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Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Soup and Salmon


My sugar/cacao free cleanse successfully continues, and I'm still surprised at how easy it's been. Sometimes I wonder how it would have been, had I adopted this way of eating years ago. I could have preventing some serious overdosing on sweet things, that's for sure! Better late than never though.

I'm having fun playing with new recipes, although most often I eat the same things every day. My morning plain yogurt followed by breaky of salad with wild meat or 2 eggs with veggies - then the reverse for lunch. Last week I made a fabulous moose meat lasagna, with eggplant and zucchini for the noodles, organic tomato sauce, veggies (zucchini, onion, bell peppers, mushrooms, spinach), and raw white cheddar cheese on top. I think I could eat it every day.

I've also made a few more recipes from Nourishing Traditions. My friend Nancy, and I have started doing weekly dinner dates where we choose new recipes to try, (often from the book) and it's been a lot of fun. We've made spicy moose patties, spaghetti squash casserole, broccoli timbales, roasted veggies, and almond dill crusted pickerel.

I was in the mood for a silky, hot, buttery soup last week and this smooth butternut squash soup was born... the coconut milk in this recipe and a bit of shredded coconut on the salmon below are the extent of the sugar I've eaten, so I guess I have ingested a little bit - but very minor overal.


Butternut Coconut Ginger Soup

1 large onion, diced
1 tablespoon oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
3 tablespoons chopped ginger, or more
1-2 teaspoons red curry paste
1 teaspoons ground coriander
1 1/4 teaspoon salt
1 medium/large butternut squash (peeled and chopped)
1-2 stalks celery
6 cups water or stock
1 can coconut milk

In a large pot, saute the onion in the oil until translucent.
Add the garlic, ginger, curry paste, coriander, and salt. Saute for another few minutes.
Add the remaining ingredients except for the coconut milk, bring to a boil and the simmer until the squash is soft.
Add the coconut milk and puree the soup in batches in a blender or food processor.
Thin with a bit of water if the soup is too thick.

Another day I made some Coconut Crusted Wild Salmon with Cilantro Jalapeno Yogurt Sauce which was inspired by a salmon recipe in a new book that my bestie, Lauren, got me for Christmas called The Earthbound Cook. It's a great book with heaps of recipes using whole foods. While the author served the fish with a sweet chile sauce, I went in a different direction with a creamy herbed sauce with a touch of heat.


Coconut Crusted Salmon with Cilantro Jalapeno Yogurt Sauce

Coconut Crusted Salmon
Double or half the coating according to how many pieces of salmon you want to make.

Juice of 1-2 limes
1 cup shredded coconut
1/4 cup finely chopped macadamia nuts
Sprinkling of Himalayan salt and black pepper
Salmon fillets

Brush or pour a little lime juice over each fillet.
Toss the coconut, nuts, salt and pepper together in a shallow bowl.
Press the top of each fillet in the coated and place coconut side up on baking sheets.
Bake at 350F for 10-15 minutes, or until cooked through to your liking.


Cilantro Jalapeno Yogurt Sauce
I didn't do any measurements for this sauce, so just add according to your taste.

Plain yogurt
Chopped cilantro
Minced jalapeno, to taste
Squirt of lime juice
Pinch of salt

Stir ingredients together. Serve over the fish.

Dilly Salmon Salad



I cooked extra salmon and turned it into a delicious salmon salad the next day. I love it on salads, on cucumber slices, and in celery sticks!
Add large chunks of cooked salmon to a food processor, along with lemon juice, fresh or dried dill, green onion, olive oil, salt, pepper, and apple cider vinegar, and blend until smooth.

Coming up... Moose Bourguignon!

12 comments:

  1. I'm not a soup fan, but that looks GOOOOD!! Loving the salmon recipe as well!!

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  2. Ooooo, all these recipes look so yummy!! Can't wait to try them! It sounds like you have been eating a lot of roasted veggies. Do you digest them easier than the raw versions?

    I've been eating kind of intuitively lately . . . as in however I feel like, he he ;). I tend to eat most of my veggies cooked, except for salads. I've noticed my digestion has gotten a LOT better. But my TMJ symptoms have gotten worse. I'm not eating a sugar free diet like you are though!

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  3. I REALLY admire you.
    I find it hard without sugar. I try. But I've had stevia a few times. And I eat about 4 servings of fruit a day.
    Do all your MAIN meals include a protein? Like eggs at breakfast, meat or fish at lunch always?, and meat or fish at supper always?. Or do you ever have a meal of just soup or huge salad with addition of a full cup of yogurt on the side, etc?
    Any thoughts?
    I'd like to find a single-serving soup recipe...it would be easier for me. I also have "baby food" butternut squash, so maybe that would work?
    If you have any tips or excellent ideas, let me know. I'd love to see you do a "Typical 2-3 day in the life" where you chronicle your exact eats for that day. It would be so encouraging!
    I know my portions are a lot larger (I tend to have about 2-3 cups of yogurt per day alone). Plus, I can't get all raw dairy. But I just have to make due I guess.

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  4. Hi Anonymous - sure, I will go more into your questions in my next post because a few other people have asked similar things.

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  5. This looks delicious! I <3 soups and stews. Just curious...Are you allowed to eat legumes or lentils? If you aren't allowed to eat them, what is the reason for that? Thanks!

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  6. Hi Heather, This is interesting that you changed over from being a raw vegan. Can we ask what made you change your mind? I like the raw diet but I'm not convinced it is the healthiest way to go. There are some issues with sprouts, etc. This is info I gleaned from reading Dr. Weil's books. Also, I like the philosophy behind the Weston A. Price Foundation, good whole foods. I would be interested to hear more about your conversion.

    Also Heather :)

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  7. Hi again Heather,
    I also eat a lot of avocado. About 1/2 to a whole one (I just throw them on salads). I also eat maybe 1-2 cups of veggies at least for at least 2 meals. I am eating copious (generous) amounts of fruit...but I need to get calories in.
    I'm kind of confused to be honest...you see I am terribly underweight and my energy is so low , I'm only walking and that is slow and short. Very. I'm not sure if I should eat very gently and good like you, for example, but risk not getting the calories in. I kind of need to make myself eat a lot more calories in order to gain (I mean, at the end of the day, the calories matter to that). So, I guess I should gain the weight...then worry about the digestion after (?). Not sure anymore. I have terrible abdominal stitches, particularly on my left side - I kind of wonder if it is diverticulitis - the symptoms are exactly like that. I am afraid to ask the doctor about it because I worry I'd be forced into a hospital, and that will be not good :(
    I tend to eat a lot of yogurt (A LOT), plus I use whey protein powders (a smoothie with whey, tbsp of flax oil, cup of fruit, etc). Eat a lot of oils during the day, in addition to coconut flakes. And though I wanted to trial no nuts at all for a long while...I have not followed that goal because I almost wonder if I need the cals. I eat whole eggs, etc, too, but I eat stuff all over the place. Given the troubles with these stitches and back pain and feeling so full, I want to eat lots of meats at BOTH meals, but I also end up eating a ton of dairy with that or instead of that, just cause it seems easier and stuff. I'm not good at cooking, and I only live alone and cannot make big batches of stuff, only single-serves work for me. And I can't get good-quality raw dairy or anything...so , I hope its okay what I have.
    What do you think of vega? and brown rice protein powder? I do eat a ton ton of fats and protein...like a lot. I wonder sometimes if I ought to add grains and legumes...its like I'm scared because I don't exercise, you know...but...maybe it would help. I do eat a ton of squash and potatoes and fruit, etc..so...
    I don't know. I guess I'm quite lost!
    By the way, I heard a book by Nina Planck called "Real Food" or something like that...not sure of exact title...heard that was good. Wish I had that Nourishing Traditions thing...but I'm not a creative cook, so maybe wouldn't benefit me. I kind of need a set idea of exact meals to do to help my guts...particularly if diverticulitis is the problem...that actually needs antibiotics , etc, probably.

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  8. Hi Heather,
    Thanks for the tip on "The Earthbound Cook." I just purchased "The Garden of Eating" and am taking my time trying some new recipes from it. It's a little pricier than "Nourishing Traditions" or "The Earthbound Cook", but loaded with great info.
    Looking forward to trying the Butternut Squash Soup!

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  9. Everything you made looks great! I recently made a butternut soup, but it needed some tweaking...I'm going to look to yours for ideas :)

    Thanks!

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  10. I really really loved this soup! ( made it myself! ) I've been mostly raw and now having to lean towards more cooked too to help heal my digestion.. kinda like your whole healing journey (:
    Check out my blog if you'd like (:

    <3 Em xox

    www.pureglowsixteen.blogspot.com

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  11. I found your blog from your other blog (Sweetlyraw) and read your story and I truly admire your bravery for putting you health first. After 4 years of stomach problems, I finally found out candida (so no gluten/dairy/eggs/sugar for me) so your story is a great reminder to weigh the actual values of feeling terrible vs. adjusting to a new lifestyle...

    Anyways... I was wondering why you choose moose meat? I'm having trouble working protein into my diet (I used to get TONS because my daily diet always incorporated a whey protein powder shake, eggs, and cheese) Thanks!

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  12. Garard, glad to hear that you found the cause of the problem and are feeling better. Moose - simply because I live in the north where my dad hunts moose - its the best meat a person could eat since its wild and eats wild green vegetation :)

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