DAY EIGHTEEN
Brrrrr it’s cold out there! We’ve been shovelling and shovelling and more snow is forecasted for the weekend. To stay extra healthy, we are busting out the hot tea mid-afternoon (I love Stash teas!) and for breakfast I added a bit of Chaga mushroom dust (a potent immune booster and yes, it’s magical) to our chia pud, and of course we had coffee, ran and did the 20 minute workout routine. So far I’m feeling stronger in my workouts, I have super clear skin and I hate the term belly bloat, so I shall say, I’m feelin’ trim!
Breakfast: We were in a bit of a hurry this morning, late night and early morning, so a quick chia pud to the rescue.
BANANA ALMOND BUTTER CHIA PUD WITH CHAGA MUSHROOM DUST
1/4 cup chia pudding (recipe below)
2 bananas
a dollop of almond butter
coconut flakes
chopped walnuts
Chaga mushroom dust, to taste (great for immunity support) I buy mine in chunks from Forbes Wild Foods and puree what I need to a fine dust.
Preparation: In a ramekin, bowl or glass jar begin layering your pudding starting with 1/4 cup of chia pudding. Top with almond butter, sliced banana, flaked coconut and Chaga dust. Enjoy
For the Chia Pudding
Ingredients:
2 cups almond milk
6 tablespoons organic chia seeds
For the Chia Pudding: Place ingredients in a blender or food processor and puree until combined, about 30 seconds. Pour into a Ball canning jar with a lid and refrigerate for at least 12 hours, preferably overnight.
Lunch: A damn Larabar. At least it was one of my favourite flavours!
COCONUT CREAM PIE LARABAR (photo via Larabar)
Dinner: I wish I would have taken a picture of this beautiful fish at the market today, I guess you’ll get the end result! I was searching for black cod fillets and came upon this bright red speckled specimen that definitely caught my eye. Red Rock Hind, Epinephelus adscemsionis, a species from the grouper family – okay, here is a pic, obviously a Google images to the rescue:
Freshly flown in from the Caribbean I had to buy it and I found some interesting facts about this beautifully speckled fish: In the Caribbean they are known as lucky grouper. At some point in their lifespan (for unknown reasons) they change from females to males! Like clockwork they tend to gather in familiar spawning grounds during a one to two week period in sync with the lunar cycles of January and February. Interesting right? Well, as far as cooking is concerned, this fish is perfectly meaty, with white flesh and takes well to frying and baking. I used the same recipe as the Potato Crusted Lingcod from a few weeks ago, but I wanted to test a more finely grated potato topping, both ways were good. (photo via Wikipedia)
POTATO CRUSTED ROCK HIND WITH ROASTED CHIOGGA + GOLDEN BEETS + DIJON ASPARAGUS SPEARS
Serves 2
Ingredients:
2 Rock Hind Grouper (cut into filets, about 1/3lb each)
1 potato, grated
1 tablespoon ghee, melted
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
extra virgin olive oil (for sautéing the fish)
Preparation: Peel and grate the potato (either on a box grater or using a food processor) Mix the grated potato with the melted ghee, salt and freshly ground black pepper. Spread an even layer of the shredded potato mixture onto the top of each fish fillet. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 400F. Heat 1-2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in an oven-proof skillet. Carefully place the fish, potato side down, into the hot skillet and cook for 8-10 minutes to crisp the potatoes. Be sure not to move the fish while the potatoes are crisping, so as not to disturb the crust! Gently turn the fish over so that the potato side is now facing up and finish cooking in the oven for 5-6 minutes. Top with fresh parsley and serve with lemon.
ROASTED BEETS
Serves 2-4
Ingredients:
4 beets, scrubbed clean (I used two Chioggia and 2 Golden)
extra virgin olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
Preparation: Wrap beets in aluminum foil, place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet, and roast in the oven until cooked through, 45 to 60 minutes. Remove from the oven, let cool for 10 minutes, and then peel and slice or cut into chunks. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper if desired.
DIJON ASPARAGUS SPEARS
Serves 2
Ingredients:
1 bunch asparagus, cleaned and trimmed
extra virgin olive
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Preparation: Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the asparagus and saute until tender, but still bright green. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together the apple cider vinegar and Dijon mustard. When the asparagus is cooked, season with salt and pepper and drizzle the Dijon vinaigrette over top. Serve.
Table Without Borders 