Caprese Pesto Salmon

& what i'm reading, watching, and eating!

Hi! Welcome to “good mood food” from Kale Me Maybe’s Carina Wolff. If you’ve made it here and aren’t yet a subscriber, come join! You can expect recipes, musings, and faves in your inbox every Wednesday! Paid subscribers get even more! Learn more about the paid tier of my newsletter here. You can also try a week for free!

CATCH UP!

I have been getting eight to nine hours of sleep this week, and it is incredible. I normally get between seven and eight, but NINE. I feel like I’m thriving. I have also been in major strategizing mode for work, trying to come up with interesting ways to film content, redoing my website, etc. One thing I do feel like my life is lacking right now is nature, and I want to make a better effort to get out camping, go hiking, spend time at the beach, etc.

I am currently reading Foster Dade Explores The Cosmos, and it’s another book I’m currently undecided on. Has anyone else read it? I saw a review complaining about the author’s use of big words, and I have to say, it is a bit distracting. I consider myself to have a good vocabulary, but sometimes I read a sentence, and I’m unclear what the author is trying to convey, which definitely disrupts the flow of the book. It’s a long one, and I’m only 100ish pages in, so I’ll report back as I continue reading.

Tonight is Love is Blind night, and I’m so excited! I’m also going to make Wishbone Kitchen’s Pasta alla Zozonna for dinner!

THINGS I’M LOVING

Yes yes, we have another sweatsuit on this week’s list of favorite things. I spend most work days in a sweatshirt and sweatpants, and I’ve just been updating my wardrobe so I feel a little more put together while I’m cozy. This Gap Sweatshirt and Gap Sweatpants set was on sale — I got it in navy, but they have other fun colors too!

For my birthday, my two besties got me the cutest necklaces from Gorjana! I’ve already gotten requests for the link to this one, so I thought I would spread the love. It’s super cute for layering or wearing on its own!

I bought the most adorable tomato-shaped candle from the Hollywood Farmer’s Market last weekend, and I found it online!! It’s currently sitting on my kitchen counter as decor, and I almost never want to burn it because it’s so cute.

RECIPE!

This salmon recipe is inspired by caprese! It has a homemade pesto spread over the top of salmon that’s baked over a bed of roasted tomatoes and topped with some burrata. Some people will say, “That’s a lot of fat,” and to that, I will say, “I love fat!” Especially when it comes from beautiful, nutritious foods like salmon and nuts! But hey, you gotta do what’s right for you!

I made a homemade pesto here, but you can always use store-bought. And I’m sorry, I can’t NOT think of Suzi stitches every time I hear the phrase “storebought pesto.” If you don’t know what I’m referencing, congratulations, you’re not chronically online. I’m jealous!

I like to make some swaps in my pesto to add a variety of nutrients. I do half basil half arugula and half pine nuts and half walnuts in this one.

I was inspired by two creators for this recipe: Ryan Nordheimer and Jazz Leaf!

Caprese Pesto Salmon

Ingredients (serves 2)

Salmon

• 2 pints cherry or grape tomatoes

• 2 filets of salmon (about 1 lb)

• 3-4 tbsp pesto (see below if you want to make it yourself!)

• 4 oz burrata

• Olive oil

• Salt & pepper

• Balsamic glaze

• Fresh basil, for garnish

Pesto

• 1 cup basil leaves

• 1 cup arugula

• 2 tbsp pine nuts

• 2 tbsp walnuts

• 1/4 grated Parmesan

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• Zest and juice of 1 lemon

• Pinch of salt, plus more to taste

• Olive oil (about 1/4 cup)

1. Preheat oven to 400 F. Add tomatoes to a large baking dish, drizzle with olive oil, and bake for 15-20 minutes or until tomatoes have begun to soften.

2. While the tomatoes are baking, prepare the pesto, if you are making it yourself. Add all the ingredients except the olive oil to a food processor. Pulse until everything is finely chopped. Then, while still pulsing everything, drizzle in the olive oil until everything is smooth and combined. Add more olive oil, as needed, to get your desired texture.

3. When the tomatoes are done, remove from the oven. Create space in the middle of your baking sheet for the salmon filets. Season them with salt and pepper, and then spread a dollop of the pesto over each piece of salmon (about 1-2 tbsp per salmon filet). Transfer back to the oven and bake for 15 minutes or until salmon is flaky.

4. Remove from the oven, and add scoops of the burrata over the tomatoes. Drizzle the balsamic glaze over the salmon and the tomatoes, and top with more fresh basil to garnish, if desired. Serve immediately.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT!

Another week, another episode of 30-minute budget meals! Last week, we had this chickpea orzo skillet that’s loaded with veggies. Love a one-pot meal! Join in on the fun and subscribe to receive next week’s recipe along with all the ones currently in the archives!