Fit Fall Food Challenge!

I know that I'm crazy late with getting it done, but I made a commitment, and dang it, well, I figured I should get around to it eventually.

For those of you who read my Salmon Buying Adventure earlier in the week, I know you've been waiting with baited breath to see how the fish-making would turn out.  Well happy day, the fish was cooked and consumed!!  (Days ago now, I just haven't gotten the pictures up.  Just so we're clear, I did NOT leave the fish in my fridge for a week and then try to feed it to my family.  Apparently that's gross.)

But this fish was not gross.  Husband, a self proclaimed "Salmon Fan", said it was "pretty good" (Husband is not a vocally enthusiastic person.  From what I can figure, Pretty Good translates to a solid B+.) Daughter ate it up happily, and I, a self proclaimed "Not Salmon Fan" thought it was alright.  Better salmon than lots I've had before.  Something I could eat again and be okay with.

So here's my fishy journey.  It had been about 4 or 5 years since I've attempted to cook fish, and last time was... let's just say, bad. Very bad.  Dry and fishy and gross and left the house smelling for days.  Hence the 4 or 5 year hiatus.  But these days, I've been avoiding red meat, and we've been eating chicken breast almost exclusively for months now.  It was time for an adventure.

Here is the pre-cooked fish-speriment.  Salmon Filet over sliced lemon, butter, salt and pepper.  Wrapped it up tightly and tossed it into the oven (350 deg) on a cookie sheet for about a half hour.  

I thought it was pretty.  It made me feel hopeful.

 Here is my war-wound, where I sliced my finger instead along with a lemon.  Apparently my knives are sharper than I tend to give them credit for.  THis is where I learned that cutting yourself while cutting citrus fruit is, generally speaking, a terrible idea.  Don't worry, I cleaned and bandaged up, no food was contaminated by my pain.

Owie.

 For our sides, I steamed up some pearl grain rice and broccoli.  These things, it should be said, were not adventurous or new.  These things are staples in our family, but I thought they'd go well with the lemony fish.

 Which makes me want to show off my favorite thing in my kitchen: Our rice cooker.  We use this thing probably 3-5 times a week, for rice and/or veggies.  Just toss in what you want and 20 minutes later you have incredibly healthy, flavorful, and perfectly cooked offerings to throw on the table.  The only thing "wrong" with it, is that it gives off steam so I can't put it under my cabinets because I'm afraid they will get warped.  Besides that, I guess sometimes I wished it could hold more vegetables. This thing is my absolute best cooking friend.

 Here's our post-cooked fishy friend.  In the corner you can see that I tried to pull off the skin, but the fish just fell apart on the fork.  That's how awesomely tender this fish came out.  Which is how I decided that we would be removing the skin at the table. This worked out just fine for us, but I guess some people might not like having the skins present on the serving plate.  For all of you, I have no idea what a better solution would be.  

 Plated fish.

So there you have it folks, our full, health-food challenge dinner!  We did drizzle a little teriyaki onto the rice for a little extra flavor,  but it was tasty and great, and I'm shocked to say, something I'm sure we'll have again!

As far as the fish goes, it was moist and tender, buttery and well seasoned.  The lemons were removed from the fish by the skin, so the citrus flavor was mild, enough to compliment the taste of the salmon without overwhelming it.  I feel like the tinfoil steaming option was INCREDIBLE, and thankfully, blessedly, moron proof.  I've already been gathering some new seasoning options, but I'm sure we'll tinfoil steam some more salmon up in the not-too distant future.  After less than 10 total minutes of prep for the whole meal, I threw the rice and broccoli into the steamer, the fish in the oven, and waited the half an hour till it all came out perfectly cooked, making me look fancy and talented.  With two kids at home, and for someone who hates to cook but is morally obliged to feed her family, this meal is a PERFECT option.

Anyway, time to get on with my day!  Tomorrow is birthday celebration day (which means I'll be eating some not-great things, but intend to do so in ... moderation?) and I have a house to prepare, yardwork to do, and cupcakes to bake!  Happy weekend, Friends!