The salmon post

I have always loved salmon. Smoked, steamed, roasted, in a pie...  So I started looking for fresh wild Alaskan salmon. And I quickly realised that 1) on that supermarket counter, fish should have looked and smelled insanely fresh but it really, really didn't 2) it quickly became too expensive a craving for me to keep up.

Then I enrolled in nutritional therapy and found out that frozen fish,which I feared for years because I thought there were some weird chemicals added to it ( probably something I heard my mom's friends talked about years ago in Italy...), is actually fresher than the fish you find on the counter. 

I  decided to give it a try and soon realised it was the best thing I could ever buy. Not only it tastes delicious, looks and smells fresher, but it is also incredibly cheaper! I buy my Alaskan wild salmon from Sainsburys, it's £4.50 for 5 fillets, which means that I can now have my Omega3 fatty acids ( good fats that your body cannot produce) 3 times a week and still have two fillets left for the week after. You can find Omega3 fats in many types of oily fish like mackerel, sardines, salmon and ideally you want to eat them 2-3 times a week. I stick to salmon because I tried both mackerel and sardines and they do not agree with me but if you do like them then definitely switch between the three, ideally the smaller the fish the less amount of mercury in it. 

Having said that, there will always be some kind of big or small health issue with food or drinks so my advice is to eat what you enjoy but always be mindful.Life is too short not have salmon.

For some reason this frozen salmon seems to cook better as well, I am pretty lazy in the kitchen so food needs to be healthy, very tasty and quick to prepare. 

The way I love to cook my salmon is with a sprinkle of Hymalaian salt, a little ground pepper, Mediterranean dried herbs ( my faithful grandmother's mix) and a slice of lemon on top. Then I wrap it in loosely in a foil parcel and pop it in the oven at 180c for 11 minutes. in the meantime I can prepare a side salad or steam some greens. It's perfectly cooked every time. I suggest you give it a try.xxx

Ingredients

1 fillet Alaskan wild salmon

1 slice of lemon

Salt and pepper

Mediterranean dried herb mix ( or any other dried herbs you'd like)

Method

Turn the oven on at 180c, 350F, gas mark 4.

I quickly rinse the salmon under gently running water for 2 seconds just to make sure it's nice and clean without any small dirt bits from when it was caught or cut. Pop it in the foil sheet and sprinkle with salt,pepper and the herbs and top with a lemon slice.

Fold the sheet of foil so that the borders of the two longe sides touch and gently close them together so steam won't come out. it basically needs to create a hot steam pocket for your salmon. 

If you do have a steamer at home that would be even better, you could just put the salmon in there with the veggies as well and have a complete dinner in one move! Also, a steamer would be healthier than the foil to use. I'm planning to buy a wooden one soon. If you do not have it please don't worry, foil will work great!

Place the parcel in the oven for 11 minutes and done! 

Just make sure you keep your lovely face away from the foil when you unwrap it, so you won't be hit by the hot steam :)))

Serve on a plate with your favourite greens.xxx

Banana-Almond Butter Ice Cream with Crushed Walnuts

This ice cream always takes me back to my childhood. Grandma used to buy these banana ice cream sticks the looked the actual fruit. I had one every time we visited her for dinner. Yes, fine,maybe I had two..So since moving away, if I was missing my grandma, I would sometimes get myself an ice cream cone and one of the flavours would be banana. It was never the same though, too sweet, not sweet enough, didn't quite taste right.. And then I discovered this recipe! It's incredibly quick and easy. I added some homemade almond butter for an extra layer of flavour and a protein kick, and topped it with crushed walnuts to add crunch and healthy fats.

All you need is a food processor and in no time you'll have a bowl of delicious ice-cream. xxx

INGREDIENTS ( makes 1 bowl) 

2 medium bananas ( sliced and frozen for a few hours or overnight) 

3 tbsp brown rice milk 

1 tbsp almond butter 

1 handful walnuts crushed into pieces

METHOD

Just pop the frozen banana slices and milk in the food processor and let it go for about 5 minutes. Every now and then you might have to use a spatula to add the mix detach from the sides of the food processor ( I only had to do it once). When it starts to become smooth just add your almond butter, and once you get that creamy consistency transfer it to your favourite bowl, top with walnuts or any other other topping you might prefer and enjoy.