Salmon Sunday, etc.

The date is December 13, 2009, in Tel Aviv today it is 20 degrees celsius which is ludicrous, since I am a Toronto girl, used to -21 degree weather at this time of year, so it is a big adjustment! It's been a good weekend, I got my nose pierced and spent a few hours colouring in Christmas themed colouring pages in an attempt to birth some christmas spirit among the sunshine and palm trees *sigh*, it's hard to believe I am craving cold weather and snow!

Today, despite the pleasant weat

her, I was craving comfort food of some sort, and I thought why not attempt a baked salmon? I was feeling extra brave today since the stuffed peppers with rice and vegetables, and the brown sugar and cinnamon baked apples worked just smashingly the night before! (Due to a copious amount of wine drinking, post baking, I didn't take pictures, Oops! I'll be more diligent in the future :) )

Anyhow, the salmon was baked in the toasted oven with a Lime, Hon

ey and Soya Sauce glaze, and it was so delicious! Now, it cooked for a little longer than the recipe calls for, so it took a few attempts at taking the fish out, cutting it open and putting it back in - but by the end it was tender and juicy, and not too fishy, which is always the worry!

Along side that, I made Roasted garlic (roasted also in the magic toaster oven!!) smashed potatoes, without any butter, cream, or anything - they were also fabulous with just a bit of salt and pepper and dried basil to taste. All in all it was a wonderful meal, just as comforting as I had hoped! :) I've finished the weekend on a high note, ready and waiting to see what culinary adventures the week brings me.

I've found myself a boyfriend here, in my 7

month stay; He is an officer in the army, and as you can imagine, he doesn't get much delicious food, and so one of my enjoyments is to bake/cook him large amounts of something to take back to the base for him and his fellow off

icers. He comes to my apartment this thursday and I've promised him brownies - Hopefully I can find a perfect recipe!

Lime, Honey Glazed Salmon

Serves 2:

juice of one lime

zest of one lime

1 tablespoon honey

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1/2 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium shallot, diced

5 oz dry white rice (long grain/jasmine/basmati)

1 2/3 cup chicken stock

2 5-oz salmon fillets

Preheat oven to 450F

Mix together lime juice, zest, honey, cilantro and soy sauce. Place the salmon fillets in the marinade and set aside.

Bake for 6- 8 Minutes, until tender, and slightly soft and bright pink in the center

* In my toaster oven it took more like 15 minutes

Roasted Garlic Smashed Potatoes:

There was no real recipe for this, simply seasoned to taste:

Serves 2:

4 Large Yukon Gold Potatoes (or any other potato of your choice, a startchy one works best)

1 Tablespoon of Olive Oil

Dash of Dried Basil

LOTS of Salt and Pepper (of course to taste)