Cheeseburger Pie Continuing Evolution

Happy Valentines Day!

Alright, maybe I jumped the gun a bit with the 'Happy' wishes a few days early but I love Valentines day.  Do you have any big plans this year?  May I suggest a fun idea?  How about this year, instead of going out to a fancy restaurant, why not stay in and cook a heart healthy meal together?  I have put together a menu built around heart healthy foods and the recipes that go along with it to ensure that your heart keeps beating strong for your main dish.

Menu:

Appetizer:

Asparagus Wrapped in Prosciutto: 

Just like it sounds, heavenly spears of crunchy asparagus spears wrapped together with a piece of salty prosciutto.  Asparagus is chock full of anti-inflammatory nutrients and antioxidants, among them, vitamins K and C respectively.  Heart disease is known to be a chronic disease that evolves due to excessive inflammation and oxidation.  Two key steps in preventing heart disease is to slow down oxidation and heal any inflammation.   

Main Dish:

Salmon Salad:

Salmon Salad:  First the salmon is marinated in a mixture of fresh lime juice, olive oil, Dijon, ginger, garlic and cayenne and then grilled to perfection.  This is placed on top of a bed of fresh, crunchy, dark green spinach tossed with pecans, chopped figs, and julienned apple with a lovely fig vinaigrette.  (Optionally tossed with some creamy brie and smoky bacon).

Where do I start with the heart benefits of this dish?  Lets focus on the Salmon first.  Salmon is rich in Omega 3's.  Why are these important for your heart?  Well to boil it down, Omega 3's are anti-inflammatory while Omega 6's are pro-inflammatory.  If you are eating a traditional, food pyramid based diet, the scale with your Omega 6:Omega 3 is tilted very heavily to the Omega 6 side.  It is important to increase your intake of Omega 3 containing foods and decrease your intake of foods containing Omega 6 and find a balance within your body.  That will go a long way in preventing inflammation.  The salmon has been marinated in lime juice containing a powerful antioxidant (vitamin C), Olive Oil (Monounsaturated fat and Vitamin E), Ginger which inhibits the action of several genes involved in inflammation, garlic (another powerful anti-inflammatory agent) and cayenne (numerous health benefits among which regulating blood flow and thereby normalizing blood pressure). Your spinach is full of phytochemicals, vitamins and minerals (especially folate and iron) that all fight chronic disease.  Studies have shown that elevated levels of homocysteine in the blood increase the risk for heart disease.  Diets rich in folate have been shown to lower homocysteine levels and reduce the risk of heart disease.  Now lets look at the add ins to your salad: Figs contain potassium, a mineral that helps to control your blood pressure; Pecans contain monounsaturated fats and choline, a nutrient that helps to improve your mental health and fight depression which makes it good for your heart in a different way; the apples have been shown to reduce plaque buildup in the arteries.  Since plaque buildup is caused by  inflammation due to damage caused by oxidized LDL in the bloodstream I think it is safe to say that apples are antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agents.  Maybe an apple a day really does keep the doctor away.

Dessert:

Dark Chocolate Mud Pie:

Delicious dark chocolate cake with a wonderfully creamy dark chocolate sauce built right in.

*Make sure your dark chocolate is 70% or more* Dark chocolate is rich in flavenols that help preserve the healthy function of blood vessels.  Dark chocolate may also boost levels of Nitric Oxide in your body, a chemical messenger that improves blood flow and prevents heart attacks and strokes.

Beverages:

Red Wine: Contains antioxidants which neutralize free radicals thereby slowing oxidation.  (Think about how apple slices take longer to turn brown when dipped in lemon juice or guacamole doesn't seem to turn brown when you add more lime juice.  What do lemon and lime juice have?  Vitamin C which as mentioned above is a powerful antioxidant.  Red wine also contains a polyphenol that is thought to repair damage to blood vessels thereby preventing inflammation and therefore scar tissue (plaque) formation.

Green Tea: Antioxidants again.  It is thought that drinking green tea can help prevent gum disease which has been linked to heart disease.  Healthy gums and teeth = a healthy heart.

Pomegranate juice: Antioxidants and polyphenols that may increase levels of nitric oxide which we know from above is good for your heart.

Recipes:

Salmon Salad:

1 large piece of wild caught salmon or 2 serving sized fillets

Juice from 1/2 a lime

1 T Olive oil

2 tsp dijon

1/4 tsp fresh ground ginger

1 small clove of garlic minced

1/4 tsp cayenne

Marinate the fish in the juice mixture in a ziploc baggie or in a dish in the fridge for at least an hour.  

Preheat your grill, get it nice and hot so the fish doesn't stick.  

Grill 5-6 minutes per side until the fish flakes lightly with a fork.

Meanwhile prepare the salad:

3 cups baby spinach

1/4 cup julienned green apple pieces

1/8 cup pecan halves, hand crumbled

2 tbsp green onion chopped

1 fig, chopped

Optional: 1-2 Tbsp bacon crumbles

                Small piece of brie cut or torn into small chunks

(The brie is not at all Paleo but the creaminess of the brie combined with the crunchiness of the rest of the salad is very satisfying)

Dressing:

1 tsp fig jam

Juice from the other half of the lime

1/4 cup olive oil

Mud Pie:

1/2 cup Almond meal

1 Tbsp Arrowroot starch

1/8 cup Maple syrup

1 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp baking powder

Pinch of sea salt

1/4 cup almond milk

1 Tbsp olive oil or melted coconut oil

1/2 tsp vanilla

3 tbsp Maple syrup

2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

2/3 cup hot water

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F and lightly grease a 9" pie plate with coconut oil.

Combine the almond meal, arrowroot, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.

Stir in the almond milk, oil, vanilla and 1/8 cup of maple syrup.

Pour batter into the prepared pie dish.

Add the 2 Tbsp cocoa to a measuring cup and stir in the 3 Tbsp maple syrup.  Add the hot water and stir to combine.

Carefully pour the water mixture over the contents of the pie plate.

Bake for 20 minutes and cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes before serving.