Fall Fish

I don't usually cook fish just because I never really learned how to do it right, but I thought that on study breaks, it might be good to experiment and finally learn.  And I came up with something pretty tasty.  This is the lemon-dill perch with wild rice, a salad, and a lemon-pomegranate garnish.

For the fish, I just used frozen perch fillets, but any kind of whitefish would work (perch just happens to be my favorite).  Take the thawed fillet and put it in an oven-safe pan.  I then melted some margarine/butter in the microwave and put some Nature Seasoning, Garlic Power, Lemon Juice, Parsley Flakes, a touch of Oregano, and fresh Dill.  After stirring the mixture together, pour over the fish fillets.  I then baked the fish in the oven for about 12-15 minutes at 425 degrees.  After taking the fish out, I added some more fresh dill on top of the fish as a garnish and for extra taste.

The sides are pretty easy.  The wild rice is just Uncle Ben's Wild Rice.  It's cheap to buy, easy to make, and tastes fantastic.  Basically, pour everything (including spice pack) into a pot, add some water (olive oil optional), and then let it simmer for about 27 minutes.  And ta-da.

The salad was pretty easy to make too.  Just get a big bowl for mixing everything up and then get out a cutting board and knife for dicing up a bunch of vegetables.  I put in one large tomato, 2 red peppers, 1 leek, some artichoke hearts, black olives, fresh basil, about 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and seasoned with a little salt and pepper.  Mix everything together well and chill.  

 When the fish is done, serve together with the other sides.  I added some lemons with a few pomegranate seeds as a garnish (and because I always eat fish with fresh lemons).  

Martha Stewart's Mashed Potatoes for the "Athletically Built"

Since we love us some Paula Deen style cooking on this blog, I figured we ought to add this hilarious video of Martha Stewart making mashed potatoes with Snoop Dogg.  Needless to say, she adds lots of butter.  Snoop likes to add black pepper to his mashed potatoes, but I happen to be a fan of Morton's Nature's Seasoning.  In any case, enjoy.

Just in case you happened to be wondering what the Snoop Dogg rap-style Christmas music he talked about with Martha Stewart would sound like, see the video below.

Small Desserts

Spiced Pecans

Spiced Pecans

Ingredients
1 egg white
1 T water
3 cups pecan halves
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/8 tsp. ground cloves

Directions
Beat egg white till frothy.  Add water and beat until soft peaks form.
Combine sugar, salt, and spices in another bowl.
Stir pecans in egg whites until coated.
Pour sugar mixture over pecans and toss gently.
Spread pecans onto cookie sheet.
Bake at 300 degrees for 30 minutes stirring occasionally.
Remove immediately from cookie sheet to wax paper.
Let cool, then enjoy!

Oreo Truffles

Oreo Truffles

Ingredients

One package of Oreos

One package nonfat cream cheese

One package of bakers chocolate, brown

Some white bakers chocolate, shavings

Directions

Crush Oreos in blender or food processor.

Mix crushed Oreos with nonfat cream cheese.

Roll mixture into little balls and chill.

Melt brown baking chocolate, taking care not to burn it.

Using a toothpick, take one Oreo ball and cover it in chocolate, place it onto wax paper, and sprinkle white chocolate shavings on top for decoration.  

Let dry.  Enjoy!

Finished Product: Oreo Truffles

Winter Soups and Bread

It's now January and the snow has started to really fall down now.  In these cold winter months, there is nothing like a nice bowl of hot soup and some bread that makes for a great meal.  Here are two easy, quick soup recipes along with a new bread recipe for you to enjoy.  All are from Cooking Light so they're pretty healthy too.  Let it snow!

Vegetarian Chili

Ingredients:

                1 tablespoon olive oil

                2 cups chopped onions

                3 garlic cloves, minced

               

                4 cups water, divided

                2 tablespoons sugar

                2 tablespoons chili powder

                2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

                2 cans (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained

                1 can (15.5 oz) chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed & drained

                1 can (15 oz) black beans, rinsed & drained

                1 can (15 oz) kidney beans, rinsed & drained

                1 can (16 oz) cannellini beans or other white beans, rinsed & drained

                1 can (6 oz) tomato paste

                ½ cup (2 oz) reduced fat shredded cheddar cheese, optional

Directions

1.     Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat.  Add onion and garlic.  Sauté 3 minutes or until tender.  Add 3 cups water and next 8 ingredients (through cannellini beans), stirring to combine.

2.       Combine remaining cup of water and tomato paste in a bowl, stirring with a whisk until blended.  Stir tomato paste mixture into bean mixture.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat, simmer for 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated.  Ladle into soup bowls and top with cheese if desired. 

Yield: 8 servings (serving size is 1.5 cups soup)

Calories 276 (11% from fat), Fat 3.5 g (sat 0.3g, mono 1.3g, poly 1g), Carbs 49.7g, Fiber 14.7 g, Chol 0 mg, Iron 4.2 mg, Sodium 587 mg, Calc 107 mg.

Vegetarian Chili, served with Sangria

Southwestern Chicken Soup

Ingredients

                Cooking Spray

                1 cup chopped onions

                3 garlic cloves, minced

                6 cups fat free, less sodium chicken broth

                ¼ cup uncooked white rice

                1 teaspoon ground cumin

                1 can (16 oz) Great Northern beans, rinsed & drained

                3 cups chopped, skinless, boneless, rotisserie chicken breast

                ½ cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro

                ½ teaspoon black pepper

                ¼ teaspoon salt

                1 cup chopped seeded tomato

                ¾ cup diced peeled avocado (about 1 medium)

                1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

                6 lime wedges

Directions

1.       Heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat.  Coat pan with cooking spray.  Add onion and garlic, and sauté 3 minutes.  Add broth, rice, cumin, and beans, then bring to boil.  Reduce heat, simmer for 15 minutes.  Stir in chicken, cilantro, pepper, and salt, then simmer for 5 minutes or until chicken is thoroughly heated. 

2.       Remove from heat, stir in tomato, avocado, and juice.  Serve with lime wedges. 

Yield: 6 servings (serving size 1 2/3 cup soup and 1 lime wedge)

Calories 274 (25% from fat), Fat 7.7 g (sat 1.5g, mono 3.9g, poly 1.3), Protein 28.4 g, Carb 23.1 g, Fiber 6g, Chol 60mg, Iron 2.6mg, Sodium 516mg, Calc 65 mg

Onion and Fontina Beer Batter Bread

Ingredients

                1 tablespoon olive oil

                1 cup diced onion

                3 cups all-purpose flour (about 13.5 oz)

                3 tablespoons sugar

                2 teaspoons baking powder

                1 teaspoon salt

                1 cup (4 oz) grated fontina cheese

                1 bottle (12 oz) beer (such as an amber ale)

                Cooking Spray

                ¼ cup butter, melted & divided

Directions

1.       Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2.       Heat olive oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat.  Add onion, and sauté 6 minutes or until tender.  Cool to room temperature.

3.       Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups and level with a knife.  Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt into a bowl, making a well in the center of the mixture.  Add onion, cheese, and beer, then stir until just moist.

4.       Spoon batter into a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Drizzle evenly with 2 tablespoons butter.  Bake at 375 for 35 minutes, brush with remaining 2 tablespoons of butter.  Bake an additional 23 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Cool 5 minutes in a pan on a wire rack, remove from pan.  Cool completely on wire rack.

Yield: 16 servings (serving size 1 slice)

Calories 149 (30% from fat), Fat 5g (sat 2.3g, mono 2.1g, poly 0.3g), Protein 3.5g, Carb 22.2g, Fiber 0.8g, Chol 12mg, Iron 1.2 mg, Sodium 259mg, Calc 61 mg