barking up the sea.

I recently got the news that I have borderline high cholesterol.

Like, if I don't change, I might have to take medication for it. Hearing the news form my doctor really upset me. I've always prided myself with being healthy. Sure, I might slack off here and there, but for the most part, I live a pretty healthy lifestyle to supplement the foods that I eat. But alas, still some bad news.

I think the thing that really bothers me the most about this whole cholesterol thing is the fact that it limits my world of cooking. I'm such a big foodie!! Now, not only am I worried about what I'm eating... I'm starting to worry about what I'm feeding my husband. I blame it all on Guam. I know, I know, that sounds ridiculous, but the fact that healthy food alternatives are so expensive and hard to come by, it probably fucked me all up. Lol, paranoid much?

So what to do? I think that the fact that I started juicing lately really helped with the results. That, and the fact that I'm in my "oh no, must get rid of poundage!!" mode and going to the gym. Who knows what my results might've been a couple of months ago?! Must make some drastic food changes so I can get to an ideal level. So while I may have to bid farewell to my beloved coconut, pineapple may be beginning to grow on me.

Pineapple is one of the major fruits I use whenever I make my juices. Every time that I cut away the bark, I always lament on the wasted flesh that's still attached to it. By happy accident, I ran into this recipe while looking for pineapple juice combinations. Awesome!

I decided to try it with some Jamaican jerk as a seasoning then topped it with a modified salsa that I make. The results were delicious. And paired with a simple spinach salad, definitely healthy in the direction that I want to go towards. Yay for damn tasty food!!

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Pineapple Bark Baked Fish
(adapted from Make the Best of Everything and Instructables)

fresh pineapple bark
2 fresh or frozen flounder or salmon filets
1 tsp Jamaican jerk seasoning
olive oil

Preheat oven to 375F.

Cut a piece of parchment paper, about 2 ft long, and fold in half. Place on baking tray so that only half of the parchment is sitting on top of the tray. Set aside.

Cut the bark off of a pineapple into the appropriate size for your fish. Lay a piece of bark or two, flesh side up, on top of the prepared baking tray. Place a filet on top of bark. Drizzle fish lightly with olive oil then sprinkle on 1/2 tsp seasoning. Top with pineapple bark and repeat steps for next filet. Fold paper, sealing edges with narrow folds.

Bake for about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let stand 5 minutes. Discard top bark and generously garnish with fresh pineapple corn salsa to serve.

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Fresh Pineapple Corn Salsa
(adapted from Delicious Shots)

1/2 ear fresh corn, husked with silks removed (or 1/2 can vacuum-packed super sweet corn)
1/4 cup fresh pineapple, finely chopped
1/4 small red onion, finely chopped
1/4 red or green bell pepper, finely chopped
1/2 medium tomato, finely chopped
1 tbsp chopped cilantro (or more, to taste)
1 to 2 sprigs italian parsley, chopped
1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp lime juice
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp paprika
salt and pepper to taste

Heat grill to high and grill the corn until charred on all sides. When ready, remove the kernels with a sharp knife. (If using canned corn, skip the grilling part.) In a bowl, combine all the ingredients and season accordingly to taste. Cover and refrigerate for thirty or so minutes before serving.

going a little nuts...

Sometimes when I look through desserts on Pinterest, I get carried away and pin almost every dessert I come across. Every. Single. Delectable one I see. I have almost 4,500 pins alone just for sweets!! And I plan on making them all... one day. Yeeees... oh yeeeeeeeeees.....

*AHEM*

Sometimes, when I see a healthy dessert, it makes me wanna try and make a recipe even more. The fact that these bars are so easy to make and I virtually have everything listed in the ingredients list was a major plus! One problem though... I kind of didn't follow the recipe.

Let me explain... Turns out I was out of some of the things. Like maple syrup. Or canola oil. Or raisins. Or pastry flour. And I wanted to get rid of things that I had hanging around... like a handful of cinnamon chips. And pecans. And dried cranberries. And blueberries. So yeah...

They're not as "healthy" as the original, but they didn't turn out so bad. It's got the taste of granola with a nutty, almost shortbread-like crust. I thought they were awesome. Definitely adding this to my cookie repertoire. Next time I will bake them a little less though... following the recipe almost burned them (hence why they look a little dark)! The sweet spot is definitely around the 25 to 30 minute mark. Maybe even less. Hmmmm.... Anyway, enjoy!

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Cinnamon Honey Fruit and Nut Bars
(adapted from Healthy Seasonal Recipes)

½ cup chopped walnuts
2 cups chopped pecans, divided
1 tbsp granulated sugar
¾ cup whole wheat flour
3 tbsp plus 1 tsp all-purpose flour, divided
½ tsp salt, divided
3 tsp ground cinnamon, divided
2 eggs, plus 1 egg yolk, divided
1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted and divided
3 tbsp vegetable oil
½ cup honey
1 tsp vinegar
1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
½ cup dried cranberries
½ cup dried blueberries
¼ cup cinnamon chips

 
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Coat an 8 x 8 baking dish with cooking spray.

For the crust:
Place ½ cup walnuts and sugar in a food processor fitted with steel blade attachment. Process until the walnuts are the consistency of rough meal. Add whole wheat flour, 3 tbsp all-purpose flour, ¼ teaspoon salt, and 1 tsp cinnamon and pulse until combined.

Stir together 1 egg yolk, 2 tablespoon melted butter, and oil in a small bowl.

With the food processor motor running, drizzle yolk mixture through the feed tube and process until mixture clumps together.

Turn mixture out into the prepared pan; spread evenly and press firmly into the bottom to form a crust. Prick all over with a fork and transfer to the oven. Bake, pressing down with the back of a fork only if it starts to puff, until dry and slightly golden along the edges, 13 to 15 minutes.

For the filling:
Meanwhile, whisk honey, vinegar, vanilla, the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt, the remaining 2 tsp cinnamon, the remaining 2 eggs and the remaining butter in a medium bowl, reserving ¼ cup of the honey mixture for topping. Add in ½ cup of chopped pecans. Stir in the dried fruit. Set aside.

For the topping:
Mix the reserved ¼ cup of honey mixture in a small bowl with the remaining 1½ cup of chopped pecans. Set aside.

Putting the bar together:
Remove the crust from the oven and reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F. While the crust is hot, brush the remaining 1 tsp flour over the crust with a pastry brush to fill in any holes or cracks.

Spread the fruit and nut mixture in the baked crust. Arrange pecan topping over the top. Drizzle on any remaining honey mixture then evenly sprinkle on the cinnamon chips.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the center no longer jiggles when gently shaken, the top is lightly crackled, and the filling is set. Cool completely, at least 1 hour. Cut into 16 squares.