zucchini noodles and shrimp with garlic-horseradish yogurt sauce

Nine days stuck indoors with sick kids makes you do some funny things. Not the least of which includes totally abandoning healthy eating resolutions/Whole 30, because when you are trying to survive it is not a good idea to give up pie.
Temporarily abandoning blogging is another one of those survival things.
And cooking real food. Pjb? Cereal? Pancakes? Fruit basket? All reasonable meals come day nine with four small sick children and no escape.
Anyway. I’m back.
Hi.
And I’m eating pie. Whatever.

But I’m also eating this: Zucchini noodles and shrimp with garlic-horseradish yogurt sauce.
Tasty? Check.
Good for you? Check.
Pretty? Check.
All the requirements met.

Enjoy and stay healthy out there!

ZUCCHINI NOODLES AND SHRIMP WITH GARLIC-HORSERADISH YOGURT SAUCE

5 small green and/or yellow zucchini (Spirilized into noodles or cut in thin rounds)
1 lb peeled shrimp
3 tablespoons clarified butter
1 tablespoon diced garlic
2 tablespoons horseradish
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

In a sauté pan, melt clarified butter, and simmer garlic and horseradish. Add lemon juice, white wine vinegar, salt and pepper. Continue simmering and toss pealed, tail-free shrimp into the pan. Cover and allow to simmer for a few more minutes. Then throw zucchini noodles (or rounds, halved) into the pan. Toss to coat with butter sauce and cover until the zucchini is more noodle-like than vegetable-like. —About 8 minutes.

Remove the zucchini and shrimp from the pan but retain as much of the cooking liquid as possible. I even go so far as to use a strainer/colander with a plate underneath, draining the zucchini and shrimp, and then adding the liquid from the plate back into the pan.

Turn the heat off the liquid and allow it to cool a bit. You’ll add the yogurt and mayo to this liquid and if it’s too hot it will separate.
Once cooled (20 minutes or so) add ½ cup homemade mayo and 1 cup honey yogurt. I like a creamy greek yogurt for this—so tasty! Whisk until the yogurt and mayo are well incorporated and the sauce is smooth. Spoon over plated zucchini noodles and shrimp. Serve hot.

coconut crusted panfish

One of the difficult aspects of trying to eat clean, is finding food that has flown under commercially grown/raised/harvested radar. It’s difficult to come by. For example: Raw milk. It’s amazing stuff, but in my state, acquiring it has to be a transaction between producer and consumer exclusively. Same with eggs from hens that have not been treated with antibiotics (which is part of the reason I keep my own!) Know and befriend your local farmers! Meat is less difficult to find but more expensive. Again—make friends with all your local producers and farmers.

If you live in a rural area, hunters and fishermen can also be fantastic suppliers of meat and fish (harvested within seasonal limits and legal parameters of course—I shouldn’t even have to say that, but I don’t want anything taken out of context here). When it comes to wild game, you are guaranteed meat and fish that are free of antibiotics and growth hormones.

Thinking about where our food comes from is an excellent practice in conservation, environmental awareness, stewardship, and mindfulness. We take care of the things that hold value, and until we recognize the work that goes into feeding our bodies, we will not value it. For this same reason we teach our children/friends/spouses to cook. There is value in the art of nourishing ourselves and others.

I have a lot of hunting and fishing friends. One of them recently asked if I was interested in some Crappie—a small pan fish that is both extremely tasty and prolific in our local lakes. He’d caught his limit ice fishing and had some to share. Did I want some fillets?
Did I ever!
This recipe came out of his provision.
The idea of hunting and fishing can be a touchy topic for some, and I’ll not get into the ethical arguments here. Suffice it to say I am thankful for the work so many men and women do, on so many fronts, to put food on tables across the country, whether by farming, gardening, hunting, or fishing.
Enjoy!

COCONUT CRUSTED PANFISH

A dozen fillets or more, depending on your crowd.
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups of unsweetened coconut flakes
4 eggs
½- ¾  cup olive oil
Cast Iron pan (not absolutely necessary, but your fish will definitely fry better if you use a cast iron pan rather than a standard or coated sauté pan)

Begin by making sure the fish have been cleaned well—meaning the bones have all been removed. Nothing is worse than swallowing a small sharp bone while you’re trying to enjoy dinner! Run your fingers along the middle of the fillets and if you feel any small bones remaining in the meat, use a meat scissors and simply trim that section of meat off the fillet. The shape of the fillets will be very un-even and reminiscent of fish sticks at times more than a standard fillet. No worries. The taste negates their appearance entirely.

In a shallow dish (a pile plate works great!) mix the coconut flakes and 1 teaspoon of salt together.

Then in a mixing bowl, mix up the eggs and the remaining ½ teaspoon of salt until frothy.

In a cast iron pan, over high/med-high heat, warm olive oil until a small drip of egg bubbles and fries.

Immersing each fish fillet in the egg, make sure it is well coated, remove and allow to drip off the excess egg briefly and then drop it into the coconut flakes. Cover and pat until the flakes stick to the entire surface of the fish. Carefully place it in the fry pan and repeat until the pan is full of fillets. Brown for about 1-2 minutes and then turn and brown the other side, turning each fillet over in the order it was placed in the pan so each one is cooked approximately the same amount of time. Place the fillets on paper toweling to absorb any excess oil and serve hot.

baked lemon-garlic salmon with lemon balsamic kale and spinach salad

I was at a book event a while back in this gorgeous little town, and upon discovering I was starving, (happens ALL THE TIME), I wandered into this fantastic little restaurant/pub/bistro that served up one of the better meals I’ve had in my life. And this people, this is saying something.
Perhaps it was because I was so hungry.
Or that I was alone for the weekend ( my four littles stayed at home with kind and generous husband!) —Introverts unite.
Or perhaps it was because for the first time in a long time no one drooled in my food, asked me for things mid-bite, or wiped ketchup across the small of my back while I was eating. (See earlier note about being alone).
Regardless, the meal was marvelous. Balsamic-lemon arugula salad topped with a maple spice-rubbed salmon done just right, and all the black coffee I could drink, (served hot, I might add, without the necessity of microwaving several times over). And did I mention I was alone? Ah yes. Sorry.

Since that wonderful, albeit staggeringly simple meal, I’ve been trying to re-create the experience. Taste-wise at least. And last night I think I got it.
There was dancing in my kitchen.

I am pleased to share my own version with you, slightly easier and more expedient to prepare, because I know how difficult it is to focus or do things with precision when small people are wiping ketchup on your back/legs/butt.
Enjoy!

LEMON-GARLIC SALMON W/LEMON-BALSAMIC KALE & SPINACH SALAD

1 large fillet of salmon
Enough fresh kale and spinach to feed four people

Salad Dressing:
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons balsamic vinaigrette
½ teaspoon fresh pressed garlic
a dash of salt

Butter sauce for salmon:
2 tablespoons clarified butter, melted
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon fresh-pressed garlic
1 teaspoon Italian spice blend
a dash of oregano

Preheat oven to 400 degrees, line a baking sheet with tin-foil and lay the salmon, skin-side down, on the foil. Mix up butter sauce in a small dish, and with a sauce brush, drizzled and coat the fish with the sauce until it is completely used up. Pop it in the oven for 15-20 minutes (depending on the size of the fillet). The goal is to have a flaky fillet that isn’t overly-cooked and dry. You should be able to cut into it and have the flesh flake apart, but still be slightly pink in the very thickest part of the fillet.

Meanwhile, mix up the salad dressing and blend the two greens in a large bowl. Arugula can also be used, or any combination of young greens. Personally, I like how the kale and spinach hold their own with the fish. Pour dressing over greens, one tablespoon at a time, tossing until the greens are coated but not dripping. There will be dressing left over.

Plate greens and top each serving with a slice of salmon, roughly 2 inches wide.

poached salmon in curry sauce with a soft egg

Salmon is kind of a regular thing at my house. My husband and I laugh because it is THE dish my mom made the first time he (my then boyfriend) came over to eat with my family. He credits it as having monumental influence in our relationship.
But I’m afraid I’ve grown generally lazy with salmon over time. I mean, it’s pretty good on it’s own so why why mess, right? Lemon, salt, pepper, oven, done. Boom. Dinner. But that exact scenario played out a couple times a month starts to get a little tired over long periods.
So yesterday, there was this gorgeous salmon fillet waiting in the fridge, and I suddenly had a wave of 3:30pm motivation. I credit the extra shot of espresso and the late afternoon nap the baby spontaneously decided to take. Low and behold my coffee and I were flipping through my back-log of gorgeous food mags, and I stumbled upon curry-poached-chicken-thighs with red pepper sauce. Which, while lovely, contained a list of ingredients I didn’t have. But it got me thinking. What if I poached my salmon in something like that? So here we go!
This is my salmon version, far less spicy than a traditional curry, but still high with cumin, and a gorgeous saffron in color. Enjoy!

POACHED SALMON IN ‘CURRY’ SAUCE WITH A SOFT EGG

Salmon fillet or two (Enough to feed your people)
2 cups of whole fat coconut Milk
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon (or more) Sriracha sauce
1 tablespoon curry spices/paste/or an Indian-influence spice blend
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 diced onion
1 tablespoon lemon juice
a generous dash of dried basil leaves
Eggs —one to top each serving
Fresh basil (for garnish)

In a large skillet over medium heat, melt two tablespoons of butter and simmer diced onions. Add curry spices/whatever blend of Indian-influence spices you choose. You can also mix your own! (I have a blend that contains tellicherry, black pepper, lemon peel, garlic, turmeric, coriander, cumin, ginger, nutmeg, fennel, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, and cayenne. I realize that these do not dictate a curry. Not by a long shot, but combined with the Sriracha, the cumin and turmeric blend to give the sauce a very Indian-like flavor.) Continue simmering and add coconut milk. Stir in salt, lemon juice, and Sriracha sauce. Be sure to taste as you add the Sriracha. A little goes a long way and you don’t want to overheat this sauce or your salmon will be overpowered.
Cook on low until the sauce thickens a bit. Add the salmon fillets, sprinkle with basil flakes, cover, and simmer until salmon is cooked through. Leave the pan covered and remove from heat.

In a separate skillet, add water (roughly a 1/4 inch covering the bottom of the pan), and heat until boiling. Lower heat to a slow simmer and poach eggs. Add them one at a time and cook at intervals if necessary so each egg does not blend with its neighbor while being poached.

Plate salmon filets, top with eggs, and garnish with fresh basil if desired.