Simple Roasted Salmon with Garlic & Dill

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I am always in a rush. Having things on my “to do” list can drive me crazy, so instead I just power my way through them, hoping to leave more checkmarks than spelling errors in my wake. I once had a Nicaraguan co-worker tell me that I need to spend a long time in a room all by myself, with nothing to do. He said I would learn something about myself that I didn’t know before. I remember thinking (and this is still what I think), That would be absolutely miserable.

I have yet to test this theory out (really, I don’t know that I will ever test it out), but I can see where he was going. Take a deep breath. Stop moving. Slow down. Notice the little things. In a way my whirlwind helps me. I can crank out my school papers when I need to, and having always been a focused person, I don’t get distracted. I just buckle down and go. Always being in go-mode, however, leaves little room for reflection. Sometimes, something will happen, like I will run into someone head on in the grocery store, and I will think Woah. Didn’t see that coming! Gotta slow down. I’ll take a few breaths, and try to wind down. It lasts an hour, max. 

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Writing is not something you can't rush. When words are pumping through your mind you need to type as fast as you can, but when you’ve already written everything that you can think of and need something else, it becomes very slow. You must sit there. And think. With nothing to do. A few bloggers are pros at this, somehow swirling their personal insights into their recipes and whisking in a dash of something extra. The result is a beefy blog post that leaves you satisfied, the way a good meal does. It takes time to create a post like that. I’m not talking an hour and a good dose of creativity, I’m talking days. It takes far longer to write a blog post like that then it does to caramelize onions or roast this salmon so that is has perfect crispy skin. Maybe, instead of sitting in a room all by myself for a month, I can just practice the art of patient writing. 

Taking photos is also a slow moving process. I mean, you want to eat, desperately, but you have to get the light right, find the right angle, mess with your props. I rarely exhibit that sort of patience. Last week, in a rush to eat, I broke my lightbulb and later, still in a rush, replaced it with a sort of yellow-toned bulb I found at the store. I didn’t realize that it was yellow until I arrived home, when I was ready to plug it in and go. It turned on, and I instantly shuttered: Yellow toned bulbs and food aren’t friends. Being a total amateur, I need all the help I can get with my photos, and that yellow bulb? Not helping. Thank goodness for amazon--mail ordering is great when your in a rush. 

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These are the things that are ongoing and difficult for me to overcome. They will always take time, as even the most polished writers and professional photographers will do several iterations of the same piece before being satisfied. (This is my second time writing this--progress is being made!) What is easier for me, is making other changes around here: checking things off of the list and getting it done: I revamped my recipe index so that it’s easy to find things (and hey, it actually contains everything!), and updated the About section of this site. I hope their new state is more useful to you! I would love to hear your ideas on how to make this even better. I’ll probably get to them since, well, I would hate to have anything sitting on my to do list for too long!

Like many good things, this recipe is best when you take your time, though it's very straight forward. Allow the pan to get nice and hot before you place the salmon in it. Patience will yield a flaky filet with crispy skin. And when you’re ready to eat, take a moment to let go of your to do list.

This recipe was inspired by Martha Stewart's Roasted Salmon with Butter

Simple Salmon with Garlic & Dill

Published February 6, 2015 by Caitlin Sherwood

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Serves: 4   |    Total Time: 15 minutes

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Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons butter or coconut oil
• 1/2 pound salmon fillet, with skin
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon dill
• Salt & pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 450°F. Slice the butter into several pats and place them in a oven-safe skillet or roasting pan. Place the pan in the oven.
2. While the butter heats, slice the garlic into thin "chips". Use a knife to cute horizontal slats into the salmon an inch apart. Stuff the garlic chips into the slats.
3. After 5 minutes, the butter should be melted and hot. Remove the pan from the oven and place the salmon in the butter, skin side down. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, ad dill. Return to oven. Cooking time will vary depending on how thick your filet is: for a thin filet bake for 8-10 minutes, for a medium filet bake for 10-13 minutes, and for a thick filet bake for 13-15 minutes. Test the salmon with a fork. The flesh should be flakey and opaque. 

Garlic Rosemary Shrimp & Paleo Cocktail Sauce (made without ketchup!)

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Shrimp with cocktail sauce is not something I ate growing up. The entire category of shellfish was on my short list of foods that sucked, right there next to tomatoes, ketchup, asparagus, and carrots. I have only a few memories of actually eating shellfish as a kid, and most of them include my dad sneaking tiny shrimp into stews to see if I could detect them. 

Clearly, I just didn't understand that shrimp, roasted and tossed with garlic and rosemary is a gift from the sea. (I eventually learned to like everything on that list, aside from ketchup--ugh!).

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I've also learned to appreciate a really good cocktail sauce. One that's zesty. One that actually makes the shrimp taste better, instead of masking it. On that does not include--you guessed it-ketchup. Instead it's made with real tomatoes, horseradish, and garlic. A bit of cayenne, and some lemon juice to round it out. When you start putting real ingredients in cocktail sauce, it actually becomes a power food! Did you know that horseradish is considered a cruciferous vegetable? With molecules called glucosinolates, it's been show to help fight cancer. Horseradish has ten times more glucosinlates than broccoli... So dig in already! 

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The beauty of this recipe is it's flexibility. Sensitive tastebuds? Hold the cayenne. Timid when it comes to garlic? Add a little, taste it, and add some more. It's easy to take this recipe and turn it into you own signature sauce concoction.

Garlic Rosemary Shrimp & Paleo Cocktail Sauce (made without ketchup!)

Paleo, Gluten-Free, Grain-Free    |   Caitlin Sherwood    |   

More shrimp! Less ketchup.

Serves: 4   |    Total Time: 20 minutes

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Ingredients:

For the Shrimp:
• 1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil, melted
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

For the Cocktail Sauce:
• 1 cup canned diced tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 to 1 ounce piece of fresh horseradish
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Toss the shrimp with the melted oil, minced garlic, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Spread the shrimp out on a cookie sheet and place in the oven. Bake for 10 minutes, until shrimp are pink and cooked through.
2. While shrimp cooks, prepare sauce: If you are using a high speed blender, add all of the ingredients and puree until smooth. If you are using a standard blender or food processor, mince the garlic and shred the horseradish with a microplane and then whisk all of the ingredients until combined.
3. Serve shrimp warm on a platter alongside a bowl of sauce.

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Slow Cooker Pork Chile Verde

Update: This recipe was updated with new photos on 11/16/2017. I also simplified the instructions. This new version is a bit saucier, which I love, but if you prefer less sauce in your chile verde, use 4 tomatillos and 1 can of green chiles. 

Green chile is one of my long-time favorites. Pork green chile, chicken green chile, green chile migas. I love it. Always have. probably always will. 

What's more it can be made in a slow cooker very easily. Usually when the days get shorter I get busier: work ramps up at the office, and the early sunsets make me feel tired earlier. There seems to be less time, in general. Which means the slow cooker gets a lot of mileage! At least, when I can get my act together and start it. 

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It turns out, Chile Verde is considered a "Colorado Favorite" by tourists. Who knew?! I was just scooping the stuff into my mouth as fast as I could and had no idea I was fulfilling such a Coloradan stereotype. I guess what they say is true.  

A tip from a Chile Verde vet, if I may: serve it with a Margarita on the side. 😋

Other things that add to the experience: sliced avocado, a dollop of sour cream, fresh cilantro. You can even add diced up bacon to the recipe while it cooks (brown it first). YUM! You can also stir in 12 ounces of white beans, or add 2 cups of diced potatoes while it cooks. Basically, the possibilities are endless and once you start customizing your chile verde, you'll be hooked like all of us here in Colorado! Or, at least, this one person over here in Colorado. 😏

Looking for a dessert with enough tex-mex flare to follow this dinner? Try this raw, paleo Margarita Pie. 

Slow Cooker Pork Chile Verde

Published September 6, 2014 by Caitlin Sherwood

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Serves: 6   |    Total Time: 8-9 hours

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Ingredients:

• 8 medium sized tomatillos
• 4 cloves garlic 
• 1 large yellow onion
• 1 tablespoon avocado oil
• 2 six-ounce cans hatch green chiles (I use hot, but mild is fine if you prefer!)
• 1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• Optional: Dash of ground cayenne pepper
• 1 pound cubed pork shoulder
• 3 cups chicken broth
• For serving (optional): minced cilantro, sliced jalapeños or other chiles, minced red onion, sliced avocado, shredded cheese, and/or sour cream. 

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 475°F. Peel the papery outer skins from the tomatillos, wash them, and slice them in half. Cut the onion onto 4 to 6 large slices. Arrange them all on a sheet pan along with the cloves or garlic. Brush with 1 tablespoon avocado oil, and place in oven. Roast until the tops of the tomatillos are browned, 10-15 minutes.
2. Add roasted vegetables, canned green chiles, cilantro, lime, spices (cumin, coriander, oregano, and optional cayenne), salt, and pepper to blender, and puree to make the Roasted Tomatillo Sauce. Mixture should be similar to a less chunky salsa.
3. Now, add pork, roasted tomatillo sauce, and broth to your slow cooker.* Set to medium heat and cook for 8-9 hours.  Serve hot and top with preferred garnishes. 
4. *Optional step would be to brown the pork in a skillet or the bottom of your slow cooker before adding the sauce and broth. This enhances the flavor of the meat. 

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