Zander with lime sweet potatoes & persimmon chutney + my lab results

In finnish: Kuhaa limebataatilla ja persimmon-chutneyllä

Zander is a highly valued fish in Finland known for it's soft, unique flavor. It consequently happens to be one of the most expensive fishes in stores. I love fish, but I am picky when it comes to selecting it. We always buy wild-caught fish, usually species which come from relatively clean waters. This zander has been caught by a family member from a lake not too far away. Next year, we talked about going to fish ourselves.

Clearly, I am not a vegan. To me, eating fish and meat from the nature is natural (in moderation). Since childhood I have disliked red meat, and I doubt I'd ever touch beef or pork. However, though I haven't yet, if the opportunity presented itself I might be interested in trying some organic lamb or wild game. Currently, we eat fish 2-4 times a week and organic chicken maybe once in a blue moon. I serve my 13-month-old daughter organic turkey/chicken 1-2 times a week and fish 2-4 times. This is because I feel strongly that growing children need a lot of vitamin B12 in their diets. She has not had any red meat yet, and we probably won't give her any unless for some reason we were having some organic or wild meat.

Speaking of B12, I had some blood tests done as a part of starting my new job. Here are a few highlights:

B12 = 228 pmol/l (normal range 180-700)

Cholesterol = 3.1 mmol/l (<5)

HDL-Cholesterol (good) = 1.42 mmol/l (>1)

LDL-Choleserol = 1.4 (<3)

GT (indicator of liver health) = 6 (10-45)

TSH (thyroid hormone) = 2.3 (0.3-4.5)

So, even though I am eating fish several times every week and usually eat 1-2 organic eggs a week as well, I still have B12 count on the lower end of normal. I do not supplement, and according to the doctor there is no need to start doing either. But clearly this shows that, if you are a vegan or eat only little meat you should definitely have your values tested. A B12 deficiency can cause permanent brain damage. Other than this, my cholesterol levels, liver tests and hormone tests were to quote the doctor "perfect". The fact that my GT-value is below the normal margin is only good, the higher it is the more likely you are to suffer from a liver condition such as cirrhosis later in life. The thyroid test is also almost exactly in the middle of the range, indicating an optimal level. Maybe it is the coconut oil!

Well, now on to the recipe. I was planning on serving the zander with the sweet potatoes and a persimmon salsa inspired by Yaelian's marinated persimmon salad (in finnish). Unfortunately I discovered that my persimmons were too mushy to be diced in any way, so I decided to make a chutney-type sauce to go with the fish and yams.

Zander fillets:

2 zander fillets

Himalayan salt

freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp dried lemon zest or a little more fresh

organic cold-pressed coconut oil

Warm up the coconut oil in a pan and add lemon zest. Then on medium heat saute the salted and peppered fish fillets until just done, don't overcook. Always keep heat low to avoid destroying the healthy fats in the fish.

Spicy lime sweet potatoes:

2 large sweet potatoes

juice of 2 large limes

1-2 tbsp honey

organic chili powder

Himalayan salt

freshly ground black pepper

organic olive oil

Cut the sweet potatoes into around 1/3 inch thick and wide sticks, squeeze lime juice on top. Add honey, olive oil and other spices. Mix until the seasoning is evenly spread. Bake in a 375F/200C until they have softened but still have a bite to them.

Raw persimmon chutney

3 ripe, mushy persimmons

2 small red onions

2 tbsp fresh parsley

0,5 tsp balsamic vinegar (or raw unfiltered apple cider vinegar)

Himalayan salt

Black pepper

Finely dice the red onions and chop the fresh parsley. Blend persimmons until smooth. Mix in a serving dish with minced onion, vinegar and spices.

I had intended the chutney more for the sweet potatoes, but we were both surprised how well it complemented the fish as well. They all worked well together, but especially the yams and the chutney turned out to be a match made in heaven. Try it out, easy to make and the ingredients are in season!

Hope you all have a nice weekend and like my new blog layout :) I will be posting some recipes that have come out of my dehydrator experiments once I get them all polished and perfected.

Herbed flounder parcels with sundried tomatoes and lemon wedges

Marinade (for 6 small fillets of European flounder):

High-quality, cold pressed olive oil

7 sun dried tomatoes (dry&whole)

lemon zest (organic lemon!)

large clove garlic

dried or fresh chives, thyme, dill

Slice sun dried tomatoes into thin strips, grate garlic and place in a bowl. Grate about the peel of one lemon. Make sure it is organic, at least when you are using the peel. You will never know what it could have been treated with otherwise. Drizzle a fair bit of olive oil on top, you need enough for the tomato strips to pump up. Add the herbs.

Herbed flounder parcels:

the lemon you peeled for the marinade

1 medium red onion

Himalayan salt, ground black pepper

dill, thyme, chives

Salt and pepper the flounder fillets. Place in the center of a square piece of foil/parchment paper, pour marinade on top and add in red onion rings (thinly sliced), lemon wedges and some more herbs. I am not sure about the safety of aluminum foil, so use that with caution. Roll up into parcels and bake in low heat (350F) for 20-30min.

I got the idea of fish "parcels" from Yaelian's interesting blog. She used tilapia and leeks in hers, check that recipe out too!

Here's a pic of the entire plate. The fish is served with mashed sweet potatoes and pumpkin (very briefly steamed, mashed with creamed coconut, spices) and a salad of grated carrot, sprouted red quinoa and raisins. As you can see, most of your plate should consist of veggies, especially raw ones. Always when cooking, pause to think what you actually must cook. Very little things actually need heat! You don't need cooked food every meal, not even every day.And when you do cook, use gentle methods to preserve vital nutrients (steaming for instance). If you haven't thrown out your microwave already, do so immediately. To many this is probably a given, but there are way too many people out there unaware of how they are exposing themselves to harmful radiation and free radicals just by warming up their packed lunches at work.

Tuna steak pasta with pesto and cheesy red pepper sauce

Everything else is raw, except the tuna steak slightly seared. This is a quick and easy recipe packed with flavor. I try to make a slightly fancier meal for us at least once a week, set the table especially nice and light candles. It's a good way for couples like us with a small baby to enjoy a romantic dinner together. Let the baby play by him/herself for a little while (in sight of course!) and take the time to really talk about something else than baby poop :) Here's what's cookin':

For the pasta:

50:50 ratio of fresh parsnips and sweet potatoes

Spiralize peeled veggies into linguine/tagliatelle shape. Dehydrate for a little while, mostly just to get a little tenderness and warmth into the dish. I had them in 110F for as long as it took to make the sauces.

Creamy cheesy red pepper sauce:

1/2 C soaked cashews (30min-1h)

1/2 fresh red bell pepper

Cold-pressed olive oil

Himalayan salt, freshly ground black pepper

Paprika-spice/mild chili powder

Blend cashews and chopped bell pepper, add olive oil until desired consistency and spice up. This is not supposed to be hot and spicy, but rather have a subtle spicy undertone. The sauce gets sort of a mac and cheese type flavor.

Traditional but raw pesto:

1 huge bunch basil

3 tbsp pine nuts

1 clove garlic

1 tbsp nutritional yeast

extra virgin olive oil

Himalayan salt, freshly ground black pepper

Blend and add olive oil until you get the consistency of regular pesto.

Seared tuna steak slices:

2 tuna steaks

2 large cloves garlic

peel of half a lemon

olive oil

Himalayn salt, lots of freshly ground black pepper

Drizzle some olive oil on a frying pan, grate garlic and lemon peel and combine with oil.

Salt and pepper your tuna steaks on both sides, sear on pan until cooked on all sides but raw (pink color) on the inside. Do not cook through (will dry and lose flavor) or brown to create carcinogens. If you have sashimi-grade tuna (i.e. for a fact know that there are no parasites), you could also just slice it thinly and mix it in raw if you like. You can eat the tuna as raw as you like and dare.

Slice up the tuna as thin as possible, combine pasta with cheese sauce. Gently mix tuna slices with pasta, pour a little pesto on top. You could also just mix the pesto sauce right in, that has it's charm as well. If you don't eat fish, I recommend having just the pasta with cheese sauce and enjoying it like mac and cheese.

Raw sushi

I've always loved sushi, but due to my gluten intolerance I can't have soy sauce (even all nama shoyu I've seen has wheat) or wasabi, and since I make a point to avoid soy also miso paste is out. We all know sushi rice is not too healthy and isn't exactly a living food. But how can I replace it, especially without gluten? I've seen people use kamut sprouts, but that again has gluten.. quinoa sprouts alone have a flavor (and texture) not really suitable for sushi. Then one day, when I was making a cauliflower thai spicy "rice" to accompany some chicken breasts (recipe coming), I got the idea of flavoring it like sushi rice and seeing if it would work in sushi rolls. And it did! Ok, texture is a bit different, but it holds together and tastes great.

Sushi "rice":
Cauliflower
Some cashews (more if you want creamier)
White sushi vinegar
Some agave/honey
Raw tahini
Himalayan salt

I "shredded" the cauliflower with my food processor (S-blade) so that it became a finely ground mixture. Then I spiced it up, tasting it afterwards to see what it needed. It's a good idea not to make this too salty, if you are dipping in salty sauces.

Soy-free dipping sauce (not vegan or strictly raw though):
Raw tahini (few heaping spoonfuls)
Thai Fish sauce, some spoonfuls (made of anchovy extract, salt & water, no additives/preservatives)
Water

Blend in a blender. I haven't tried it, but a strict vegan could replace the fish sauce with soy sauce.

Raw Tahini (new and improved!)
1 C unhulled, raw sesame seeds
1/3 C brazil nuts
Cold pressed vegetable oil
Raw & unfiltered apple cider vinegar
Raw, organic honey
Himalayan salt

Process nuts into a powder/butter. Add spices and then pour in oil until desired consistency. I usually make my tahini first, then take out some into a separate jar and add the fish sauce and water to make the dip. It helps clean the blender (gets the oil off the edges).

Remember to buy untoasted, raw & organic nori sheets! They are a bit chewier than their toasted deceased relatives, but it's pretty easy to get used to.

Then feel free to roll in all your favorite fillings. We made some with black lentil sprouts, julienned carrots and avocado. Then we had some fishier ones, with pangasius fillet slices (steamed and spiced with fresh dill, lemon juice, salt, pepper), alfalfa sprouts (home-grown), julienned zucchini and carrot. Of course you can add miso, wasabi or dip in soy sauce if you like. And trust me, after attempting to make sushi without a bamboo mat, you really do not want to go down that road.. they are pretty affordable and worth every penny. We bought ours from Hawaii, and paid like 2 dollars for it. I've seen them go for 3 euros in Finland.

Sorry for not posting for a while, our laptop was getting serviced and I just couldn't bring myself to post with my mini-acer. The screen is so tiny.. and so is my patience with it:)

Creamy tomato soup, dressed up simple salad, coconut-chive steamed salmon

Yesterday night we had a simple but flavorful meal. The soup was improvised on spot, and I was amazed how delicious and creamy it was without any dairy, nuts or avocados. Here's what went into my blender:

Creamy tomato soup for 3
½ Zucchini + some cucumber (depending on how thick you like your soup)
4-5dl raw tomato juice (buy or make your own)
5-6 sundried tomatoes (at least)
1 small red onion
1-3 cloves of garlic (I put all three, my husband loves garlic)
few heaping tablespoonfuls of raw tahini
couple tablespoons of cold pressed olive oil
1-2 tsp raw & unfiltered apple cider vinegar
a fair bit of fresh basil
Himalayan salt & pepper

You may want to cut up the zucchini, onions and cucumber before they go into the blender. The tahini is what makes this soup so delectably creamy. I made my tahini myself, I'm not even sure I could find raw organic tahini anywhere in Finland. Or how much it would cost if it was sold somewhere.

Raw Tahini:
1C raw, unsoaked, unhulled sesame seeds
Himalayan salt to taste
1-2 tsp raw honey
juice of ½ lemon
cold pressed oil (sesame or vegetable) until desired consistency is reached

First blend the sesame seeds alone until they become like a powder. A coffee grinder may also do the trick. Then blend in honey and lemon juice. Finally while the blender is running add oil one drop at a time and stop when the sesame seed butter has reached desired texture.

Simple Salad:
Iceberg
Tomato
Orange
Cucumber
Dark leafy green such as lollo rosso

Lemon poppyseed dressing
1-2 tbsp poppy seeds
juice of ½ lemon
cold pressed vegetable oil
Himalayan salt & pepper

It's amazing how a tasty dressing can work magic even with the most basic salad.

This salmon recipe is of course not raw, but if you are like me and are concerned about your intake of B12 this is a way to add it to your dieth in a healthy way. Needless to say, the flavor of well-prepared salmon... it just happens to be one of my favorites.

Steamed coconut-chive salmon:
As fresh, wildcaught pure salmon you can get
Cold pressed, organic coconut oil
Chives
Himalayan salt & pepper

The idea is to first quickly steam the salmon (don't overcook, leave it juicy!), and then combine with some coconut oil, chopped chives and season it the way you like it. I buy my salmon fresh and whole, chop it up and stick it in the freezer. The head and bones I use to make my own fish broth.

Again, to emphasize what I wrote in the first post: this blog is about eating healthy and balanced, not necessarily 100% raw. My goal is to eat a versatile enough diet that there is no need for supplements.