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Seafood Salad

The Golden Globes are tomorrow night which means one thing: Award Show Season is finally here! After a year packed of movie watching, we can finally see what movies are on the road and destined for Oscar glory. I always try to see most of the movies nominated in the award show season circuit and this year we have a great crop of films. We’ve got some of the big guys back this year, Scorsese with Hugo and Spielberg with Warhorse and Tintin. I’m going to see Hugo in a couple of hours, but I’ve seen Warhorse and it was just beautiful. It should be a strong contender for the cinematography awards. I highly recommend it.

Have you seen any great films this year? The Help (just won 3 Critics Choice Awards) was one of my favourites. A beautiful story was turned into a film that had all the right notes. I laughed and cried, was angry and happy, and in the end, I emerged from the theater seeing some awards on the horizon for Viola Davies and Octavia Spencer. And then Meryl shows up. It’s going to be a tight race this year, with the ever amazing, and my favourite actress, Meryl Streep as Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg in the race for Best Actress. The Golden Globes will be a great precursor to who is going to get those coveted Oscar nominations, I’ll bet on Meryl getting a nomination. She’s an Academy favourite, she’s had 16 nominations.

I won’t even touch on Best Actor. How someone can pick between Clooney, DiCaprio, Gosling and Pitt is beyond me. They are all my favourites. With special attention going to Leo and Ryan. We’re on a first name basis. Yep…I wish.

Alright, enough blabbering about film, let’s get to the recipe. So here’s the deal. I love to host Oscar parties. I spend hours picking out my Oscar menu, the way some spend hours picking out their Superbowl menus. This year I have six recipes to share that I will be serving at my Oscar party, and I will be posting them weekly up until The Big Night; along with some thoughts on the race, the films and of course the style! The first recipe in the spread is a Seafood Salad, a little fancy and delicious.

Seafood Salad (serves 6)
Recipe by Lou

Ingredients

For the salad

1 cup diced red pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
2/3 lb frozen raw seafood medley, thawed
1/2 lb frozen precooked shrimp, thawed
1/2 cup chopped Kalamata olives
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

Dressing

4 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
2 tbsp dried basil
1/4 tsp hot chili flakes
2 tbsp chopped sundried tomatoes
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tbsp capers, chopped

Directions

Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the red peppers and cook for 5-8 minutes.

Next, add the raw seafood medley to the pan and continue cooking with red peppers for 5-7 minutes.

Remove from heat, pour into a bowl and add the chopped olives and tomatoes.

Meanwhile, prepare the dressing by whisking together all of the dressing ingredients.

Pour over salad ingredients, stirring to coat. Cover and set in the fridge for at least 2 hours for flavors to combine.

Who else is planning on throwing an Oscar party? Looking for menu ideas? Check Living Lou weekly for a new Oscar Party recipe!

- Lou

Top Recipes from 2011

I can’t believe that 2011 is coming to an end. It was such a big year for both myself and for Living Lou. Lots of beginnings and endings. May was an interesting month, the down side was that I was rejected from my top school and completely crushed, and on the up side I decided to take the leap and get Living Lou its own domain and make the big switch from Blogger to WordPress! In June, I graduated from high school, which was both exciting, terrifying and sad. It wasn’t until July that I decided to go to the college which I currently study at, and it was also in July that I was able to start volunteering on sets in the film industry.

September brought some exciting news as I began my journey as a Health and Wellness Blogger for The Kit as well as beginning my college experience, finally December brought the end of the year and the most wonderful Christmas I have ever had!

And now, to round up a wonderful year, here are the top 10 recipes, starting with 10!

10. Sweet and Spicy Salmon

9. Poached Chicken Breasts

8. Spicy Sweet Potato Fries

7. Crustless Spinach Quiche

6. Baked Salmon Cakes

5. Spinach Risotto

4. Slow Cooker Chili with Sweet Potatoes

3. Whole Wheat Pumpkin Pancakes

2. Flourless Chocolate Cake

1. Shredded Chicken Tacos

So there you have it, the top 10 recipes from 2011. I can’t wait to see what’s to come in the new year – what would you like to see on Living Lou in 2012?

I would like to thank each and every one of my readers for joining me in 2011, and I am hoping you will continue to stop by and grow with me and Living Lou in 2012.

All the best,

Lou

Japanese Spiced Salmon

Time is hard to come by these days. It seems like we’re always running from one thing to the next. Constantly in motion, trying to cram everything we can into 24 hours. At least that’s where I am right now.

With the end of the semester just a week and a half away, I’m deep in essays, midway through the editing process of video assignments and trying to prepare myself to study for finals. To be honest, the end of November and beginning of December is definitely not the most wonderful time of the year. It is completely draining. There is a light at the end of the tunnel though, and that comes on December 9th when I have an entire month off before classes resume. That means that it’s time to go crazy with holiday baking. What’s everyone planning on baking this year? I have some yummy new recipes up my sleeve and of course I’ll be making some of my favourite old classics like Ginger Molasses Cookies and Chocolate Snow Caps.

I also have a fun announcement! I was picked as one of four blogs as Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution Blogs of the Month for the month of November 2011! As a big fan of his Food Revolution, and someone who focuses on healthy eating and living, I’m so excited and honored to have been chosen!

Speaking of being healthy, we all know that salmon is one of the healthiest proteins out there. It’s easy and quick to cook and so satisfying. If you know me, you know that I’m not usually one who buys pre-made spice mixes, especially if you can just make them at home. However, as with most rules, especially French grammar rules, there are a couple of exceptions. Those exceptions include a Japanese 7-spice blend and Chinese 5-spice blend. I don’t use the individual spices enough on their own to warrant having an entire jar or bag of each, so having a pre-made mix is ideal. These mixes can be found in most grocery stores and they add great flavor to your dishes.

Japanese Spiced Salmon (serves 5-7)
Recipe by Lou

Ingredients

2 lbs salmon fillets
3 tsp soya sauce
3 tsp orange juice
3/4 tsp ginger
2 1/2 tsp Japanese 7 spice powder (For Canadians, I like President’s Choice Shichimi Togarashi 7-spice Blend)
1/2 tsp mustard powder
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place salmon on a lightly greased baking dish skin side down.

Whisk all remaining ingredients together and brush on top of the salmon fillets.

Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Super easy and delicious – Japanese Spiced Salmon is definitely another salmon dish to add to your repertoire!

- Lou

Baked Salmon Cakes

I really love salmon, it’s definitely one of my favourite things to eat, so it’s pretty surprising that I’ve never tried a salmon cake. I’ve always just been a fan of the classic, baked salmon. The one that melts in your mouth, and is flavored with whatever your mind can imagine. However, I get bored easily, so I’m always trying to find new ways to eat my favourite things.

I was watching The Food Network one morning, and on the show I was watching they were making salmon cakes, they looked so easy, affordable and tasty. Something that could be flavored however you wanted, maybe I would make some spicy salmon cakes packed with hot sauce and hot peppers and chili powder, or I would make savory salmon cakes with bacon and cheese, or maybe I would go with these salmon cakes, a more basic and perfect way to get into salmon cakes. I’ve created a flavor combination that just works, the capers and Dijon add a nice, salty and tangy addition to the sweet and healthy sweet potato, the hot sauce adds a little bit of a kick and the panko creates a nice crunchy crust without frying. These are healthy, easy and delicious, perfect for a weeknight meal.

Baked Salmon Cakes (makes 8 salmon cakes)
Recipe by Lou

Ingredients

1 medium sweet potato, peeled and boiled
1 green onion, sliced
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
zest of 1/2 lemon
2 tbsp mayonnaise
1 egg, whisked
1/4 +2/3 cup of panko bread crumbs
3/4 tsp hot sauce
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp paprika
1 tbsp chopped capers
2 6 oz (180g) cans of wild salmon
olive oil for pan

Directions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook peeled sweet potato until just fork tender, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine green onion, parsley, lemon zest, mayonnaise, egg, 1/4 cup panko bread crumbs, hot sauce, Dijon mustard, paprika, chopped capers and canned salmon in a large bowl. Once sweet potato is cooked, add to bowl and mash the mixture together.

Form the mixture into 8 patties using your hands, then bread patties in the remaining 2/3 cup of panko. And place on a greased baking sheet. Spray one side of the patties with cooking spray.

Bake for 5-7 minutes in the oven, before flipping patties over and cooking for another 5 minutes. Finally, turn on the broiler and broil patties for 2 minutes – this helps to get them nice and crunchy.

I hope you enjoy these salmon cakes, they are one of my favourite things right now, I served mine with lots of hot sauce and some Spicy Broccoli.

- Lou

Sweet and Spicy Salmon

Salmon is one of my favourite proteins to cook with because there are so many things you can do with it. This Sweet and Spicy Salmon is probably one of my ultimate favourite ways to enjoy salmon, it’s such a quick and simple staple meal that it has never crossed my mind to share it with you. Well, don’t worry, those days are over. You can now sigh a happy sigh of relief. With just four ingredients, yes I said four, you can have this salmon on the table in just 21 minutes.

Can you imagine, getting home from work/school at 7:40pm only to realize that there are only 20 minutes until Grey’s Anatomy starts! What are you going to have for dinner? There’s not enough time so you think to pull out one of those sodium stuffed frozen meals, well friends, please don’t do that. With only a couple of minutes of prep time you’ll be eating your salmon in no time. As far as side dishes go, anything from my Side Dishes category would do, but my personal favourites are this quick and easy 5 minute Spiced Couscous or these quick Green Beans in Vinaigrette.

Sweet and Spicy Salmon (serves 4)
Recipe by Lou

Ingredients

1 lbs skin on salmon fillets
2 1/2 tbsp honey mustard
3/4 tsp chipotle hot sauce
1/2 tsp sriracha sauce (a hot chili sauce)
1/4 tsp dijon mustard

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Grease a baking dish and place salmon skin side down on dish. Combine whisk together remaining ingredients and brush over salmon.

Bake for 20 minutes or until fully cooked.

This salmon should melt in your mouth and has the perfect balance of sweet and spicy.

- Lou

Seafood Salad

Top Recipes from 2011

Japanese Spiced Salmon

Baked Salmon Cakes

Sweet and Spicy Salmon

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