Baked Salmon

I grew up on fish. There is nothing like a freshly caught trout baked on the coals of a fire while camping at the lake. I can grill fish, I can cook fish on open coals, but I had never tried baking fish or using anything other than trout.

With some advice from a good friend, I made up some salmon tonight and it turned out quite well.

Baked Salmon
1 lb salmon fillet
Onion Salt
Garlic Powder
Olive Oil
Parsley

Cut the salmon in half for 2 portions. Place one portion on a square of aluminum foil. LIGHTLY brush with olive oil. I dabbed a bit on my brush and did both halves. You don't need much at all. Sprinkle with seasonings (I'm still playing around with the best combination, but NEVER put lemon juice on it with IC--that's asking for death). Wrap foil like an envelope (meet the sides in the middle and roll down, then roll in the ends). Place on cookie sheet and bake at 350˚ for 25-30 minutes. The salmon should be opaque and flake when cut with a fork.

Roasted Potatoes

With IC, you can't have salad dressings because of the vinegar in them. However, I am able to eat the salad dressing mixes. Be careful with this though, because some people may be more sensitive to the spices in the mix. Always experiment with one food at a time, so you know what makes you sick (and can avoid it in the future).

Roasted Potatoes
~6 regular potatoes (russet or red, either work)
1/2 packet of ranch or italian salad dressing mix
Butter

Wash and cube the potatoes. Leave the skin on. Place in a 1.5 quart dish. Place dabs of butter evenly over the top of the potatoes and sprinkle with the salad dressing mix. Bake covered at 450˚ for about 45 min or until potatoes are soft.
You can add carrots, squash, etc and coat everything with the dressing mix. It's all good!

Tuna Noodle Casserole

I like tuna, some people don't, but I really do. My problem with tuna noodle casserole was that it was always so dry. Fortunately for me, I married a man whose mom has a GREAT recipe for it that was unlike any I'd ever tried. Granted, there were other advantages to marrying Derek, but that is a story for another time.
Tuna Noodle Casserole
1 1/4 c macaroni noodles
2 eggs
1 1/4 c milk
1 T grated onion (I use about 1/2 T of dried onion)
1 t salt
1 1/2 c grated cheese (mozarella is good, hard cheeses like cheddar can cause IC flares)
1 can tuna fish, drained

Cook noodles according to package, salting the water. Beat the eggs until well blended and add everything else. Mix noodles and sauce together and bake in a 1.5 quart dish uncovered at 350˚ for 30-40 minutes.

I stir it at about 30 minutes and if it's completely soupy, I leave it in for a few more minutes (it should be moist, but not runny). If you leave it too long, sometimes the cheese will get funky, so I tend to err on the side of too short, not too long.

Go-To Meals-Brown Sugar Chicken

Once upon a time, I was living on oatmeal and pasta, and life was very bland. While I was figuring out what foods triggered my IC, I went on an elimination diet--meaning I cut out pretty much everything and added foods back one at a time to see what triggered flares. Needless to say, food was rather plain. This was a recipe that I figured out early on because it's very simple and yet added some flavor to my otherwise dull meals.

I cook my rice in a rice cooker because one, I can't cook it on the stove and two, it is VASTLY superior to minute rice. But minute rice works too, depends on how much time you have.

Brown Sugar Chicken
Rice
Chicken
Brown Sugar
Carrots
Celery

Wash the rice and start it in the rice cooker (takes about 20 minutes, by which time everything else will be done). Defrost a chicken breast and cut into cubes. Cook in a saute pan on medium heat, stirring occasionally. When the chicken starts to turn white and opaque, sprinkle about 1 T of brown sugar over it. Continue cooking until chicken is done (completely white and opaque). While the chicken is cooking, dice carrots and celery and cover with water. Bring to a boil and add about 1 T of brown sugar to the water. Boil on medium for about 10 min or until veggies are soft (yet still firm).

When everything is done, serve chicken and veggies over rice, using the extra juice from the chicken as a sauce.
Simple, fast, and flavorful. Gotta love it.