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Chef And Dietician Partner For Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month

In honor of March being Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month DARNELL ADAMS, Head Chef, and TAYLOR BRIZZEE, Bariatric Dietician from Methodist Hospital | Metropolitan, have come together to create a healthy colon recipe and tips to reduce your risk for colon cancer.

PISTACHIO CRUSTED SALMON WITH A FIG GASTRIQUE SAUCE SERVED OVER A WARM PASTA SALAD (WITH GNOCCHI, SAUTÉED SWISS CHARD, AND KALE WITH PESTO)

Pistachio Crusted Salmon

Ingredients:

• 6oz wild salmon (you could also use another fish if you don’t care for salmon, or chicken if you don’t care for fish)

• Salt and Pepper to taste

• 2 TBS of minced garlic

• 3 TBS of dijon mustard

• ½ cup of honey

• ½ cup of crushed pistachios

• Olive oil

Instructions:

1. Pre-heat your oven to 375 degrees.

2. Prep the salmon by rinsing and patting it dry. Place the salmon on a lined baking sheet and season it with salt and pepper. Set it aside.

3. Make the pistachio topping. In a small bowl, combine garlic olive oil, mustard, lemon juice, and honey. Spread ¾ of the mixture evenly over the salmon. Next, add the pistachios to the remaining mixture and stir to combine. Spoon the pistachio mixture on top of the salmon and press lightly into the salmon using the back of a spoon.

4. Bake the salmon in the preheated oven for 15 minutes until the salmon is flaky. Remove it from the oven and allow it to rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Gnocchi With Saut Ed Swiss Chard And Kale Pesto

Kale Pesto

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of roughly chopped kale leaves

• ¼ cup of fresh mint

• 2 TBS of toasted sunflower seed kernels

• 1 garlic glove

• ¼ cup of grated parmesan cheese

• ½ cup of olive oil

• 1 TSP of lemon juice

• Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions:

Combine the kale, mint, sunflower seeds, garlic, parmesan, olive oil, and lemon juice in a food processor. Pulse it until it’s a fairly smooth paste, scraping the sides as necessary. Season it to taste with salt and pepper, and set it aside.

Gnocchi With Swiss Chard

Ingredients:

• ¼ LB of potato gnocchi

• 1 TBS of butter

• 1 ½ cups of thinly sliced red onion

• 1 TSP of sugar

• 1 TSP of kosher salt

• 4 cups of chopped swiss chard

• 1 TBS of olive oil

Instructions:

1. Cook the gnocchi in a pot of boiling salted water (about 3 TBS of salt per 6 quarts of water) until they are tender or according to the package instructions. Drain the gnocchi then set it aside.

2. In a large non-stick skillet, heat 1 TBS of butter over medium-high heat. Add the onions and sauté to evenly coat the onions with the butter. Cook them, stirring occasionally, until softened (about 10 minutes.) Lower the heat to medium-lo and continue cooking, stirring frequently, until the onions start to caramelize about 10-15 minutes more. Stir in salt and sugar and continue cooking until they are evenly browned.

3. Add the chopped swiss chard and sauté until the greens are wilted and tender (about 5 minutes. ) Season the mixture to taste with salt. Transfer the onions and greens mixtures to a plate of bowl and wipe out the skillet with paper towel.

4. Return the skillet to the stove and heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the gnocchi and stir to evenly coat it with oil. Spread the gnocchi into a single layer and cook, undisturbed, until golden and rips on the underside. Turn the gnocchi and cook, turning occasionally, until golden and crisp on the other side.

5. Remove it from the heat and stir in desired amount of the pesto.

Fig Gastrique Sauce

Ingredients:

• 1 TBS of butter

• 1 finely chopped shallot

• ½ LB of finely chopped dry figs

• 1 zested orange

• 1 zested and cut in half lemon

• 2 TBS of champagne vinegar

• 1 TBS of sugar

• 1 TSP of fresh, finely chopped rosemary

• 1 TSP of sea salt

• ½ TSP of white pepper

Instructions:

1. In a large saucepan, melt the butter.

2. Add the diced shallots to the sauce pan and continue to cook until they are translucent.

3. Add the figs, orange zest, and lemon zest. Then squeeze the leftover lemon juice into the sauce pan. Continue to add the champagne vinegar, rosemary, and sugar.

4. Simmer the fig mixture, stirring occasionally, until the figs have softened and broken down. This should take about 15 minutes.

5. Taste the gastrique and adjust the flavors to taste.