Cedar Plank Salmon

Salmon is officially my favorite fish. I love it raw as sushi, baked in the oven and grilled. My favorite way to grill it is on a cedar plank. I buy them whenever I find them on sale and I usually pay $1 per board.

I often buy wild caught Pacific salmon from the freezer section at Aldi. When it's grilled on a cedar plank this salmon tastes just as good as grilled salmon at a restaurant.

Cedar Plank Salmon
1 Cedar Plank
4 salmon fillets
1 T. Olive oil
1 t. parsley

Soak the cedar plank in water for at least one hour. Preheat your grill on high for a minimum of 10 minutes. Place the fillets on the wet plank, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with parsley or other herbs. Turn the grill to  medium low and put the plank on the grill. Close your grill and don't look for 10 minutes. Cook until the salmon is no longer shiny or translucent in the middle.  You can see from the before and after pictures below how the finished salmon should look. The flesh should be firm and a little flaky.
* A word of caution: Long ago I did have a cedar plank catch on fire during grilling. I believe it happened because I reused a cedar plank- they can only be used once. Always keep an eye on your grill during cooking and never reuse your plank.

Before- Raw Salmon

After- Grilled Salmon

Grilled Salmon with Steamed Broccoli

Menu Plan 5/7- 5/13

Grilled Salmon with Steamed Broccoli

Once again I'm trying to focus on what's in the pantry and freezer this week and avoid the grocery store. Of course I can't completely ignore shopping as we run out of things on a regular basis but I think I can keep my grocery shopping minimal.

I ran to Trader Joe's today and bought a few necessities. I also visited my CSA farm on Saturday and picked up some early produce so I've got kale for kale chips and leafy lettuce for salads. Tomorrow I'll get my monthly co-op delivery from Azure Standard and I'm expecting 20 pounds of organic apples so I plan to avoid shopping for the rest of week.

Weekly Menu Plan 5/7- 5/13

Monday: Orange Chicken, steamed rice, leafy lettuce salad

Tuesday: Grilled Salmon, quinoa, steamed broccoli

Wednesday: Ravioli with homemade marinara

Thursday: Crockpot roast with carrots & potatoes

Friday: Tacos

Saturday: Pizza

Sunday: Mother's Day so You're On Your Own

Snacks:  Muffins for the freezer, Banana Bread, Simple Kale Chips

I'm linking to Menu Plan Monday at I'm An Organizing Junkie. 

What are you eating this week?

Community Supported Agriculture

On Saturday I took my oldest son Zane and headed to Richmond to visit Green Earth Farm. This year our family bought a CSA share in the farm and we went to visit for the first time and pick up some early produce.

When you are part of a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) you pay an upfront cost at the beginning of the growing season and in exchange you get a weekly share of the farm's crops. This means that from June to October I'll get a weekly box containing a variety of fresh picked heirloom produce that is certified naturally grown.

I first joined a CSA in 2010 and often got vegetables I had never cooked with before. This year I'm more prepared and excited to try new recipes when the weird veggies show up. I'm growing my own garden too and hoping I get lots of good things from it but for variety I'm excited to see what my CSA farm will provide.

First we went to the hoop house to check out what was growing. This hoop house is great for protecting the tender veggies and extending the growing season. Zane was anxious to explore everything so we didn't stay in there long.

Zane took one picture of me...I took thirty of him. That's parenting, right?

Zane enjoyed the tire swing next to the goat pen. A lot of kids were swinging on it at first so he had to wait a while to get it to himself.

There were lots of free range poultry running around. I had to restrain Zane from chasing them.

Here's all the fresh picked produce that was the main reason for our visit. Our kind farmers told us to take as much as we wanted so that's what we did. We had leafy lettuces, kale, swiss chard, mint, chives, thyme and oregano to choose from. I had planned on homemade pizza for dinner Saturday night and it got spiced up when I added oregano and thyme to the toppings and of course we had to added a leafy lettuce salad to the meal..

The weekend outing ended up being just what I needed to calm my soul and get me in touch with nature. It was fun to go with just my oldest son and explore the farm together.

To find a farmers' market or CSA in your area, search the site Local Harvest.