What are Street Lemons?

If you drive around my town these days, especially in the older, established areas, you will find citrus trees loaded full of lemons, oranges, and other citrus fruits.  Our climate is ideal for citrus and it seems every house has at least one fruit-bearing tree.  

My sister told me that she recently made some lemon bars out of "street lemons."  

"What are street lemons?" 

"Oh you know, when you are on a walk, they are the lemons you get from trees that are hanging into the street."

(Don't worry, she didn't trespass, just "gleaned" from neglected trees that were already dropping fruit everywhere) 

Because I have several grocery bags of lemons generously given to me by my family from their over-abundant trees, I am trying to incorporate lemons in our meals as much as possible.

This day, I was craving a pasta dish, so I decided to make a creamy lemon pasta.  I served it with a side of baked salmon seasoned with salt, pepper, and lemon juice. 
 

Creamy Lemon Pasta with Spinach and Artichoke Hearts 

16 oz brown rice spaghetti
2 tsp coconut oil
6 cloves of garlic, sliced thinly (I love this new gadget I got!)
Juice from 2-3 lemons
8oz cream cheese (organic or non-dairy)
2 tbl capers
1 can artichoke hearts
8oz baby spinach chopped
Fresh ground salt and pepper

Cook spaghetti according to package directions.  Drain, rinse, and set aside.  

In a large, deep skillet, heat coconut oil over medium.  Add garlic slices, and cook for about a minute, taking care not to let the garlic burn.  Add lemon juice and cream cheese, and heat until cream cheese is melted, being careful not to let it boil, reducing the heat as necessary.  Add capers and artichoke hearts and heat thoroughly, about 3 minutes.  Add pasta and spinach and toss until sauce completely coats pasta and everything is mixed throughout the pasta.  Season to taste with fresh ground salt and pepper.  Serve by itself or with a side of your favorite seafood (baked salmon or sauteed shrimp and my favorite choices).

One fish, two fish...

I love seafood.  Growing up, we spent many weekends with the family at Salt Point State Park "poke pole" fishing for monkey faced eel while my uncles went abalone diving.  Dinner feasts of pan fried eel and abalone by the campfire while me, my sister, and my cousins melted our shoes on the fire rings is one of my favorite childhood memories.

One of the best things about living so close to San Francisco is the abundance of fresh seafood we have available at all times, not to mention all the amazing seafood restaurants scattered throughout the area.  Sadly, with my diet restrictions, it's too difficult to go out to eat without being "that" patron.

Saturday at the farmer's market, the fish-monger had some amazing cuts of fresh halibut, swordfish, and salmon.  I was craving a nice seafood dinner, so I decided on a nice halibut filet.  Since it was projected to be record breaking warm temperatures on Saturday and cooking on the BBQ was out of the question, I decided to pan sear it with a butter caper sauce.  Because I can't have butter, I used organic, grass-fed ghee (clarified butter with the lactose and milk solids removed, making it easily digestible for many people who need to avoid dairy).  I found so many amazing sounding recipes and combined the best of them all with what I had on hand, and modified to work with my allergies.  It was so delicious, I could eat this every day!  Although it wasn't as exciting as fine dining at a San Francisco seafood restaurant, it definitely cured my craving until I can start venturing out to the restaurant world.  

Halibut with a Butter Caper Sauce

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 lb halibut, skin and bones removed, cut into equal sized pieces (I cut it into 6 pieces)
1/4 c brown rice flour
salt and pepper to taste
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup of white wine
2 tablespoons capers
1 tablespoon ghee
1 lime 

Grilled Asparagus (optional)

Heat the oil in a large skillet.  Put flour in a small bowl or plate and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Dredge fish in flour.  Add the fish to the pan and cook until lightly golden brown on both sides, about 4 minutes per side. Be careful not to overcook the fish!  Remove fish from the pan and set aside.  Add the onions to the pan and saute until tender, about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic and saute about 1 minute.  Add the white wine and deglaze the pan.  Simmer to reduce the sauce a bit.  Turn off the heat and add the capers, ghee, and lime juice.  Serve fish with some of the sauce spooned over the top.  Serve with grilled asparagus, or your favorite vegetable.