Summer Sardine Sandwich and a Grilled Corn and Black Bean Salad

 

When it comes to wild-caught fish that sport those ever so famous fats that support brain, eye, and cardiovascular health, yes...they really could be the kings of fat when it comes to us humans...DHA and EPA as we have named them, sardines don't usually make the list of entree worthy fishies.  That's right, we usually think of sardines as the poor little guys who give their precious fat up to a little gelatin capsules that we can swallow in order to reap the benefits of the fabulous fats without having to really "eat" anything at all.  Anyway....I love tuna salad, but the more briny fishiness of sardines combined with some fresh garlic and red onion, the juice of a lime, and a little olive oil I thought would make for a sandwich spread that would have so much flavor when paired with some crustily toasty bread that I had to make it a reality.  That's when I woke up in the middle of the canned meat aisle at the grocery in a puddle of my own drool and realized that it was almost time for dinner.  OK, so I got to the house and mixed up 8 sardine fillets with a small clove of garlic, a quarter of a red onion chopped finely, I squirted some lime juice up in the mix and added some Dijon mustard and black pepper.  For just a tad of sweetness and extra flavor I added several tablespoons of pineapple juice and mixed it all up and threw it in the fridge for the flavors to come together.  

So in the meantime, seeing that it is pretty much summer...it's time to take some stuff to the grill.  I decided to blog an awesome roasted corn and bean salad.  This is a really easy little something to make that provides a load of veggies and complimentary amino acids with corn and black beans contributing their proteins to the mix.  So, I grilled some corn, tomatoes, and green pepper first.

To complete the roasted corn and black bean salad, I trimmed the corn off of the cobs and I peeled the tomato and pepper skins away from the meat of them both.  I gave a rough chop to the pepper and tomatoes and threw all of this in a bowl with two cans of black beans.  I'm usually a big fan of soaking beans for 24 hours and then cooking them on the stove, but guess what....tonight I bought two cans from the grocery.



  I chopped the rest of that red onion from before, threw it in the mix, and then drizzled a little olive oil over that with the juice of a lime, some salt, pepper, cumin, and chili powder and tossed it all up and called it done.  So, I got my sardine spread out and gave it a taste - craziness - salty and sweet with the hints of raw garlic and onion throughout but balanced by the pineapple that came through subtly.  I just needed two crunchy slices of bread and some lettuce and mater to bring this intriguing little sandwich to life.  I'm glad I did, and I hope my brain, eyes, and little arteries are glad too for getting them lots of little DHA and EPA to feast on.  By the way, I used Udi's gluten free whole grain bread. 

Don't think you can do sardines?  I'm willing to bet this would be good with canned tuna or salmon also.

Whoa, has it been too long to post about some potatoes?

So, it's been a long time and I didn't realize how much I missed the simple act of sitting here and writing about the most exciting part of our days...eating good food.  As I have looked back through this blog with time to reflect on how the ways my own eating habits have changed and cycled, I have watched as I have come full circle, squarely landing on whole foods with plants as the star center.  I think it's easy to over-think our diets today as our options for food have expanded way way way beyond what would be available to scavenge from the woods, and disease and the media have stretched our perceptions about how almost every food can kill us and how every food can heal us...the dilemma is bigger now than ever.  Stress takes over our lives and we forget how to enjoy the very wonderful and powerful pleasure of gently preparing whole ingredients in to a sensual experience that nourishes our bodies and minds and keeps us healthy for what may come...which is life, but in these times we are consuming foods that prepare us less and are we living lives that demand more.  OK, so enough of the little black letters that depending on what mood you're in might make sense or might sound like a bunch of rubbish...I am sorry to those who enjoy reading my posts since it has been so long, but that little thing called LIFE has really been taking a toll on me lately but I am proud to say that even though it's about 8 years late, I have graduated from Clemson University with a bachelor's degree in Food Science with a focus in dietetics...woohoo!!!  I have missed this blog and I regret not committing more time to keeping it fresh, so for that I will expand my horizons while always keeping it simple from now on.  I encourage anyone reading these posts to share with me your own experiences so that we can all learn about eating, living, gardening, and feeling well.  I'll kick it off with a fast and fresh recipe that is straight from the garden...Herb Roasted Taters with Oregano, Purple Basil, and Dill.

Alright, this happens to be my favorite way to eat potatoes.  I should have some red potatoes to harvest out in the garden, but I used some that I had in the kitchen this time.  However, my red basil, oregano, and dill are straight from the garden, and if I had a few goats or a dairy cow I might have made the yogurt too, but the Greek yogurt on the side here came from Trader Joe's and I'm pretty sure it is better than any yogurt I could make.

So, for these taters, all you need is a sprig or two of fresh herbs...you can pick whatever you like...chop them up fine, quarter about 6-8 small red potatoes, chop a glove of garlic, throw it all in a bowl with 2-3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil and a couple pinches of salt and toss it all together until the herbs coat the potatoes.

  Throw them in a 400 degree preheated oven, skin side down until you can stick a toothpick through the taters with no effort.  Serve 'em up with a nice side of Greek yogurt for dipping and you have yourself a little pre-dinner pleaser that rocks!