Buckwheat Pasta with Flaked Trout

There’s no time like the present for a bit of self- reflection.  How did last year shape up for you? Was it smooth sailing or were there things that you would have done differently given the opportunity?  

Many of us start the New Year with a resolution or two, whether it involves assessing our relationships, financial decisions, deciding to clean out your proverbial closet or vowing to never drink again after one too many cocktails!

What are some of the changes you’d like to see happen in the year ahead?  I’d like to do some more travelling this year and experience life a bit more, instead of being chained to my computer and also teach a restorative yoga class for people who want to do gentle yoga to help give them have more energy and enable them to recover from illness.

Whatever it is you choose to do this year, if you’re ready to wipe the slate clean, start afresh and ring in the New Year with a resolve to be happier and healthier, then setting yourself a realistic resolution to make gradual changes to your eating habits and lifestyle will be a lot easier to maintain.  Making small changes might not seem like much at the beginning, but soon, these small changes really do become significant larger changes that you'll notice.

In a dietary sense, a few examples of small changes might include swapping your daily coffee every second day for dandelion or herbal tea, or cooking with brown rice instead of white. Or it may even be that you will become less restrictive with your current eating habits and allow yourself the occasional treat without feeling guilty.

You might start becoming a bit more interested in inspecting the back of labels on your groceries and finding out what ingredients are used, or deciding to pack healthy lunches for work instead of purchasing them.

It’s good to then see how you feel after making small changes and check in with yourself. Do you have more energy? Do you feel happier? Is your digestive system working more efficiently? By making these small changes, and listening to our bodies, we really can achieve good health.

The recipe I’m going to share with you today is all about alternatives and it’s from my new cookbook Eat Yourself Beautiful.

Buckwheat pasta with flaked trout, is a recipe which is a healthy substitute for a number of ingredients, swapping out traditional, white pasta and adding in nutrient rich eggs. Buckwheat, despite the confusing name, is not a grain, but in fact a seed that's related to the rhubarb family. It boasts many health properties, which you can read about in a previous post here, or why not also enjoy another recipe buckwheat risotto with spinach and mushroom.  

Buckwheat pasta gives the dish a beautiful earthiness, complementing the trout fillet exceptionally well. Adding crumbled Goat’s cheese, gives a luxurious creamy taste and is freshened up with zesty lemon and chopped chives.

A simple dish, wonderful for a hearty dinner or filling lunch and perfect for a healthy lunchbox to keep those resolutions in check.  Happy New Year!

Recipe: Buckwheat Pasta with Flaked Trout

Serves 2

 Ingredients

•  1 generous-sized fresh trout fillet
• 125 g (41/2 oz) uncooked buckwheat pasta
• 2 organic egg yolks
• zest and juice of 1 lemon
• Celtic sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 11/2 tablespoons salted baby capers, rinsed
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus extra, to serve
• 2 large handfuls of baby rocket (arugula)
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped chives
• 90 g (31/4 oz/3/4 cup) crumbled goat’s cheese

 Method

• Line a bamboo steamer with baking paper and steam the trout over a saucepan of gently simmering water for 5–6 minutes, or until the fish flakes when gently touched with a fork.
• Remove from the steamer, flake the flesh apart with a fork, removing any bones, and set aside.
• Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions.
• Strain using a colander, reserving a little of the cooking water in the saucepan.
• Return the pasta to the saucepan and quickly stir through the egg yolks, lemon juice and zest, and a generous pinch of Celtic sea salt and pepper. Gently stir through the flaked trout and capers and add the olive oil.
• To serve, mix the rocket, chives, goat’s cheese and extra olive oil, if desired, through the pasta and pop a wedge of lemon on the side. It's delicious served with a simple green salad.

You can read more recipes or buy my recipe books here.

Happy Cooking 🙂

Lee xo