Foods you should always buy organic (a.k.a. The Dirty Dozen)
Author: Lisa P
The Clean Fifteen
Foods you don’t necessarily need to buy organic (a.k.a. The Clean Fifteen)
Avoiding Bad Influences
During the week I have a corporate job with a very well established company with lots of resources. Recently I went to a company training event where they provided a “continental breakfast.” There were two tables in the breakfast area. They weren’t marked as such but I could tell they were making an attempt to give people the choice of comfort food vs. healthy food. On the “healthy” table there was a large platter of fruit, including cut up melon and various kinds of berries. OK so that’s a good start. Next to the fruit platter sat a large container of creamy (i.e. not the greek type) yogurt to spoon over your fruit. I did not taste the yogurt, but my guess is that it was vanilla flavored and had sugar. As long as you were not lactose intolerant or diabetic, it was probably fine.
I had some fruit, skipping the lactose-laden, blood sugar-spiking yogurt/dessert topping.
On the other table was an even larger platter with a gorgeous array of pastries and muffins. Ah the allure of comfort food… white processed flour and white processed sugar… warm it up and add a pat of butter. I am salivating just thinking about the steamy aroma and messy yumminess of salty melted butter commingling with sweet runny blueberries. Sigh. Alas, anything but healthy.
Next to the Platter of Heavenly Sin, there was a slightly smaller platter with a pile of bagels and a variety of flavored cream cheeses. I figured there must be at least one or two whole grain bagels in the pile as I noticed a few oat flakes speckled the plate and table nearby. For sure, cream cheese has some protein in it but any nutritional advantage is swallowed up by the abundance of saturated dairy fat molecules that surround it. And who knows what else was in the cream cheese in order to make it taste like strawberries or honeyed walnuts or whatever. Besides the runny vanilla yogurt, the flavored cream cheese was the only bit of protein I saw at the whole breakfast. I would have been thrilled with some hard boiled eggs or plain greek yogurt…
Finally, there were a few different kinds of juice, and of course, coffee. All in all, a nice solid breakfast of pure carbs, mostly processed. Thank goodness for the coffee to keep us all awake during our mid-morning sugar crash.
The Art of Dicing an Avocado
Years ago I learned (from somewhere — maybe my Mom, maybe a YouTube video, it hardly matters) the absolute best way to dice an avocado in beautiful, delicious, creamy, uniform cubes. Follow my pictorial below and you’ll be transforming avocados into gorgeous green gourmet goodness in no-time flat.
1) With a medium-sized very sharp knife (I always have very sharp knives, I sharpen them every single time I use them) slice the avocado all the way around lengthwise, cutting the flesh all the way to the pit. Twist the two halves apart.
Orange Broiled Salmon
This recipe for Broiled Salmon using orange marmalade and soy sauce is super easy and takes less than 30 minutes to make.
This recipe for Broiled Salmon using orange marmalade and soy sauce is super easy and takes less than 30 minutes to make.
| Prep Time | 10 minutes |
| Cook Time | 10 minutes |
| Passive Time | 20 minutes |
| Servings |
people
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Ingredients
- 1 filet salmon about 1 to 1-1/2 lbs
- 1/4 cup tamari or light soy sauce
- 1/4 cup orange marmalade got any leftover chinese duck sauce packets?
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1/2 inch fresh ginger optional
- 2 scallions optional
- 1 tsp fish sauce optional
Ingredients
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Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine tamari (or soy), sesame oil, and marmalade and whisk up well with a fork. If using, mince up a small chunk (1/2 inch) of ginger and stir that in. This is your marinade.
- Gently rinse salmon in cool water and put in a gallon-size zip lock bag. Add the marinade and zip the package closed. Gently shake and turn the bag over a few times to cover the salmon with the marinade. Let sit on the counter for 20 minutes or so.
- While the fish is marinating, line a cookie sheet or other shallow baking sheet with aluminum foil.
- Rinse and trim the scallions, then thinly slice and set aside.
- Preheat the broiler on high.
- Pull the salmon carefully out of the zip lock bag. Hold it over the bag for a few moments to let the excess marinade drain off. Place the fish skin side up on the cookie sheet. Pour the remaining marinade into a small sauce pan. Add a few shakes of fish sauce (about a teaspoon) if you happen to have some on hand.
- Broil the fish for 5 minutes, and then remove from oven. Carefully peel off the skin and discard.
- Turn the fish over, then broil for another 5 minutes. It will be a little bit rare, so if you like it less rare, just add another minute. When it's done, remove to a shallow serving dish.
- Turn heat to medium under the saucepan and gently bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally. It will thicken a little after a few minutes, and then you can pour it over the fish. Sprinkle the scallions on top and serve.
Recipe Notes
If you don't have marmalade, try using leftover chinese duck sauce! I actually tried it once when I was desperate and it came out great.
Other variations...
- Omit the sesame oil and add sesame seeds to the remaining marinade when you heat it.
- Serve with lemon wedges.
- Use sugar-free marmalade instead of regular.
- Add garlic instead of ginger.
- Top with chopped parsley instead of scallions.
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Roasted Holiday Brussels Sprouts
A delicious recipe for Roasted Holiday Brussels Sprouts, which I modified from a recipe I found online to make it more festive.
A delicious recipe for Roasted Holiday Brussels Sprouts, which I modified from a recipe I found online to make it more festive.
| Prep Time | 15 |
| Cook Time | 20 |
| Servings |
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Ingredients
- 2 pounds brussels sprouts halved, stems and ragged outer leaves removed*
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 cup chopped dried cranberries
- 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
Ingredients
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Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- In a large bowl, toss brussels sprouts with 2 tablespoons olive oil, kosher salt and pepper.
- Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil. Put the brussels sprouts evenly spaced on the baking sheet.
- Roast the sprouts, stirring occasionally for even browning. They are done when until tender and caramelized, about 20 minutes.
- Place brussels sprouts back in bowl. Add remaining tablespoon olive oil, balsamic vinegar, cranberries, and walnuts and toss to coat evenly.
- Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary, then serve.
Recipe Notes
*If you have some brussels sprouts that are very large, cut them into quarters. The pieces will cook more evenly if they are all about the same size.
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