Eat, Drink, and Go!

I know it’s been a little bit, I’ll stop starting blogs like that. You get it, life happens, etc… Anyhoo, I got a new spiralizer yesterday and had to try it out. My last one wasn’t sogreat and  eventually just stopped working. It was the “as seen on tv” Vegetti. So I upgraded to one by OXO and upon first use, I have a great impression. I picked some goodies to spiralize – beets and zucchini – and went to town. I had plenty of lime and cilantro on hand and a good hunk of salmon, so here goes…

The spiralizer is a little intimidating with all the pieces and blades spinning, but this one was easy and all parts are washable. Just follow the directions. Up first – zucchini noodles, or as we say in the industry, Zoodles. Lol. 

Then beets. If you don’t already know, beets are great for you. However, their color, while beautiful, is extremely pervasive. It will stain. It will color everything you cook, so if you don’t want to pink out, be sure to keep em separated! On to spiralizing the beets. 

Easy peasy! Raw beets aren’t good, in my opinion, so you gotta boil, roast or otherwise soften them up. I went with a sautée/braise kinda thing. Starting with some chopped up cilantro and red opinions. 

I tossed them in my copper chef pan (love it) with a jalapeño lime oil by ExtravaGonzo. Great stuff – spicy but not too spicy. 

Then I added a hefty squeeze of fresh lime. Almost half, and squeezed the rest of that half over a little cilantro I set aside for the salmon. 

Get that sautéed a little and then add the beet noodles. 

I added white wine, about 3/4 cup, to liquidate things and then covered to cook. Check on the beets til they get to where you want. I left mine a little crunchy. If you like them softer, just use more liquids or even boil them and then just strain and toss in the flavors. 

I also added a little Makrut Lime-Leaf Infused Maple Syrup by Runamok to sweeten the beets up. You can use regular maple syrup, but if you happen to be able to get your hands on the good stuff, definitely go for it! 

After finishing the beets, I rinsed the pan so as not to color everything thereafter (see above). I added a little EVOO and threw in the zoodles. 

Tossed them with some black pepper, a light sprinkle of salt, and a little more lime juice.  Don’t cook the zoodles too much because they have a high shrink factor- I just sautéed them for maybe two minutes on a mid-high heat. 

I seasoned the salmon skin with black pepper and salt. I used a lime infused salt to go with all the limeness I was playing with, but also because I had it. You know I have a ridiculous array of salts. Sear skin side down for a nice crisp. 

I added cilantro and little squeeze of lime on the flesh side of the salmon. 

Flip once for a light sear on the flesh, but just a quick hit.  Check out that sear on the skin – you want to have a good crisp on them. Ignore the touch of beet juice (no I didn’t cut myself and bleed on the salmon, but fair question if you were asking!). 

Flip back to skin side for a finish, the skin can handle more cooking and I like mine real crisp so it cracks when you dig the fork in. 

I never used to like salmon out, but when I started cooking it myself, I realized that was because a lot of time it’s over cooked. So I try to be really careful not to overcook it. It just needs to turn to the light pinkish color throughout and then it’s done. Or at least done enough that I haven’t gotten food poisoning yet!  Anyhoo, I placed the veggie noodles down first. 

Then topped with the seared salmon. 

I squeezed more fresh lime juice over the whole dish and then drizzled more of the Runamok syrup on top of the salmon. I like a hit of something sweet on my salmon. 

This came out deliciously light, yet complex. The fresh lime and cilantro shined brightly, the jalapeño oil in the beets gave a little bite, and the textures were simply delightful!! 

I highly recommend getting a good spiralizer and turning your veggies into something exciting. And trying to fool yourself into thinking they’re pasta noodles!! But really, this is fun stuff that is both healthy and delicious, so I heavily endorse it!! Kids love it too.