Yesterday I was craving something yummy and healthy. Yes, these two adjectives can go together and describe the food you eat!! As you know, this blog discusses exercise and diet; both which are part of a healthy lifestyle.
Why should you care if your lifestyle is healthy?
Great question!
The answer is really up to you. The facts are out there and the proof of what will happen if you don't try to live a healthy lifestyle is as easy to see as sitting on the beach and looking around you. You know what I mean. And I don't need to spout off a bunch of statistics to convince you that living a healthy lifestyle is a GOOD way to live. (In 2005, 35% of Canadian adults were overweight, and 24% obese. )
Enough brow-beating; now on to the recipe!!
Last night I made this quick and easy dinner using ingredients I already had at home. It turned out very well and I hope you enjoy it also!
Baked Salmon with Mushroom Risotto
serves 4
salmon ( fillets, whole or half salmon, or salmon steaks - your choice!)
1 Lemon (grate 1/2 of the rind, slice other half into thin slices, using remaining half for juice)sea salt and black pepper
arborio rice (for risotto)
chicken stock (low sodium or homemade)
1/3 c red pepper, diced
1 med carrot, peeled and diced
3/4 c sliced brown (or white) mushrooms
2 cloves garlic, crushed in garlic press
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar (red or white)
1 tbsp canola or olive oil
To make the Risotto:
Heat oil in saucepan on medium heat and add the red pepper, carrot and mushrooms. Cook slowly until carrots start to become soft. Add oregano, basil, garlic and season with salt and pepper. Cook 1 min. Add balsamic vinegar. Stir together. Add rice (uncooked) to the vegetable mixture, stirring to coat the rice evenly. Add 1 soup ladle of the chicken broth to the rice mixture.
**Put your salmon in the oven at this point. See below for prep instructions.**
The idea of a good risotto is to slowly add broth, one ladle at a time to the rice; wait for each ladle-full to be absorbed by the rice before adding more. Gordon Ramsay has several wonderful videos showing the easy technique required to make a really nice risotto. Start at 1:35 if you just want to watch how he adds the liquid to the rice.
When the risotto is done, finish by sprinkling the grated lemon on the rice and squeeze the juice from the half lemon onto the dish.
Salmon:
I used a half portion of salmon, the bones were removed, and the skin was still on the one side. This portion of salmon was frozen at my grocers. I was lucky and found it on sale so I grabbed a few to keep in my freezer. The cost was about $4. Great deal!!
Using foil or waxed paper, cover a cookie sheet with the paper. Lay the salmon, skin side down onto the paper. Season with salt and pepper. Arrange the lemon slices along the length of the fish. Carefully wrap the salmon with the paper. Put the cookie sheet with the wrapped salmon into a 350F (preheated oven). Note: When I made this, the salmon was still frozen solid. If you defrost the fish ahead of time, your cooking time will be less!!
The salmon should be finished cooking when your risotto is also done. About 20-30 mins.
Serve with fresh sliced vegetables if desired.
Enjoy!!
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