Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve always had fish-somthing for dinner on Mondays. I can remember eating fish fingers or “fiskeboller” at home, and I think I even kind of liked it. Well – at least until my taste buds got a bit more sophisticated. Now that I’m a grown up (or supposed to act like one, at the very least), I don’t understand how I could eat it. Not only because it’s very flavorless, but also because it really isn’t healthy at all. Now that I’m trying my best to eat clean and healthy, I find that it’s a lot more fun to eat when you can tell the difference between different flavors, and that the food should taste the way it is. I’m not saying I don’t use spices, cause trust me, I do. I just don’t like mixing too many flavors together anymore.
Most Mondays are quite busy for me. I get up at 6 am, get dressed, (sleep)walk my dog, work out at 6.30, shower and get dressed at 7.20, make breakfast while putting my makeup on at 7.45, eat at 8.00, clean up and leave for school at 8.25. Then there’s school until 2.30, which means I’m home at three. I take the dog for another (longer) walk, do some chores, and around 4 to 4.30 I start cooking dinner. Today was no exception (except I didn’t have classes today), but my cousin came over for coffee, so I didn’t really study as much as I was supposed to (It was totally worth it though).
A few days ago, I decided that I wanted salmon for dinner today. I don’t eat rice or potatoes, but I do eat vegetables and pearled barley. That’s why I decided on salmon with pearled barley, broccoli, spinach and leek sauce. That’s three greens in one dinner. If you haven’t tried pearled barley, you really should. It was strange the first time I tried it, but it’s kind of like eating bubbles. You’ll know what I mean when you try it. However; pearled barley is NOT gluten free, so if you are celiac or sensitive to gluten, you should find something else to use. The only horrible thing about pearled barley is that it takes way too long to cook – which is why it’s always the first thing I start on. When I try to make enough for only myself I use about 1 oz (30 ml) of pearled barley, and 4 oz (120 ml) of water (who are we kidding, I always make enough for an army. Secretly, I think I’m trying to give myself an excuse for having an awesome lunch the next day).
Bring the barley and water to a boil, and leave it on low heat for about 1 – 1 ½ hours. Yes, that is 60 to 90 minutes. And yes, it takes a while. It’s still worth it, and as long as you take a look at it every once in a while, you can do other stuff while waiting. Like chores. Or reading a book. Or watching tv. After 45 minutes, you might want to get started on your leek sauce. I’ve already given you the recipe for it once, but it’s worth repeating.
You need:
1 whole leek
2 tbs of butter
300 ml/1 1/2 cups of cream
Salt and pepper for flavor
Melt the butter in a sauce pan, chop the leek into whatever shape you like. Add the leek, and let it simmer for a few minutes before adding the cream. If you’re trying to cut calories, I’m sure you can use milk instead, but then you need to use some sort of thickening agent as well. Since I choose not to use any thickening agents, I’ll use cream. Bring it to a boil, turn the heat down to low, and let it simmer for about half an hour.
Start preparing your veggies. I’m a sucker for butter flavored spinach, and any kind of broccoli, but you can use whatever you like. Both my spinach and broccoli were frozen, but if you prefer fresh vegetables, you can use that as well. The broccoli is extremely easy. Put a little bit of water into a microwavable bowl, add the broccoli, and stick it in the microwave oven on full heat for as long as it takes before it looks done.
Melt butter in a frying pan, add the spinach and let it “swish around” until it starts changing color. Add some salt and pepper for flavor. That’s it!
Last, put the salmon in the frying pan, for about 1-2 minutes on each side. There. Done.
An awesome dinner packed with flavor, omega 3, vitamins, minerals and iron.
Yes, I do realize it’s been almost a year since my last blog post, and it actually saddens me a bit. Not only because it means I have to renew my subscription with wordpress if I want to keep my blog the way it is, but also because I enjoy blogging. The last year has been quite crazy. Not only has there been tons to do at school and work, but I also struggled with some health issues for a while. I have a new dog. I’ve moved from Spain to Norway, I bought a condo in Oslo, and then I moved again. Now, nine days into my new home, I’m finally starting to feel like I’m really settling in. This is my home. I have a home to call my own, and that’s a completely new feeling to me. I like it. 🙂
Fuel The Thought 