Cioppino & Raw Vegetable Salad

Cioppino

One of the benefits of living in the PNW is sometimes someone brings gifts from the sea. A friend brought by a couple nice crabs last evening. I knew what to do with them right away. I haven't made Cioppino in a long time. It's something I like to make for birthdays. I have never used a recipe for this so I may tell you how to cook it differently each time. This is how I made it this time. It came out awesome, just the way I like Cioppino to taste! I used the crab legs for this, the bodies will become something else. Not sure what yet.

Cioppino

1/2 - 3/4 lb white fish, I used some Alaskan Cod I had in the freezer.
1/2 lb prawns
1/2 lb small clams
Crab Legs - with shells

1 Medium to large chopped onion
3-4 celery stalks, diced
1 large bell pepper diced
1/2 fennel bulb diced
1/2 cup diced green onions
3 TB chopped parsley
1 TB crushed dried basil
1 TB crushed dried oregano
freshly ground sea salt and pepper
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1 large can organic fire roasted tomatoes.

I sauteed the vegetables in coconut oil until they were tender adding the spices while they cooked. Then I added the tomatoes and about a quart of water and the white fish. When the sauce began to boil, I put in the crab and prawns. The crab was still frozen so I raised the temp just a bit and when it began to boil again I added the clams. When the clams open, it's done. This nice meal only takes about 45 minutes to make and tastes like it took hours.

We put together our second salad for the week tonight. I was asked yesterday if I had any salad ideas because a friend is on a restricted diet and beans aren't good for her right now. She is enduring some kind of cancer therapy. I told him, I just experiment with all the vegetables. Put in anything you like. If you are unsure about the vegetable, chop them very small and try them raw. My husband eats vegetables raw he would have not eaten cooked before. Our salads have at least ten different vegetables and sometimes fruit. This one was a little different than our usual vegetables. 

Romaine, Red seedless grapes, chopped cucumber, red bell pepper, red cabbage, 2 leeks, diced fennel bulb and the feathery leaves, grated carrots (grated very large), 2 avocados, cauliflower, raw almond slices and the juice of a whole orange. I crushed the pulp and threw it in too after juicing. No dressing is needed, the avocado oils the vegetables and the vegetables blend together and add flavors to each other.

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