It's interesting how one's life can change so quickly. I remember only a few months ago I was going to the farmers market, spending hours cooking every day, making things like peach jam, getting lost in the glory of food. All that has changed. Now I want it fast. I don't have the time nor the energy for hours of cooking. I need it to almost cook itself. I don't want a lot of clean up either, I don't have the energy to do dishes at night, I am just too tired. What the heck? I liked it better before! But alas, one must come to terms with reality and make the adjustment, no matter how painful.
It's all because of "THE JOB". Working full time does not allow for much time left over to shop or prepare meals. I hate it. I remember meandering along rows of fresh produce, lost in my own thoughts, imagining all the things I could do with this vegetable or that fruit. Dreaming about the pleasure of not only picking out the item, but taking it home and gazing at it's beauty sitting on my kitchen counter. The excitement of beginning to cook the meal, to put everything together and somehow make it all come out so beautifully in harmony, the gratification of the finished dish, and pleasure of the first bite. How I miss all that. But I know I will have it again some day, so for now, I need to get my head out of the clouds and find something the eat.
All my energy is now applied to making the quickest meal possible. After working a couple of months it become clear how poorly we were eating. I found it hard to even make it to the market so sometimes it was whatever I could scrap together, and sometimes it was truly pathetic. We also started eating more take out, which is not good. That brought me to this point, where I can come up with quick recipes that I, or my husband, can whip up in a few minutes, and that still had some semblance of a healthy balanced meal.
Ta Da! I give you Soba noodles with Salmon. It's fast, it's healthy and it's easy. It's filling, you get a healthy carb, a vegetable, and some protein, all in one bowl.
Most of my posts in the near future will be in this vain. IF I can get them posted. I am sorry, I have been negligent in the blogging duties, but now you understand. Thanks for your empathy.
Ingredients:
Soba Noodles
Olive oil
Canola oil
Garlic, minced
Ginger, minced
Sambal
Teriyaki sauce
Asparagus
Salmon
Sesame seeds
Cook the salmon and asparagus.
Method 1. Coat the salmon and asparagus with olive oil, salt and pepper. and throw it on the grill for a couple minutes. We made this recently and my husband handled the grilling while made I did the slicing and dicing, the sauce and put it all together.
Method 2. Coat the salmon and asparagus with olive oil, salt and pepper. Put on a baking sheet and stick it in the oven for about 10 minutes.
While this is cooking boil the noodles. This only takes a few minutes. Drain them.
To make the sauce coat the pan with some canola oil, add the garlic and ginger and cook slowly for one minute. You do want this to burn. Add the teriaki sauce. I also add a little bit of sambal because I like a slight under current of heat, without it being too hot to eat. I always have a jar of this in my refrig, but if you don't use it, don't add it to the recipe.
To assemble, add the cooked noodles to the pan with the sauce and coat well. Next add the asparagus, cut into bite sized pieces. Plate the noodles, then top it with the cooked salmon and some sesame seeds.
Done, fast and easy. The thing I like about this basic recipe is that I can alter it depending on my mood or what I happen to have in the kitchen.
You could also use:
Chicken or shrimp
Cilantro
Peanuts
Scallions
Broccoli
Red bell peppers
Mushrooms
Sesame seed oil
Noodles, any type you have. I've used whole wheat linguine for this dish but my fav is the soba noodle as they are quick to cook and light. I don't feel stuffed after eating them as you might with some heavy pasta.
Make a little extra so that you can take it to work the next day for lunch.
You can make any combination of flavor you want to create the final dish. My fav is the salmon and asparagus but I have made it with many other things and it is just as good. I like using the salmon because, 1) it doesn't take that much so it is less expensive and 2) I don't get enough fish in my diet and this is a simple way of getting it. Plus my dog loves it! Ah ha, the truth come out!
