Creamy Avocado Pasta with Broiled Wild Salmon

I struggled with whether or not I should post today, but, I know that I look forward to reading fellow blogger's posts as a nice departure from all of the madness.  Also, this is a really great comfort meal and very quick and easy to make. I do hope you enjoy.

If you like avocado, garlic, and lemon. You will  L O V E  ​this meal.  You don't even need salmon if you don't like it.  Seriously,  just wait until you make this. Not kidding. Ok I'll stop and explain.

The creamy avocado pesto is easy, FAST, and can be used 3 ways.​ It is also loaded with protein, fiber, & antioxidants.  It's a power meal.

​To make the sauce, you'll need a food processor.  Take the below ingredients: one lemon or two, healthy handful of basil, one whole avocado, 1-2 cloves of garlic (I used 1.5 and I love garlic, it's raw so it's strong), sea salt, crushed red pepper, and extra virgin o/o.  I don't really measure any of my ingredients for this sauce so just eyeball it.  Finally, one last ingredient that is not necessary, BUT, adds more protein, thickens the sauce and makes it usable as a spread.... a handful or two of chickpeas!

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​Toss all of the ingredients in the food processor and hit go.  Add more or less olive oil and lemon juice to thicken or thin out the sauce. (It's going to be a little thick and that's ok... it's great on bread and it will get really creamy on the hot pasta).

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You could stop here... use it as an avocado pesto spread and bring it to a party.  Here, I toasted up some Iggy's multigrain bread and spread it while I was making the rest of my meal.  So. freaking. delicious.​  The photo on the right is the extra I had leftover after I made my pasta (below).  I've been using it this week for chicken, on pasta again, etc.  Seal it with plastic wrap tightly to the mixture and it won't turn brown.

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Foodies has Wild  Salmon now... HOORAY!  Always try and buy wild fish, farm raised is bad.  They feed the fish corn, fish bits, and who knows what else.  They are fattier and you really don't know what you're putting in your body when you eat it.  ​There's about 22g of protein in 3g of Salmon in addition to a slew of other awesomeness like omega-3 fatty acids (amazing for your whole system, especially for your brain), b vitamins, and much more).

​Simply drizzle with extra virgin o/o and sea salt and BROIL for 10 minutes.  Broiling seals in all of the awesomeness and gives that nice golden crisp top.  

At the same time, cook your barilla protein plus pasta (also loaded with protein and omega-3 fatty acids) for 10 minutes.  

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Once the pasta is done, strain quickly leaving a tbs or so of pasta water.... toss in the avocado pesto to coat the spaghetti.  Add some diced tomatoes and parmesan cheese.  Take some lemon rind and sprinkle all over dish.  Done and done!​

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This is, by far, one of my favorite meals.  I love pesto, avocados, and bean dips.  Marrying all three in this sauce/spread makes it the perfect combination.  I've made this before without the chickpeas and it's also good. ​ Let me know if you have any questions.

​Have a lovely week. xo.

Detox Meal: Spaghetti Squash, Italian Style

Last night, I made another detox meal. If you haven't tried spaghetti squash.. go buy one! They are so delicious, loaded with vitamins such as A, C, K, loads of fiber, and only 41 calories PER CUP!  You can really prepare it with any sauce... I even highly recommend my favorite, avocado pesto, but here I made it simply, Italian Style.​

First, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Poke holes all over squash and put on baking sheet with tin foil (avoid a mess later.​

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While it's baking, prepare the sauce... just a couple tbs of extra virgin o/o, crushed red pepper, italian flat leaf parsley, juice from one half lemon, and two garlic cloves (more or less to your liking).  ​

While the squash is baking, turn it once or twice. The sides on the pan get really hot and cook faster.​

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​The squash will take 45-60 mins depending on the size.  I had a smaller one so it only took around 45. Keep your eye on it and poke it with a fork.  You should easily be able to stab it.

Once you take it out, be careful, it will be extremely hot. Use a knife, fork, and pot holder to slice in half.​

Take a fork, twist, and pull to take out the seeds (left)​.

Next, use the fork to scrape all of the 'spaghetti' from the skin.​

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​Right after you get the 'spaghetti' ready. Put all of your chopped ingredients into a saute pan. I threw an egg in to give it a little 'carbonara' flare (and some protein ;).

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​Put the 'spaghetti' in your dish.

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Top with the mixture and serve.  On a normal day, I would have topped with parmesan cheese, but, I'm in detox, people.  No cheese this week.  This tops out at just 250 calories! (I had two cups of it)

Other favorite ways to serve spaghetti squash: regular marinara, sage/butter with butternut squash rav, avocado pesto, regular pesto. You name it!

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​Have a fantastic Saturday! xo.

Detox Dinner: Balsamic Chicken & Asparagus

I'm currently taking part in a 'detox'.  Eleven days of super clean eating, vitamin filled shakes, detox drinks, and lots of water.  I usually don't partake in such extremes, but, I want to both challenge myself and give my liver a much needed break.  The fun part of this detox (for me) is creating meals that are detox-approved and taste yummy! 

I've mastered a few solid dinners this week so I think I will make these 'detox meals' a series in my blog.  Here's the deal... I'm not going to preach to do or not do a detox, but, I do firmly believe that eating super clean a few days a week is very beneficial to your body.  I also believe that giving your liver a break and following a detox plan that works for you, once or twice a year, can also be beneficial to your health.  If you want to try a detox, I recommend starting with the one I posted last year... here and here. If you're interested in what I'm doing now... shoot me a note on my contact page or below :) 

1. The following ingredients are all you need: 

- Organic Chicken Breast

- 10 Asparagus Spears

-Balsamic Vinegar

- A couple spritz's of Extra Virgin Olive Oil (or 1/2 tsp) 

- 1-2 Garlic Cloves

- 1 Shallot

- Herbs de Provence

- Half a teaspoon of Sea Salt

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2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Then, marinate a split organic chicken breast in a few dashes of balsamic vinegar, herbs de provence, and chopped garlic. 

3. Chop shallot

4. Arrange chicken and asparagus on a baking sheet.  Spritz the asparagus with a 1/2 tsp of extra virgin olive oil and a dash of sea salt. 

5. While they are cooking, put the shallot over low heat in a saute pan with a spritz of extra virgin olive oil.  Keep moving them around until they are brown and then turn off heat. 

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6. Once the chicken is cooked through. Remove both from the oven and arrange the shallots on top of the chicken. 173 calories later and you're done! (Chicken, 120 calories for a normal sized breast, 10 asparagus spears, 33 calories, 1/2 tsp of extra virgin o/o, 20 calories.  During a normal week, I would add a baked sweet potato to this meal.  Either bake whole or... chop into chunks, drizzle with extra virgin o/o, salt & pepper, baked on 400 until tender (they are SO GOOD that way). Honestly, this meal was super delicious. Herbs de Provence making pretty much any protein taste good and the balsamic and garlic really give the chicken a ton of flavor. 

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Hope you're all having a healthy and happy week! xo.