LOVE SUNDAY NIGHT DINNER

I just love Sunday night dinner. After a long week of work, study and the "stuff" of life, the inspiration and repose of church in the morning sets the tone for the week. What better way to jump back into the new week than preparing and enjoying a wonderful meal, full of the good things God provides.

Sunday night used to be Family dinner when we lived together as a family. It was always special regardless of the menu. Sometimes it was at the table, other times on the floor or couch gathered around the fire or at the kitchen island joking and playing as we ate. I still enjoy Sunday night dinner, Sola. I remember the good times in the past, but also enjoy and appreciate what I now have and celebrate it with making myself a nice meal!

So often I hear people say, "I love (this or that food), but I have no one to cook for." WELL..you have YOU to cook for, so why NOT??  It is wonderful to give others pleasure with the food you prepare with love, but you and I also deserve this love and pleasure.

Tonight I enjoyed Fresh Caught Trout Almondine with Tumeric Scented Basmati Rice and Peas and a Kale Salad with Avocado, Roasted Pepper and Red Onion.

You don't really need a recipe to create a meal like this. It is simple and fun to put together.
I coated the trout with seasoned flour, I used lemon pepper from Penzeys; you can use anything you like.
The trout was sauteed in butter from grass fed cows,( beautiful, yellow and rich) for about 3-4 minutes a side. I removed it from the pan, added more butter to saute the almonds, squeezed in some lemon juice and tossed in some chopped parsley. Pour this over the trout and voila! Trout Almondine.

The rice is basmati and very fragrant by itself. I always like to add more veggies when possible, so first I sauteed some onion and shallot in butter, added some freshly shelled organic English peas, the rice and water and a dash of tumeric. The rice is 2:1 water to rice. Brought the whole thing to a boil and then turned down the heat and simmered for 20 minutes. At that point I started the trout as above.

Just before serving, I washed a few leaves of kale, chopped them and put them on a plate. Added a sliced avocado, some roasted red pepper from a jar, a few slivers of red onion and tossed it all in white balsamic vinegar and olive oil.

As simple as that...maybe a half hour total time and I enjoyed a relaxing, simple, elegant meal to end the week and begin another.

Happy cooking and eating, Sola