Those we love don’t go away
they walk beside us every day.
Unseen, unheard,
but always near,
so loved, so missed
so very dear.
Picking myself up after losing two loved ones within a few weeks is probably one of the hardest things to do in life. And it feels almost impossible when one of them meant the world to me. She was the reason for my existence till now. She was the definition of joy and hope and my pillar of strength and support. She was taken away from me once. And now she was taken away from me again. But the thing is, I can never call her name or touch her hand anymore…
I don’t want to hide my feelings, neither do I want to pretend that I’m ok and happy because I’m really not. I am still grieving every single day because it really hurts but I’m doing my best to move on.
I never thought of buying beetroot for home meals before until I started eating them last year at a salad bar buffet. I wouldn’t say I adore beets as I’m still not used to their ‘muddy’ taste but I know how nutritious and beneficial to health they are so I don’t mind incorporating them in our diet every now and then.
To reduce or eliminate that ‘dirt’ flavour, I pickled one small-sized beetroot in 1/4 cup white rice vinegar, 1/4 cup sugar and a pinch of salt after peeling and dicing it up. I combined that with orange and purple sweet potatoes (colours looked really pretty!) and toss them up with a quick and easy honey mustard dressing. I served the salad with oven-grilled (no oil, no salt) omega-3 rich mackerel or you can go for any fish or seafood of your choice. Absolutely healthy and yummy.
Mackerel Fillet with Sweet Potato and Beetroot Salad Recipe
Ingredients (serves 2)
2 mackerel fillets
1 purple sweet potato (skin on), diced & steamed
1 orange sweet potato (skin on), diced & steamed
1 beetroot, peeled, diced & pickled
large handful of pea shoots
lime wedges as garnish
Dressing: (combine in a bowl)
1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
juice of 1 lemon
1 1/2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 200 deg C at Grill with fan. Line a baking tray with parchment paper and arrange the mackerel fillets (skin side up) on top.
2. Insert into highest shelf of the oven (closest to the heating element above) and grill for about 15-20 minutes till the skin is golden brown.
3. Combine the sweet potatoes and beetroot in a mixing bowl and toss thoroughly with the dressing.
4. Arrange pea shoots on serving plates followed by the sweet potato & beetroot salad and mackerel. Garnish with lime wedges and serve.
Geri, those words are beautiful and so true. Take care.