. Add the quinoa and stir gently;
  7. Allow the quinoa to simmer, turn the heat down to a quarter, and cover with the lid;
  8. Check on it 3 to 5 minutes later and gently turn the quinoa over with a plastic or wooden spoon to ensure you keep your quinoa seeds in tact;
  9. Repeat step 8 until the quinoa is cooked and all the water evaporates;
  10. You are now ready to eat!
Spicy Spinach and Quinoa
Spicy Spinach and Quinoa

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 20 minutes

Eating time: 15 minutes

Serves up to 2 people

I made enough just for mum and I!

Let me know how you get on and please feel free to provide feedback 🙂