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Engaging stories of love, joy, comfort and friendship with proven scrumptious, healthy recipes, we celebrate LOVE as the secret ingredient for wonderful food!

Salmon Udon Soup

October 27, 2021 by Mary Leave a Comment

Yummy Salmon Udon Soup ready to eat!

Soup season is coming with the chillier weather on the way. I was feeling a little throaty last week and threw together this Salmon Udon Soup that was really just divine, and certainly hit the spot on what I was craving, fish and a light hot soup! 

I really needed to use up what was in my fridge and you can certainly substitute some things on your own. I have learned to not make everything such a big deal when cooking – be flexible – as you have to be in yoga.

Beautiful Maine!

In late September, I was waaaay up north in Island Falls, Maine at a yoga retreat, feeling all clean and stretched out, body wise, and clear in my head, like these beautiful falls. It is gorgeous there but the weather changes in a nanosecond. My teacher said that there is a saying in Maine that if you don’t like the weather, just wait a moment…and it is true!

Our lovely guide testing the water temperature

On our waterfall hike one day, we came across all of these different mushrooms!! I had no idea if they were edible and I was certainly not going to try them, but they are pretty!!

Yellow Mushroom 4 in Maine.












Donna Sewall Davidge runs the Sewall House yoga retreat and I highly recommend to come to this place to recharge and renew. Tune out your everyday life and center yourself with Kundalini and Hatha yoga. It is a welcome break and a chance to improve your yoga practice, commune with nature and meet some cool people. 

The Sewell House was built in 1865 by Donna’s great grandparents and kept in the Sewall family all these years. This historic home is where Teddy Roosevelt came to heal from asthma in the 1800’s. 

Donna’s cook served a delicious vegan fare, and although I had hoped to lose some weight, that did not happen. That Island Falls air made me hungry! 

Beautiful ingredients ready to make the Salmon Udon Soup.

Back to my scrumptious Salmon Udon Soup, which I’m going to make again and again in this cooler weather. Just take a look at all the beautiful ingredients! And once the chopping is done, which isn’t a lot, the whole thing comes together so quickly.

SALMON UDON SOUP – serves 4

4 ounces buckwheat udon noodles
2 Tbs. grape seed oil
3 Tbs. thinly sliced garlic
7 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth (preferable homemade)
1 large tomato, diced
1 Tbs. fish sauce
1 Tbs. chile-garlic sauce – Korean Gochujang
2 tsp. hot sesame oil, or to taste
1 ¼ pounds wild salmon fillet, skinned and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
3 Swiss chard leaves, leaves and stems chopped as shown in the photo or spinach
4 shishito peppers
2/3 cup thinly sliced chives or scallions
½ cup loosely packed parsley leaves or cilantro
Lime wedges, for garnish

The Process

Cook noodles according to the package directions, drain and pat dry.

Meanwhile, heat the grape seed oil over medium heat in a Dutch oven. Add garlic slices and cook, stirring often, until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel with a slotted spoon.

Carefully pour broth into the pan (it may spatter a little), and bring to a boil. Stir in tomatoes and their juice, shishito peppers, fish sauce, chile-garlic sauce and hot sesame oil. Cook for about 3 minutes

Stir in salmon chunks, reduce heat to a gentle simmer and cook until the salmon is nearly cooked through, about 2 minutes.

Stir in the drained noodles, Swiss chard and chives and simmer 1 minute more.

Serve in warmed bowls and top with the parsley and crispy garlic chips. Squeeze the fresh lime on top. Serve with LOVE.

Garlic chips sautéing in grapeseed oil.

Make your garlic chips this lovely golden color.


Filed Under: Dinner Tagged With: easy fish dinners, fish dinners, quick fish recipes, quick fish soup, salmon, soup

Ginger-crusted Halibut

May 24, 2021 by Mary 4 Comments

Ginger-crusted halibut on a gold rimmed plate.
Beautiful deliciousness in dappled sunlight!

I adore halibut. And I love ginger. So I made up this dish of Ginger-crusted Halibut, not sure how it would really work and it was amazing!

You must have super fresh ginger. Slice a big three-inch knob lengthwise on a mandoline. Then wrap that ginger around, covering both sides of your filet, pan sauté in grapeseed oil and butter and voila! Total deliciousness.

You see, I was afraid that you wouldn’t be able to cut through the ginger and just desecrate the beautiful fish while eating it but no, as long as your ginger is super fresh, creamy yellow in color, sliced very thin, this worked. And it was not overly spicy, which was another concern. It was just right with the butter mingling in.

Ginger-crusted halibut cut with arugula and tomato salad.
So very moist and flakey.

Halibut, although expensive, is such a delectable fish. Creamy white, solid but flakey tender – big flakes.

Make sure not to overcook it – 118 degrees F on the internal temperature is perfect.

Quick and easy is this recipe of Ginger-crusted Halibut. I really wouldn’t call it a recipe so much as it is an idea – that I think you will LOVE.

Ginger-crusted halibut with rice and salad.
A super easy lovely dinner!

I served this with steamed Jasmine rice and a little tomato and arugula salad. Total yumminess.

Make and serve with LOVE.

I’m sure you’ll make this again and again.

GINGER-CRUSTED HALIBUT – serves 2

One 3” long knob of super fresh ginger
1 lb.piece of Halibut fillet
1 Tbs. grapeseed oil
1 Tbs. butter
Extra virgin olive oil – a few drops
Salt 
Pepper

Peel the ginger and thinly slice it lengthwise on a hand mandoline.

Wash and pat dry your fish fillet. Put a few drops of olive oil on and rub it all over. Follow this with salt and pepper and then wrap the ginger crosswise around the fillet. Do this on both sides of the fillet, carefully wrapping the ginger and patting it down so it sticks.

Heat grapeseed oil and butter in a cast iron or non-stick skillet on medium-high heat. Carefully place the ginger-wrapped fish fillet in. Saute for about 4 minutes. Carefully loosen it on the bottom, gathering all the ginger and flip it over, being careful not to splatter yourself.

Saute on the other side for about another 4 minutes. Test with a thermometer – it should register about 118 F degrees.

Carefully remove, cut in half, serve and enjoy!!

I know you’ll LOVE this!

Ginger-crusted halibut sautéing in a black cast iron skillet.
Be sure to flip over ever so carefully.

Filed Under: Dinner, Fish Tagged With: Dinner, easy dinners, easy fish dinner, easy fish dinners, easy fish recipes, easy seafood dinners, easy weeknight dinner, easy weeknight dinners, fish, fish dinners, ginger, Halibut

Salmon Rice Bowl with Ginger-Lime Sauce

October 17, 2020 by Mary 5 Comments

Finished Salmon Rice Bowl with Ginger-Lime Sauce with a side of roasted broccoli.
Finished Salmon Rice Bowl with Ginger-Lime Sauce and a side of roasted broccoli.

I have been wanting to post this recipe for quite some time. Probably before I even had this blog – ha! Truly. I remember making this Salmon Rice Bowl with Ginger-Lime Sauce recipe the very first time while staying at the house of my piano teacher/surrogate mother – Harriet – in Dorset, Vermont. The dish is very easy to make, comes together quickly, is different and super delicious. Remembering eating it in her total beeswax candle-lit dining room, smelling so lovely, snuggled in after a full day of skiing at Bromley was pure bliss. The kids were young and fun and skiing is always a great family time.

Bromley or Stratton

Harriet’s house was pretty equidistant from Stratton (super yuppy) and Bromley (more low key). We preferred Bromley.

I remember Stratton having young parents allow their kids to lie flat out – angel style – on the ground in line to the main lift at the base of the mountain, and I guess they were thinking that that was cute.

How rude can one possibly get? I really wanted to kick these kids. Of course I didn’t but I’m sure I said some things. I mean, really??

Because of Covid-19 now, will we really ever be able to ski again? Skiing is an outdoor sport, but then you sit so close to one another on the lifts. And what about eating in the lodge? I will miss the chili with cheese, chopped onions and sour cream – the works! It is only during skiing that I never feel guilty about eating that chili.

It is a whole new world for us. I suppose we will find out soon.

Anyway, back to more pleasant things like food. Coming “home” to Harriet’s house that always smelled like beeswax with its beautiful dark shiny floors throughout, was a little bit of heaven. Having a fire in the fireplace, playing games in front and then serving up this dish in the candlelit dining room was delightful. A clean, healthy and different dish with the spark of ginger and soy – really yummy.

This Salmon Rice Bowl with Ginger-Lime Sauce dish is not really your typical winter dish. It is not heavy or stew-like at all but just super appealing. So try it soon, now in the fall and you will LOVE it. I guarantee! 

Ingredients for Salmon Rice Bowl with Ginger-Lime Sauce.
Getting the ingredients ready.
The sauce for Salmon Rice Bowl with Ginger-Lime Sauce recipe.
Making the sauce.
Salmon cooking for Salmon Rice Bowl with Ginger-Lime Sauce recipe.
Cooking the salmon and garlic.
Cucumbers for Salmon Rice Bowl with Ginger-Lime Sauce.
The cucumbers!

SALMON RICE BOWL with GINGER-LIME SAUCE – serves 4

1 3/4 cups water, divided
1 1/4 cups long-grain rice, rinsed and drained twice
2 tablespoons minced, peeled fresh ginger 
3 tablespoons sugar
1 Thai red chile, chopped
10 small garlic cloves, 2 chopped
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons Asian fish sauce
2 kirby cucumbers (10 ounces), cut into thin strips
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Four 6-ounce salmon fillets
Salt and freshly ground pepper

In a medium saucepan, bring 1 1/2 cups of the water and the rice to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat to low and cook the rice for 15 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and let stand for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a mortar, pound the ginger with the sugar, chile and 2 cloves of the chopped garlic to a coarse paste. Transfer the paste to a bowl and stir in the remaining 1/4 cup of water, the lime juice and the fish sauce. Add the cucumbers.

Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet. Season the salmon with salt and pepper. Add the salmon to the skillet skin side down and cook over moderately high heat until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Add the whole garlic cloves. Turn the salmon and cook over moderate heat, about 3 – 4 minutes.

Mound the rice in bowls. Top with the salmon, garlic cloves and ginger-lime sauce with cucumber strips and your LOVE. Pass any extra sauce at the table. 

Enjoy!! 

Half-eaten Salmon Rice Bowl with Ginger-Lime Sauce with a side of broccoli.
Total DELISH!!

Filed Under: Dinner, Fish Tagged With: delish, fish dinners, ginger-lime, rice bowl, salmon, soy

Best Salmon Casserole

June 11, 2017 by Mary 20 Comments

Salmon casserole plated with asparagus, boiled potatoes, and tomatoes.

Salmon casserole plated with steamed asparagus, boiled buttered potatoes and fresh tomatoes.

My mother used to make this casserole when there were only two kids home (out of six) as a Friday night rotation. Remember, no meat on Fridays! Casseroles are so old fashioned but this one is truly a “Best Salmon Casserole” and great to make when you have nothing in the house as it uses canned salmon. I used to make this when our kids were young and everyone loved it.

So with Steve and his cancer taking over his appetite – and he needs to eat to be nourished to get well, I have been beside myself trying to figure things out – which, by the way, seem to change hourly. So I thought I’d try to go back to basics – to this old-fashioned salmon casserole recipe from my mother.

What is it – with all us?

It seems that you reach a certain age and all hell breaks loose just when you’re looking to relax just a little bit?

Poor Maureen at Orgasmic Chef – her husband had a very bad fall and is suffering from a head injury.  “John fell while going up the stairs to bed and hit his head on a rendered brick wall. A fractured skull, bleeding in the brain, pneumonia and a couple of other things ended up with him in an induced coma and on a breathing machine.” How awful and how very sorry we all are to hear this, Maureen.

And then Maureen, herself, is dealing with lots of pain due to Forestier’s Disease/DISH disease. While she says, “I have a doctor I trust completely and that means so much. While there is no cure for the disease I have, it is manageable if the right medicines are found. My problem has always been that I don’t react well to most all pain relievers. Recently, I was headed to blindness before we tracked the culprit down and reversed the changes to my eyesight by stopping a drug. Now I wear a patch on my back that has brought me to nearly normal most days.”

I am waiting for my husband to get a CT scan to ascertain what is going on. His platelets are too low to go back on the cancer medication. My neck and shoulders are killing me from stress. Writing this here in the waiting room is helping.

Monitoring, helping, advocating is more than a full time job, which is why I’ve been away for over 5 weeks. Cancer is a moving target and Steve’s is a nasty aggressive one. But we are fighting back with all our might.

Make this Best Salmon Casserole and get some good comforting protein. Nothing better than a good ‘ole recipe from Mom.

BEST SALMON CASSEROLE – serves 4

¼ cup unsalted butter
2 Tbs. flour
1 heaping tsp. dried Coleman’s mustard
½ tsp. salt
Fresh ground black pepper to taste
2 Tbs. chopped fresh chives
1 can (1 lb.) red sockeye salmon – drain in a 1 cup measure to save juice, remove skin and crush bones
Milk or unsweetened almond milk
2 hard boiled eggs, chopped
½ cup panko
2 Tbs. melted butter

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Butter a 2-quart casserole.

Place eggs in a small sauce pan and cover with 1” of water and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Drain and cover with cold water to cool before peeling.

Prepare the salmon in a medium sized bowl – drain the juices into a 1-cup measure, remove skin, crush bones, and flake.

Hardboiled eggs cut up and blue eggshell.Peel the eggs and chop. Add the eggs to the salmon. Just look at this beautiful blue eggshell, inside and out! Eggs are from Mike and Cindy’s Thunderhill Farm in upstate New York.

Salmon casserole white sauce in a small All-Clad pot.Melt butter in a small pot. Whisk in flour, mustard, salt and pepper. Cook for a bit, to color this mixture to cook the flour to make a roux. When browned a little, add milk to the juices to measure one full cup and gradually add the liquid into the roux, whisking constantly until sauce is smooth. Simmer and whisk until thickened.

Salmon casserole mixed in a bowl.Remove the sauce from the heat and stir in the chives. Add the sauce to the salmon and eggs and fold all together to combine completely. Place the mixture in your prepared casserole. Sprinkle panko evenly on top and drizzle with the melted butter.

Salmon casserole finished.Bake for 15 minutes and serve. Delish!

P.S. It’s interesting that my mother’s recipe says it serves 6 – and it probably did in those days as people ate less! But I think it’s safe to say it serves 4. This would make a great lunch entrée as well!

Filed Under: Dinner, Fish, Lunch Tagged With: canned salmon, casseroles, fish dinners, pantry dinners, salmon casserole

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Mary Frances

Mary Frances

Spread love through cooking.

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