Stop With the Weather, and a Salmon Dish

I was just reading about the terrible tornadoes sweeping the States while I watch a show on the Queen and eat lime-baked salmon with corn and greens (welcome to my ADD evening) as my bread rises in the kitchen.

So... I'm pretty into an evening already at 7:22, uncommon for me, since I'm usually leaving work around now. Hey, if they want me there at 9, they'll be telling me, man. It's my winter thing. I start earlier in the summer.

But the weather, man, it's insane, and it's why I'm home early. I was reading about these storms and how some of the tornadoes just appeared with no warning at all, and how odd (and obviously destructive) it all is. Well, weather here in Vancouver's the same these days. Not destructive or killer, thank god. Just weird shit and unpredictable.

Hence why I'm having the night I am. I was happily working along in my show, completely engrossed in it. Probably hadn't looked out the window for a couple hours. It's a pretty damned good British series I'm working on, so it's an joyable day. But I look up, and behold: heavy snow! What the fuck? Totally supposed to be 6 degrees and raining today.

Instead, wham. A wall of snow, out of the blue, and the snow warning's issued nearly an hour and a half after the system made landfall. This is what we've had of late. Weather forecasts are no good until six hours before the systems land, minimum.

I'm all freakin' out 'cos the snow's getting heavier. Then it slows, but I check the weather page and a formal snow warning's been issued, so out I go, jetting from my job 2.5 hours early. On my scooter.

Riding through rain's pretty shitty for visibility, but I have to say, riding through snow is like having a frosted shower curtain hanging over your head. Christ. Not making a habit of that.

Is it March yet? No? Aw, crap.

Love living on the ocean. Weather's like a spectator sport.

So my healthy thing's back in swing. I've been biding my time and slowly moving this way. In the past month, I've experimented with such healthy things as lentils, beans, quinoa, made my own granola, and probably a few other things I'm forgetting. Cooking more with bean sprouts. I've been making gains, healthwise, for sure. Still eating shit sometimes, but the frequency and sophistication of my health choices are definitely increasing. I'm totally getting on page.

Lowkey Lime-Baked Salmon for one Hungry Steff Recipe Begins Here

But this salmon's nice. Think I've posted it before, but this is a newer, healthier version.

The original recipe calls for butter, which I've got none of, and no oil. Put out a sheet of parchment (what, about 12x16 or so?). Just lime juice (just a sprinkling, add more when it's being served) and corn (1/2 cup) and cilantro (lots) and red peppers (1/4 cup diced) and jalapeno (1/2, minced), all mixed up with a little salt and pepper. When it's all mixed up, you make a little pile of it on the centre of the parchment.

A salmon fillet (recipe calls for 250 grams, I go about 175 or 200) goes on top, sprinkle it with sea salt and fresh cracked pepper. Slice up a lime and lay it on top of the salmon. Wrap the parchment packet up (basically just close it at the top, roll it over and make it tight so it's a nice air-tight package), bake 15 minutes @ 450.

My twists were getting rid of the tablespoon of butter, and I served the bed of corn on top of a bed of mixed greens. The greens I drizzled with a little hazelnut oil, then put a touch of sea salt and pepper. When the salmon was ready, I just cut the end off the parchment packet and slid it out, juices and all, on top of my lettuce to get a nice, juicy, wilted salad going.

I really dig that dish. I quite like having a bit of nut-infused greens thrown into the mix, too. I'm thinking I might switch the jalapeno with ginger sometime, too. I actually have some candied ginger around here, too, and a half teaspoon of that with a teaspoon of fresh ginger with the cilantro and lime might work. Worth a shot, says I. The original recipe comes from Williams-Sonoma's Cooking for Yourself (a book for single people filled with delicious one-serving meals that make being single a whole lot more fulfilling). I LOVE that cookbook. LOVE it. Recommend it to anyone. I've even doubled some to serve to date-type men with raving results, too.

This salmon recipe, actually, I had made a double batch of the corn/pepper/cilantro mix (but no lime juice) and froze it in a Ziploc bag a couple months back. Pulled it out, put the bag in a bowl of cold water, and 20 minutes later had it baking. Great easy healthy-as-hell dinner.

Since I'm home early and all.

Now that I'm making homemade bread, I have a craving to make my first peanut butter-and-honey sandwich since, god, 15 years ago? 20? 25? Long-ass time, I tell you. And never on homemade multigrain bread, either! I am SO gonna love that for lunch tomorrow. What a great (and cheap -- right on budget) lunch. Simplify, simplify, simplify, right?

Loaded the bread up with additional flaxseed, too, so it's super-duper Omega-goodness. Looks like I have to run to Galloways for more of their 12-grain flour mix again if I'm back on the makin'-bread kick.

If anyone wants the recipe, say so.