Thank goodness all of my kids love salmon. It is one of my favorite foods in the world. I just have to tell you before I loose some of you to my Health and Nutritional info, that the addition of the Sun Dried Tomatoes in this dish was extrordinary!!! The tomatoes in combination with the lemon and herbs, OH MY! You must try this, it's NOT just another lentil dish. Not only is salmon super yummy, but I'm sure you've heard how good it is for you too. Salmon is very low in fat and has tons of Omega-3's, an essential fatty acid very important to heart and peripheral vascular health!
When choosing salmon, make sure you get Wild Salmon, ie. Alaskan or Canadian and NOT Farmed salmon, ie. "Fresh Atlantic". Not only are farmed fish much more susceptible to diseases from living in cramped conditions, they are fed a diet of grains and fillers not natural to them which alters their chemical makeup. Wild salmon are higher in protein and have a natural healthy balance of Omega-3's to Omega-6's.
Also, farmed raised salmon have very high levels of PBC's, a chemical which is well known to cause cancer.
Ingredients
1 1/2 c dried lentils
1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive oil; divided
1 Sweet (vidallia) Onion; chopped
3 Cloves garlic; finely diced
2 teaspoons Ground cumin
1 teaspoon Hot red chili flakes ( I sprinkle on at the end so the kids don't get any)
1 Carrot, finely diced
1 stalk celery, finely diced
4 Roma Tomatoes, diced
1/4 cup Sun Dried Tomatoes, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 c Chopped fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon Pepper
Salt to taste
1 1/2 lb Fresh Alaskan salmon fillet; skin on
1 ts Chopped fresh rosemary
Putting it all together:
Firsts, peel and smash garlic with the back of a large knife, let it sit for at least 10 minutes so it
releases the * allicin.
Rinse lentils thoroughly. Place in large bowl and soak in cool water for 10 minutes. Place lentils in a large pot with a pinch of sea salt and cover generously with water. Bring to boil and cook gently for about 20 minutes, until just tender. Don't overcook or you'll have lentil soup. Drain well, reserving some liquid to add to combined dish if too dry.
Meanwhile, heat 3 teaspoons oil in large cast iron pot and add onion. Cook gently for 3 minutes. Mince garlic and add to onion. Add cumin and hot pepper flakes. Cook for 30 seconds. Add carrot, celery and both dried and fresh tomatoes to skillet. Cook until carrots are just tender, and liquid from tomatoes has reduced. Add drained lentils, parsley, pepper and salt to skillet. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. Keep warm.
Brush a second grill pan with remaining 1 tsp oil. Sprinkle salmon with chopped rosemary. Cook for 1-2 minutes, skin side UP, or until slightly browned and crusty. Transfer salmon to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (or leave in skillet if it is oven proof). Bake in preheated 400F/200C oven for 7 to 9 minutes, or until just cooked through. It's easy to overcook salmon. Salmon should be just barely pink on the inside when pulled apart with a fork. If you overcook it, it will be dry and tasteless.
Serve salmon on bed of lentils.
PRINTABLE VERSION OF THIS RECIPE
* I like to provide some important health or nutritional information about
just 1 Super Food/Ingredient/Spice on most of my posts. I hope you take the time to glance
at them throughout my blog, I try to keep it short and to the point.
HEALTH INFORMATION ABOUT ALLICIN
What Is Allicin?
Garlic is not merely a tasty ingredient to add to your favorite Italian dishes. Since ancient times, garlic has been recognized by many diverse civilizations for its variety of medicinal properties. The Egyptian and Roman labourers used garlic in their diet to enhance their physical endurance and in the 20th century, garlic was used to fight against the global influenza pandemic (i.e. flu) of the time.
Today, more than 5,000 scientific publications from all over the world have gradually confirmed the traditionally recognized health benefits of garlic, which include acting as an antibiotic as well as other health advantages like its anti-cholesterol and anti-hypertensive benefits.
Did you know that allicin is effective against fatal infections such as tuberculosis and MRSA?
Allicin is the most powerful medicinal compound derived from garlic and provides the greatest reputed health benefits.
Allicin does not occur in "ordinary" garlic, it is produced when garlic is finely chopped or crushed. The finer the chopping and the more intensive the crushing, the more allicin is generated and the stronger the medicinal effect.
Allicin starts to degrade immediately after it is produced, so its medical effectiveness decreases over time. Cooking speeds up this degradation and microwaving appears to destroy allicin totally and eliminate any health benefits.
*** So you should either add garlic to your meals RAW, or only cook for 1-2 minutes!
So for the most powerful medicinal effect, crush a little raw garlic and combine with the cooked food shortly before serving. **Don't overdo it - too much can produce irritation of and possibly even damage to the digestive tract. Remember too that raw, crushed garlic also has the most powerful flavour!
Some information found at:Allicin Facts
Garlic Central
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