Pasta with Lobster and Scallops

Last night New Years Eve dinner was pasta with lobster and scallops.  I don’t eat a lot of shellfish, New Years however is a time for something a little special and scallops and lobster fit the bill nicely.  To keep it simple and easy in the Arthritis Kitchen I purchased a live Atlantic Canadian lobster, freshly steamed right at the store so all the was needed was to remove the tender meat from the claws and tail.  Searing off a few small calico scallops rounded it out nicely.  Both lobster and scallops are a good source of protein and lower in fat than beef, pork or chicken.  Scallops are a good source of B12 and Omega 3’s making them a good way to end the year.

Zuni Cafe Roasted Chicken and Bread Salad

Last night for our Christmas Eve dinner I made the Zuni Café Roasted Chicken & Bread Salad from Judy Rodgers Zuni Café Cookbook.  I had first read about this technique of roasting a chicken and the incredible bread salad a few years ago when it was all the rage and popping up on numerous food blogs and forums.  I made it once for my family and it is always brought up as one of the favorite meals and frequently requested.  A few key points are required to prepare a chicken in the style of the Zuni Café.  Firstly it must be a small bird, no more than 3 ½ lbs and secondly, you need to salt the bird and let it dry brine in the fridge for 2 days prior to roasting.  The final key point is roasting at a very high temperature for a relatively short amount of time.  Doing all of this produces one of the best roasted chickens you will ever have the pleasure to enjoy.  Exquisitely crisp skin on the entire bird and juicy succulent meat that is just out of this world.  The bread salad while not a requirement is a real treat and a modern almost deconstructed version of a traditional stuffing.  The salad is loaded with flavor from roasted pine nuts, slivered garlic, green onions, delicious vinaigrette and a final addition of pan juices from the roasted chicken.  Served on a bed of baby arugula on a large platter is a feast to behold.

Choose a hearty European style bread (not sourdough)

Santa hat brownies

Look at how cute these are.  I was putting together an appetizer party for my 18 yr old step daughter and a few of her friends.  When I saw this idea on The Chew the other morning, I knew this was something I was going to add to the menu.  To make it super easy I bought those two-bite brownies from the grocery store.  Then simply cut the stem off of each strawberry making a flat surface, pipe whipped cream on top of the brownie, add a strawberry and then top with a dot of whipped cream.  They look really cute and are very festive.  Maybe leave these for Santa tonight instead of cookies.

Sablefish with Miso, Ginger and Maple Syrup

I frequently post on my love for sablefish, also known as black cod.  Not only is it an incredibly succulent firm white fish but it is also very high in Omega 3′s which promotes health and is very supportive in reducing inflammation.  Shout out to my local grocery store @ThriftyFoods .  Usually I’m picking up sablefish at my local fish monger , Granville Island Market or Whole Foods which is fine, but to find in at Thrifty’s is a really great surprise.  I hope to see it there often.  I wanted to do something with miso and maple syrup having read that as a frequent flavor combination with some of the local chefs.

Marinate fish skin side up for 6 – 24 hours in a mixture of miso, sake, maple syrup and ginger.  Remove from marinade and dry of with paper towels.  Bake at 400 on a parchment lined baking sheet, skin side up for 10 – 15 min.

Served over a a bed of a reduction of miso, ginger and maple syrup with sides of oven roasted potatoes and asparagus.

 

Salad with roasted squash, chicken and pomegranate

 

This Weekend’s dinner salad is a great combination of flavor, color and texture.  Greens lightly dressed with apple cider vinaigrette topped with roasted acorn squash, grilled chicken and a generous sprinkling of pomegranate seeds.  The flavor combinations were out of this world and the squash added a hearty component making this a real satisfying meal.

For the squash rings, I poked about a dozen holes into the squash with a fork then into the microwave for about 6 min.  Let cool, slice into rounds, scoop out seeds.  Sprinkle with seasoning of your choice. I used paprika, turmeric, salt and pepper.  Drizzle with olive oil and broil for a few minutes.  No need to peel the squash.  The skin is tender and chock full of nutrients.

Chicken tenders threaded onto  pre-soaked bamboo skewers, season with salt and pepper and grilled in a hot pan.  Keep warm in oven.  When plating salad, remove chicken from skewers and toss in quick sauce to add flavor.  Tonight I used a soy sauce reduction with ginger and some pineapple juice.  A substitute of balsamic or a citrus sauce would work well too.

Arthritis Kitchen Tips:

Did you know that winter squash such as acorn is an excellent source of Omega 3.  Check out the article today in the New York Times.  http://tinyurl.com/6vfl7dj

Microwave squash for a few minutes before attempting to slice into it.  Makes it a lot easier for the knife to cut through.

Get your Omega 3′s from Salmon

I’ve been cooking salmon quite a bit these days.  It’s an excellent source of Omega 3 and high on the list of Arthritis Kitchen favorites.  When buying salmon I choose fresh wild salmon exclusively.  To me, farmed salmon is not an option.  Really fresh fish needs very little preparation in order to make it into something amazing.  For this piece of sockeye simply place skin side down in a shallow pan.  Season with salt, pepper, top with lemon slices and fresh dill.  Place in a preheated 400 degree oven and bake for 10 – 15 min depending on thickness.  Watch carefully as to not overcook the fish.  I served this with sautéed kale, roasted winter squash and some rice.  Simple and nutrient rich.  Have extra lemon on hand to squeeze on top at the end when plating.

World Arthritis Day 2011

Today, Wednesday October 12^th is World Arthritis Day.  As someone living with Rheumatoid Arthritis I am encouraged to see such widespread awareness.  Readers of my blog know that my focus is on cooking healthy and inspired meals using ingredients that are known to reduce inflammation whenever I can.  Providing your body with nutrients is an essential part of health for anyone and for those that have any sort of auto-immune condition it is even more important to maintain optimum health.

The Arthritis Kitchen is here to share time and energy saving tips and techniques that you can use when cooking in your kitchen.  We also feature ingredients that help reduce inflammation in the body.

Tonight’s dinner, sockeye salmon with a ginger soy glaze served over greens and noodles.  Salmon is an excellent source of Omega 3 and ginger is an all star inflammation reducing ingredient.  What a great meal for World Arthritis Day.

 

 

Thanksgiving Dinner

For our Thanksgiving meal I went traditional and roasted a turkey.  I purchased a fresh bird that was vegetarian grain fed and medication free.  A bit of a step up from your regular frozen bird but without the price sticker shock of a free range organic turkey. It turned out perfect.  I do not stuff my turkey other than with some aromatics, and I roast at 325 degrees starting with the breast side down.  For the last hour or so, turn the bird over so it is breast side up and finish roasting. I do this for two reasons.  First, I really find that it makes for juicier breast meat and the second bonus is that the skin on the back side of the bird gets a chance to become golden and crispy.  With a small bird such as the one I had (just under 10 lbs) turning it is an easy task to accomplish.

To prep for the oven add a few sprigs of thyme, a rosemary branch and a couple of lemon wedges inside after seasoning with pepper and salt.  Make sure outside of bird is completely dry then rub slightly softened butter into the skin, season with salt and pepper.

For years now I have not cooked the stuffing or dressing if you prefer, inside the bird.  I don’t care for the increased cooking time required as it can make the turkey dry out and I like that when doing them separately in a baking dishes you can prep well ahead of time and then finish in a hot oven while the turkey is resting, gravy is being made etc.

For the stuffing this year I used two kinds of bread.  I had wanted to use Challah or Biroche but was unable to find either.  What I ended up using was an egg and buttermilk bread for most of it and added some rustic cranberry almost sourdough like loaf for additional texture.  May seem like an odd mixture but the results were really good.  This was added to the butter sautéed onions, celery and mushrooms seasoned generously with fresh sage, thyme and a touch of rosemary and salt and pepper to taste.  Good quality chicken stock for moisture and flavor.  It’s important to have the right ratio of melted butter and stock to achieve a moist, yet not soggy stuffing that will crisp up on top.  This year I think I found just the right balance.

Side dishes to round out the meal were a Yukon gold and yam mash, peas and pearl onions and sliced carrots with butter and parsley.  Gravy and cranberries both homemade with great flavor to add the finishing touches to the plate.

Arthritis Kitchen Tips for Turkey Day:

• Choose a fresh instead of a frozen turkey.  Way less lifting and dealing with on the whole.
• Write out what you are serving and a basic time line.  Being organized saves extra steps.
• Pace yourself – I find it saves energy to prep vegetables for example in the morning then when time to cook peeling and chopping is already done.
• Is there anything you can prep the day before?
• Think ahead and plan and take out all serving dishes at least the day before – saves extra lifting and carrying on cook day.
• Make your stuffing in a baking dish instead of stuffing into the bird.  Allows you to prep in advance so you can budget your energy and is easy to serve.
• Lifting things in and out of the oven difficult – ask for help.
• Relax – its just dinner.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Fig goat cheese and walnut appetizers

Served this as an appetizer before our Thanksgiving dinner.  I made the fig and shallot “marmalade” the night before.  Made for an easy to assemble quick appy with really full and developed flavor profiles.  Slice rounds of baguette spoon the fig and shallot mixture on top of each round.  Add a generous amount of soft goat cheese, and sprinkle with chopped toasted walnuts.  Place on a baking sheet and bake for 5-10 min.  Serve immediately.

Fig and Shallot Marmalade

6-8 shallots, sliced thin

8 fresh figs, ¼ inch dice

Zest of ½ an orange

2 Tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice

¼ cup red wine

1 teaspoon honey

A few grinds of pepper

Reduce to desired consistency. Can be made ahead of time and refrigerated until ready to assemble.

Arthritis Kitchen Tip: Walnuts are an excellent source of Omega 3.  Increasing your intake of Omega 3 can help reduce pain and inflammation.

Salmon in parchment with lemon and dill

One of the easiest ways I know to cook fish is enclosed in parchment paper in the oven.  Cooking in parchment allows you to layer in whatever flavors you want.  It’s a moist heat cooking method that infuses flavor into the fish as it steam cooks in the oven.  An additional bonus – no clean up required.  For this meal I had beautiful wild BC sockeye salmon.  Aromatics of fresh dill, lemon, shallots, salt, pepper, a splash of white wine and a drizzle of olive oil.  Seal in a cut out round of parchment paper, folding over and crimping edges to create a seal.  Bake in a pre-heated 400 degree oven for 10 minutes.  Couldn’t be easier. 

Arthritis Kitchen Tip: Salmon is an excellent source of omega 3.  If at all possible buy fresh wild salmon.  The texture and flavor is remarkably superior to farmed fish and it is free of any antibiotics or dyes.