Simple Meals + Sustainable Choices at the Store!

Hey everybody!

I’m excited for a great number of things, but the fact that my local grocery store now carries sustainable salmon choices has me over the moon!

Can you see the blue seal to the left of the price tag? That is the Marine Stewardship Council seal of approval, so you know your seafood is certified and not fraudulent.

Here is a complete list of products available with MSC guidelines, called Fish to Eat.

Why is it important to make sustainable choices? You can read more in my post for Cod & Country, but the long and short of it is, if you want to be eating your favorite fish in 5 or 10 years, you have to start buying sustainable choices. Otherwise, we are going to overfish our way out of a meal. It’s in your best interest, and the ecosystem’s, to protect what we have left. Plus you can discover some delicious new seafood choices in the process!

I had a wonderful interaction with a woman yesterday whose daughter just found out she had Celiac sprue. She asked for some advice, and I told her to start out slow and simple. Any time you are making dietary changes, just go with the basics for the first month or so until you get the hang of it. The last thing you want to do is make yourself more overwhelmed.

The same goes for those who are new to cooking or trying to eat out less and make more meals at home. Use quality ingredients and the simplest things will be the best you’ve ever had. Invest in good quality oils and fats, eat produce in season, and pick local foods over ones shipped hundreds of thousands of miles. Why? They just. don’t. taste. good.

Now that I live alone, most of my dinners are pretty simple. Lately it has been a broth-based soup, some sort of fish like salmon, mackerel, or cod, and a light salad. Sometimes some roasted veggies if I feel like turning on the oven, ha.

There are some other great recipes for chicken broth that I like, but normally I just come home and throw this together after work. Then I go off to do yoga or laundry or prepare another part of my meal and come back when it’s done.

Homemade Chicken Broth

one chicken carcass

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

4 quarts water

Add all ingredients to a large pot, cover with a lid and put on low heat. Never let it rise above a simmer, keep on low heat for at least one hour or up to two hours. Strain the liquid out and use for soup or another recipe (like braised cabbage!).

Ginger Garlic Soup

2 quarts chicken stock

2 cloves garlic, grated

1/2 inch chunk of ginger, grated

1 tsp sesame oil

1 bunch green onions, sliced and separated into white and green parts

In the pot you want to use for soup, add the sesame oil and toast the white part of the onions for a few minutes, until golden brown in color. (About 4-6 minutes on medium heat). Add the stock, grated garlic, and grated ginger. Turn down the heat to medium low and let simmer for 20 minutes. Add the green parts of the onions and serve hot.

Toasted Salmon

1 tablespoon sesame or coconut oil

3 small salmon filets, or one large fillet

Heat the oil over medium-high heat, until the sesame oil is shiny and coats the pan or the coconut oil is melted. Add the salmon and sear for 2-3 minutes on each side, depending on the thickness of your cut. Turn and sear the other side for 2-3 minutes, until the salmon is just cooked through.

I made the salmon and chopped ingredients for a salad while I was cooking the soup. You can also get ahead of yourself and clean your kitchen while things are cooking or simmering – then you can eat without a dirty kitchen hanging over your head! I ate this soup and salmon with a salad and some leftover braised cabbage.

A few simple things come together for a great meal. Today I am thankful for sustainable seafood and vegetables. Particularly kale. More coming soon!