Food – Janessa's Journal

Lavender Garlic Salmon and Dill Butter Pan-Fried Shrimp with Roasted Beet Hummus Featuring Pier 33 Gourmet

Janessa Gornichec — Mon, 26 Mar 2018 18:20:18 +0000

This week I teamed up with Pier 33 Gourmet to make a fun and healthy dinner for my family. About Pier 33, they are an ecologically conscious and sustainable brand. They deliver clean seafood from the waters of Patagonia in Southern Chile and Argentina. The Salmon is Ocean Raised and the shrimp is wild caught in the deep, cold water. All gluten free and non-GMO. Everything is tested by the Chilean, Argentine and US government to ensure quality and safety. They also are a part of the Clean Production Agreement, they preserve the areas they fish and help control overfishing. You can obviously tell why I would want to be apart of such an amazing company. Non-GMO, Eco-friendly, Wild Caught are all key words I look for when it comes to the seafood that I am going to consume.

The salmon comes pre-packaged and frozen for the perfect portion sizes. I let mine sit out in a bowl of water for about a half hour before I pulled them out for seasoning. You will need a oven safe pan that can withstand high heat as we cook the salmon under broil. I use both grass-fed butter to coat the bottom and a little avocado oil to season the tops of the filets. I add Lemon Pepper, Black Pepper rub, pink salt and lavender. Warm the filets and butter over a low heat flame until the butter is completely melted.

Top the filets with fresh, sliced and organic garlic. This adds such a pretty touch and the taste is such a unique combination. Heat the oven to 500 degrees or Broil and let the salmon marinate in the juices and butter until you are ready to put in the oven. It takes 7 minutes per inch of meat. These were thin filets so it took only 7 minutes. I could of even gone less because I waited a little longer to pull them out. While I waited for the oven to heat up, I was trying to think of a good topping that was fresh to go on top of the salmon. I also have a thing where I try to get in as many vegetables as possible into my meals. I will tell you now that it has made a tremendous difference in my life and health. I find myself now craving vegetables and they are the biggest portions of my meals. I had Kathryn, my best friend and food stylist chop up some red bell peppers, jalepenos, purple onion, yellow pepper, ginger and garlic to toss on top. She diced them so perfectly and we tossed them into a bowl with a tablespoon of olive oil and a little salt to bring out the natural flavors.

The beet hummus was new to me, I had always seen it and wanted to make it and I just bought fresh beets that I had no clue what to do with. I actually really don’t like beets but I understand how good they are for you so I decided I needed to give it a shot. Also keep in mind that I improvised this recipe because I didn’t have the right ingredients. I used garbanzo beans instead of chickpeas, I used sesame seed oil combined with olive oil instead of tahini.
In order to get the beets soft enough to blend them, I put them into the oven at 450 degrees for about 20 minutes to soften them up. They came out flawlessly and blended so easily into the hummus. The result was such a GORGEOUS color.
For the shrimp, I wanted to actually skewer them and grill but it was about 30 degrees outside and I refused to stand outside so I pan fried them instead. These shrimp are so deliciously delicate that it isn’t about cooking them but more about warming them up. I again used grass-fed butter, a little pink salt and some dill. I wanted to keep it simple. I pan fried each shrimp for about 4 minutes on each side. They turned into a beautiful pink color and had a texture similar to lobster. They also had loads of flavor.
I laid down purple and green cabbage and threw the shrimp on top. I combined the rest of the butter form the shrimp in the pan, cilantro, onion, garlic and ginger and combined them into a blender for a dipping sauce. After the salmon is cooked, consume immediately. We topped the salmon with the pepper pico and it was absolutely incredible. I have never thought that I was a good cook, but lately I have been truly amazed at what I have come up with. I went off of no recipe and just went with gut instinct with different flavor palettes. My parents downed everything in sight. The shrimp and the cabbage were gone in less than 10 minutes. We enjoyed the beet hummus as a dip for the shrimp as well as an appetizer eaten with crackers while I was still preparing the food. Everything blended together so well. Yes, there was a lot of garlic and onion but my parents who complained they felt were getting sick, woke up the next day completely healthy and with a little stank of garlic breath. Ha! This recipe is good, delicious and actually good for you! I hope you enjoy it and would love to hear about your experience with these recipes!
Thank you for visiting and seriously let me know how you like this recipe and if you have any recommendations. Also, stay tuned for a quick video showing how I made everything!

Lavender Garlic Salmon:

Prep time: 20 Min

Total time: 35

3- Pier 33 Gourmet salmon filets, thawed

5- cloves of organic garlic

4 oz- grass fed butter or ghee

2 T – avocado oil, heat stable

pinch of black pepper, lemon pepper and lavender

Melt the butter in a oven safe pan over the stove, place the salmon filets in the warm butter and top them with avocado oil and seasonings to your liking. Pull the filets off the heat. Heat the oven to broil or 500 degrees.
Slice the garlic into thin pieces and place onto of the filets.
Put the salmon filets into the oven when up to temperature. Cook 7 minutes per inch of meat.
Serve immediately for best flavor and top with pepper pico (See Recipe Below)

Pepper Pico:

Prep time: 10 min

Total time: 10

1- purple onion

1-yellow pepper

1-red pepper

1-jalepeno pepper

1 T- fresh chopped garlic

2- garlic cloves

1 t- olive oil

pinch of pink salt

Chop everything up into small cubes.
Combine into bowl, add olive oil and salt.
Stir and enjoy. Use by itself or for topping.

Dill Butter Pan Fried Shrimp:

Prep Time: 10 Min

Total Time: 10 min

1 bag- fresh wild caught shrimp, pier 33 gourmet argentine, thawed

4 oz- grass fed butter or ghee

1 t- dill seasoning

pinch of salt and pepper to taste

chopped cabbage purple and green for garnish

Melt butter or ghee in a pan,
Place shrimp in the pan and cook four minutes each side, toss in dill and salt to season.
Place cabbage on serving tray, lay out shrimp on top of cabbage, serve with cocktail sauce or Garlic Cilantro dressing (recipe below)

Garlic Cilantro Dressing:

Total time: 8 min

1 T- olive oil

1 T- cilantro

1 t- ginger

1 t-garlic

1 T- apple cider vinegar

Salt and Pepper

Throw all the ingredients into a warming pan, let simmer for about 2 minutes.
Throw all the warm ingredients into a blender and blend.
Serve hot and immediately for shrimp dip.

Beet Hummus:

Prep: 30 Min

Total: 35 min

1 can (15 oz)- organic garbanzo beans

4 T- olive oil

1 t- sesame oil (or tahini I used what I had)

2 medium-organic beets

salt and pepper to taste

1T-garlic

1 T-onion

A drizzle of honey

Slice beets and place on baking sheet. Bake in 400 degrees for 20 minutes to soften.
Blend in a blender, olive oil, sesame oil, salt and pepper, garlic, onion and garbanzo beans.
After beets have softened, throw into blender and blend until smooth.
Add a drizzle of honey and more salt and pepper to taste.
Refrigerate for 10 minutes, serve cold and garnish with cilantro.

ENJOY!

Get Healthy, Stay Healthy and Maintain Beauty: Supplementing

Janessa Gornichec — Wed, 30 Aug 2017 03:30:38 +0000

Welcome back! This week I wanted to talk to you guys about vitamins and minerals and how they play such an important role in our bodies. First off, the number one source for vitamins and minerals is, surprise! Food.

Food holds “hidden treasures” that our body needs and thrives on. Unfortunately, in our day and time, we need to be worried about if something is actually “edible”. For example, did you know that on the back of a Doritos bag it actually says: “Genetically Engineered “? Wait……WHAT!!? Yes, it actually says that. This tells us that it literally has NOTHING, no nutritional value. In fact it’s doing the opposite and it’s poisoning your body. That’s just one food item we know that says that. Companies are no longer required to say if they are GMO free or not. Though, don’t fret, most honest and good companies will be GMO free and even have the USDA seal marking it is real food. Your body has no idea what to do with genetically altered foods because it’s programmed a different way. SO, it’s overwhelming when you think about how it takes a lot more time and money to buy organic foods, to search the back of everything searching for preservatives and chemicals that do nothing but harm. It definitely overwhelms me, doesn’t mean I stop but when I start thinking about how I need Vitamin C from oranges and how many oranges I need to eat, or how I need vitamin B12 that comes highly in red meat, or simply as Vitamin D from the sun, I know it’s near impossible to get everything I need daily in order to maintain. BAM! That’s where supplements come in. Before I begin, know that I am not a doctor, I do not recommend taking any of these without asking or doing some research. I also recommend that you really look into supplement companies that are good companies and use quality ingredients. Let’s start:

Everyday I take a little of everything seen in this picture. It is a lot, I know. Yet, I have not gotten sick in a very, very long time. This is just what I have found has worked for me. Some of these are Janessa-specific supplements and some of these are meant to help everyone and can benefit everyone. Just know, that I could add about 1000 more supplements and what they can do for you, but we’d be here for awhile.

THIS IS MY FAVORITE SUPPLEMENT EVER! You guys have heard me talk about this magical capsule of amazing-ness before on my previous post about tanning (under beauty, must check it out). Let me tell you what it is first, it’s algae. It’s 6000X more powerful than Vitamin C, 550X more powerful than Green Tea, 3X more powerful than Lutein. It has the highest antioxidant strength (1000). This is the 12mg packet and it is so easy to just take one daily in the morning. Not only does it support pretty much everything, it leaves you with a nice tone to your skin. It keeps you looking tan and it’s keeping you healthy all at the same time. It’s honestly the best win-win situation. Oh, and fellow gym-goers, this will for sure prevent muscle soreness and help you recover faster. Thank me later.

Urinary Flush and Support, is just an easy and quick upkeep on the Urinary Tract. Beneficial, specifically to women and women who suffer from UTI’s. It also is helpful to the kidneys and everything in that area. I have found that if I start to feel burning or possible symptoms of a UTI, this definitely helps. It’s unfortunate that we are starting to become resistant to most bacteria and antibiotics now. So, if you catch it before it gets too bad, its the best way to avoid the doctor and those nasty antibiotics all together. Though, I am not saying you should not get it checked out if it gets bad. It’s also extremely important to keep drinking. Water, organic juices and teas are the best way to keep your system flushed. Strive for at least 100 oz of water daily in order to maintain good tract health.

My homeopathic doctor said the most important supplement to get is a really good multivitamin and my mother has stuck to this since day 1. So, I love Garden Of Life and this is one of the best multi-vitamins because it’s ingredients and components are derived from real food. Like I said earlier, that is the one and only place to get the hidden treasures needed to keep our body healthy and functioning at a high state. Take this once daily, obviously this is the women’s once daily but they do sell mens, older and wiser and many more specific kinds. Also, this is organic! Makes me love it that much more. It makes me feel good. Have you ever had those days where you feel like you’re eating everything and you don’t really know what you’re craving? I’ve had days where I know my body is missing something and it’s looking for something, yet I can’t seem to give it what it needs. Specifically because I don’t know what it needs, this is why I believe that a multi-vitamin hand in hand with a healthy and organic diet is the key to feeling good.

Of course, every girl and guy wants great hair, flawless skin and beautifully, strong nails.We know that biotin is the vitamin to do that. It promotes strong nails and when I take it, my nails grow very quickly and they are strong without ridges or bumps in the nail itself. I try to not dye my hair often because usually when I take this, my roots come in faster and I have to touch up on the blonde a lot more than I would like to, it’s a great thing, just not the touchup every couple weeks. Ha! As for skin, this adds buoyancy to the skin and makes it supple and soft. Fun fact: most people will tell you to stay away from egg yolks, yet egg yolk has one of the highest sources of Biotin. Egg yolks are extremely good for you, just make sure that your eggs are pasture-raised or you’re not getting the benefits you truly need. This specific brand has Collagen, Coconut Oil and Argan Oil added to it, which just helps with everything. Literally, everything. Oh and if anyone tells you that coconut oil is bad for you, they most likely work for the corn oil industry, which by the way supplements the American Heart Association. Yes, pharma is an evil industry people. Back to taking a Biotin supplement, it’s good for you and it’s beneficial to the “beauty” part of health.

Tinctures are very easy yet very powerful. I love the brand Christopher’s. This specific formula for Kidney’s contains what Kidney’s love: Organic Juniper Berry, Parsley Root,Organic Marshmallow Root, Wildcrafted Goldenseal Root, Organic Uva Ursi Leaf, Wildcrafted Lobelia Her and Organic Ginger Root. I have a history of kidney problems and do everything I can to baby them. After all they are essential to health. They are essential to cleaning our blood secreting the unnecessary things in our body. To give them support and a little help is a good thing and that’s why I take a tincture. Depending on if my kidneys are down, I will up my dose as well. This is specific to me, but also can benefit everyone to take care of your kidneys.

This is a magical supplement that everyone needs to know about. This is the cure-any-sickness/also-prevent-any-sickness-before-it-hits-you potion. At any time you start to feel a cold, or a fever or anything take 10-20 drops diluted in a juice or water or milk or soda. Take it several times a day and most likely it will go away on its own. I do not take this everyday, though I probably should, it is really good to travel with and to take right after airplane or long car rides. For those who always get sick after travel. Even out of the country this is perfect for kicking those colds and keeping them away for good and keeping yourself protected from any foreign bug you don’t want to catch. Everyone needs this, its an amazing mixture of Grapefruit seed extract and other citrus fruit extracts.

Again, Garden Of Life, one of my favorite brands and I feel that everyone should be on a Probiotic. NO matter what it’s for. This is specifically for Urinary Tract but there are a hundred million others that help with all sorts of things. When we are born, we are born with the perfect amount of bad bacteria and good bacteria. As we grow up, get sick, eat certain foods, the balanced bacteria becomes unbalanced. This is when problems arise. Everything comes back to your gut health, including mental illnesses. So, because you’re not going to be eating Keifer and yogurt everyday, all day, you need to supplement and even out the bad bacteria with some good.

Lastly, I firmly believe in Himalayan Salt and Salt Lamps. The studies on Salt Lamps have proven how beneficial they can be to your health. Not only is the light so soothing and peaceful to sleep next to, but they help with everything from your head to your toes. They neutralize radiation put out by our cell phones, tv’s and other devices. They purify the air and reduce allergens and asthma to improve breathing. They increase energy levels. They help you sleep, reduce stress and up performance. I love to sleep next to one, to work and eat. It just helps me meditate and my energy is heightened. I feel better and happier.

Thanks for reading! Again, this is just what I recommend and what I have found works and does good for the body. I am, again, not a doctor so this is not medical advice and you should seek someone who has a license to their name to tell you what to do. I do recommend doing your research on what works best for you and if you take anything from this post, go get a really, really good Multi-Vitamin and your set.

Stay tuned for a funny video coming on Friday! XX

My Morning Power Smoothie

Janessa Gornichec — Thu, 08 Jun 2017 16:14:21 +0000

Hey guys!! So this week I want to share what I usually go to in the morning. To be completely honest, I have a hard time eating breakfast, I just don’t want to eat early in the morning and there are some days I need to get something that is going to curb my hunger and benefit my body. The most important components in this Power Smoothie are the coconut oil and the turmeric and apple cider vinegar. The coconut oil is a healthy fat that keeps you fuller for longer, the turmeric is anti-inflammatory and also reduces bloating. Lastly, Apple Cider Vinegar is pretty much magic liquid. This stuff is anti-fungal, anti-viral, reduces water weight, helps with bloating, balances your PH and keeps your system clean and moving. I use all organic fruit and organic ingredients. Hope you guys enjoy this smoothie, its definitely a feel good drink and I promise you’ll hear your body say “Thank you!”

Power Smoothie Recipe:

Pineapple

Blueberries

Apple

Peaches

Handful Of Spinach

Coconut Oil (2 Tablespoons)

Apple Cider Vinegar ( 2 ounces)

Turmeric (about 1 tsp)

Honey (for sweetness)

Fill with Lemon Water

Blend all together (with or without ice) and Enjoy!!! xx