Coconut Macadamia Nut Crusted Salmon with Fruit Salsa and Banana Creme Fraiche

I've had this idea churning for awhile now and finally had a chance to try it out! So very summer and tropical, I think I'm trying to hold on to the last days of summer that seem to be slipping away! It first started out as a panko coconut crust which led me to add macadamia nuts into the mix. Thinking of something to make the crust stick to the salmon I came up with a wet rub of yellow curry paste, dijon and agave syrup. I also wanted a cool contrast to the salmon so I threw together a minted cilantro fruit salsa and if that wasn't enough, a banana "creme fraiche" which was really Greek yogurt with mashed banana. I swear I think this banana creme fraiche is a revelation..I just want to put it on everything (pancakes, peanut butter & honey quesadillas and South African curry come to mind) or just eat it by the spoonful! It sounds like alot of flavours for one dish but they really do work well together! As seen below is the complete meal which I served with a salad and of course bread, as a meal in my fam is not complete without it!

Coconut Macadamia Nut Crusted Salmon
1 fresh salmon fillet, pinbones removed, skin removed
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
3/4 cup shredded coconut (can use sweetened or unsweetened)
1/4 cup macadamia nuts, chopped
2 tbsp melted butter (optional)
1/4 cup yellow curry paste
2 tbsp dijon mustard
1 tbsp agave syrup
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1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Lay salmon on baking sheet. Combine panko, coconut, melted butter and macadamia nuts in a bowl. In a separate bowl combine curry paste, dijon and agave. Spread over top of fish and season with salt and pepper. Evenly coat fish with coconut breadcrumb mixture and roast for 15-20 min (for medium doneness)

Fruit Salsa
You can really use whatever is fresh and available to you, this is what I had available:
1/2 cup cantaloupe, diced
1/2 cup mango, diced
1/4 cup red onion, diced
1 lime, juiced
fresh cilantro, chopped
fresh mint, chopped
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1. Combine all ingredients and chill in fridge.

Banana Creme Fraiche
1 ripe banana, mashed
2 cups Greek yogurt (or plain yogurt that has been strained)
1 tsp agave syrup
1 tsp lime juice
1. Combine all ingredients and chill in fridge.

Birthday Dinner: Hoisin Baked Trout w/ Lemon and Leeks, Wild Rice and Roasted Asparagus

Can you see where I get my love of food from? My ma! Now I can’t take credit for this dinner because this is my mom’s cooking! Ok, I did give her the idea for a hoisin glaze which she ran with and made her own and even then, I can’t even take credit because I got the idea from Dinner with Julie’s salmon rendition! When I was in town for mother’s day we also celebrated my birthday. Why is it there’s nothing like a home cooked meal made by mom? A trip home was just what I needed!

Hoisin Glazed Salmon
Hoisin Sauce
Sesame Oil
Chili flakes
Black Pepper
Warm Water

1 Salmon fillet
Leeks, sliced
1 Lemon, sliced


1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Combine sauce ingredients to your taste and add enough warm water till you have sauce consistency.
2. On a lined baking sheet sprinkle leeks and lemon on the bottom and salmon fillet on top, skin side down. Top with hoisin glaze and bake for 20-25 min or until just cooked.

Mother’s Day Brunch: Tropical Coconut Pineapple Banana Pancakes & Open Faced Smoked Salmon Sandwiches

Ahh brunch, who doesn’t love a good brunch!? The only problem I have with brunch is what to order! I’m always torn between choosing something sweet or savoury. I had a chance to fly home for mother’s day and have had Cumin & Coriander's coconut pancakes on my mind for sometime, so I decided to make a similar version for brunch. Topped with toasted coconut, crushed pineapple, fresh mango, macadamia nuts and warm maple syrup, I think this could have even been a dessert! (Hey for real, when I was in Spain we ate at a restaurant that did a take on Americanized food and they had pancakes on their dessert menu! Oh and don't even ask why we were eating at a restaurant like this...I know it was so wrong!). Seeing as I was in charge of the menu planning and cooking, there was no need to choose between sweet or savoury! Toasted spelt bread was the base for the open faced sandwich topped with a low fat cream cheese, smoked salmon, cucumbers, red onion and the first of the chives growing from our garden. Oh and ever wonder what to do with those leftover pancakes? Just freeze them and pop them in your toaster on those mornings you’re to lazy to make anything else, I swear I think they taste even better the second time around.

Tropical Coconut Pineapple Banana Pancakes

3/4 cup all purpose flour

3/4 cup whole wheat flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

2 large eggs

1 tsp ground cardamom

1 cup buttermilk

3/4 milk

1 tbsp honey

1 tsp coconut extract

1 banana, pureed

1/4 cup crushed pineapple, drained

1/4 cup shredded coconut, sweetened

Pancake Garnishes

1 cup crushed pineapple, drained

1 cup fresh mango, diced

1 cup banana, sliced

1/2 cup toasted coconut

1/2 cup macadamia nuts

warm maple syrup

butter

Open Faced Smoked Salmon Sandwiches

Spelt bread (or any other kind you like), toasted

Low fat cream cheese

Smoked salmon

Cucumber, sliced

Chives

Red Onion, thinly sliced

Capers (optional)

Salade Nicoise

I love a good salad and one of my favorites would have to be Nicoise Salad. A couple years ago on a trip to Paris I tried to eat as many traditional French dishes that I could, Nicoise Salad being one of them! Sitting in a little bistro doors wide open, sun shining, over looking the street, it was hands down one of the best salads I’ve ever had! Why is it some of the most memorable meals have to do with good family, good friends and a good setting? The one I had in Paris had an anchovy mayo based dressing so I tried to lighten up my rendition with a garlic Dijon vinaigrette instead. I only realized after I started eating that I forgot the anchovies (along with tomatoes)! I know some people think yuck anchovies! But it really does add a nice salty depth of flavor and for all you haters, why do you think your ceasar salad dressing tastes so good! I also used Italian olive oil packed yellow fin tuna, it’s sooo good and so different from the water packed stuff. My favorite brand is called Rio Mare and you can usually find it at your local Italian grocer.

Nicoise Salad
yields 4 portions
1 package mixed field greens
1 package green beans
2 cans tuna
1/2 cup black olives, pitted
4 hard boiled eggs, sliced
3 tomatoes, quartered
6 anchovies (optional)

Garlic Dijon Vinaigrette
1 tbsp garlic, minced
1 shallot, minced
2 tbsp dijon mustard
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1 cup olive oil
2 tbsp honey or 1 tbsp agave syrup
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1. Mix all ingredients for vinaigrette together and chill in fridge.
2.In a boiling pot of water, drop green beans in and cook until tender. Drain and shock in cold water to stop them from cooking. Toss beans in 1tbsp of vinaigrette.
3. Place mixed greens on a platter and assemble tuna, egg, olives, tomatoes, green beans and anchovies on top. Pour dressing over top and serve immediately.

Go Fish: Crispy Halibut Fish Burger with Lemon Dill Tartar Sauce

The title is fitting because that is exactly what I did! I went to Go Fish for lunch today. Go Fish is a little fish shack located right near Granville Island and with only outdoor seating, it is best to go when the sun is shining so you can sit out over the dock. I was supposed to go down to Granville Island Market to the fish vendor and pick up some halibut for dinner tonight but of course I got a little sidetracked with thoughts of the salmon tacone and had to go get one. While finishing it I thought, do I really want fish again for dinner tonight? ( yea that’s me, already thinking of my next meal, while still eating the meal before it!) but then I remembered the plain yogurt I had straining in the fridge being thickened, for my healthy version of a tartar sauce. So off to the market I went! Lately I have been trying to do a healthy twist on foods that I love so this is my version of a fish burger, a whole grain bun instead of a white bun, breaded, pan fried and finished in the oven crispy halibut instead of deep fried battered halibut and tartar sauce made with thickened yogurt instead of mayonnaise. As you can see from the picture I looove tartar sauce and now I don't have to feel guilty about using so much!

Crispy Halibut Fish Burger with Lemon Dill Tartar Sauce
(for 1 person)
1 whole grain bun
1 tomato
1 handful mixed greens
1 halibut filet
1/4 cup whole grain flour
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1 egg
2 tbsp milk
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1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and preheat small frying pan with a little oil in it. Mix together egg and milk and season flour and bread crumbs with salt and pepper.

2. Dredge halibut in flour, then egg wash then bread crumbs. Pan fry on both sides until golden brown finish in the oven until done, about 5-6 min depending on thickness of filet.

Lemon Dill Tartar sauce
3 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup fresh dill, chopped
1/2 cup sweet pickles, diced
3 tbsp capers, chopped
3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 clove garlic
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1.To thicken yogurt place a strainer with paper towel over a bowl, place yogurt in strainer and set in fridge for atleast 1 hr or more.
2.Combine ingredients together with thickened yogurt and chill in fridge.