Balsamic Maple Glazed Wild Alaskan Salmon

I had an interesting conversation this evening. Typically when newcomers come in to inquire about CrossFit and the facility, there's one, maybe two people...friends or a couple. Well today a family of four shuffled in; mom, dad, a teenage older daughter and teenage son. As they came in, both trainers were busy with other athletes, I decided to introduce myself and see what they wanted. Mom spoke up first and said they were in vacationing in Georgia and decided to drive down and check out college campuses, however, the daughter's main concern was actually what the [CrossFit] boxes were like in town. That should have been my first clue that they were already super into CrossFit, but clearly I'm oblivious to things like that, so I started on my story about the history of our box, our other locations, the set up of our classes and how they run, etc. Come to find out, both kids have been doing CrossFit for like two years and the daughter is looking into getting her L1 certification! How cool is that?! Not even out of high school and kicking ass already! She goes on to talk about how she competes and just finished a competition last weekend down in West Palm Beach. She's already a little badass in my book. They haven't made any decisions yet on where she wants to go to school, but somewhere away from home (Port St. Lucie). I hope she heads our way. I'd love to be able to see her in action. 

In other news, this salmon is also badass. Make it soon. It's delicious! That is all. :o)

Balsamic Maple Glazed Wild Alaskan Salmon

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Serves: 2-3

Special Tools:

Small bowl

Basting brush

Foil lined baking sheet

Ingredients:

3 wild salmon steaks, about 6-8 ounces each, skin left on

2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil

2 tbsp of balsamic vinegar

2 tbsp of dark grade maple syrup

1 tsp of garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp of dijon mustard

salt and pepper

Instructions:

1.Preheat the oven to broil on low. Make sure the rack is positioned in the middle of the oven, at least three rungs down.

2. Rinse the salmon under cold water and pat dry. Then put them skin side down onto a foil lined baking sheet and season with salt and pepper to taste.*

3. In a bowl, add the oil, vinegar, syrup, garlic cloves, and mustard. Mix well to combine. 

4. Use a basting brush to coat the tops and sides of the salmon, reserving more than half of the glaze.

5. Put the baking sheet into the oven and broil for 5 minutes. Then brush the glaze onto the salmon again. Repeat after 5 more minutes. Remove from oven and let it rest for 2-3 minutes. 

Serve it up with your favorite veggies. I sautéed up some butternut squash and zucchini and also steamed a head of broccoli. 

*If you or your significant other freaks out about fish skin like mine does, I will say it's much easier to remove once the salmon is cooked. Just hold down one of the corners with a fork or knife and slowly start lifting it up. It should come off fairly easy. 

Balsamic-Maple Pork Tenderloin

If there's one thing that I've come to love doing in recent years, it's cooking. I love that I can combine ingredients, add some heat (usually), and then end up with something new (and tasty!). My mom isn't a huge fan of cooking and I didn't grow up living near my grandparents, so the skills and techniques of cooking and baking were not instilled in me at a young age. Actually, my dad loves to tell the story of how I almost killed them all with undercooked chicken. It was ONE TIME! Haha. But sadly, it did happen. I had the temperature up too high, and so the outside was definitely done, but it never reached that internal temp. of 165. Yikes! Luckily, everyone survived and they live on to tell the tale...again...and again...and again! In truth, I bet they're just jealous of how far I've come and are now sad they don't get to experience the magical creations that come out of my kitchen. Ha! Well, I say all of that to say this, sometimes I just don't have the energy to cook. Especially Fridays. By the end of the week, I'm pooped. Fridays are usually crockpot days! Crockpots are pretty magical in their own right. Take it out, combine the ingredients, turn it on low, and voila 6-8 hours later you have a beautifully prepared entree, side dish, one pot wonder, dessert, etc. One of my favorite things to make in the crockpot is pork tenderloin. With the right ingredients you can turn this nice piece of meat into something really spectacular. I'm a fan of combining balsamic vinegar and maple syrup together, because it gives the meat a lovely sweet and savory flavor. This would also be a great with a beef roast. I actually use beef and pork interchangeably when making this entree. 

Balsamic-Maple Pork Tenderloin

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 7 hours
Serves: 5-7

Special Tools:
Crockpot

Ingredients:
2 pounds of pork tenderloin
3 tbsp of maple syrup, grade b
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 tbsp of balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp of coconut aminos
1/2 cup of low sodium beef broth
1 1/2 tbsp dried thyme
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp of onion powder
1 tsp of paprika
1 tsp of coarse sea salt
1 tsp of freshly cracked black pepper
1/4 tsp of cayenne pepper

Instructions:
1. Put the pork into the crock pot and give it several stabs (but not all the way through). Stuff the minced garlic into the pork where you stabbed it. 
2. Add the rest of the ingredients over the top of the pork
3. Turn the crockpot on LOW.
4. At 6 hours, take two forks and shred the pork. It should absorb most of the liquid left in the crockpot. Add a bit of water (maybe 1/4 to 1/2 a cup) to prevent it from drying out. 
5. Cook for one more hour until it is super tender. I like to serve mine along side some garlic cauliflower mash and brussels sprout slaw. The leftovers also make a great accompaniment to some fried eggs in the morning!