Seared Salmon with Lentils and Vegan Mushroom Sauce
Ingredients
Salmon
Salmon filets
Olive Oil (for pan)
Salt+Pepper (added before and during cooking)
Lime (drizzled on about halfway through cooking)
Vegan Mushroom sauce
Sliced mushrooms
Soy or coconut cream
Sautée mushrooms in olive oil or coconut oil. Once crispy and cooked through, addd cream, S+P and stir until reduced and thickened slightly.
Lentils
Lentils (1/4 a cup uncooked beans per person)
Bay Leaf
Rosemary
Chicken or vegetable bouillon cube if you don't have stock
Pepper (and salt if foregoing the already salt bouillon)
Water for boiling
Soak dry lentils for one hour with S+P and other herbs such as rosemary and bay leaf. Cove with water in a saucepan and boil for 15-20 minutes. Add spices, herbs, or bouillon cube if desired.
My Vegetable Cooking Tips
To add more flavor to vegetable sautés and purés, add caramelized onions.
Caramelize onions by first adding a few tablespoons of oil and then add in a liquid: Let the onions sizzle in the oil until their outsides begin to crisp up. Then add a splash of water or chicken broth. Once the liquid absorbs into the onions, and they begin to stick to the pan again, add another splash of water or broth. This will bring out the natural sugars in the onion and give them that shiny, caramelized texture and flavor.
Don't be afraid to use (healthy) fat. Oils assist in the body's absorption of nutrients in vegetables. They also add a depth of flavor needed to bring out the full taste of the vegetables.
Treat vegetables like meats. Marinate them, use fats and add wine to sautés, salt and pepper before cooking, etc.
Use meat and fish sauces on vegetables and serve as a main dish.
Before oven roasting or grilling, marinate vegetables in wine or a brine.
Add vinegars to vegetable dishes. White wine vinegar, balsamic, lime and lemon juice.
When sautéing vegetables, add a dash of water towards the end of the cooking process to create a nice glaze.
Garlic paired with vegetables is always a good idea.
