Creamed Salmon, Again

I've given this recipe before on another blog. It's a fave of my daughter's and it's so easy to make.

I gave the gluteny version before ~ where you make a roux with garlic butter and wheat flour. But it's crazy easy to make a gluten-free and more heart-healthy version. Instead of making a roux, just pour the milk or milk alternative into the pan, (I use soy milk. Haven't tried rice milk in this and I'm not sure almond milk would go, but hey....), add the salmon and seasonings, then thicken.

Now, the lump in the picture is a popover, and I haven't yet successfully made a gluten-free popover. But creamed salmon can be served on a bed of rice or gluten-free pasta just as well. If you're watching your blood sugar, remember to use brown rice, quinoa, or brown rice pasta, etc., as opposed to white, so you're getting complex carbs instead of simple carbs, which enter the blood stream as simple sugar. So here's the recipe for one serving:

Creamed Salmon
3/4 cup milk or milk alternative
1/2 can wild Pacific salmon
generous sprinkling of dried Tarragon leaves (a must.. makes the dish)
dash of sea salt, pepper, dried parsley and basil, to taste
2 good tsps. of tapioca starch (or arrowroot flour, or g-free corn starch)
peas, broccoli or vege of choice

Pour 1/2 cup of the milk in a small skillet and heat to a light boil. Add the salmon and seasonings and bring back to a light boil. Add peas and/or broccoli if you want them in the creamed salmon. Add starch to the remaining 1/4 cup milk, stirring to dissolve. Then add to the cooking mixture and stir till it all thickens. Serve over rice or pasta, and with any other veges you like.

It's asparagus season here and my daughter loves it fried in garlic butter. A little garlic olive oil is more heart-healthy though. The main thing is the garlic, because asparagus and garlic go together almost as well as kale and garlic. Avoid garlic powders though. I found out the hard way there's gluten in mine. Garlic salt adds unnecessary sodium to your food. And real garlic can burn, leaving a bitter taste. Garlic olive oil is best. After cooking the asparagus I threw in some mushrooms too. Once cooked, I placed the veges on a microwave safe plate ready to heat up again once the creamed salmon is done. Rice or pasta should be prepared ahead too. The creamed salmon doesn't take long, so it's always the last thing I prepare.

Quick, easy, heart-healthy, g-free, etc. Enjoy.

Sinfully Good Bad Food

Yes, yes, white food is bad. I know, I told you all about it. The thing is, it's also good. I mean, you know.... it's yummy. :)

The main reason potatoes should be used in moderation is because they're loaded with starch and this can impact on the blood sugar if this is a concern for you. I know someone having trouble controlling his blood sugar. His doctor told him that 3/4 of his plate should be covered with vegetables. Potato is a vegetable, right? So he loads his plate with mashed potatoes, tells his doctor that he's following orders, and wonders why his blood sugar continues to soar, despite his meds.

So, potato is a starch. So is corn, by the way. As such they enter the blood stream very much like simple carbs, such as white wheat pasta, white bread, etc. ~ as simple sugar. That's why a diet high in these foods will impact very badly on blood sugar. The impact of starches and simple carbs can be worse than foods with refined sugar, so they should be consumed in moderation. But take heart ~ potatoes at least are high in nutrients and fiber. (This is something that can't be said of, say, white bread, where 24 nutrients have been stripped from the white wheat flour in processing and refining, and only 4 have been returned, enabling companies to put the word "enriched" on their product. Just so you know.)

Anyway, a few mornings ago, I awoke during a dream about mashed potatoes and broccoli. No, I don't often dream about foods. Trains, boats, flying, and trying to dial 911 on a phone where the 9 doesn't work, yes. Food, not so much. So naturally I figured I really needed to have mashed potatoes and broccoli. And here it is.

Of course, a lot of the nutritional value in potatoes is in the peel, so if you're going to indulge, you're better to bake them and be careful to not serve them with too much fat. (aka butter) This, of course, is for good heart health. Hummus is good with baked potato, by the way. ;o)

But mashed potatoes with the peel? I think not. So I peeled and boiled same. But to give the potatoes some redeeming protein nutrition, I mashed them with dairy- and gluten-free soy creamed cheese, along with some garlic olive oil and raw baby spinach. I served my potatoes with not just broccoli, but other veges as well, and some of my own lemon/dill hummus (recipe on another post).

No, this isn't something I'm going to have often because, yes, I'm watching my blood sugar. But I think I pulled it out with the creamed cheese and veges so it's now on my list of "occasional treats." :) I mean.... it was just really goooood.

And here's a variation on the potato theme that keeps that nutritious skin intact. I nuked this Russett potato, dressed it with fresh and dried herbs, chopped red pepper and chopped leek in garlic olive oil, and served it with a giant salad with g-free sesame dressing. After this picture was taken, I added a spoonful of my own hummus dip. Mmmmmm.... with a nice glass of dry red wine, an altogether heart healthy and delicious meal.