Sauteed Salmon with Arugula 

And Grilled Veggies!

“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send 

in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.” John 14:26

Food for the Palate

Ingredients:

2 - 5 oz Atlantic Salmon Fillets

6 cups fresh arugula

1 cup halved cremini mushrooms

3 shallots, peeled and cut in quarters

1/2 cup petite peas

1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese, or your choice of cheese

1 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil, divided

1/2 tsp. pepper

1 tsp. salt

2 cloves of garlic, minced

Dressing Ingredients:

2 cloves of garlic, minced

6 Tbsp. Olive Oil 

1 tsp. salt 

1/2 tsp. pepper 

Juice of one lemon

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. onion powder

1 Tbsp. honey

Instructions: Preheat Oven to 400F

Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Lay your mushrooms on one side of the sheet and your shallots on the other side. Drizzle both veggies with 1 Tbsp. olive oil, 1 tsp. of salt and 1/2 tsp. of pepper. Toss them gently without mixing the two together. Make sure they are not touching (you don't want them steamed). Bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Sprinkle your petite peas on top of the veggies and bake for 10 more minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.

Prepare your dressing ingredients in a container all together and mix well. Set aside.

Prepare your salmon. Sprinkle 1 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper on your salmon. Drizzle with 1 Tbsp. of olive oil. Rub the minced garlic over the top of the salmon. Make sure you season both sides of your fish. Place a medium sauté pan on medium-high heat. Allow your pan to get nice and hot and then add 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil. Place your salmon fillets in the pan and cook on one side for 3 minutes. Turn heat to medium and flip over to the other side and cook for 4 minutes. Remove from heat right away. 

Put the arugula into a bowl for serving. Top with the roasted mushrooms, shallots and peas. Crumble the blue cheese over the top. Add the dressing mixture and toss so that your greens are completely covered. Lay the salmon on top of the greens and enjoy! Tasty to the Palate! 

Food for the Soul
The Atlantic salmon (my favorite) are very fast swimmers and can jump almost 12 feet! Their actual species’ name is 'Salar', which means the ‘leaper’ because of its incredible ability to jump over rapids and low waterfalls to reach their spawning territory.

Unlike their Pacific cousins, Atlantic salmon do not normally die after laying their eggs. They migrate back out to the ocean to feed and recover, and if they are not dinner themselves by larger predators, they return to spawn again. And so the sequence of life continues and they can live up to 6 years.

The cycle of life for the Christian could be more accurately called the “sequence of life”. It is a natural process for Christians to be growing closer to and more like their Savior Jesus Christ as their lives are lived out here on earth, and then ultimately in heaven.

Determining the correct priorities in our lives is fundamental for our growth as a Christian. We need to always be putting God first. But there is a pesky little problem called our “sinful nature” that tends to get in the way all too often when it comes to our faith growing. 

I am always surprised when I run into Christians that think that they don’t need to do anything to grow their faith. They lean on the belief that everything has already been done for them on the cross and the Holy Spirit will do the rest. It is certainly true that Titus 3:5 says: “He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to His own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit.” There is absolutely nothing we can do to earn our way to heaven. When Jesus died on the cross and rose again from the grave He did everything! But eternal salvation isn’t the only thing that matters about being a Christian. 

Once we receive Christ into our hearts as Savior we begin our sequence of new life here on earth as a Christian. But we can’t do this alone. John 14:26 says “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.” It’s the role of the Holy Spirit to help us grow in the faith that we now have in Christ, so that we will understand and experience Christ’s will for our life and His love in our heart. 

It is the Holy Spirit who works in and through us to help us become more like Jesus. This is called Sanctification, which is the faith sequence of a believer’s life while still on earth. We know that our Justification (our salvation), is only in Jesus. At the same time, our motives, desires and actions are a shared responsibility with the Holy Spirit. Because of our free will we are rightly held responsible for them. 

As Christians living out our "sequence of life" here on earth, the Holy Spirit guides us to maturity. Our character changes for the better. We become more like Jesus Christ. When we relinquish our own will, and are obedient to God’s Word, we grow in Him. We become more like Him. We grow to love others. We enjoy life from a whole new perspective, a godly one. And that’s how we experience God’s glorious riches while still on this earth. 

I don’t just want my sequence of life to be all about me enjoying myself, because of grace, but a life striving to enjoy Christ, because of Grace. I hope you do too!  Satisfying to the Soul.