Healthy Salmon Pate Dip

Healthy Salmon Pate Dip

I have a habit of blogging recipes that involve oily fish - first there was the light & creamy salmon parcels, then there was the healthy mackerel dip, followed by salmon fish cakes and now we have another one.. and yes it's with salmon again! With all these oily fish recipes it should be easy to incorporate one weekly - those omega 3 fatty acids are, after all, essential for a healthy heart.

This recipe was inspired by the desire to create a healthy alternative to the classic 'salmon pate' that you can buy from the shops.  I wanted to make a dip that was equally as tasty and nutritious but just lower in calories and fat.

So, what do you need to make this tasty dip?!

100g of Tinned Salmon
75g-100g of Fat Free Greek Yoghurt or Extra Light Cream Cheese
Optional: Tbsp lemon juice / Black Pepper / Dill

And what do you do? Trust me.. this won't take long!

1) Put all of the above ingredients into a blender.. and blend until smooth!

See.. I told you this wouldn't take long!

Serve on wholegrain toast for a healthy breakfast, brunch or lunch.. or as a dip for a starter.. perfect!

Let me know if you make this recipe via a comment, tweet or email - I love to hear your stories and see your pictures!

Nutrition Per 50g Serving: 54 kcal, 6g Protein, 1.5g Carbs, 2.5g Fat

 Nutritional Benefits: Rich in omega 3 fatty acids for heart health

Lower in calories and fat than shop bought (per 50g: 120-140kcal, 8-12g fat)

 

Have a great week and don't forget to check out my other healthy recipes. I'll leave you with some pictures from this weekend of Saltaire World Food Festival - some of the healthier food choices!


Juice Stand!

Love Olives

Can't beat Italian Pasta and Balsamic Vinegar..



One of my fave dishes.. Paella!

Nic x

Salmon Fishcakes

Salmon Fishcakes

Ok, so I really did try to lure myself away from the Nairn's Oatcakes Recipe page this week, however (just like my 'no chocolate' lent challenge) I failed miserably. I keep clicking back to their pages because of their simple yet healthy and delicious recipes that seem to be right up my street! And no, I'm not being paid by Nairn's, or endorsing their products over any other, I just like them.

So, this weekend I decided to try their Salmon Fishcakes. Like in my other recipe posts, I tend to follow recipes 90% to the book... and tweak the other 10% to make it a little bit more healthy (adding a little bit of 'Nic's Nutrition' to it you could say!).

So, to make these delicious salmon fishcakes (x4) you will need:

1 tin of salmon, skinned, boned and flaked

4 Nairn's rough oatcakes (broken into crumbs)

1 free-range egg, beaten

1 tbsp of coriander and parsley mixed together (I didn't have any parsley)

3 tbsp plain flour

1 tbsp olive oil (I actually used 1kcal spray oil in the end to fry the fish cakes)

And here's what to do:

1) Add the fish, oatcake crumbs, beaten egg and herbs to a bowl

2) Mix!

3) Shape into 4 patties with your hands and roll in flour

4) Heat some oil (1kcal spray oil or 1tsp of oil) in a frying pan and fry the fishcakes until golden-brown on both sides (about 3 minutes on each side)

5) Serve with fresh salsa and salad for a starter or add sweet-potato wedges to make a meal of them!

I hope you enjoyed this recipe post - The fishcakes really were delicious and a novel way of increasing your oily fish intake (for heart health).

Nutrition Per Fish Cake (x4): 180 kcal, 14g Protein, 18g Carbs, 6g Fat – cooked with 1kcal spray oil*

Nutritional Benefits: High in protein and omega 3 fatty acids for heart health

 

For more simple, healthy and delicious recipes check out my recipes page [here].

Have a great week!

Nic x

 

*Nutritional information provided by Firecracker

Healthy Mackerel Dip

Healthy Mackerel Dip

So then, I've decided that at the start of each week I'll post a recipe/meal idea (due to high demand!). This week I wanted to share with you one of the easiest dips I know.. passed down from my mother (thanks mum!) - it goes to show that family and friends really are so valuable to share ideas with. This dip is a fantastic way of increasing your oily fish intake and really is super versatile.

I have eaten this mackerel dip as a snack with oatcakes, as a starter with slices of pitta bread, and with a roasted chickpea salad and crackers for a balanced lunch (pictures are below!).

So here is what you'll need to make my super healthy and super easy mackerel dip:

Fat-free Greek yoghurt, smoked mackerel fillet & (optional) spinach - pictured is frozen spinach


And here's what to do:

1) Above: Put one and a half heaped dessert-spoons of fat-free Greek yoghurt into a mixing bowl per mackerel fillet you use. I would use 1/2-1 fillet per person depending on if you are wanting to make a snack/meal of this dip respectively. Use more yoghurt for a creamier dip. If desired you can add spinach to add colour/taste.

2) Above: Mix the ingredients using a hand-blender/blender

And *hey presto*.. your dip is ready to serve!

Mackerel Dip in a Bowl

And here's how I like to serve my dip...

As a healthy snack with oat cakes...

&

As a starter with pitta bread

With salad & pitta bread (the above dip has more yoghurt added for a creamier
consistency and has added spinach in it too)

I really do love this dip and it can keep in the fridge for 1-2 days after making (just cover and check the use-by date sof your yoghurt/fish first!)

Nutrition 50g portion (if 50g mackerel fillet & 50g fat free yoghurt used):
80 kcal, 6.5g Protein, 1.5g Carbs, 7g Fat

Nutritional Benefits: Rich in omega 3 fatty acids for heart health

Have a lovely week - happy 'whizzing' if you try this recipe idea! - for more delicious and healthy recipes don't forget to check-out my 'recipes page' [click here].

Nic x

Light & Creamy Salmon Parcels

Light & Creamy Salmon Parcels

February is 'heart health month', which is what inspired me to write this blog. It is recommended to eat fish twice a week, one of which is oily. Oily fish tends to be the darker coloured fish such as mackerel, salmon, fresh tuna, sardines and pilchards (as opposed to cod and haddock etc).

Oily fish contains essential fatty acids (omega 3) which are fantastic for your heart health. The body can't make 'essential' fatty acids which is why we have to get them from our diet.

I love to experiment with cooking fish and wanted to share my favourite salmon dish with you all.. it's light, creamy and so so good for you! Eat more fish & carry on :)

So, to make my Light & Creamy Salmon Parcels you will need:

To Serve 1: A Salmon fillet, 1/2 courgette, 2 tbsp of frozen peas,
50g 'light' cream cheese and baby potatoes to serve

The first steps:

Pre-heat oven to ~200 degrees C or Gas mark 6 and cut a sheet of baking parchment (paper) into a square (30cm x 30cm should do). Once washed, slice 1/2 courgette with a vegetable peeler (the same one you use to take the skin off carrots) into a pile in the middle of the paper, then add 1-2 tablespoons of frozen peas. Top the vegetable pile with a salmon fillet and spread approx 2 tablespoons of (extra) 'light' cream cheese on top of the salmon (season with lemon zest/chilli flakes if desired).

Baking Paper: Sliced courgette, frozen peas, salmon & cream cheese
(& chilli flakes)

Next, wrap up the salmon and vegetables like a parcel, sealing in any gaps and place on a baking tray...

Lovely Salmon Parcel!

Pop into the oven for 20-30 minutes until the salmon is fully cooked...

Fully Cooked!

Once cooked, place the vegetables and salmon onto a plate with baby potatoes & enjoy!

Healthy & Delicious!

I have also added the final recipe to my recipes page [click here].. for alternatives you could serve the salmon

with wild rice or home-made sweet potato wedges - yum! 

Nutrition Per Serving including potatoes (as pictured): 378 kcal, 30g Protein, 26g Carbs, 18g Fat* 

Nutritional Benefits: Rich on omega 3 fatty acids for heart health

 

Nichola x

 

Nutritional information provided by Firecracker

fish tacos + cous cous salad

fish tacos + cous cous salad

Guess what, you should know we're just like you. We don't like to eat out that often, and at the same time we don't always have meal ideas at the tips of our tongues. What we do know, is that the more we cook, the easier it gets to be inspired. Here is a simple and healthy meal that requires very little cooking and i'm sure everyone will love. You can bring it for lunch at work, and its hearty enough for dinner. Good for roughly 5-6 servings.




We bought 2 fillets of cod (about $10) and did a light pan fry with a little butter and black pepper. The fish taco wraps consisted of chopped avocado, red peppers, arugula salad greens and topped with President's Choice salsa Verde. The red peppers and salsa verde are both regular suspects in our fridge. You could alternatively substitute ingredients like pineapple, spinach greens and red onion; or even rice paper wraps instead of tortilla. As a litle crunch treat, i asked the deli to slice a few slices of panchetta which i pan fried for a crispy topping (only about a dollar's worth)

The Cous Cous salad has a base of 1 cup israel cous cous, 1 cup of barley, 1 cup of frozen peas, 1 cob of corn, all boiled to a tender state and cooled. We chopped some red onion, peppers, and through in some leftover roasted sweet potato. The key again is the flexibility of ingredients. You could have also added/substituted with quinoa, chopped apples, carrots, fennel and it would still be tasty. Usually a good rule of thumb is to use a variety of colourful ingredients and you can't go wrong. And finally, just season with a little bit of olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper and you're good to go!

And that's it! a simple, flexible meal, that is for the most part healthy, easy to serve since it can be eaten cold, affordable, quick to make and hopefully tasty! Don't get too hung up with specific ingredients or quantities, just taste test, be brave and have fun =]

swimming pool fishing

swimming pool fishing

what? yes you read correctly. Over the summer, May and i attended Scadding Court's Gone Fishing project. In its 9th year (yes! can you believe it?) the community centre transforms its indoor pool to house 2000 trout from a local fish farm.

Why you ask? Because we have underutilized indoor pools that are not being used in the summer, since everyone would rather be outside. The program exists because we have inner city children that have never gone fishing, and perhaps don't even know where fish come from. This is a fantastic program that gives less fortunate school groups the opportunity to experience a recreational activity that perhaps some of us luckier kids get, while also connecting them to the food they eat. Its amazing how meaningful a simple experience like this can affect a child or even an adult.









After a week of visits from local schools, the pool is open up to the public with an entrance fee of $3, including the chance to take home the fish you've caught. Lets just say, the smartest fish were left in the pool for us to catch. And when you've caught your fish, volunteers gut and clean it for you for 75cents, provide you with free recipes to take home, or you could even have the cafe upstairs cook the fish right away!

We love city programs like these, because they help engage and educate our public with the food we eat. We spoke with Kevin Lee, the community centre executive director, who was right there helping everyone with their fishing. What an amazing person making a great difference along with all the volunteers and workers.

That night we pan seared the trout, and accompanied it with a lemon butter caper sauce. It was super yummy and fresh. Guess who caught the bigger fish?!

The One That Got Away

The One That Got Away

You gotto love the simple and playful name they chose. The overall feel of the place has subtle nautical theme to it, with minimal bar height seating and tables. Its clear they cater to the weekday King Street lunch crowd but we've only gone on the weekends and find its a very casual atmosphere. The One That Got Away is one of the newer fish and chips joint in the city.


A simple matrix menu, that gives you the different types of fish matched with the different plate options (wraps, sandwiches, grilled, fried)


Even though most people should be looking for their fish to be accompanied by fries, you have to know that the accompanying salad (or additional side salad $3.99) is huge and very good. It comes with a nice vinegrette and a mango salsa


and heres the fish! a nice and simple crispy batter, made to order. No heavy oil taste, and the perfect amount of batter



The verdict is simple too, we love this place! We are by no means fish and chips experts, but comparing to the fan favourite Chippy's, as well as Fresco's in Kensington market and Harbord fish and Chips, both May and I think The One That Got Away is the clear winner.

The prices are very reasonable, the presentation is clean and fresh, and even tho their take out serves most of the customers, the seating environment is decent. The owner greeted us the first time, asked us if we had been here before and then explained his menu. I tried the Artic Char (one of my favourites) and May had the Pickerel (which was buttery soft). There are a few fish items that are sustainable (ocean wise, i think) certified too. The owner even came to chat with us a bit, and I told him i thought the fish was a little under seasoned to my taste and he made note of it.

A worthy try, just make sure you go on the weekends if you want to avoid the crowd. And if anyone knows where in the city serves mushy peas as a side with their fish and chips (like they do in London) please let me know! Happy fishing!

Hooked Inc.

Hooked Inc.

Yep, we literally got hooked right in with colourful fish cutouts in the storefront window. Walking around on a Saturday afternoon in Leslieville looking for a coffee shop, we didn't expect to randomly find one of Toronto's newest fish store.



"Wow, this is an awesome place, how long have you been here?".... "Actually we just opened yesterday!". Hooked Inc opened on March 11th. They call themselves the knowledgeable fish store, and pride their efforts in finding sustainable and ethnical methods of providing fresh fish to Torontonians. We met Kristin, one of the owners, who explained to us their process of sourcing fish across Canada directly from small fishing boats. Supporting small businesses not only support local industries but also ensure that the fish are caught responsibly. Large scale mass fishing has a high impact on our environment as often they will trawl the sea beds with giant netting that destroy the ecology and captures more wildlife than they are fishing for.

The owners are both professional chefs with experience in Toronto's food industry and restaurants. They are also currently working on a cooking demonstration counter at the back of the store where they will host culinary workshops offering instructions in selecting, handling and cooking seafood. You will also find cookware, various tools, cookbooks and prepared foods that compliment your seafood adventures.


a cute chalkboard displays the fish available and where the fish was caught.


the space has an east coast feel, and at the back they have a counter for future culinary classes


there were shrimp, oysters, mussels from all over Canada as well as local ontario lake fish


also larger wild fish caught in local seas, including Chinook salmon, Sablefish and B.C. Halibut.

Everything looked very fresh and reasonably priced consider the extra steps they've taken to by pass a mass supply chain. Unfortunately that weekend we already had dinner plans, but returned the following week to buy some B.C. Halibut ($24/lb) and B.C. spotted prawns ($20/lb). We cooked the following meal at a cost of about $10 a portion, for 4 portions. Higher than we would budget for our average meal, but this is no average meal and we'd spend easily a minimum of $30 if we were to have this in a restaurant. We quickly referenced this simple recipe for a simple broth for our seafood through a quick search on my iphone while buying groceries.  I also noticed that Loblaw's had Halibut too (although from Alaska), but it definitely didn't look as fresh, possibly once frozen, slightly discoloured, and it was still $21/lb.  I would much rather spend the extra $3/lb knowing where my fish came from and how it was caught.


On the left is our fresh halibut from Hooked, and on the chopping board we have two shallots, one large carrot, parsley, ground coriander and a lemon.


We created the simple broth with the shallots, carrots, and added a carton of chicken broth, a cup of white wine, lemon zest, half a lemon's juice and a knob of butter to finish. The halibut was seared on both sides, seasoned with the ground coriander, salt and pepper. The Prawns were quickly sautéed with a little bit of butter and a splash of broth. Since May wanted rice and I wanted beans, we decided to combine them together with some chopped parsley which sat nicely at the bottom of our dish soaking up the flavours of our broth.


And there you have it! everything kinda collapsed when we pour the broth over the dish, but everything tasted amazing, the flavour and texture of the fish stood out on its own, and the prawns were extremly sweet.

Although we don't cook like this that often, there is no reason why we shouldn't. It was a very special meal that was affordable and simple to make; we only had to wait for the broth to simmer for 20mins, otherwise everything else was quick. The nice thing about cooking seafood is that there usually is very little prep work involved. So there should be no excuses, go visit Hooked and have some seafood tonight!


For more information on the great things they are doing over at Hooked Inc., check out the Globe and Mail's article.  To find out some of the harsh realities of the fishing industry I recommend watching The End of the Line. If you're wondering how sustainable the fish on your dinner table is, check out Ocean Wise's seafood guide.