Crusted Sesame Almond Salmon and Pumpkin Potato Purée

I have said it many time that diet food should not be bland and monotonous.  My family were licking their fingers when they ate this dish and characterized it as “gourmet”.

There will be many temptations during the holidays so why not cook something healthy but delicious that only you will know that this is diet food. The preparation and cooking is done in no time, provided you have roasted the pumpkin beforehand.

I hope that you like salmon because it’s my favourite fish and as I have been eating it often, now that I am on a diet, each time making it different and with a different side dish, so I have a few more recipes to share.

Salmon is considered as “fatty fish” so it is not recommended for a gallbladder diet.   You can replace it with other grilled or baked fish.  The same recipe can be made using perch but without too many spices.   

Another vegetable I am now  in love with is roasted pumpkin or rather butternut squash.  A few days ago I bought one again, this time it was bigger, so I have stored some in the deep freezer.    I already have so many ideas how to use it.

When I was preparing the puree, I decided to add halloumi, which is salty, to balance the sweet taste of pumpkin.   Halloumi is quite fatty  but the amount I used is not that much and instead of using whole milk and butter, I opted to add some light milk instead and a combination of olive oil and olive oil margarine.

 

Crusted  Sesame Almond Salmon, recipe by Ivy

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 30 minutes

Serves: 3

Ingredients:

• 1 salmon fillet (about 500 grams)
• 2 tbsp olive oil

For the crust:

• 2 tablespoons roasted sesame seeds
• 2 tablespoons almonds
• 2 rusks or 3 tablespoons dried breadcrumbs
• 4 tbsp spice mixture

Directions:

1. Wash, dry and cut salmon into servings.
2. In a spice grinder add the almonds and rusks and powder.  Mix the spices with the crushed nuts and bread crumbs to combine.  Coat the salmon on both sides.
3. In a sautéing pan heat 2 tablespoons olive oil and sauté the salmon, skin facing down for about 5 minutes until browned and then turn on the other side as well and cook for a couple of minutes.
4. Transfer to a preheated oven to 180^o C / 350^o F and cook for 5 more minutes.

I am adding butternut squash to my diet menu, as it is a flavorful addition to any healthy diet. The health benefits are many:  It has no fat or cholesterol, it is a good source of fiber, it is full of anti-oxidants, especially Vitamin A and beta-carotene. It also contains Vitamin C, which also helps the immune system.

I made the pumpkin puree exactly the way I make mashed potatoes with the exception that I added halloumi and mixed in the pumpkin puree.   It passed my mind to add some heavy or light cream but I preferred to keep it lower on calories.   I must say that I did not expect it to be so much better than plain mashed potatoes.

 

Pumpkin Potato Purée

Preparation time: 5 minutes

Cooking time: 30 minutes

Serves: 3

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butternut squash puree
• 3 medium potatoes
• 1 tbsp olive oil based margarine
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• ½ cup grated halloumi
• Salt
• Freshly grated black pepper
• A pinch of nutmeg
• Milk

Directions:

1. Roast butternut squash.
2. Peel potatoes and cut into wedges.  Put them in a saucepan and cover with water.  Bring to boil, lower heat and simmer until soft.
3. Drain potatoes.  Using a hand mixer ora potato masher puree the potatoes.  Add margarine and olive oil and mix until the margarine has melted.  Stir in pumpkin, halloumi,  nutmeg, salt and pepper and mix.  Add milk a little at a time and mix until it reaches the consistency you prefer.  It should neither be too stiff or too watery.

 

Recipe adapted for Gallbladder Diet

Disclaimer:   I’m not a doctor, I’m not a surgeon and I’m not a dietician.  Each person may have different symptoms, so please consult your doctor before following this diet. 

Pumpkin Potato Purée

Preparation time: 5 minutes

Cooking time: 30 minutes

Serves: 3

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butternut squash puree
• 3 medium potatoes
• 1 tbsp olive oil 
• Salt
• A pinch of nutmeg
• Low fat Milk

Directions, same as above

Kopiaste and Kali Orexi,

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Kolokythopita me Myzithra (Greek Savory Pumpkin Pie)

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