Walnut Crusted Salmon with Pomegranate Sauce

           Looking for a quick satisfying and healthy meal for the week or a meal to impress your family or friends this holiday season? Well, I've got something special for you! My walnut crusted salmon is the perfect winter dish packed with flavor, heart healthy omega-3 fatty acids from the walnuts and salmon and antioxidants from the pomegranate sauce. I have to say this dish is one of my favorite creations so far. It took very little time to prepare and is the perfect combination of sweet and savory.
           My inspiration for this recipe was a favorite Persian dish of mine, fesenjan, which traditionally combines sweet and tart pomegranate paste and ground walnuts to make a thick stew. I also had something similar at my favorite restaurant in my hometown called Sorentos (a fusion Italian and Persian restaurant).
          To make this dish I first made a pomegranate reduction sauce (a fancy word for boiled down liquid) which was super easy and only required one ingredient, pomegranate juice. Then for the fish I mixed together honey mustard and honey to use as the glue for the crushed walnuts with which I coated the top of the salmon. Then I baked the salmon in the oven for 10-15 minutes and served it over cooked quinoa and sauteed spinach. Yum, and all done in 30 minutes!
          This dish definitely looks and tastes restaurant worthy, but is easy enough for any home cook to make!

Walnut Crusted Salmon with Pomegranate Sauce
Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 2 cups of pomegranate juice
• 4-4 ounce salmon filets
• 2 tablespoons of honey mustard
• 1 tablespoon of honey
• 1/2 cup walnuts, ground

Directions

1. To make sauce. Heat pomegranate juice in a small sauce pan over medium heat for about 30 minutes or until reduced by half. Let cool.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
3. In a small bowl, mix together honey and honey mustard.
4. Spray baking sheet with cooking spray. Spread salmon filets with honey mustard sauce.
Then flip filets over and press lightly into processed walnuts. Then place filets on greased
baking sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes or until salmon is opaque and flakes.
5. Serve salmon over cooked quinoa and sautéed spinach. Spoon pomegranate sauce over salmon.

Lamb Meatballs with Eggplant Tomato Sauce

           This month's Recipe Redux theme is "Spooky Spices".  You know those spices you purchased for a recipe you made once and now they are just hanging out in the back of your pantry because you don't know what to do with them! After taking a peak through the back of my spice rack I came across coriander. I was not quite sure what I had used it for or what I should use it in so I did some research...

           Coriander, also known as cilantro, comes from the fruit of the coriander/cilantro plant. These small seeds are packed full of fiber and minerals; calcium, iron, selenium, magnesium and manganese. Ground coriander spice is most commonly used in Indian and Middle Eastern cuisine and gives dishes a nice roasted nutty flavor.  Having a husband who is Persian I am assuming I used it once in an attempt to recreate one of his family's favorite dishes. Hope it was good!!

      I decided on a Middle Eastern inspired dish adding the coriander to the lamb meat and pairing it with an eggplant tomato sauce. Lamb meat is commonly used in Persian cuisine and if  grass fed, has a high content of heart healthy fats like omega-3, polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids, as well as Zinc and B vitamins.  Eggplant and tomatoes are also commonly used vegetables in Persian cuisine and add a nice acidity and a fresh taste to the dish.

   If you have some coriander in your pantry...don't fear, get cooking!

Lamb Meatballs with Eggplant Tomato Sauce

Ingredients

      Sauce

• 1/3 cup onion,diced
• 4 garlic cloves
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 eggplant,cubed
• 1 zucchini, cubed
• 1 pinch crushed red pepper
• 1 cup low sodium chicken broth
• 2 cups low sodium tomato sauce

     Meatballs

• 1 pound grass fed lean ground lamb
• 1/4 cup oats, processed
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoon plain 0% Greek yogurt
• 1/4 cup onion, finely minced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon coriander

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2.In large sauce pan saute onion and garlic over medium heat for about 3 minutes or until onions translucent. Add in cubed zucchini, eggplant and saute for 5-7 minutes. Add in tomato sauce, chicken broth and crushed red pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes to allow the sauce to reduce.
3. Whisk eggs, oats, Greek yogurt until combined. Add in onion, and spices then crumble in lamb and combine.
4. Make small meatballs (about the size of a Ping-Pong ball)out of lamb mixture and place on greased baking sheet. Then bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes.
5. Once meatballs are cooked, add to sauce and continue cooking for 20-30 minutes.
6. Serve meatballs and sauce over brown rice.

An InLinkz Link-up

Homemade Almond Butter

       Almond butter is a great alternative to peanut butter for people with a peanut allergy. It is also great for people who are just looking for something different to put on their toast in the morning.  Almond butter is also a great source of protein and heart healthy fats, but unfortunately can be a bit pricey. One 16 ounce jar usually sells for around 10 dollars, which is almost three times the cost of regular peanut butter! I'll admit this is a definite turn off for me, so I was determined to find a solution and I think it's a good one....

        Homemade almond butter. With just one ingredient, almonds, it's easy to make and tastes just as great as peanut butter. I purchased a 12-ounce bag of almonds at Target for about $5.30 and it ended up making over 16 ounces (2 cups) of almond butter for half the cost. I'm sold! 

Here is my recipe for homemade almond butter....

Ingredients

• 12 ounces of Almonds, lightly salted and roasted

Directions

1. Add almonds to Ninja or food processor.

2. Process/blend almonds until it turns in to a powder. Then scrap the sides down using a spatula.

3. Continue processing almonds until it turns into a paste. Be patient, this may take up to 5 minutes!

4. Store almond butter in an air tight container, like a mason jar, and place in the refrigerator to prevent oil separation and to extend shelf life.

Serving Size: 1 Tablespoon 

Nutrition Information: 100 Calories, 9g fat, 3 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 2 g protein

Chocolate, a Heart Healthy Treat!

Chocolate, delicious and heart healthy, who knew!  Cocoa, the main ingredient in chocolate, contains heart healthy anti-oxidants called flavonals. Studies have shown that these flavonals can help relax blood vessels lowering blood pressure and improving blood flow to prevent formation of blood clots. Research has also found that eating dark chocolate may help prevent atherosclerosis (hardening of the blood vessels). So, what better than some chocolate for your sweetheart this Valentine's day, something they will love and their heart will too!

Here are some tips for picking out the perfect heart healthy treat!.....

The Best Chocolates for your Heart

1) Choose chocolate that contains 70% or higher cocoa. The higher the % of cocoa, the more antioxidants per ounce!

2) Choose chocolates that contain nuts.

 The nuts contain heart healthy fats which can help lower “bad” LDL cholesterol.

3) Dip fruit in melted dark chocolate. Fruit will help cut calories and add an extra dose of antioxidants!

4) Choose portion controlled chocolates.

Chocolate is good for you in small portions,

but the calories and fat can add up quick!

You will be less likely to overindulge if chocolate

 is packaged in smaller portions.