Your mom has probably made you thousands of meals over the years, so there’s no better way to show her your appreciation than by making her a delicious meal on Mother’s Day.  Luckily, you don’t need to kill yourself in the kitchen to do so.  This incredibly easy fish soup (recipe courtesy of my mom) tastes like a special treat, but is quick to prepare and difficult to mess up.  Served with a loaf of warm crusty bread, it’s the perfect Mother’s Day lunch or dinner.

Susan’s Fish Soup

2 Tbsp canola oil

1 large onion, diced

1 red bell pepper

2 large carrots, peeled and diced

2 zucchini, diced

1 Yukon Gold or Russet potato, peeled and cut into small cubes

1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cut into small cubes

2 bay leaves

1 tsp dried oregano

Salt & pepper

16 oz clam juice or fish broth

lb halibut, cut into large chunks

Heat a Dutch oven or other large pot over medium heat.  Add oil, onion, and carrot and saute for 5-7 minutes or until onion is beginning to soften.  Add bell pepper, zucchini, and potatoes, then sprinkle vegetables with salt & pepper and stir in bay leaves and oregano.  Saute another 5 minutes.  Pour in clam juice and 4 cups of water.  Let soup cook over medium-low heat until all the vegetables are cooked and soup is hot, about 20 minutes.  Add the fish chunks about 7 minutes before serving the soup, so that they cook through but don’t get tough.  Serve with warm bread & butter.

Happy Mother’s Day!

The post An Easy Mother’s Day Meal appeared first on Eating Made Easy.

Peanut butter mixed with salmon?  Unexpected, I know.  But one bite and you’ll be a believer!

Here’s the recipe.

This is the first of five recipes I created to be featured on Peanut Butter & Co’s new All-Star Recipe Blog over the next few months.  There are tons of great recipes from other bloggers too, so check Peanut Butter & Co’s website every week or two to find your favorites!  Homemade Peanut Butter Pop Tarts, anyone?

The post Red Chili and Peanut Glazed Salmon appeared first on Eating Made Easy.

You’re probably used to eating canned tuna — on sandwiches, melts, salads, and in your mom’s casseroles.  But canned salmon?  Maybe not. It’s time to start!

Why Canned Salmon Rules

• It’s the freshest fish you can get, since it’s caught and canned immediately on site
• It’s cheap, at about $2 per 6oz can (that’s less than $6/lb) for wild Alaskan salmon
• It’s high in protein, calcium, and Omega-3 fatty acids
• It’s low in mercury (significantly lower than canned tuna)
• It’s versatile, so you can turn it into all sorts of healthy meals, like these…

What to Do with Canned Salmon

Salmon Salad: Mix 2 cans with 1/4 cup plain yogurt, 2 Tbsp Light mayo, juice of half a lemon, handful of chopped fresh parsley and/or dill, 1 Tbsp capers, chopped green onions or chives, salt, pepper, and celery, cucumbers, or pickles.  Serve over a bed of greens with tomatoes and a vinaigrette dressing, like one of these.
Salmon Sandwiches: Follow instructions above for making salmon salad, but serve on whole wheat bread with lettuce and tomato, or make a salmon melt like you would a tuna melt.
Salmon Burgers: Mix 2 cans with 1/2 cup chopped bell pepper, 1/2 cup chopped scallions, juice of half a lemon, 1/4 cup Light mayo, 1/2 cup bread crumbs, 1 raw egg, handful of chopped fresh parsley, and a generous sprinkle of salt & pepper.  Form into patties and cook in a saute pan with 1 Tbsp canola oil per batch.  Serve with tartar sauce, lettuce, tomato, and onion on a bun.
Salmon Pasta: Add 2 cans canned salmon to a creamy pasta sauce along with peas, sauteed mushrooms and onions, and fresh parsley and dill.  Toss with your favorite noodles.

Tips for Buying Canned Salmon

Buy Wild Alaskan salmon. It’s widely available and inexpensive, and wild is much healthier (for you and the earth) than farmed.
Look for boneless & skinless salmon, otherwise you have to pick through the meat and fish out the bones and skin (or eat then, which is nutritious but not necessarily delicious).
Trader Joe’s and Costco are my favorite places to find good quality, cheap canned salmon.

The post Salmon Salad: The Cheap & Easy Way to Eat More Fish appeared first on Eating Made Easy.

Question: I’ve never been much of a fish eater, but I’ve become increasingly aware of the health benefits that fish provides. Can you help me learn how to pick out good fish and how to cook it in a healthful way?

Answer: Yes! More and more, we’re hearing that we should increase our fish intake.  But most of us are still stuck on the boneless-skinless-chicken-breast trend from two decades ago, and feel stumped when it comes to fish.  Here are some tips that may help:

What Fish to Buy

1. Fatty fish — These are the fish that contain lots of omega-3 fatty acids, which are heart-healthy and good for baby brain development.  Examples: wild salmon, mackerel, herring, lake trout, sardines and albacore tuna.
2. Eco-friendly — For a list of the best and worst fish to buy, in terms of the environment and your health, check out the Environmental Defense Fund’s Seafood Selector.  You can print out their “Seafood Pocket Guide” and “Sushi Pocket Guide” to carry with you for quick reference.  And if you find your favorite fish on the “don’t eat” list because of mercury or endangered species, don’t worry: they suggest good alternatives and even provide recipes.
3. Low in mercury — In general, the smaller the fish, the lower the mercury content.  This is because large fish are higher on the food chain, so they’ve eaten more of the smaller and medium-sized fish, and contain those fish’s mercury too.
   

How to Prepare Fish (these are just a few ideas)

Pretty much all fish is good with citrus, olive oil, and salt & pepper.  So when in doubt, use a combo of these items to taste.  You can make a vinaigrette with some or all of these ingredients in the blender, food processor, or just in a little bowl with a whisk,  pour it on the fish before or after cooking, or both.  If you want to get a little fancier, add a chopped fresh herb and/or dollop of Dijon mustard to your “sauce.”  Or, try one of the recipe ideas below.  If you don’t have one of the ingredients listed (i.e. one of the suggested fresh herbs), just leave it out.  It’ll still taste good.

Roasted Salmon with Herb Chimichurri (shown in picture above)

Preheat oven to 425.  Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray.  Place a wild salmon filet (~2 lbs), skin-side down, on the foil and sprinkle with salt & pepper. In a blender, mix 1/4 cup lemon juice, 1/4 cup Dijon mustard, and 1/4 cup olive oil. When smooth, add a handful of fresh parsley OR dill OR oregano, 2 green onions cut into pieces, and 2 Tbsp capers.  Pulse a few times to so these ingredients are chopped but not pureed.
Pour Chimichurri sauce (you’ll probably have extra) over raw salmon and spread around with your fingers or a spatula. Bake on the top oven rack for 15-20 minutes or until fish easily flakes with a fork and meat is slightly opaque (not bright red anymore).  Save extra sauce (as long as it didn’t touch the raw fish) in the fridge for another time–you can use it with any type of fish, or mix it with some red wine vinegar and a little more oil to make a vinaigrette for salad.

Prosciutto-Wrapped White Fish

Preheat oven to 400.  Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Take 4 white fish filets, skin off (Pacific halibut, cod, U.S.-grown tilapia, any other white fish you like)-about 6 oz each), sprinkle lightly with salt & pepper, lay on each one a sprig of fresh thyme, oregano, or rosemary, then wrap each one with a thin piece of prosciutto, making sure that the “seem” side is down.  Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until fish is opaque and flakes easily with a fork.  Squeeze a little lemon on each one and serve.

Canned Salmon Salad

Drain a can of boneless wild Alaskan salmon.  Mix with a generous dollop each of Light mayo and plain yogurt, then add chopped celery, green onion, fresh parsley, and a big squeeze of lemon juice.  Serve as you would tuna salad: in a sandwich with lettuce and tomato, on a bed of greens, or on crackers.

Greek Salad with Sardines

Toss a mixture of chopped cucumbers, tomatoes, bell peppers, red onion, kalamata olives, and feta cheese with lemon juice, olive oil, salt & pepper.  Spread out on a platter and top with canned sardines (either canned in water or olive oil is fine).  Here’s a similar salad recipe from Eating Well magazine.

That should get you started.  If you’re hungry for more info, here are some helpful online resources:

The Best and Worst Seafood Choices, from Eating Well Magazine

More about Mercury & Contaminants in fish, from the Environmental Defense Fund

Health Benefits of Fish, with other info, from Australia’s government website

Want to see more recipes?  Check these out.

The post Eat More Fish appeared first on Eating Made Easy.