Fish – Page 4 – Busy in Brooklyn

This recipe came to me last week when I was preparing my salmon and I’m so glad it did because it’s JUST. SO. PRETTY!! I definitely have a thing with decorating a side of salmon, and I love how the apples resemble fish scales!

I think a memory a lot of us have of Rosh Hashanah from our childhood is that moment when the fish head was brought to the table and WE. HAD. TO. EAT. IT.!! It always smelled awful and that fish eye just stared at us, as if to say, you killed me and now you’re going to have to eat me!!! I still have nightmares from those fish heads. Nightmares!!!

When people ask for recipes for the fish head, I usually just tell them that no recipe is going to make anyone want to eat it so just throw tons of lemon on it and stick it in the oven! Most of the fish stores have been storing the fish heads all year, so they’re definitely not fresh, and you can smell it a mile away. I don’t know what’s worse, the eyeball staring back at me or the smell coming out of it!

That’s the thing about fish that people don’t realize – it really should never smell like fish! It should smell like the ocean. If your fish smells fishy, it’s probably not fresh and it will probably taste fishy after you cook it. Moral of the story – BUY FRESH FISH. And don’t try and get fancy with your fish head ‘cuz nobody wants to eat it anyway.

But this here? This is the fish that you WANT to serve. It’s the dish that everyone is going to OOH and AHH over. And you’re going to be feel like a gourmet goddess for pulling it off. At least, until, we pass the fish head around!

May we all be blessed to be like the head, and not the tail this year!

Apple Honey Mustard Salmon

2 lb. side of salmon
1/3 c apricot jam
2 tbsp whole grain mustard
2 tbsp Dijon
2 tbsp honey, plus more for drizzling
salt and pepper, to taste
1 red apple, seeded and thinly sliced
1 green apple, seeded and thinly sliced
2 tbsp olive oil
juice of 1/2 lemon

Method:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a small bowl, combine the apricot jam, mustards, honey, salt and pepper. Brush the mixture generously over the salmon. Decorate the salmon by overlapping the apples, alternating between red and green until the salmon is covered. Drizzle with olive oil, lemon juice and honey. Bake, uncovered for 25 minutes, basting once with the pan juices during cooking.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

NOTE: I prefer this recipe served fresh, but if you want to prepare it a day ahead, you can serve the next day at room temperature (reheating cooked salmon tends to make it fishy and dry).

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I’ve been dieting ever since I can remember, and if you’ve been with BIB since the early days, you probably remember when I posted about the South Beach Diet which I went on religiously after every baby. But then I started a career in food and diets that eliminated entire food groups became difficult to stick to. I also had a 90 day stint with Whole30, which I still firmly believe in as a nutritional reset, but not really as a way of life. It’s far too restrictive and there was so much prep involved which became near impossible with my busy lifestyle.

So, when I finally decided I was done with my yo-yo habits recently, I wanted to commit to a plan, if only for a few months – but a strict regimen that would help me lose the cookbook + baby + stress weight of the past few years – and with lots of people I know losing weight on keto, I decided to jump in blindly.

I thought keto would be easier to manage – that is, no major food planning – and I have to admit that that part is totally manageable. Since I cook pretty healthy for the most part, I find that adapting my regular dinners is pretty easy. I have no problem with grabbing a quick lunch, and I mostly skip breakfast, which isn’t a bad thing on keto since 16 hours of intermittent fasting is encouraged. The problem then, is the counting.

I legit hate diets where I have to weigh my food or count my calories. Maybe it’s the flashbacks of being on Weight Watchers in high school, when my scale became my best friend, but it’s legit the worst part about this diet. In this case, you’re not quite counting calories or weighing your food – you’re counting MACROS = grams of protein, carbs and fat throughout the day.

For optimum results on keto, it’s important to stay within your macros if you want to stay in ketosis. Keeping carbs under roughly 20 grams is HARD because every. single. thing. has carbs. And I’m not talking about pizza or pastries here. I’m talking about not overdoing the veggies. I’m also finding it hard to reach my fat macros, and for the first few weeks, I religiously entered my entire food diary into the Carb Manager app to keep track- and I saw a big difference. The weight came off easily. But now as I’ve settled into the diet, I’m getting sick of counting and while I haven’t gained any weight, the scale (and my inches) are extremely slow moving.

I’m still not ready to quit though, I just want to find the right balance for myself because I know this plan can really work if you do it right. In the meantime, these super easy keto crackers (which I adapted from this Pesach recipe by the genius challah/babka queen @naomi_tgis, Naomi Elberg), have been getting me through Shabbos meals because we all need some crunch to eat with our salads/dips when everyone else is eating fluffy Challah.

I’ve been trying them all different ways, and the everything bagel version wins hands down, but give the variations a try as well when you get bored of them!

Everything But the Bagel Keto Crackers
recipe adapted from Naomi Elberg

1 1/2 cups packed super-fine almond flour (167 grams) (I use Bob’s Red Mill)
1/3 cup everything bagel spice
1/4 tsp salt (see note)
1 extra large egg

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a small bowl, combine the almond flour, everything bagel spice and salt and stir to incorporate. In a small bowl, lightly beat the egg. Add the egg to the flour and mix until a dough forms.

Place the dough in between 2 sheets of parchment paper and roll out until very thin. Remove the top layer of parchment paper and cut the dough into squares using a pizza wheel. Transfer to a baking sheet (if it doesn’t fit, remove scraps from around the edges and roll them out again, placing them on a second baking sheet). Bake for 10-15 minutes (depending on thickness), until lightly browned and crisp.

Cool completely and break apart. Store in an airtight container.

VARIATIONS:

For seeded crackers, add 1/3 cup mixed seeds (sesame, pumpkin, sunflower, flax) instead of the everything bagel spice.
For za’atar crackers, add 2 tbsp za’atar and 3 tbsp sesame seeds instead of the everything bagel spice.

NOTE: Depending on the saltiness of the everything bagel seasoning you use, you may/may not need to add salt.

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Tunisian-Style Tuna Nicoise Salad

On December 25, 2018July 29, 2019

by chanie

in Appetizer, Brunch, Diet, Fish, Lunch, Recipes, Salad, Shabbos

8 Comments

Early followers of my blog will remember my South Beach Diet days, and if you’ve been following for the last few years, my Whole30 phase. Yes, I’ve been dieting my entire life, I can write a book on it (oh wait, I did!).

Since I had my last baby, over two years ago, it’s been about food freedom for me – and for a few reasons. Firstly, I decided I didn’t want to live my life on a diet anymore, and I wanted to be able to enjoy food and be OK with it. I did put on some weight, which is what will happen if you’re in my industry and you just let yourself go – but I accepted it and decided that I would learn to love my body at any size.

From a recipe testing perspective, because I was working on my cookbook, I didn’t want my palate to be off, which is what will happen if you’re on a diet that restricts sugars or carbs. After a few rounds of Whole30, everything tasted cloyingly sweet to me and if you’re developing recipes for a cookbook, that can be a problem. I remember testing this recipe during my Whole30 (tasting it and spitting it out!) and when I made it several months later for a Shavuot cooking class, I found that it really needed more sweetener (recipe has been adjusted!). If you’re testing recipes for a living, you need to appeal to the average palette, so a diet can really throw things off. That’s another reason I decided to let myself go and not be restrictive.

I started following a lot of body-positive Instagram accounts and really tried to work on being comfortable in my larger size, but if I’m being honest, I just didn’t feel like myself. I was self conscious, uncomfortable behind the camera, and going shopping left me feeling totally depressed. Physically, I felt tired, lacked energy and just wasn’t motivated to make a change.

This year, on my 38th birthday, I looked in the mirror and decided it was time to make a change. Either accept and love myself at any size, or change that size to one that would make me more comfortable in my skin. I was done with the yo yo eating, and I just wanted to gain back control. For me personally, I don’t do well with intuitive eating or mindfulness, I need a strict regimen otherwise I don’t keep to it. So the day after Chanukah, I took the diet plunge and went keto. No excuses, no back and forth on which diet to choose, just jumping right in without thinking, and it’s the best thing I could have done. I shared it on Instagram so that I would hold myself accountable, and I’ve been going strong for two weeks (although it already feels like months!). It’s amazing how long a day can feel when you’re watching everything you put in your mouth!!

It scary to put yourself out there today. Someone recently told me that we live in the “offended” generation and it’s so true. It’s like we’re all tiptoeing around each other because we might say the wrong thing. Well to all the diet-shamers out there who aren’t OK with people going on a diet, here’s what I believe and I’m sticking to it: I reserve the right to feel comfortable in my own skin, and it’s no one elses right to tell me if I should lose weight, or if I should accept my body the way it is. It is MY body and it is MY right to make that choice. Yes, I’ve gone keto – because I want to feel healthy again and be healthy again and I want to be able to like what I see in the mirror, and there’s no shame in that. This, to me, is true food freedom. The freedom to make your own choices about the foods you eat, and weighing those choices in a conscious way.

I’m so excited to share this delicious recipe that I came up with last week for my keto-approved lunch. I went a little overboard with the tomatoes, but I’ll get there!

Tunisian-Style Tuna Nicoise Salad

1 pkg arugula
3 hard-boiled eggs, halved
1-2 cups grape tomatoes, halved
2 Persian cucumbers, sliced
1 red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup sliced black olives
1/4 cup capers, optional
harissa tuna, recipe follows
preserved lemon dressing, recipe follows

Method:

Spread the arugula out on a platter. Add eggs, tomatoes, cucumbers, red onion, olives and capers. Top with scoops of harissa tuna and drizzle with preserved lemon dressing before serving.

VARIATION: if you’re not watching your carbs, feel free to cook up some red-skinned potatoes, slice and add to the salad.

Harissa Tuna:
1 can tuna packed in water, drained
3 tbsp mayo
2 tsp harissa
1 tsp dried parsley
Juice of 1/2 lemon
salt, to taste

Add all ingredients to a bowl and stir to combine.

Preserved Lemon Dressing:
1/2 c olive oil
2 tsp minced preserved lemon peel
1 clove garlic, minced
Juice 1/2 Lemon
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tbsp honey, optional
salt and pepper, to taste

Add all ingredients to a container and shake vigorously until creamy.

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Category: Fish

Apple Honey Mustard Salmon

Sweet Chili Broccoli Salmon

Shaktuna (Tunisian Tuna Shakshuka)

Everything Bagel Keto Crackers

Tunisian-Style Tuna Nicoise Salad