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30 Quick Meals To Heal You This Month

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Make one of these meals each day this month, and you will be a new person… food really is medicine! Scroll down for 30 quick meals to heal you this month. Let’s get cooking and you’ll see how much more energy you will have, how your digestion will improve, how you will sleep better, how your mood will be lifted, and how your health conditions will start to melt away…

Each one of these meals will heal different conditions in your body and each one can be on the table in 30 minutes or less. If you commit to making one meal each day for 30 days, you will be on the road to looking and feeling healthy and youthful.

Do you remember when you used to have the energy to want to do so many things? Remember when your skin was glowing and healthy? Remember what life was like before you had those chronic aches and pains? Let’s bring those days back. Just one meal a day will put you on that track… after that you will want to add in more meals… the possibilities are endless!

I’m on a big customized-recipe-creation kick right now… let me customize a recipe for you that will work for whatever’s going on in your body now… I’m such a geek that I really do get excited about doing this. I’ve got a quick healthy meal with your name on it…  So CLICK HERE to be taken directly into my calendar to sign up for your free phone consultation.

creamy mint avocado pasta

1. Creamy Mint Avocado Pasta

When I tell you that this creamy mint avocado pasta sauce is amazing, I really mean it. The avocado makes it creamy. The flavor of the mint can be as strong as you like, or it can just peak through. And, if you make this dish with grain-free pasta, it’s one of the healthiest comfort foods around. It’s like happiness in a bowl — ugh, did I really just say that…?

Mint boosts your immune system and avocado is great for your digestion and your skin.

 

pan seared salmon with bruschetta sauce

2.  Pan Seared Salmon With Bruschetta Sauce

The salmon is seared quickly in a pan.

The simple sauce is made by pulsing the ingredients in a blender very briefly. It’s a cold sauce. And it is the most delicious and refreshing sauce you will ever have.

Oh, and did I mention that the sauce only has 4 ingredients? Yup, it’s like when you eat a great meal in Italy, and everything tastes so simple and fresh. This is just like that. Fresh and simple. Fresh tomatoes. Fresh garlic. Oil. Vinegar. Done.

Salmon is great for your blood, for anemia, and for energy. Tomatoes are great for your digestion.

 

instant pot spring vegetable soup

3. Instant Pot Spring Vegetable Soup

Soup still hits the spot even when the days start to get warm.  This instant pot spring vegetable soup is perfect for those days — it will boost your immune system and make you feel good!

This soup is especially satisfying because it contains buckwheat groats that mimic pasta. Buckwheat helps lower blood pressure and is good for some intestinal issues.

 

paleo beefaroni

4. Paleo Beefaroni

If you liked beefaroni when you were a kid, you will love this healthy grownup Paleo Beefaroni.

Beef is good for swelling or edema in your body and it can be good for bloating too. Tomatoes are good for your digestion.

 

white bean and kale soup

5. White Bean And Kale Soup

This healthy soup really is comforting. And it’s healing. It’s one of those soups that lets you actually feel the energy seeping into your body as you eat it. Really, you can.

White beans give you energy and calm your mind. Kale is filled with vitamins and minerals, including calcium.

paleo pasta carbonara

6. Paleo Pasta Carbonara

This pasta is made from chickpeas. Chickpeas calm the spirit and soothe anxiety and irritability. Green peas are good for your digestion.

 

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vegetable noodle lo mein

7. Vegetable Noodle Lo Mein

The noodles here are made from butternut squash. This squash is good for your heart and your digestion. Shiitake mushrooms help lower blood pressure and cholesterol.

This vegetable noodle lo mein is the perfect recipe to try out your favorite type of veggie noodle. You can even mix it up and use a few different kinds here. This tastes better than Chinese takeout and you won’t feel bloated or tired after you eat!

baked lemon cod

8. Baked Lemon Cod

This Baked Lemon Cod is delicious. And, it’s simple. There’s no sautéing involved. There’s no flipping of delicate fish. There’s no complicated sauce. But it is truly delicious.

Fish is a great thing to eat when you feel like you need more energy. Cod, in particular, is good for your heart. Lemon peels are great to detoxify your body and to smooth your digestion.

 

peanut butter banana oatmeal

9. Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal

Oats are good for your digestion. Walnuts are considered a Chinese herb that treats constipation. Honey gives you energy and quiets coughs.

This recipe is warming, comforting, and can be customized with whatever ingredients you like.

 

shaved brussels sprouts & apple salad

10. Shaved Brussels Sprouts And Apple Salad

I’m kind of a freak about leftover salad. I love almost anything straight out of the fridge as a leftover. Except salad. I just hate it when it goes all wet and limp. Enter this salad… it’s even better leftover the next day. The Brussels sprouts stand up so well to the creamy dressing that there is no ick-factor involved. This makes it perfect to make for a crowd because you can make it way in advance. This is just awesomely easy and convenient.

Brussels sprouts are an anti-cancerous vegetable and they are also great for weight loss. Apples are good for your heart and your digestion.

 

zoodles with creamy avocado pesto

11. Zoodles With Creamy Avocado Pesto

The avocado makes the pesto so creamy and it’s so easy to make. It’s a really pretty green…  And the noodles are made from zucchini… deliciously creamy and healthy.

Zucchini  calms your mind. Avocados are good for hot flashes and for your heart. Basil calms your mind and boosts your immune system.

 

 

12. Sweet Potato Apple & Swiss Chard Stew

This is a warming and comforting vegan dish… and nobody will miss the meat.

Sweet potatoes are good for your digestive system. They can be good for both constipation and diarrhea. These orange gems also help rid your body of excess water, are good for breast health, help people with diabetes and actually can help ease night blindness.

It really is true that an apple a day is a good thing. Apples help to strengthen your heart. They are also good for your digestion and they can help eliminate mucus when you have a cold.

 

tomato pomegranate salad

13. Tomato Pomegranate Salad

This tomato pomegranate salad is beautiful, simple, delicious, healthy, and easily customizable with the ingredients you have on hand.

Tomatoes are good for your digestive system. Pomegranate seeds nourish the blood. In Chinese medicine, we know that many illnesses and conditions are caused by the body making poor quality blood. Pomegranate seeds are great at helping the body make good quality blood. They are also good to combat diarrhea, anemia and incontinence.

 

sheet pan chicken fajitas

14. Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas

I used grain-free almond tortillas to wrap up these sheet pan chicken fajitas. And I added turmeric to the spice mix. And lots of scallions. Yup, this is not only delicious, but it’s healing too!

Chicken is a healthy protein to eat when you are feeling weak. Bell peppers can help relieve that bloated feeling in your stomach.

 

buckwheat ramen soup

15. Buckwheat Ramen Soup

Ramen soup is  so delicious, but if you eat grain-free, you can’t have traditional ramen. I used buckwheat ramen noodles in this soup; buckwheat is a seed, not a grain.

Buckwheat helps lower blood pressure and it’s good to stop diarrhea. Ginger is great for your immune system and for your digestion.

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Download your free copy of my Radiant Skin Ebook now!

 

chickpea penne with arugula pesto

16. Chickpea Penne With Arugula Pesto

This recipe is great on 2 different fronts. First, there’s the pesto. OMG — this is sooooooooo good! And, it takes only 5 minutes to make. Next, there’s the beauty and deliciousness of the grain-free pasta made from chickpeas. Well, this is nothing short of genius!

Arugula boosts your libido and cools your body down. Chickpeas calm the spirit.

 

salmon with parsley sauce

17. Salmon With Parsley Sauce

Slow-roasting this fish at a really low temperature keeps it so tender, juicy, and fresh tasting.

Parsley is considered an anti-cancerous herb. And, it freshens your breath! So, if you get a chance to use it for something other than a garnish, I say go for it!

Salmon is great to nourish your blood and can help with asthma.

 

simple poached salmon with yogurt sauce

18. Simple Poached Salmon With Yogurt Sauce

Wild salmon is a great thing to add into your diet to help increase your athletic performance — this fish can help reduce aches and pains in your muscles and joints, and it’s a good source of iron.

Lemons help detoxify your body and they are great for your immune system.

As an added extra benefit, this salmon makes for awesome leftovers.

 

noodles with raw tomato basil sauce

19. Zoodles With Raw Tomato Basil Sauce

Zucchini cools your body off and makes you feel better during those hot days of summer. It helps your body release excess heat and it will make your mind feel more calm.

In Chinese medicine, we use tomatoes to aid in digestion and to help detoxify the body. They are also good to combat excess cholesterol, lessen inflammation and curb asthma. Tomatoes can also quench thirst, and they can help fight some kidney infections. This recipe uses both fresh and sun-dried tomatoes.

 

sprouted grain chicken cutlets

20. Sprouted Grain Chicken Cutlets

This chicken is crispy. The outside layer actually crunches in your mouth, but the chicken itself stays so moist. And, the coating mixture… it’s so easy to make and it contains superfoods to heal your body. Ummmmm…. what are you waiting for? You’ve got to try this one!

This is one of my most popular recipes — make it and see why!  And, make sure you make extra because this chicken is great sliced up on salads or sandwiches too.

 

buckwheat sweet potato arugula salad

21. Buckwheat Sweet Potato Arugula Salad

Let me tell you, rather immodestly at that, that this salad is incredible. It hit all it’s marks. The buckwheat is chewy. The sweet potatoes are warm and sweet. The tempeh tastes like unexpected little pieces of smoky bacon. The spinach and arugula are refreshing.  The cherries are tart. The dressing is tangy. The pecans are crunchy. Okay, enough praises. But you’ve got to make this!

Buckwheat is a seed, not a grain. It is great to eat if you have diarrhea. It also helps lower blood pressure, stops some types of sweating, and has a good amount of vitamin E, and has antioxidants that can help fight cancer and heart disease.

Arugula boosts the libido and helps cool the body down.

 

roasted turmeric cod

22. Roasted Turmeric Cod

Fish is great to eat if you feel like you need more energy. It’s also helps with diarrhea and hemorrhoids. I used cod for this recipe, but any firm fleshed sturdy white fish would work great. Cod, like many fish varieties, is good for the cardiovascular system; it helps protect against heart attacks and strokes and helps regulate blood pressure.

Turmeric is actually a Chinese herb (Jiang Huang). It is great for reducing inflammation throughout the body. If you suffer from aches and pains in your joints, try turmeric. It can help relieve menstrual pain and some other abdominal pains but, if you are pregnant, ask your doctor before you eat too much turmeric.

 

simple fresh vegetable soup

23. Simple Fresh Vegetable Soup

One of the things that I tell my clients is that if you make a big pot of healthy soup at the beginning of the week, you will have no reason to grab unhealthy snacks when you come home famished.

This vegan soup contains lots of fresh vegetables to heal you.

 

paleo chicken pot pie soup

24. Paleo Chicken Pot Pie Soup

I bet you didn’t know that potatoes can relieve some inflammation in your joints are they are good for constipation…

This soup is creamy (but there’s no dairy) and rich and garlicky and healing. It’s just so comforting.

Chicken is a healthy protein to eat if you are feeling weak. It also can lessen the pain of some types of arthritis.

 

szechuan zoodles

25. Szechuan Zoodles

This dish is especially great because the zucchini noodles are mixed with buckwheat noodles, so in the end, this slurpy and spicy pasta dish tastes like real pasta.

Zucchini cools your body off and makes you feel better when you are feeling hot. It helps your body release excess heat and it will make your mind feel more calm.

Buckwheat is great to eat if you have diarrhea. It also helps lower blood pressure, stops some types of sweating, and has a good amount of vitamin E. It also contains antioxidants that can help fight cancer and heart disease.

 

Vietnamese meatball bowls

26. Vietnamese Meatball Bowls

Almost all meatballs are awesome. But these meatballs are extra awesome. They are made with pork and infused with some traditional Vietnamese flavors. They are bit-sized, juicy, mouth watering, amazingly flavorful meatballs.

Pork strengthens the digestive system, helps with constipation, and can moisten a dry cough and other dryness in the body. It’s also good to strengthen your qi and give you energy.

I like to put these meatballs on top of cauliflower rice. Cauliflower contains a healthy amount of vitamin B, vitamin K and Omega-3 fatty acids and can help fight cancer and cardiovascular disease. It also helps the body with detoxification.

 

paleo fettuccine alfredo

27. Paleo Fettuccine Alfredo

This is a grain-free pasta dish made with a dairy-free cream sauce… and it is the most delicious and creamy pasta you can have.

The sauce is made with cauliflower, which helps fight cancer and is good for your digestion.

Garlic is amazing in its antiviral and antibacterial capabilities. Garlic is actually a Chinese herb (Da Suan). It’s used to kill toxins and parasites and also to reduce swelling in the body.

 

roasted lemon shrimp

28. Roasted lemon Shrimp

There’s nothing easier than a sheet pan dinner. And this one is awesome!

Shrimp are high in protein and low in calories, so really, they are a pretty good thing. In Chinese medicine, shrimp are actually recommended as a food to promote longevity because they nourish the kidneys, and in Chinese medicine, the kidneys are the key to life. Shrimp are great to boost libido, lessen some lower back pain and weakness, and they can help new moms with lactation.

Lemon peels contain calcium, potassium and vitamin C. Lemons are good for your stomach, they help detoxify your body, they balance your pH and they act as an antibacterial. If you have a sore throat or a cough, go for lemons to make things better.

 

vegan macaroni and cheese

29. Vegan Macaroni And Cheese

This is comfort food to the max!

I used a grain-free pasta and the creamy cheese sauce is made with potatoes and carrots… yum!

This one will make you smile as you eat it. There’s just something about this that feels so decadent… but the sauce is made from healing veggies.

 

lemon pesto fish fillets

30. Lemon Pesto Fish Filets

This recipe is so easy, and you can use any thin white fish that you like.

Fish is great to eat if you feel like you need more energy. It’s also helps with diarrhea and hemorrhoids. I used cod for this recipe, but almost any fish would be delicious with this preparation and creamy mustard sauce. Cod, like many fish varieties, is good for the cardiovascular system; it helps protect against heart attacks and strokes and can help regulate blood pressure. It’s also very low in calories… so have a nice big piece!

Lemon peels contain calcium, potassium and vitamin C. Lemons are good for your stomach, they help detoxify your body, they balance your pH and they act as an antibacterial. If you have a sore throat or a cough, go for lemons to make things better. Lemons are great for quenching your thirst, and, in China, many years ago, hypertension was treated by drinking tea made from lemon peels.

 

If you make this any of these 30 quick meals to heal you this month, please be sure to let me know in the comments below. I love hearing how you like a recipe, and I love to answer your questions! If you make it, be sure to take a photo and tag me and post it on Instagram.

It’s my hope that you will enjoy these meals and the way they make you feel so much that you will move onto eating this way more and more often. I’d love to help you out, so CLICK HERE to be taken directly into my calendar to sign up for your free phone consultation.

And, be sure to click on the individual recipes for more health information about each ingredient used.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pan Seared Salmon With Bruschetta Sauce

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Pan seared salmon with bruschetta sauce will become your summer go-to recipe… it is so simple and you’ll want to eat the sauce by the bowlful!

pan seared salmon with bruschetta sauce

I love dishes that contain both hot and cold foods in the same dish. There’s just something about the temperature and textural opposition that  works especially well in the summer. When I used to live by the beach, we would order salads from our favorite Italian restaurant and eat them while we watched the sun setting over the ocean. It was really quite perfect. The salad that was worthy of this beachy sunset was literally called “hot and cold salad”.  It was made with hot grilled vegetables and cold crispy lettuce and there was something about the heat meeting the cold in that big bowl that was magical. This pan seared salmon with bruschetta sauce has that same magical quality.

For me, a light beach breeze and a comfy lounge chair is a pretty great place to be. I want my food — and cocktails — to be deserving of the surroundings.

This pan seared salmon with bruschetta sauce is beach sunset worthy.

Add a nice cold glass of Sauvignon Blanc… hmmm… can’t think of much that would be better.

The salmon is seared, skin-side down until it is crispy.

The key to this crispy skin is easy: Don’t touch the fish while it is cooking. Really. Don’t touch it. Don’t try to peak underneath. Don’t move it around. Not even a little. Just let it be.

Okay, so now you’ve got crispy salmon cooked to perfection.

This simple sauce is made by pulsing the ingredients in a blender very briefly. It’s a cold sauce.

Oh, and did I mention that the sauce only has 4 ingredients? Yup, it’s like when you eat a great meal in Italy, and everything tastes so simple and fresh. This is just like that. Fresh and simple. Fresh tomatoes. Fresh garlic. Oil. Vinegar. Done.

And it’s this combination of the hot crispy fish and the deliciously refreshing cold sauce that makes this pan seared salmon with bruschetta sauce taste so good.

If the hot and cold thing doesn’t resonate with you, you can heat the sauce. My inspiration for this recipe came from a genius recipe from The Kitchn.  Their recipe for Saucy Skillet Salmon won me over immediately. So, I owe a big thank-you to those awesome foodies.

The last time I made this, I made a huge batch of the bruschetta sauce and put it in a bowl in the fridge so I could use it all week. It’s great on chicken, on vegetables, and even as a gazpacho type soup (I topped mine with some roasted shrimp and avocado).

See my recipe for Salmon With Parsley Sauce for another great way to make salmon.

pan seared salmon with bruschetta sauce

I’m on a big customized-recipe-creation kick right now… let me customize a recipe for you that will work for whatever’s going on in your body now… I’m such a geek that I really do get excited about doing this. So CLICK HERE to be taken directly into my calendar to sign up for your free phone consultation.

pan seared salmon with bruschetta sauce

Here are some of the healing ingredients in this pan seared salmon with bruschetta sauce recipe:

Salmon is the perfect food to nourish the blood and the yin. It’s especially great for women because it raises fertility levels by promoting a healthy endometrial lining. Salmon is also great for anyone who is in need of additional iron. Be sure to buy wild salmon because the levels of mercury are lower than in farmed salmon. This beautiful fish also contains large amounts of omega-3 fatty acids, making it a good food source to combat breast cancer, Alzheimer’s, asthma, depression and diabetes. Lately there’s also been a lot of evidence that salmon is great at reducing intestinal inflammation and that it’s also good for your joints and muscles.

Garlic is amazing in its antiviral and antibacterial capabilities. Garlic is actually a Chinese herb (Da Suan). It’s used to kill toxins and parasites and also to reduce swelling in the body. It’s what I call a great “A” herb: anesthetic, antibacterial, anti fungal, antioxidant, antiviral, etc…. The garlic in this recipe is raw, so it adds quite a kick so if your not a total garlic love use it sparingly, or, if you are like me… amp it up and add a few more cloves.

In Chinese medicine, we use tomatoes to aid in digestion and to help detoxify the body. They are also good to combat excess cholesterol, lessen inflammation and curb asthma. Tomatoes can also quench thirst, and they can help fight some kidney infections.

pan seared salmon with bruschetta sauce

If you make this pan seared salmon with bruschetta sauce, please be sure to let me know in the comments below. I love hearing how you like a recipe, and I love to answer your questions! If you make it, be sure to take a photo and tag me and post it on Instagram.

Print

Pan Seared Salmon With Bruschetta Sauce
Print
Recipe type: fish, seafood, salmon, chilled sauce, simple
Cuisine: recipe inspired by: The Kitchn
Author:
Serves: 3-6
The hot salmon has crispy skin. The cold sauce is sweet and tangy. It's a marriage made in heaven.
Ingredients
  • 1-1/2 lb salmon with skin on, cut into 6 pieces
  • sea salt and black pepper
  • ¼ cup plus 2-Tbs extra-virgin olive oil, divided
  • 2 pints grape tomatoes
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 1 Tbs balsamic vinegar
Instructions
  1. Season the skin-side of the salmon with salt and pepper.
  2. Heat ¼ cup of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
  3. Add the fish, skin-side down, to the hot oil.
  4. Press down on the fish gently with a spatula (do this several times while it's cooking)
  5. Cook until you see that the salmon is cooked about halfway up the sides of the fish -- look, don't touch the fish! Mine cooked for 5-mins.
  6. Let the fish cook without bothering it at all.
  7. Next, gently flip each piece of fish over, raise the heat to high, and cook for 30 seconds.
  8. Remove the fish to a platter, skin-side up.
  9. Make the sauce: put the tomatoes, garlic, 2-Tbs oil, and 1-Tbs vinegar into a blender. Pulse a few times until the tomatoes are in pieces, but it's not smooth.
  10. Pour some sauce into the bottom of individual shallow bowls.
  11. Lay fish on top of the sauce, skin-side up.
  12. Enjoy!

pan seared salmon with bruschetta sauce

Dumpling Meatballs

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dumpling meatballs

I love all meatballs. For some reason, anything that can be made into a ball just tastes good to me. I remember when my kids were young, I would get them to eat foods by making them bitesize and sticking a toothpick into each one so they could easily grab whatever it was. And, that’s my favorite way to eat these meatball…  I guess the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. So, when I saw a great recipe from Nom Nom Paleo for a meatball I hadn’t yet experimented with, I just had to try it. So, thank you Michelle… these dumpling meatballs are awesome!

For those of you who know me, you know that for the month of October, I changed up my diet and I ate plant-based. I learned so much, and I enjoyed so much of that experience. Staying away from animal proteins forced me to be so much more creative with my plant-based meals, and now I love those meals even more.

But, now it’s November. And, while I do intend top stay probably about 80% plant-based, I was looking to cook up a very different type of meal. These dumpling meatballs are made with a combination of shrimp and pork. So, haha, my first non plant-based meal had both seafood and meat in it. You’d think it might be a shock to my system, but you’d be wrong… these were awesome.

Oh, and the reason they are called dumpling meatballs, is because they taste like the inside of the steamed dumplings you get at Chinese restaurants. Yum.

And, they are grain free and dairy free. And have so many healing ingredients. Win-win for me.

For another great healthy meatball recipe, try my Paleo Cheese-Stuffed Meatballs.

dumpling meatballs

dumpling meatballs

Here are some of the great healing ingredients in these dumpling meatballs:

I love mushrooms. In Chinese medicine, mushrooms ARE medicine. They are herbs. They are one of the most healing foods around. In China, mushrooms have been used for many years as part of a natural cancer treatment. They are one of the best immune-boosting foods around. I used dried shiitakes in this recipe. Shiitakes are probably the variety of mushroom that I use most. I love the way they taste and they help lower blood pressure and cholesterol. These shrooms also promote healing and have been found to fight tumors. In Asia, shiitake mushrooms are often fed to a patient who has just had surgery to help the healing process.

Pork strengthens the digestive system, helps with constipation, and can moisten a dry cough and other dryness in the body. It’s also good to strengthen your qi and give you energy.

Many of my friends used to stay away from shrimp because they were afraid that eating them raised cholesterol levels. Now, research shows that shrimp actually can lower triglycerides because they are rich in Omega-3s. And, they are high in protein and low in calories, so really, they are a pretty good thing. In Chinese medicine, shrimp are actually recommended as a food to promote longevity because they nourish the kidneys, and in Chinese medicine, the kidneys are the key to life. Shrimp are great to boost libido, lessen some lower back pain and weakness, and they can help new moms with lactation.

Scallions, as I tell you often, are one of my favorites. In Chinese medicine, the root of the scallion is a healing herb (Cong Bai). I always keep scallions on hand in my refrigerator so that I can whip up a batch of cold and flu fighting tea (scallion roots and ginger) the second anyone feels that scratchy throat coming on. It helps the body sweat out toxins. Scallions are antiviral and antibacterial; they are good for the common cold and general nasal congestion — just don’t eat too many if you have a fever.

Cilantro is also known as Chinese Parsley. It is good for the common cold, indigestion, and energy flow in the body. An old Chinese remedy for the common cold and even for measles was to drink cilantro and mint tea. Cilantro is one of those herbs you either love or hate; I’m a lover…

dumpling meatballs

Dumpling Meatballs
Print
Recipe type: meatballs, Asian, Chinese, paleo, whole30
Cuisine: recipe adapted from: Nom Nom Paleo
Author:
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 4
These meatballs taste like the insides of Chinese dumplings! And there's a bunch of healing ingredients in them!
Ingredients
  • ¼ oz dried shiitake mushrooms, rehydrated in water for about 30 mins, then stems discarded and caps finely chopped
  • ½ lb cleaned raw shrimp, finely chopped
  • 1 lb ground pork
  • 3 scallions, thinly sliced
  • 1-1/2 Tbs chopped fresh cilantro leaves
  • 1 Tbs coconut aminos (or substitute liquid aminos or soy sauce)
  • sea salt and black pepper, to taste
  • 1 tsp fish sauce
  • ¼ tsp toasted sesame oil
  • 1 tsp lemon grass paste (I used a lemongrass paste with chili sauce, so option here to mix in some spicy hot sauce or chili peppers)
Instructions
  1. Preheat your oven to 400°F.
  2. Line a large baking tray with parchment paper.
  3. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl, and smush it all up with your hands.
  4. Form the mixture into largish balls (I made 15 balls).
  5. Place the balls onto the lined baking tray and bake until cooked through, about 15 minutes.
  6. Eat with pasta or on top of salad, or my favorite way -- on top of a big bowl of steamed fresh greens.
  7. Enjoy!

dumpling meatballs

Salmon With Parsley Sauce

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Salmon is so healing: it can actually help reduce some of your joint pain!
salmon with parsley sauce

This is hands-down the best way to cook salmon! Yup, a bold statement I know, but it’s true. If you are making a great sauce to serve with your salmon, this is the way to cook it. It’s soooooo moist and flavorful! I mean, think about it, if you are covering your beautiful fish with sauce, who needs to sit there and crisp it up… I would go for the moist, easy preparation every time! This salmon with parsley sauce is easy, delicious, healthy, and impressive too!

Years ago I learned to cook salmon this way. Slow-roasting this fish at a really low temperature keeps it so tender, juicy, and fresh tasting. Sometimes I’ll rub it with turmeric before roasting it. Um…. yum! But for this deliciously fresh parsley sauce, all you need is a little olive oil and some salt and pepper. That’s it. And, really, it’s perfect.

Salmon used to be my least favorite fish. I know, for a lot of people it’s a favorite. But for me, I always thought it was too fishy. Then I learned how to cook it correctly. Salmon tastes so much better when it’s cooked medium-rare. And slow-roasting allows that to happen easily. I know some of you are doubters… but try it!

Interesting factoid and helpful tip: when that ugly white substance starts to form on your salmon, you’ve overcooked it… it’s not dangerous, just ugly… so no worries, but really, try not to cook it too long.

This sauce is pretty versatile. You can make it with different herbs. This time I used parsley because, well, it’s really awesome with the salmon. But, you could go with cilantro or basil and have a great fresh herb sauce too.

But, did you know that parsley is considered an anti-cancerous herb? And, it freshens your breath! So, if you get a chance to use it for something other than a garnish, I say go for it!

If you want to try another great salmon recipe, try my Simple Poached Salmon With Yogurt Sauce.

salmon with parsley sauce

salmon with parsley sauce

Here are some of the awesome healing ingredients in this salmon with parsley sauce:

Salmon is the perfect food to nourish the blood and the yin. It’s especially great for women because it raises fertility levels by promoting a healthy endometrial lining. Salmon is also great for anyone who is in need of additional iron. Be sure to buy wild salmon because the levels of mercury are lower than in farmed salmon. This beautiful fish also contains large amounts of omega-3 fatty acids, making it a good food source to combat breast cancer, Alzheimer’s, asthma, depression and diabetes. Lately there’s also been a lot of evidence that salmon is great at reducing intestinal inflammation and that it’s also good for your joints and muscles.

Parsley has been shown to reduce tumors in the lungs and to neutralize the effects of carcinogens, including cigarette smoke. It is high in vitamins A and C, and is good for your heart. This herb is also a natural breath freshener. So, if you have a chance to use more than a few sprigs as a garnish, go for it.

Scallions, as I tell you often, are one of my favorites. In Chinese medicine, the root of the scallion is a healing herb (Cong Bai). I always keep scallions on hand in my refrigerator so that I can whip up a batch of cold and flu fighting tea (scallion roots and ginger) the second anyone feels that scratchy throat coming on. It helps the body sweat out toxins. Scallions are antiviral and antibacterial; they are good for the common cold and general nasal congestion — just don’t eat too many if you have a fever.

Garlic is amazing in its antiviral and antibacterial capabilities. Garlic is actually a Chinese herb (Da Suan). It’s used to kill toxins and parasites and also to reduce swelling in the body. It’s what I call a great “A” herb: anesthetic, antibacterial, anti fungal, antioxidant, antiviral, etc…. The garlic in this recipe is raw, so it adds quite a kick so use it sparingly…

Capers, although small in size, are a big source of anti-oxidants, and they actually can make you feel better emotionally because they activate the “happiness” center of your brain.

salmon with parsley sauce

Salmon With Parsley Sauce
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Recipe type: seafood, fish, sauce, simple
Cuisine: recipe adapted from: The New York Times
Author:
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 4
Slow roasting your salmon makes it taste amazing -- soft, moist, and flavorful. And this simple raw herb sauce is just perfect!
Ingredients
  • 1-1/3 lb wild salmon filet
  • 1 Tbs plus 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • sea salt and black pepper
  • 1 cup fresh parsley leaves
  • 1 medium garlic clove
  • 2 scallions, cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 2 tsp capers
Instructions
  1. Preheat your oven to 200°F.
  2. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
  3. Rub about 1 tsp oil into the top of the salmon filet.
  4. Sprinkle with sea salt and black pepper.
  5. Place in the oven for 20 minutes, then check for doneness. If it's not done enough, put it back in the oven and continue to check every 5 minutes. (Mine took 22 minutes for medium rare.)
  6. Meanwhile, place the parsley, garlic, scallions and capers into a food processor and pulse it about 10 times or until the herbs are chopped up, but the sauce is not smooth.
  7. Add 2 tsp of oil to the processor and process until combined.
  8. Remove the herb sauce to a small bowl and drizzle in as much of the remaining oil as you like.
  9. Remove the salmon from the oven when done, put it on a platter, and top with the herb sauce. Feel free to drizzle the top with a touch more olive oil.
  10. Enjoy!

salmon with parsley sauce

Simple Poached Salmon With Yogurt Sauce

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This simple poached salmon with yogurt sauce will keep you healthy inside and out…

simple poached salmon with yogurt sauce

I don’t think I’ve poached salmon since I was in cooking school. I don’t really know why I don’t do it more often though, because this salmon is awesome. It’s perfect if you are serving a crowd and it’s an easy dish to make ahead and serve cold or at room temperature. This simple poached salmon with yogurt sauce really is just that: simple.

What’s better than a dish that is made for leftovers? The salmon that’s leftover here makes the best cold salmon salad. And it makes a terrific filling for omelets. Oh, and topping a salad with some big chunks of this moist salmon and then using the yogurt sauce as a dressing… well, just… yum!

I made this a few weeks ago when I was asked to bring a main course to a family gathering. Honestly, I usually use those kinds of opportunities to experiment with new recipes (which some people are happy about and some people are just plain scared about), but on this particular day, I just didn’t feel like cooking. And I’ve learned the hard way that if I don’t feel like cooking but I cook anyway, any first-time-experimental-recipe invariably comes out pretty bad. So, I figured I’d do something simple. Something mainstream. Something everyone would love, and nobody would be fearful of.

Oh, did I mention that I used my leftover simple poached salmon with yogurt sauce to make tacos the next day…?

And, the yogurt sauce is non-dairy!

I tell a lot of my clients to add wild salmon to their diet to increase their athletic performance — this fish can help reduce aches and pains in your muscles and joints, and it’s a good source of iron.

If you want to try another great salmon recipe, try my recipe for Blood Orange Salmon With Turnip Noodles.

simple poached salmon with yogurt sauce

simple poached salmon with yogurt sauce

Here are some of the awesome healing ingredients in this simple poached salmon with yogurt sauce recipe:

Salmon is the perfect food to nourish the blood and the yin. It’s especially great for women because it raises fertility levels by promoting a healthy endometrial lining. Salmon is also great for anyone who is in need of additional iron. Be sure to buy wild salmon because the levels of mercury are lower than in farmed salmon. This beautiful fish also contains large amounts of omega-3 fatty acids, making it a good food source to combat breast cancer, Alzheimer’s, asthma, depression and diabetes. Lately there’s also been a lot of evidence that salmon is great at reducing intestinal inflammation and that it’s also good for your joints and muscles.

Scallions, as I tell you often, are one of my favorites. In Chinese medicine, the root of the scallion is a healing herb (Cong Bai). I always keep scallions on hand in my refrigerator so that I can whip up a batch of cold and flu fighting tea (scallion roots and ginger) the second anyone feels that scratchy throat coming on. It helps the body sweat out toxins. Scallions are antiviral and antibacterial; they are good for the common cold and general nasal congestion — just don’t eat too many if you have a fever.

Lemons are good for your stomach, they help detoxify your body, they balance your pH and they act as an antibacterial agent. If you have a sore throat or a cough, go for lemons to make things better. Lemons are great for quenching your thirst, and, in China, many years ago, hypertension was treated by drinking tea made from lemon peels.

In Asian medicine, we use coconut to strengthen the body, reduce swelling, and stop bleeding. Coconut kills viruses, bacteria, and parasites. It’s good for all types of infections and viruses in the body, including the flu, bronchitis, tapeworms, urinary tract infections, and herpes. And perhaps most importantly, it helps you keep your mind sharp and it makes it easier for you to focus. I used a full-fat coconut yogurt for the sauce to accompany this salmon.

Dill is considered a chemoprotective in that it can help neutralize some carcinogens. It also helps fight bacteria in the body.

simple poached salmon with yogurt sauce

Simple Poached Salmon With Yogurt Sauce
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Recipe type: simple, paleo, whole30
Cuisine: seafood, fish, salmon
Author:
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 10
This is a classic recipe. Anyone you serve it to will love it and the leftovers make awesome tacos...
Ingredients
  • 4 lb salmon fillet, cut in half
  • ¼ cup white vinegar
  • 4 scallions, cut into 3 or 4 pieces (leave the roots on)
  • 1 lemon, cut in half
  • 2 carrots, cut into thick slices
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • 10 grinds black pepper
  • For the sauce:
  • 1 cup full-fat plain coconut yogurt
  • ⅓ cup healthy mayonnaise (I used Fabannaise)
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh dill
  • sea salt and black pepper, to taste
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 tsp lemon juice
Instructions
  1. Place the salmon in a large pot and cover it will water.
  2. Add the vinegar and scallions to the pot.
  3. Squeeze the lemon halves into the pot and then toss in the lemons halves themselves.
  4. Add salt and pepper.
  5. Bring to a boil, then immediately reduce the heat to a low simmer.
  6. Simmer about 10 minutes, or just until the salmon is cooked (if you start to see the white fat congealing on the fish, it's a bit past done... so watch carefully)
  7. Using two large spatulas, carefully remove the fish to a platter. You can throw away the lemons and scallions, but if you like carrots, serve them strewn around the salmon.
  8. Make the sauce: Stir together all ingredients.
  9. Break up the salmon a bit on the platter and serve with the sauce.

simple poached salmon with yogurt sauce

Roasted Turmeric Cod

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Cod is good for your heart and low in calories!

roasted turmeric cod

This recipe is idiot-proof. This is perfect for me because, even though I’m a chef, I love to make easy recipes. I learned many moons ago that I am incapable of having a glass of wine while I’m cooking because, well, everything just goes wrong — I forget ingredients, I burn things, you name in and it will go wrong if I have wine while I’m cooking. But, this roasted turmeric cod recipe is easy enough that I can have my wine and cook fish too!

I’m making myself sound like a lush, but in truth I’m quite a lightweight. But you know how it is, when you really have a taste for something…

So, last week when I wanted fish AND I wanted wine, this was the answer. And, not only is it simple, but it’s deliciously awesome. And it’s got turmeric. And, it goes great with a little Sauvignon Blanc…

I roasted some little baby potatoes to go along with this cod and I had some leftover vegan Caesar salad dressing in the fridge so this shaped up to be an awesome meal!

I’m not a big fan of leftover fish, but if I’m being honest I have to say that three days later whenI found a piece of this cod in the back of the fridge, I was a little excited.  I was more than a tad hungry. OK, so maybe I was a bit hangry. I ate it. Cold. With a little tartar sauce. OMG. So good!

The leftover fish was so good that when I make this again, I’m making extra because I want to make fish sandwiches or tacos with the remaining leftover roasted turmeric cod pieces.

I’m on a big customized-recipe-creation kick right now (okay… always…), so let me customize a recipe for you that will work for whatever’s going on in your body now… I’m such a geek that I really do get excited about doing this. I’ve got a fish recipe with your name on it…  So CLICK HEREto be taken directly into my calendar to sign up for your free phone consultation.

If you love fish, you should also try my Perfect Baked Fish Fillets recipe.

roasted turmeric cod

Let me tell you about the awesome healing ingredients in this easy roasted turmeric cod recipe:

Fish is great to eat if you feel like you need more energy. It’s also helps with diarrhea and hemorrhoids. I used cod for this recipe, but any firm fleshed sturdy white fish would work great. Cod, like many fish varieties, is good for the cardiovascular system; it helps protect against heart attacks and strokes and helps regulate blood pressure.

Turmeric is actually a Chinese herb (Jiang Huang). It is great for reducing inflammation throughout the body. If you suffer from aches and pains in your joints, try turmeric. It can help relieve menstrual pain and some other abdominal pains but, if you are pregnant, ask your doctor before you eat too much turmeric.

Lemon peels contain calcium, potassium and vitamin C. Lemons are good for your stomach, they help detoxify your body, they balance your pH and they act as an antibacterial. If you have a sore throat or a cough, go for lemons to make things better. Lemons are great for quenching your thirst, and, in China, many years ago, hypertension was treated by drinking tea made from lemon peels. This recipe uses zested lemon peel and lemon juice.

roasted turmeric cod

If you make this Roasted Turmeric Cod recipe, please be sure to let me know in the comments below. I love hearing how you like a recipe, and I love to answer your questions! If you make it, be sure to take a photo and tag me and post it on Instagram.

Roasted Turmeric Cod
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Recipe type: paleo, whole30
Cuisine: fish, seafood
Author:
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 4-6
So simple. So delicious. So pretty. And, it makes for awesomely good leftovers!
Ingredients
  • 2 Tbs grass-fed butter or ghee, melted
  • juice and zest of one large lemon
  • ¼ cup flour of your choice (I have used tapioca flour, rice flour, and oat flour -- all worked well, but the tapioca flour didn't crisp up as much)
  • sea salt and black pepper, to taste
  • ¼ tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • fresh parsley, chopped (for garnish)
  • 1-1/2 lb cod fillets, cut into 4 to 6 pieces
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 450°F.
  2. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
  3. Combine melted butter or ghee with lemon juice in a shallow pie plate or bowl.
  4. In a separate pie plate or bowl, combine the flour and spices.
  5. Coat the fish in the lemon juice mixture, then roll it gently in the flour mixture, shaking off any excess.
  6. Place the coated fish on the baking tray.
  7. Roast in the oven for about 15 minutes (if the fish is thick, it may take a bit longer), or until it's cooked how you like it.
  8. Remove from oven and sprinkle on lemon zest and parsley.
  9. Enjoy!

roasted turmeric cod

Blood Orange Salmon With Turnip Noodles

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Change up your usual salmon dinner and try this blood orange salmon with turnip noodles…

blood orange salmon with parsnip noodles

I think I’m pretty intuitive. So, the other day when I “felt” that people were craving a more substantial dinner than I’ve been providing lately, I just went with it. Haha… the looks I was getting from my non-vegan crew because I’m in a vegan phase, really could have been read my anyone — no special intuition necessary! I felt the love when I served this blood orange salmon with turnip noodles.

I always honor dinner requests. Well, almost always — but if I can, I do. It’s fun for me to create and cook dishes to satisfy whatever anyone is craving at that particular time. Lately, I’ve been on a vegan kick. Unfortunately for me, not everyone else who I’ve been feeding shares that same love of vegan food… So, when the request was made for fish, I was happy to oblige!

Sometimes when I get a request, I pour over saved blog posts, dog-eared cookbooks, and a mass of unorganized post-it notes that I’m embarrassed to say are stuck every where on my counter where there is any surface space left. This time, I remembered several recipes I had seen for salmon dishes that included vegetable noodles. One of those inspirational recipes comes from one of my favorite blogs, Foodie Crush.

I think this dish would be good with grapefruit, oranges, or tangerines, but really, just look at the pretty color of these blood oranges. Anytime I see these beauties at the market, I buy a few and fit them into whatever recipes I can. This is the first time I ever tried turnip noodles, and I have to say that they are awesome. You can either spiralize your own turnips or, if you are as lucky as I was to find them pre-noodled, buy at least one big package!

If you love salmon as much as I do, you should also try my recipe for Slow Roasted Salmon With Smoked Salmon Rollups.

blood orange salmon with parsnip noodles

Here are some of the great healing ingredients in this recipe for blood orange salmon with turnip noodles:

Salmon is the perfect food to nourish the blood and the yin. It’s especially great for women because it raises fertility levels by promoting a healthy endometrial lining. Salmon is also great for anyone who is in need of additional iron. Be sure to buy wild salmon because the levels of mercury are lower than in farmed salmon. This beautiful fish also contains large amounts of omega-3 fatty acids, making it a good food source to combat breast cancer, Alzheimer’s, asthma, depression and diabetes. Lately there’s also been a lot of evidence that salmon is great at reducing intestinal inflammation and that it’s also good for your joints and muscles.

There are a lot of reasons to eat turnips. They are great for indigestion, and can help relieve that horrible bloated feeling we all get sometimes by reducing excess gas and diarrhea. Research shows that turnips contain a substance that may reduce your risk of colon, prostate, and lung cancer. In Chinese medicine turnips (wu jing) are known to help reduce inflammation and phlegm, and they can even help lessen your cough.

Blood Oranges are oranges with extra anthocyanins. Anthocyanins are compounds found in many plant-based foods. These compounds can help prevent certain cancers and can help with brain function. Oranges, of any kind, will help boost your levels of vitamins A, B and C. In Chinese medicine oranges have been used for many years to help coughs, colds and anorexia. Lately, oranges have been widely touted for their ability to help heal colon cancer. I peel my oranges and lay the rinds in the sun to dry, and save them for tea or for cooking because the orange rinds are an actual Chinese herb. I dry out the peels of oranges, tangerines, clementines… whatever I have. Dried tangerine peel, or “chen pi” as it’s known in Chinese medicine, is one of the greatest and most easily accessible herbs around. It’s especially good for digestive issues like abdominal discomfort, distention, fullness, bloating, belching, and nausea. It’s also great if you have a cough with a heavy or stuffy chest.

Garlic is amazing in its antiviral and antibacterial capabilities. Garlic is actually a Chinese herb (Da Suan). It’s used to kill toxins and parasites and also to reduce swelling in the body. It’s what I call a great “A” herb: anesthetic, antibacterial, anti fungal, antioxidant, antiviral, etc….

blood orange salmon with parsnip noodles

Blood Orange Salmon With Turnip Noodles
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Recipe type: fish, seafood, vegetable noodles, paleo
Cuisine: recipe inspired by: Foodie Crush
Author:
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 4-6
This dish is beautiful, delicious, healthy, and so impressive. It's easy enough to make on a weeknight, but it's impressive enough to serve to your guests!
Ingredients
  • For turnip noodles:
  • 1 lb turnip noodles (either spiralize your own with a few turnips, or buy a package of pre-noodled turnips). ** Feel free to use whatever type of veggie noodles you like here if turnips aren't your thing...
  • 1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
  • sea salt and black pepper, to taste
  • 2 scallions, sliced
  • 5 large garlic cloves, smashed
  • For salmon:
  • 2 Tbs plus 1-tsp coconut sugar
  • 1 blood orange, zested and sliced
  • 1 tsp five-spice powder
  • ½ tsp sea salt
  • 20 grinds of black pepper
  • 1-1/2 lb wild salmon fillet, skinned, and cut into 4- to 6-pieces
  • 1-1/2 Tbs Dijon mustard
  • 2 Tbs chopped cilantro, for garnish
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 450°F.
  2. Heat 1 tsp oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat.
  3. Add the turnip noodles, scallions, garlic, and some salt and pepper.
  4. Using tongs, toss the parsnip noodles around in the hot oil for about 5 minutes, or until the noodles start to soften.
  5. In a small bowl, combine the coconut sugar, orange zest, five-spice powder, sea salt, and black pepper.
  6. Spread the noodles in the bottom of a 13 x 9-inch glass baking dish.
  7. Sprinkle half of the coconut sugar mixture on top of the noodles, and toss to combine.
  8. Lay the salmon portions on top of the noodles.
  9. Spread the Dijon mustard evenly on top of the salmon pieces.
  10. Sprinkle the remaining sugar mixture evenly over the top of the Dijon mustard.
  11. Bake the dish in the oven for about 15 minutes, or until the salmon is cooked how you like it (I like mine still juicy and pink in the center).
  12. Remove the dish from the oven, and garnish with cilantro and the orange slices.
  13. Enjoy!

blood orange salmon with parsnip noodles blood orange salmon with turnip noodles

Slow Roasted Salmon With Smoked Salmon Rollups

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Salmon helps fight illnesses… and this slow roasted salmon with smoked salmon rollups is a double dose of salmon!

slow roasted salmon with smoked salmon rollups

This is truly a simple recipe. It only looks a little fancy because when I was done with my go-to simple slow roasted salmon, I rolled up some smoked salmon and put it on top. One of my favorite sushi rolls at our local Japanese restaurant is a fresh salmon roll with smoked salmon inside. So, when I opened my fridge and I saw a package of smoked salmon, the lightbulb went on over my head…. hmmmm….. this has got to be good…. And, it really is!

My son just graduated from college and is back in New York with us, which makes me very happy. Ever since he was a child, I have made sure to always have a package of smoked salmon in the fridge for him. It’s no different now, even though he’s all grown up. So, we ate his lox and it was awesome paired with this juicy slow-roasted salmon. Now, slow roasted salmon with smoked salmon rollups will be a staple in my kitchen, even if it does mean there may not be any left for him…

Even if you don’t want to use the smoked salmon, trust me when I tell you that the method in this recipe is the way you should always cook your salmon. It keeps the fish moist and flavorful; you can’t get it better in any restaurant. Trust me on this…

Unless, of course you use my other favorite salmon recipe: Roasted Salmon Sheet Pan Dinner.

slow roasted salmon with smoked salmon rollups
slow roasted salmon with smoked salmon rollups

Here are some of the ways this recipe can heal you:

Salmon is the perfect food to nourish the blood and the yin. It’s especially great for women because it raises fertility levels by promoting a healthy endometrial lining. Salmon is also great for anyone who is in need of additional iron. Be sure to buy wild salmon because the levels of mercury are lower than in farmed salmon. This beautiful fish also contains large amounts of omega-3 fatty acids, making it a good food source to combat breast cancer, Alzheimer’s, asthma, depression and diabetes. Lately there’s also been a lot of evidence that salmon is great at reducing intestinal inflammation and that it’s also good for your joints and muscles.

Dill is considered a chemoprotective herb that can help neutralize some carcinogens and it’s also an antibacterial herb.

Lemons are good for your digestion, they help detoxify your body, they balance your pH, and they act as an antibacterial. They also can soothe a sore throat, lessen a cough, and hydrate the body.

slow roasted salmon with smoked salmon rollups

Slow Roasted Salmon With Smoked Salmon Rollups
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Recipe type: seafood, easy, roasting
Cuisine: seafood, fish, salmon, American
Author:
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 4
This salmon is slow-roasted with lemon and dill and then topped with smoked salmon slices -- two delicious salmons in one dish... so easy... so delicious.... so healthy.
Ingredients
  • 1 lb salmon fillet
  • sea salt and black pepper
  • 1 cup fresh dill (use the whole fronds; no need to chop)
  • 1 lemon, sliced
  • 2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
  • 3 oz smoked salmon, thinly sliced and rolled up
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 200°F.
  2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place the fish, skin-side-down, on the paper.
  3. Season the fish with salt and pepper.
  4. Arrange the lemon slices and dill on top of the salmon.
  5. Drizzle the oil on top.
  6. Roast until the salmon is still a bit rare in the center, about 30 minutes.
  7. Cut the fish into serving portions and top with the smoked salmon rollups.
  8. Enjoy!

slow roasted salmon with smoked salmon rollups

Roasted Lemon Shrimp

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I love a sheet pan dinner and this roasted lemon shrimp is a great one!

roasted lemon shrimp

I bought some beautiful looking shrimp at the market, with the best intentions of cooking them for dinner. But you know how it sometimes goes with the best intentions…

The weather was so nice outside, I saw an old friend for lunch, I had some binge-watching to catch up on…

Anyway, the next morning when I opened the fridge the whole bag of shrimp was staring me in the face. It was only 8:00 in the morning, I was putting my breakfast smoothie ingredients into my blender, and truly, the last thing I wanted to think about was the bag of raw shrimp in the fridge that was about to go bad.

So, I remembered my last sheet pan fish dinner that turned out so well (Roasted Salmon Sheet Pan Dinner), and I dumped the bag of shrimp onto my sheet pan. I added lots of lemon and some spices and ta-da, this awesome and soooooooooo easy recipe for roasted lemon shrimp was born.  And yes, I did this at 8:00 in the morning, and it was done by the time I finished drinking my shake while catching up on my emails. I put them in the fridge and I didn’t have to think about dinner again!

I’m not telling you to make this because it’s ridiculously easy (but it is). I’m saying you should make it because it’s so lemony and clean tasting that I know you will love it!

roasted lemon shrimp

roasted lemon shrimp

This recipe is simple, but healing:

Many of my friends used to stay away from shrimp because they were afraid that eating them raised cholesterol levels. Now, research shows that shrimp actually can lower triglycerides because they are rich in Omega-3s. And, they are high in protein and low in calories, so really, they are a pretty good thing. In Chinese medicine, shrimp are actually recommended as a food to promote longevity because they nourish the kidneys, and in Chinese medicine, the kidneys are the key to life. Shrimp are great to boost libido, lessen some lower back pain and weakness, and they can help new moms with lactation.

Lemon peels contain calcium, potassium and vitamin C. Lemons are good for your stomach, they help detoxify your body, they balance your pH and they act as an antibacterial. If you have a sore throat or a cough, go for lemons to make things better. Lemons are great for quenching your thirst, and, in China, many years ago, hypertension was treated by drinking tea made from lemon peels. This recipe uses lemon juice and grated lemon zest.

Scallions, as I tell you often, are one of my favorites. In Chinese medicine, the root of the scallion is a healing herb (Cong Bai). I always keep scallions on hand in my refrigerator so that I can whip up a batch of cold and flu fighting tea (scallion roots and ginger) the second anyone feels that scratchy throat coming on. It helps the body sweat out toxins. Scallions are antiviral and antibacterial; they are good for the common cold and general nasal congestion — just don’t eat too many if you have a fever.

roasted lemon shrimp

Roasted Lemon Shrimp
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Recipe type: seafood, shrimp
Cuisine: American
Author:
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 4
This is the easiest recipe ever! And the shrimp are so lemony and clean tasting... it's just awesome! And, of course, it's a healing recipe!
Ingredients
  • 1-1/4 lb large, raw shrimp, cleaned, tails left on
  • 1 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil
  • sea salt and black pepper to taste
  • ½ of a large lemon, juiced and tested
  • Another lemon, sliced
  • ½ tsp dried oregano
  • 3 scallions, sliced into 1-inch pieces
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
  2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  3. Put the shrimp in a big pile on the middle of the pan. Add the oil to the pile, along with the oregano and salt and pepper. Also add the lemon juice and lemon zest.
  4. Toss with your hands to combine well and then spread the shrimp out in a single layer. (I do it this way so there's no need for a second bowl or pan.)
  5. Sprinkle the scallion pieces all around.
  6. Roast in the oven for 5 minutes, or until the shrimp are almost done, but not quite cooked all the way through.
  7. Remove the tray from the oven and change the setting to broil.
  8. When the broiler is hot, slip the tray back into the oven.
  9. Broil for a few minutes or until the lemons start to darken and the shrimp are cooked through.
  10. Enjoy!

roasted lemon shrimp

Lemon Pesto Fish Fillets

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Dinner doesn’t get easier than these lemon pesto fish fillets!

lemon pesto fish fillets

Sometimes I want to make fish but I don’t want all of the fuss that sometimes comes with some of my seafood creations.  I don’t know what it is about fish that triggers something in my head that says I have to make a sauce or lots of sides, but it really doesn’t need to be that way. I created this recipe  on one of those nights that I was hungry and wanted to eat fast. It was mid-week and the cod at the market looked really good, so I bought it. When I was deciding what to do with it, I stood in front of my open fridge and peered inside. This is a bad habit of mine — I just stand there hoping for ingredients that don’t exist to appear…

But, on this particular day, I saw a container filled with a beautifully green fresh pesto that I forgot I had. Two days earlier, I was at the farmers’ market and there was a vendor selling all different kinds of the most amazingly delicious fresh pestos. I bought it thinking I was really going to use it as a dip, but when I saw it, it was like a lightbulb went on over my head and this simple recipe jumped into my brain.

The pesto I used was a vegan kale, arugula, and basil pesto, but you can use any kind of pesto you like.

The bright flavor of the pesto and the lemon juice and grated lemon peels make this dish taste like spring.

So, don’t wait until you feel like cooking to make these lemon pesto fish fillets! They can be made any night you have 15 minutes to spare!

And, for the next time you want an easy fish recipe, try my simple Perfect Baked Fish recipe.

lemon pesto fish fillets

Here are some nutrition facts for this recipe:

Fish is great to eat if you feel like you need more energy. It’s also helps with diarrhea and hemorrhoids. I used cod for this recipe, but almost any fish would be delicious with this preparation and creamy mustard sauce. Red Snapper, like many fish varieties, is good for the cardiovascular system; it helps protect against heart attacks and strokes and can help regulate blood pressure. It’s also very low in calories… so have a nice big piece! (Please, avoid farm-raised fish and those varieties with a high amount of mercury.)

Kale is everywhere these days. I kind of got a little tired of just eating it in salads, so I now use it inside of different dishes, like here in this pesto (if you make your own pesto, just toss some kale leaves in with the basil). It is extremely nutritious, and because it is so popular you can find it already washed and prepared in lots of markets, and it’s in so many prepared dishes now, like pestos, salsas, and sauces. I bought my pesto for this dish already made and packed in a container; it seems to be the in-thing at farmers’ markets this season! Kale is a great source of fiber and calcium. It’s also rich in many minerals, including magnesium, iron and potassium. One serving contains 200% of the daily requirements of Vitamin C and 180% of Vitamin A.

Basil has anti-viral and anti-bacterial capabilities. It also is good for settling your stomach, and it’s good at lessening the symptoms of the common cold and its accompanying cough. Basil is a spiritual herb — the scent actually calms you; you can boil some in a pot and let the aroma fill the air, you can just leave some around the house, you can toss a bunch in your bath water (yes, really), or you can use an essential oil with basil to get some great calming effects.

Arugula has a good amount of calcium and it also contains vitamins A, C and K. It is rich in potassium and it’s extra beneficial in the summer because it actually cools the body down. This delicious peppery green is also believed to be a libido booster. One of the first things I learned when I started really taking care of my health through proper nutrition, was to substitute dark greens for lighter greens whenever possible. One of the easiest, tastiest, and healthiest switches you can make is to swap out some of your lighter salad greens for peppery, dark arugula.

Lemon peels contain calcium, potassium and vitamin C. Lemons are good for your stomach, they help detoxify your body, they balance your pH and they act as an antibacterial. If you have a sore throat or a cough, go for lemons to make things better. Lemons are great for quenching your thirst, and, in China, many years ago, hypertension was treated by drinking tea made from lemon peels.

lemon pesto fish fillets

Lemon Pesto Fish Fillets
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Recipe type: fish
Cuisine: American, Mediterranean
Author:
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 2-3
All you need is 15 minutes to make this easy fish recipe; it will be your go-to on a busy week-night... and it tastes so fresh and bright!
Ingredients
  • 1 lb fish fillets, cut into 4 pieces (I used cod, but use whatever looks fresh at the market)
  • 2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
  • sea salt and black pepper
  • 2 lemons: 1 juiced and zested; the other sliced
  • about ¾ cup pesto (any variety you like -- I used a vegan kale, basil, arugula pesto)
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
  2. Grease a baking sheet with the oil.
  3. Season the fish with salt and pepper.
  4. Lay the lemon slices on the bottom of the baking sheet.
  5. Arrange the fish on top of the lemon slices.
  6. Spread the pesto over the fish fillets.
  7. Squeeze the lemon over the pesto.
  8. Roast the fish in the oven until the centers flake easily with a fork (mine took 15 minutes, but yours may be different)
  9. Remove the fish from the oven and sprinkle the lemon zest over.
  10. Enjoy!

lemon pesto fish fillets