Salmon Sushi

Supermarket shopping rarely fills me with delight, but this week I discovered that one of our local stores stocks roasted seaweed sheets, pickled ginger, wasabi sauce and sushi rice. Sushi rolls were an occasional treat for me when I lived in the UK, but here in rural Ontario they are not something I get to eat very often. This was my first ever attempt at making my own (which is why they look a bit rustic!) and I was pleased to discover that once made, this came in nicely under the calorie limit for a fasting day.

Recipe for Salmon sushi (serves 5)

Ingredient	Calories per serving
1¼ cups sushi rice	169
1 asparagus spear	1
1lb/450g salmon	187
4 tbsp rice vinegar	8
1 tbsp maple syrup or honey	10
4 roasted seaweed sheets	8
½ cucumber, peeled and cut into long slices	6

Total calories per serving: 390

Method: Cook the rice in one and a half cups of water for about five minutes (I added the asparagus spear for the last two minutes to cook it through). Turn off the heat and let the remaining water be absorbed by the rice. Meanwhile, cook the salmon fillet by grilling/broiling it for about 8 minutes, turning once. Allow the salmon to cool and then slice it into approximately half-inch/1cm slices. Fold the vinegar and maple syrup/honey into the rice and allow to cool.

Spread out some plastic wrap and place a seaweed sheet on top of it, shinier side down. Pat a quarter of the rice over the lower two-thirds of the seaweed sheet. Arrange a slice or two of the salmon across the middle of the rice, with a line of cucumber batons (or the asparagus spear) next to it.

Roll up the plastic wrap and gently turn up the edge of the seaweed to enclose the rice, pressing the roll together as you go, until you have covered all the rice and used up all the seaweed. Put the roll in the fridge, still covered in the plastic wrap, until you are ready to eat. Repeat the process with the other three sheets of seaweed and remaining ingredients.

When you want to serve the meal, remove the plastic wrap, and cut the long rolls into six shorter ones with a sharp knife. I had leftover salmon and cucumber, so just served these alongside the sushi rolls with soy sauce, wasabi and pickled ginger on the side.

Carrot, Lentil and Coriander Soup

The perennial and annual herbs are putting forth strong growth in the recent warm weather. This recipe makes the most of one of each: celery-flavoured lovage and fresh zingy cilantro (also known as coriander).

Recipe for Carrot, lentil and Coriander/cilantro soup (serves 2)

Ingredient	Calories per serving
1 tsp butter or oil	17
1 onion, diced	22
4 medium carrots, diced	50
1 sprig lovage, chopped	0
¼ cup red lentils	85
500ml vegetable stock	10
big handful of cilantro/coriander	3

Total calories per serving: 185

Method: Melt the butter in a pan and add the onion, cooking over a low heat until softened. Stir in the chopped carrots and lovage (you could use celery in place of the lovage), cook for a further minute or two and then add the stock and lentils. Bring to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes, or until the carrot pieces are tender. Remove from the heat, add the coriander/cilantro and liquidise the soup to a chunky consistency (or smooth, if you prefer) in a blender.

Poached Egg and Asparagus

I didn’t have my camera to hand so I’ve stolen borrowed this image from the HeraldScotland website. This dish  is simple, delicious and very low in calories for a fasting day lunch!

Recipe for Poached egg and asparagus (serves 2)

Ingredient	Calories per serving
2 very fresh eggs	63
180g (20 smallish spears) asparagus	18

Total calories per serving: 80

Method: Steam the asparagus for about 5 minutes or until tender. Bring a pan of water to a simmer and break in the eggs. Cook the eggs for 2 minutes, then arrange the asparagus spears on two plates and lift the eggs onto them. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Tuna, Egg and Asparagus Salad

The asparagus in my garden is just starting to send up the first shoots of the season. But they’re very slim and there isn’t enough to make a proper meal of them yet, so here I’ve added them to what is basically a de-constructed tuna mayonnaise sandwich.

Recipe for Tuna, egg and asparagus salad (serves 2)

Ingredient	Calories per serving
2 eggs	63
1 tbsp olive oil	60
2 slices wholemeal bread, cut into cubes	82
50g thin asparagus spears, cut into short lengths	5
1 can albacore tuna	70
1 clove garlic, crushed	2

Total calories per serving: 280

Method: Put the eggs in a pan of water, bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a frying pan and then shallow fry the cubes of bread with the asparagus until the bread is crispy, adding the garlic towards the end of the cooking time. Then flake the tuna into a large bowl, stir in the bread and asparagus and serve garnished with the peeled hardboiled eggs, cut into quarters.

Fish Pie with Dill and Oat Crumble

This recipe is knocking at the upper limit, calorie-wise, for a fasting day. But the wholemeal flour and the oats in the crumble topping will help to keep you full for a good few hours after eating, which wouldn’t be the case if you put the more traditional mashed potato on top.

Recipe for Fish pie with dill and oat crumble (serves 5)

Ingredient	Calories per serving
200g smoked cod fillets	40
350g haddock fillets	56
250g cooked peeled prawns/shrimp	59
300ml milk	31
25g butter	36
25g plain/all-purpose flour	18
90g butter	129
90g wholemeal flour	56
90g rolled oats	68
a few sprigs of dill, chopped	3

Total calories per serving: 495

Method: Place the cod and haddock in a saucepan with the milk, bring to a simmer and cook for five minutes. Remove from the heat and lift the fish out of the milk and into a deep ovenproof dish, flaking it into bite-sized pieces as you go. Melt the 25g butter in another saucepan and stir in the flour, cooking over a low heat for a minute or two. Gradually add the milk from the first pan and stir until thickened into a sauce. Season with salt and pepper to your taste, then pour the sauce over the fish and stir in the cooked prawns/shrimp.

Make the crumble by rubbing the 90g of butter into the flour by hand or (much easier) mixing them together in a food processor. Then stir in the oats and the dill and pile the crumble mixture on top of the fish. If making in advance, you can chill the dish in the fridge.

Cook in a pre-heated oven for 30 minutes at 350°F/180°C, until the top is golden brown and the sauce is bubbling at the edges of the dish. If cooking from chilled, the dish will need 45 minutes to reach the same point.

Almond and Lemon Couscous

This is a very easy side dish for a fasting day: filling and tasty, too! It would serve four as a main course (at around 240 calories).

Recipe for Almond and lemon couscous (serves 5)

Ingredient	Calories per serving
1 cup wholemeal couscous	130
½ cup flaked almonds	54
1½ cups stock	3
zest and juice of half a lemon	2

Total calories per serving: 190

Method: Dry-roast the almond slices in a frying pan over a medium heat, stirring occasionally, until they are golden brown. Heat the stock to boiling point and pour over the dry couscous. Stir and leave to rest until the water has all been absorbed, then stir in the almonds and lemon.

Maple Vanilla Gelato

Realistically, you probably won’t want to use up 240 of your fasting-day calories on a dessert. But I’m including this here because it proves that not all delicious desserts have to be dripping with calories.

Recipe for Maple vanilla gelato (serves 4)

Ingredient	Calories per serving
1 litre/4 cups milk (2% fat)	129
1 vanilla pod (or 1 tsp vanilla extract)	0 (3)
¼ cup maple syrup (or sugar)	51 (48)
4 eggs	63

Total calories per serving: 240

Method: Split the vanilla pod (if using) with a knife and put in a pan with the milk and maple syrup/sugar. Heat the milk to boiling point and then leave to infuse for ten minutes or so. Break the eggs into a blender and whizz until smooth (this avoids having lumps of egg white in the finished desert). Reheat the milk until hot and pour over the eggs. Return the mixture to the saucepan and heat over a medium flame, stirring constantly, until it thickens enough to coat the back of the spoon. Remove from the heat and place in a bowl over some ice cubes to cool it down before freezing according to your ice cream maker’s instructions (add vanilla extract at this point, if that’s what you’re using).

Smoked Mackerel Paté

Recipe for Smoked mackerel paté (serves 4)

Ingredient	Calories per serving
80g smoked mackerel fillets	62
100g cream cheese	87
3 tbsp plain yoghurt (2% fat)	35
2 tbsp lemon juice	2
Small bunch of dill	2
Freshly ground pepper	0

Total calories per serving: 190

Method: Remove any skin from the mackerel fillets and put them in a food processor with the other ingredients. Blend to a slightly lumpy consistency. I served these with the home made tortilla chips I’ve made before (one tortilla brushed with butter and sprinkled with poppy seeds is about 180 calories).

Shrimp Chow Mein

Recipe for Shrimp chow mein (serves 4)

Ingredient	Calories per serving
3 tbsps soy sauce	6
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed	2
1 lb/454g raw peeled shrimp/prawns	135
170g dry noodles	140
1 tbsp oil	30
1 medium onion, peeled and sliced	11
160g broccoli, cut into florets	11

Total calories per serving: 335

Method: Combine the shrimp/prawns with two tablespoons of the soy sauce and the crushed garlic and leave on one side to marinate. Cook the noodles according to the packet instructions and steam the broccoli. Heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan and then cook the onion. Stir in the prawns/shrimp and broccoli and when the seafood is cooked through, add the drained noodles and the remaining tablespoon of soy sauce. Stir until warmed through and then serve.

Poached Egg and Wilted Greens on Toast

At this time of year I’m just starting to get some fresh green leaves from our greenhouse. In this recipe I’ve used blood-veined sorrel (also called Bloody Dock), parsley and a shoot of young garlic, but you could use spinach, kale, chard or any other dark green leaf. The sorrel is a very hardy plant and the young leaves have a tart, lemony flavour which I think goes particularly well with the rich creaminess of the egg.

Recipe for Poached egg and wilted greens on toast (serves 1)

Ingredient	Calories per serving
1 slice wholemeal bread	81
1 very fresh egg	63
1 tsp butter	34
20g (a handful) of sorrel or spinach leaves	4
a few sprigs of parsley	5
1 green garlic shoot or a spring onion, finely sliced	5
salt and pepper	0

Total calories per serving: 195

Method: Toast the bread while you bring a small pan of water to a gentle simmer. Poach the egg for two minutes and, in the meantime, heat the butter in another pan and gently cook the green ingredients until the leaves have just wilted. Then assemble and enjoy!