Heart healthy fish....yum!

We all know that we don't eat enough fish and especially the oily kind that contains those heart-healthy omega 3 fatty acids (they are called essential fatty acids because we have to ingest them, the body cannot make them) and omega 3's are thought to be helpful in lowering inflammation in the body which can't be a bad thing.....

Of course, you can always pop a pill...but why not branch out a bit and try my heart healthy sesame ginger salmon with baby bok choy recipe. It's quick, easy, and healthy and your heart will thank you!



Sesame ginger salmon with baby bok choy




Ingredients

1 3-4 oz salmon (pref wild) fillet per person.
Light sesame ginger salad dressing (I used Newman's Own).
Squeeze of lime juice.
Extra grated ginger if you like the kick.
Baby bok choy.
Garlic (crushed).
Low sodium soy sauce.
Sesame oil & sesame seeds (toasted) (optional).

Place the salmon and about 2 tbsps dressing in a Ziploc bag
Add the extra ginger and some crushed garlic if using along with a squeeze of lime juice.

Leave to marinate for about 30 mins.

Preheat a grill pan (or the barbeque) and sear the fish skin side down so you get some nice grill marks. Turn the fish over and cook only for a few minutes on the other side (we are aiming for moist, not dry fish).
Meanwhile wash the baby bok choy and saute in a little sesame oil along with some crushed garlic until crisp/tender then dress with a few dashes of low sodium soy sauce.

To serve: place the salmon on a bed of bok choy and sprinkle with a few drops to sesame oil and a teaspoon of toasted sesame seeds if you feel the need!

Carb Heaven!

Just to prove that I don't live on lettuce alone (I think my picture proves that too!!) here's a classic British recipe for those days when a) you really don't feel like cooking and b)you really need some gooey cheese and some fluffy baked potato.
As usual, it's a quick & easy dish and really has no recipe.



Baked Spud (Potato) with Beans & Cheese

1 large baking spud per person washed and wrapped in a paper towel
Baked beans (I like Heinz vegetarian ones)
Grated sharp cheddar

Bung the spud(s) in the microwave for about 10-15 minutes until they yield when squished.
Then throw in the toaster oven/oven at 375F until the skin crips up.

Then, nuke some beans.

Assemble thus so: place spud on plate, cut a cross in the top and open up.
Add some light butter or margarine if you feel it necessary (I did)!
Fill with beans then top with grated cheese.
Broil or nuke again until cheese melts.........

Sit down and enjoy.....
(If you eat the skin too, you get extra fiber in addition to that from the beans).

Serve with a side salad if you are feeling particularly healthy.....

Fiesta Chicken.......

After finding a half used bottle of salsa in the fridge that had already begun to ferment I decided I needed a recipe to use it up before it got into that sorry state, so Fiesta Chicken was born!

This recipe is quick, healthy, and the bashing of the chicken is very therapeutic....

Fiesta Chicken
Chicken breasts pounded to 1/2" thickness (1 per person)..I like to use a Ziploc bag and a rolling pin to bash them (makes less mess!)
Chipotle seasoning (I used Mrs Dash Southwest Chipotle)
Salt/pepper to taste
Canned chiles (green)
Black beans
Grated cheese (Pepper jack or Mexican blend is good)
Salsa
Sour cream (lite)
Avocado sliced or guacamole
Lime juice

Heat the barbie. Sprinkle your flattened chicken with salt, pepper and your choice of seasoning on both sides.
Sear on the grill to get cross hatched grill marks on one side only (2-4 minutes) then turn over and reduce the heat on the barbeque. The object is to cook the other side but without coloring it...want the chicken to be juicy, not like shoe leather!

Then pick up the chicken and place colored side down on a piece of foil on the barbie. Add green chiles, black beans, cheese and fold up the sides and top of the foil to make a parcel.
Cook on low heat until cheese melts and chicken reads 165F on a thermometer.

When ready, remove from foil if you want or serve it in the foil packet topped with salsa, sour cream, lime juice, and avocado/guacamole.

You could also sprinkle with some crushed tortilla chips, add shredded lettuce and/or corn...........

It was yummy!!! Def. will make again!

Forgot to add the picture for the last post! oops!

 

Hot weather approaching...cool salad recipe

Greetings!

It's getting hot out here in SoCal so after an hour or so's commute back from work in the High Desert, coupled with an a/c malfunction at work all I wanted was a nice cold fizzy glass of.......water and a healthy, cool salad.

This salad is WONDERFUL and was inspired by the classic prawn (shrimp) cocktail of ye olde Europe! lol! Actually, prawn cocktail is eaten with a mayonnaise/ketchup based sauce (often called Marie Rose sauce) in many other parts of the world which is totally different to the red horseradish sauce more traditionally seen here in the USA..........try it, you may like it...

Here's the recipe.

Suzanne's Prawn Cocktail Salad

Serves 1
1/2 cup chopped fresh spinach
1 cup romaine (dark leaves only)
shredded carrot
shredded red cabbage
grape or cherry tomatoes halved
3 oz shrimp (about 9 medium) cooked tails on or off

Sauce
1/4 cup low fat mayo or Miracle Whip (I prefer MW)
1/2 cup ketchup
2 tbsp mustard
lemon/lime juice to taste and to thin consistency so it's semi-drizzle-able (is that a word??)
white pepper

Pile salad stuff and shrimp onto a plate. Mix all sauce ingredients in a bowl. Drizzle over the top of the salad and sprinkle with a little paprika for a bit of colour.
Tuck in and enjoy!

Feel free to add hard boiled egg, cress, sprouts, beets or any other salad stuff to this.....even a few beans wouldn't go amiss. Even some cubed mango or peaches would give it a different twist.....

This is traditionally served with thinly sliced brown bread and butter.......a slice of whole grain bread and a bit of Smart Balance light spread is a healthy alternative tho'.........

Enjoy!

AWOL....Missing in the land of fish and chips!

One more apology.......this healthy eater has been missing across the pond on an impromptu family visit. However, the healthy eating title is somewhat of a misnomer when in the United Kingdom since I ate my way through plenty of pork pies, ruby murrays (curries to you non-Brits), yogurts containing more calories than a large Coldstone, and strange flavoured crisps (chips).....how does pickled onion flavour sound?



Anyway, now that I am returned to my rightful place I need to regain my healthy eating habits...so, if any of you cyber spacers need a few healthy recipes look no further than this blog.....it's belt tightening and gym going all round!

So, I know that woman cannot subsist on salads alone so here's a little impromptu soup recipe for you.......it's really tasty and easy and don't be put off by the grey-ish/green colour!! lol! As with all my recipes.........feel free to vary the quantities and vegetables as the whim takes you.

Faux cream of celery and parsnip soup

Ingredients
Onion...finely chopped
Potato...peeled and cut into small dice
Celery...one head cut up small
Parsnip.....peeled and cut into small cubes
Vegetable or chicken stock.....about 6 cups
Condiments to taste



Method
Sweat onion in a small amount of oil (olive or canola)until soft but not coloured.
Add stock, celery, parsnip, and potato....simmer until tender.
When cooked puree using a stick blender until smooth.
Add salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste.



Serve with some croutons on top and a bit of chopped parsley.

BTW......studies suggest that eating soup before a meal fills you up and those in the study given the soup ingested less calories than those persons who did not eat soup. So, eat your soup!!

Easter delights!

Easter...time to eat chocolate eggs and things shaped like rabbits...

According to the BBC Food website, the Pennsylvania Dutch are said to have transported the traditions of the Easter egg and Easter bunny with them to the Americas. Their traditions also involved baking a large biscuit shaped to depict a rabbit in the act of laying an egg, but this cookie curiosity was gradually phased out due to persistant objections to the ambiguous imagery.

Anyway, since I try not to base my entire diet around chocolate I thought I would share a recipe with you that we traditionally ate at home on Good Friday.


Fish Pie



Ingredients (as usual, you can change the quantities, they're not set in stone)

12 oz white fish (skinless)
10 oz small to medium shrimp (raw or cooked)
6 oz salmon fillet (optional)
1 can tuna (optional)

1-1.5 pts (2-3 cups) low fat milk
1 small onion cut in quarters
4 cloves
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons flour
knob of butter
handful of fresh parsley (chopped)

handful of frozen peas (thawed)
3 hardboiled eggs
spinach chopped (optional)

mashed potato
shredded cheese (optional)


OK......first, put the fish in a pan and cover with the milk. Stick a clove in each onion quarter and add along with the bayleaf to the fish and milk. Bring to the boil (don't let it boil over) and simmer until the fish looks opaque. If you are using the salmon you can poach it at the same time.

When the fish is cooked, lift it out with a slotted spoon into the baking dish you are going to use and strain the milk through a sieve to be used to make the sauce.
Flake the fish in the dish, add the tuna if using and the thawed or raw prawns (they'll cook in the oven). Quarter the eggs and arrange in the dish with the fish, evenly spaced. If you are using the spinach also add it to the dish along with the peas. Now scatter around the chopped parsley in an artistic fashion...

Now for the scary bit..the sauce.....it's actually very easy...

Melt the butter in a non stick pan then add the flour and, stirring constantly, cook it for about 1 minute. Then gradually whisk in your reserved milk that you cooked the fish in. Boil the sauce, stirring constantly, until it thickens. Season with a bit of grated nutmeg if you like and some pepper (if you don't like black specks marring your pristine white sauce then use white pepper). Tada! White sauce!

Now just pour your sauce over the fish etc in the baking dish and then top with your mashed potato (for extra nutritional points you could use sweet potato or a mixture of the two). Use a fork to "rough up" the spud so it gets extra crispy in the oven.

Now, pop in a preheated oven @ 350 (325 fan assisted) for about 45 minutes adding the cheese to the top if desired about 10 minutes before the dish comes out of the oven. This is great served with some microwaved broccoli!