I hope you all have been enjoying the summer as much as I do. We are blessed to live here in Southern California with all its charm and healthy produce options. My latest discovery is North Park Produce, located on El Cajon Blvd at 35th Street. It’s like a farmers market and ethnic food store with really great prices. Some of you regular readers may remember when I profiled bulgar wheat a few issues ago. Well bulgar comes in a couple of different sizes, and North Park Produce has all five of them in bulk! It also has 10 types of feta cheese, as its ethnic style is clearly middle eastern. For those like myself who are concentrating their food consumption on fruit, veggies, whole grains and lean meats, you can do a lot and save some good money at NPP even though it’s not in North Park.

A lot of my research lately has been on diets that are sustainable, good for the body and can help me lose a little of the weight I have around my middle from all those good Barefoot Contessa recipes. I have enjoyed the fruits of my culinary labor, but so has my middle. I heard one foodie say, “Never trust a skinny chef.” I’m not sure if I buy that, but I get his point. Creating consistently tasty dishes that are healthy and slimming is more work. A pad of butter just makes the world a better place. My Pilates instructor, Bruno, is currently experimenting with the “Paleo Diet.” Short for Paleolithic, it consists of fruits, vegetables and lean meats, just like they ate before the harvesting of grains. He says a lot of the hot, six-pack endowed boys at Cross-fit have been doing it, and they stay ripped and not hungry. As with any diet, diversifying the combinations of ingredients to keep things fresh is the trick, as well as having some food ready to eat when you are hungry; there’s nothing worse than cooking when you’re starving.

This recipe for Salmon with Rice Noodles is a great pair to steamed veggies or a hearty salad. If you have never used fish sauce in cooking, here’s a great opportunity to try. My friend Russell turned me on to it one day by making the most amazing broccoli I had ever tasted. Once I inquired about the recipe, he let me know that fish sauce and a pinch of sugar was all it took to make broccoli so good that kids who hate veggies will inhale it like a homeless person chows down at Home Town Buffet. The rice noodles stay light and fresh, and salmon is a great tasting fish that is high in Omega 3 good fats. Have a great week and happy cooking!

Lose weight with this Asian-influenced roasted salmon dish.

Serves: 4

Yields: 4 main-dish servings

Total Time: 30 min

Prep Time: 15 min

Cook Time: 15 min

Oven Temp: 400

Ingredients

2 green onions, thinly sliced

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. From lemon, grate 1 teaspoon peel and squeeze 2 tablespoons juice. From limes, grate 1 teaspoon peel and squeeze 2 tablespoons juice. Spray 13” by 9” glass baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

Arrange salmon in baking dish; sprinkle with lemon and lime peel, salt, and black pepper. Roast 15 to 17 minutes or until just opaque throughout.

Meanwhile, prepare rice noodles as label directs, reserving 1/4 cup cooking water before draining.

In medium bowl, combine lemon and lime juice, fish sauce, and chopped cilantro. Stir in noodles and reserved cooking water; toss to combine. Serve salmon fillets over noodles; sprinkle with sliced green onions.