Greek Salad Loaded Salmon

& booking spontaneous travel to stay sane

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 my paid membership here. You can also try a week for free!

CATCH UP!

It has been a strange few weeks. It feels like there’s something in the air, the energy feels off for me and those close to me. It feels like everyone is going through some sort of challenge at the moment, and it’s causing me to feel out of sorts, which is only compounded by this strange, gloomy weather here in LA.

I’ve been trying to distract myself by increasing my focus on work and moving my body. I’ve really felt like this year wasn’t my best workwise. I’ve been enjoying this newsletter (it really is the highlight of my week), and I'm proud of my videos, but I haven’t been pushing myself in the way that I normally like to. I feel like I’m missing that forward momentum, and I’m feeling it weighing on me.

On the flip side, I’ve been doing a lot for my body and mind, including taking lots of hot yoga and pilates classes, walking and hiking, cuddling with my dog, spending quality time with Grant, etc, and that stuff is much needed and nourishing to my soul. Sometimes it’s hard for me to accept that I’m just in a particular season and things could change, but I’m also a goal-oriented person, so I know when I start making actionable plans, I have something to work for.

Also… I may or not be planning a last-minute international trip at the end of next month…. Anyone who knows me knows I’m notorious for planning grand spontaneous getaways. Grant and I have both had one bucket list destination on our minds for years, and when Grant made an off-hand comment about going there, I took that as permission to get the ball rolling. I love when I find some last-minute hot deals, so I hope to share more about where we are going when we lock that down! Planning travel always gets me through weird seasons (and yes it may be a bandaid, but it’s a good bandaid okay!!!).

THINGS I’M LOVING!

Grant has been on a film kick lately, which caused me to revisit my Fujifilm Instax Square camera. I love having a Polaroid-esque camera for camping trips, when friends come over, etc. It’s so fun to play around with and get that retro feel!

I have just been LOVING De Soi Mocktails. They’re complex in flavor and so delish, and Grant and I just recently split a bottle of their Golden Hour Sparkling Aperitif. It’s made with lemon balm, green tea, and pear, and I just love how it’s a non-alcoholic beverage that isn’t very sweet. You can buy a bottle, but it’s also available in cans!

I got this cutie flower glass as a gift from my sister’s bachelorette, and I’ve been drinking my morning matcha in it! I love the glass straw and the white flowers, and it makes my mornings feel cheery and fun! It also makes such a cute gift.

RECIPE!

I love to browse Pinterest for recipe ideas, and this recipe came to be after I saw a different version of a Greek salad salmon by Spices in My DNA. I love baking salmon and adding a mélange of vegetables and herbs, so I thought Greek salad atop a tender salmon filet would be amazing!

I used a hasselback cut on the salmon a la Healthyish Foods with the thought that the Greek salad would seep through the crevices, but that didn’t really happen! You can cook your salmon this way, or you can skip it! Up to you.

Greek Salad Loaded Salmon

Ingredients (serves 2)

• 1 lb salmon

• Oregano

• Garlic powder

• 1 medium Persian cucumber, diced

• 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes

• 4 oz feta, diced

• 1/2 cup red onion

• 2 tbsp roughly chopped parsley

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar

• Salt & pepper

• Fresh dill, for garnish

1. Preheat oven to 400 F. Add salmon filets to a baking sheet. Hasselback the salmon by cutting down into the salmon flesh ever 2 inches without cutting through the skin (or skip this step if you want). Drizzle with a little olive oil, and sprinkle on a pinch of salt, pepper, oregano, and garlic powder. Bake for 15-20 minutes until salmon is cooked through, depending on how thick your salmon is.

2. While salmon is baking, mix together cucumbers, tomatoes, feta, parsley, olive oil, red wine vinegar, and a pinch of salt and pepper in a bowl.

3. When salmon is done baking, transfer to a plate, and top with Greek salad mixture and dill, if desired. Serve immediately!