cholesterol

Wild Salmon & Ratatouille

Erin Cameron-MurilloLeave a comment

Salmon

After embracing the Paleo lifestyle, one of the most difficult issues to tackle has been finding creative dinner dishes that are easy to prepare on a weeknight. One of my go-to creations has been a sausage ratatouille that is on the table in less than 20 minutes. It’s delicious, nutritious, and hearty (don’t fret – I’ll post that recipe, too). I also find myself struggling to get enough fish into our diet. As a chef, I know how delicious it can be, I’ve just never been a seafood fan. However, when you pair it with a delicious tomato-based sauce and fresh vegetables, it becomes a dish that pretty much anyone will enjoy.

For this recipe, you can use whatever fish you’d like. We happen to live in the Pacific Northwest, so when it’s salmon season, you can’t find a better filet. You can also leave the skin on, just be sure to get a hard sear on the fish to ensure it turns out crispy. There’s nothing worse than flabby fish skin! I like to use Mezzetta pasta sauces; they are a Californa-based company that makes a canned product that rivals even the homemade stuff. It’s completely Paleo and adds nearly all the flavor you’ll need in this quick and tasty dish.

Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 
2 T. avocado oil – divided
1 small onion, diced
1 bell pepper, diced
1 zucchini, diced
1 bunch kale, de-veined and chopped
1 – 25 oz. jar marinara sauce
4 – 4 oz. portions salmon, skin-off
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
Shaved parmesan, for garnish

Method:
 1. Add a tablespoon of avocado oil to a large skillet and heat over medium-high until shimmering.
2. Add the onion, bell pepper, and zucchini. Sauté until softened and starting to brown.
3. Add the marinara sauce to the pan and cook until heated through.
4. Add the kale and sauté until slightly wilted, about 2 minutes. Hold warm.
5. Make sure your fish portions are dried on both sides and that all pin-bones have been picked. Season liberally with salt and pepper.
6. Heat a non-stick skillet over high heat with the second tablespoon of avocado oil until shimmering.
7. Add the fish to the pan, skin-side down (or where the skin would have been if you have removed it).
8. Cook until nicely browned and then flip with a fish spatula. Continue cooking until medium-rare, or about 4 minutes. Remove from heat.
9. Place your ratatouille mixture in the center of your plate and garnish with a few halved tomatoes. Perch your fish on top of the ratatouille. Garnish with a sprinkling of shaved parmesan.

Unmeasurable

Erin Cameron-Murillo9 Comments

It was a blistery Tuesday morning. My husband and I had scheduled an appointment in his office at Microsoft for our annual “Know Your Numbers” exam – a free service that checks your weight, BMI, body fat %, as well as cholesterol, glucose levels, and triglycerides. Basically a time for Microsoft to find out how healthy their employees are and adjust insurance coverage under the guise of offering a great service to their employees. We’ll take it.

Nerves were getting the best of me, as I knew that my diet and lack of exercise wasn’t going to do me any favors in terms of the results they would record for me. I was sure my husband would give me the standard lecture, “We need to change our diet, go vegan, get rid of carbs and dairy. When you are gone, I never eat sweets.” I wasn’t in the mood to hear any of it.

After a painless flu shot (and apparently a somewhat painful one for him), we were poked, prodded, measured and weighed. Our respective “consultants” quickly wrote down our numbers and sent us on our way to coaching. We joined one another with none other than a 110-lb (soaking wet) woman who was the picture of good health. I was ready for the lecture, ready for my husband to give me “the look”. Then I saw his results.

I was shocked. His cholesterol was so high it couldn’t be measured. His triglycerides were somewhere above 650 – that was the highest number they could report. A healthy result would have been somewhere below 150.

My numbers weren’t much better, but at this point, I had just been hit with a ton of bricks. I had no idea my husband’s health was this serious – or at least I didn’t want to acknowledge the fact. I’m a chef, I like to prepare delicious, flavorful, comforting foods for my friends and family, regardless of the impact they might have on one’s health.

As a chef, I am an artist. Food is my medium. Unfortunately, it doesn't always equate to something that nourishes my body.
As a chef, I am an artist. Food is my medium. Unfortunately, it doesn’t always equate to something that nourishes my body.

In the middle of that drab conference room, I knew immediately that we had to make some serious changes. Our NUCCA chiropractor, Dr. Sean Fryer, had consistently attempted to get us to jump on the Paleo boat. I thought he was nuts (pun intended). He once told a friend of mine that eating bread was as bad for her health as smoking cigarettes – she’s a pastry chef. That didn’t go over well.

On that rainy Seattle morning, as a couple we decided that our health, our happiness, and the future of our family was more important than any pan dulce, pasta primavera, or slice of pumpkin pie. Our eyes had been opened and we couldn’t deny it any longer – we were actively killing ourselves with food. As a chef, I was embarrassed. I have devoted my life to nourishing people through food, and I wasn’t even taking care of my own family.

This blog will follow our journey through adopting a Paleo lifestyle. We will slip-up, we will make mistakes, and we will fall off the wagon – but we will get back on. I hope that we can help just one person make better choices, live longer, and be healthier.