Happy Heart Day

We have always known, given Nate's genetic disposition to heart disease, developing a hearty-healthy lifestyle was important--that was one of the reasons for starting this blog years ago. But, you know, it's hard to focus on preventing a future heart attack when you're thirty years old. You still feel young and invincible and not nearly old enough to worry about such things. Fast forward seven years and Nate found himself all too close to worrying about such things. He started having chest pains in December--pains that felt like heart burn or tight lungs. Knowing his family history, he knew it was heart-related and followed up with doctors and tests until they found an answer: the blocked artery you see up above. Two stents later, he is recovering and totally committed to making "heart-healthy" the focus of diet and lifestyle decisions. How quickly your priorities can change...

Anyway, I'm totally on board for "heart-healthy"but recognize I need to do a better job of collecting and documenting recipes so we have easy access to them--so Our Veggie Tales is coming back to life! A resurrection of sorts. I might change the name if I get clever enough...but for now I will try to regularly post all the yummy healthy deliciousness we find. 

Speaking of heart-healthy let's start with salmon, shall we...

Here's a super easy, super yummy recipe that we all loved except for Sidney who struggles with salmon unless it's grilled. But I adore the combination of fennel and orange and could eat this all the time--

http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/slow-roasted-salmon-with-fennel-citrus-and-chiles

INGREDIENTS

• 1 medium fennel bulb, thinly sliced
• 1 blood or navel orange, very thinly sliced, seeds removed
• 1 Meyer or regular lemon, very thinly sliced, seeds removed
• 1 red Fresno chile or jalapeño, with seeds, thinly sliced
• 4 sprigs dill, plus more for serving
• Kosher salt and coarsely ground black pepper
• 1 2-lb. skinless salmon fillet, preferably center-cut
• 1 to 2 Tbsp olive oil (change from ¾ cup olive oil) 
• Flaky sea salt (such as Maldon)

INSTRUCTIONS

• Preheat oven to 275°. Toss fennel, orange slices, lemon slices, chile, and 4 dill sprigs in a shallow 3-qt. baking dish; season with kosher salt and pepper. Season salmon with kosher salt and place on top of fennel mixture. Drizzle oil over top.
• Roast until salmon is just cooked through (the tip of a knife will slide through easily and flesh will be slightly opaque), 30–40 minutes for medium-rare.
• Transfer salmon to a platter, breaking it into large pieces as you go. Spoon fennel mixture and oil from baking dish over; discard dill sprigs. Season with sea salt and pepper and top with fresh dill sprigs