April Resolutions

I know the traditional time to make resolutions is January 1st, but Ben and I seem to miss the boat by a few months each year and our resolutions usually are made in April instead. Last April we resolved to try not eating meat and we've been doing that for over a year now (we still eat fish, but no mammals or poultry).

This April I decided I wanted to do more cooking, and make better food. I have been feeling guilty for a while about the lack of healthy, home cooked meals that come out of my kitchen, and wanted to make better food for Ben and I, and for the girls. Although Fiona is a big fan of toast and frozen pizza, I'd like to branch out a little :-)

I was given the 12 best foods cookbook as a wedding gift, and after reading it like a novel for a few years but never trying any of the recipes, I decided to cook something from it! It's full of recipes made with some of the healthiest, most nutritious foods. For my first attempt, I chose the salmon and creamed corn chowder. Salmon is a really healthy seafood choice because it's full of Omega-3 fatty acids. These fats are thought to reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke, help to lower blood pressure, and may benefit people with rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune diseases.

First we went to the local Co-Op to shop for ingredients for food for the week, and to search for things I've never bought before, like hot smoked/kippered salmon. The difference between this and the usual kind of smoked salmon is that it's more cooked, is solid, and can be flaked easily. The co-op is a fun place to shop because they have more organic foods, and tell you which items are local so you can choose foods which are produced/farmed nearby and not shipped from thousands of miles away.

Here's the salmon after flaking it...

And here's the finished product...

I asked Ben to rate it out of 10, but he had a hard time choosing a number. He said compared to other soup it was an 8. I love soup, so I think compared to all other food it was also an 8. In the scale of 'disaster, questionable, good, repeat, and make for company' it was a 'make for company'. Clearly this is a very scientific scale

It was very quick to make, and really delicious. I'm glad I took the plunge into trying a new recipe and new ingredients. I'm excited to make more new things, and I'm hoping to write about one new meal we tried every week. I was going to call this "meals on Monday" but it's already Tuesday... Oh well.