Grilled Salmon with Citrus Salsa

With house guests this weekend, we had to decide what to prepare for dinner Saturday night. Our guests were a challenge- an organic farmer and a vegetarian (!)... I immediately thought of this dish, as it's a crowd pleaser- as long as your "crowd" likes fish and appreciates fresh, healthy ingredients. We served it with a salad of mixed greens and a crusty baguette with garlic butter.

Recipe courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis and FoodNetwork.com

Salsa:

• 2 large oranges
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
  
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 2 scallions, finely sliced
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves (I omitted)
  
• 2 tablespoons capers, rinsed, drained and coarsely chopped
• 2 tablespoons orange zest
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Salmon:

• Vegetable or canola oil, for oiling the grill (I used olive oil)
  
• 4 (4 to 5-ounce) center cut salmon fillets, skinned, each about 3-inches square (I used one large fillet so it could be served family style)
  
• 2 tablespoons amber agave nectar (I used light agave nectar)
  
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the salsa: Peel and trim the ends from each orange. Using a paring knife, cut along the membrane on both sides of each segment. Free the segments and add them to a medium bowl. (This is a lot of trouble... I just peeled the oranges, segmented them and cut them into bite sized pieces.) Add the olive oil, lemon juice, parsley, scallions, mint, capers, orange zest, lemon zest, and red pepper flakes. Toss lightly and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Set aside.

For the salmon: Put a grill pan over medium-high heat or preheat a gas or charcoal grill. Brush the grilling rack with vegetable oil to keep the salmon from sticking. Brush the salmon on both sides with the agave nectar and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Grill until the fish flakes easily and is cooked through, about 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Transfer the salmon to a platter and allow to rest for 5 minutes. (I have done this recipe before and grilled the salmon as the directed, but this time we had a very large filet and it wouldn't fit in my grill pan. So- instead I baked it at 400 for about 22 minutes. It was delicious both ways!)

Spoon the salsa on top of the salmon or serve on the side as an accompaniment.

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We LOVE this recipe. It is healthy, delicious, beautiful and easy. The only down side is the expense. We bought 2 lbs of Alaskan salmon from Whole Foods to serve 4 and it was $25 ($12.50/lb). Normally we're just cooking for 2, so $12.50 is a lot more affordable. The salsa is just awesome. The flavors are so bright and sunny- it tastes like pure sunshine! Eventually I will try it with the mint- I'm sure that would add even more flavor. This is a 5 star recipe!

To all those people who may be scared or intimidated to prepare fish at home- don't be! Just buy a good quality fish from a reputable source and it will turn out great! This is a great recipe to start with, if you a beginner :)

Bernheim Forest

Saturday we took Michael and Kristen to Bernheim Forest and had a really a nice afternoon!
Bernheim Forest is an arboretum and research forest- 14,000 acres donated by Isacc Bernheim, a German immigrant who made his fortune in the whiskey distilling business. He donated his land to the people of Kentucky as a thank you. It is also a lovely place to spend the day hiking and enjoying nature without having to drive too far (it's on 65 South, about 30 minutes from Louisville, about 15 miles north of Elizabethtown).

There are plenty of trails, picnic areas, parks for children- lots of stuff to do.

The canopy tree walk is fun- it's 75 feet above the forest floor and the bridge sways. I'm not usually afraid of heights, but swaying at 75 feet is another story.

The three of them went for a hike through the woods (I'm 33 weeks pregnant and decided to hang out closer to the car). And I'm glad I didn't go because they all came back with TICKS!!! Aside from the ticks, it was a lovely day. Nice and cool. The rain held off until we were leaving :)

Trader's Point Creamery

Tim's cousin Michael and his girlfriend Kristen came to visit us this weekend. Michael is a farmer at Trader's Point Creamery- one of the few 100% grassfed, organic dairy farms in the United States. The farm has 320 acres pesticide-free pasture with about 200 cows.

The cows graze and eat grass (the way cows were meant to eat!) which results in milk with more healthy fats like Omega 3 and CLA (conjugated linoleic acid). Grassfed milk also contains more nutrients like beta carotene and vitamins A and E than milk produced using standard feeds. To all of us this means more nourishment and a better immune system for our bodies. According to Michael- if you can only afford to make one major change in the way you eat (moving toward organic foods) dairy is the best place to start. The nutrients in organic dairy are super concentrated and all that gets passed on to you.

Trader's Point Creamery was voted America's #1 Yogurt by the American Cheese Society in 2005 and 2006. Whole Foods in Louisville carries their products. If you are ever near Indianapolis you should check it out- you can tour the farm, they have a lovely restaurant, a farmer's market, and they also host private events. We plan on spending a Saturday there after the baby comes.

Crockpot BBQ Pork

I have several friends and family who ask me for recipes... I thought what better way to share what we're cooking here, than to post our recipes and pics?

My brother and sister-in-law got us a great crockpot for a wedding gift. It's a really nice one- oversize, with a timer, that will also work as a buffet serving piece. I am always looking for good crockpot recipes so I can put it to use. My usual go-to crockpot recipe is Southern Pot Roast. Tim didn't like pot roast... until he had mine. It's really good and really easy. But aside from that, I've struggled to find crockpot recipes that are flavorful and don't turn out like overdone mush.

Crockpot dishes also typically make great leftovers... and in our quest to save money on groceries, eliminate waste, etc, I like the idea of having some BBQ in the house when we get hungry over the weekend, rather than running out for a burger. The spices are all things we have on hand, so really this meal (or several meals, for us) costs less than $9.00, even including buns.

I came across this recipe on www.beantownbaker.com... I don't want to get in trouble for borrowing recipes!

Pulled Pork - from The Way The Cookie Crumbles - originally from Cooks Illustrated - serves 6

Spice Rub:
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
1-2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons ground cumin
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon dried oregano
4 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons table salt
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon ground white pepper - I used black pepper

1 (6-8 pound) bone-in pork shoulder- I used boneless
½ teaspoon liquid smoke (optional) - I omitted
2 cups barbecue sauce
Mix all spice rub ingredients in small bowl.

Massage spice rub into meat (I recommend doing this on a jelly roll pan or large cookie sheet with sides- be careful with raw pork!). Wrap tightly in double layer of plastic wrap; refrigerate for at least 3 hours. For stronger flavor, the roast can be refrigerated for up to 3 days. (I refrigerated ours for 2 days-again, be careful with the raw pork in your fridge. I double wrapped it in plastic and then set the whole thin inside a grocery bag in the bottom fridge drawer).

Carefully unwrap roast and place it in slow cooker liner. Add liquid smoke, if using, and 1/4 cup water. Turn slow cooker to low and cook for 8-10 hours, until meat is fork-tender.



Transfer roast to cutting board (again, I used a large cookie sheet with sides. This helped to contain the mess); discard liquid in liner. Pull by tearing meat into thin shreds with two forks or your fingers. Discard fat.

Place shredded meat back in slow cooker liner; toss with 1 cup barbecue sauce, and heat on low for 30-60 minutes, until hot. Serve with additional barbecue sauce.

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This BBQ turned out really well! It was super tasty and it was easy. A few tips- it was very spicy. I would recommend cutting out some of the pepper and cayenne. Also- we used a honey BBQ sauce that balanced the spiciness. I think next time I will try it with the liquid smoke. It was missing that smoky flavor that is so important.

Growing up in Alabama, I've had some very good BBQ... so I'm probably a BBQ snob, but we both give this recipe 4 out of 5 stars. Very good, but not the best :)

Springtime in Kentucky!