Some of the biggest challenges home cooks face are lack of time and accommodating different dietary preferences. I am right there with you! And this new fish in parchment recipe I am sharing is a dream come true. It is not only healthful and delicious, but it’s quick to prepare, quick to cook and customizable. You can use different fish, omit the vegetables or substitute other ones, add a spicy element, or keep it super plain for the choosier eaters.Continue reading
Spetses is one of the Greek islands and a place I visited many years ago. I love Greek food and I still remember this cod dish I had in Spetses which I have recreated often for weeknights with my family and dinners with friends. The recipe is written to serve 4, but you can easily increase to 6 if you can fit that number of filets in the skillet. I am using cod here which is very commonly used in Mediterranean areas, but you can use halibut or whatever thicker white fish you have access to. I originally had the dish with zucchini, but I have swapped in fennel because it’s in season right now. Definitely try it with zucchini in the summer!Continue reading
I had some friends over for dinner recently on a Friday and remembered that it is Lent. Lent starts about 40 days before Easter on Ash Wednesday and ends the day before Easter. It is a very holy time for many Christians and I remembered observing as a child. Traditionally no meat is eaten on Fridays, but fish is acceptable. During Lent, many observers also give up something pleasurable or something that might be a challenge to go without. When I was much younger, I asked my mother if I could give up beef or chicken (which I didn’t like) or going to CCD classes (which I really didn’t like.) And she always instructed me that I was missing the point. If I needed some ideas, my mother suggested perhaps my sisters and I could give up bickering with each other. I understand my mother so much more now.
Whether you observe Lent or not, I think you should make this absolutely delicious fish stew. My family doesn’t love fish as much as I do, although they never complain when I make it. There are certainly recipes they like more than others, like fish tacos (and who can blame them?) or poached salmon (“because it doesn’t taste fishy.”) This fish stew was a hit when I made it because all the fish is mixed with other stuff, Mr. Picky explained. Whatever works!
This stew is brothy like a soup, but full of all sorts of chunkiness like a stew and you can easily make a meal out of it with a piece of crusty bread. So I’ll call it a stew. When I put this together the first time, I was thinking more bouillabaisse, the classic French seafood soup, and less cioppino, the zesty Italian tomato fish stew. Either way I think this is the perfect light, but warming dinner. It also cooks in a very short amount of time, so you’ll have it on the table in less than half an hour. You can also adjust the amount of fish in the recipe without adjusting any other ingredient. If you want lots of fish because this is your main course, then add another 3/4 pound. If you’d like to use a mix of seafood, such as shrimp, scallops or mussels, those would all work well too. The only thing I would advise is NOT to skip the butter. If you have to go dairy-free, use Earth Balance. I tried this with all olive oil and surprisingly it wasn’t nearly as good. In fact, in my next life I’m going to double the butter. And if you live where the temperature has been freezing since Thanksgiving and you’ve more snow storms than the previous 10 years combined, I give you permission to use as much butter and wine as you want in this recipe. You’ve earned it!
We’re baaaack! What an amazing trip. The five of us had an unbelievable 3 1/2 weeks together in Europe. We shared so many great experiences, met interesting people and really grew together as a family. People have been asking me what was the best part of our trip and I know it sounds corny, but what I enjoyed most of all was the five of us just being together. Most importantly, and this is the mother in me talking, no one got sick, hurt or lost and we made it home in one piece. Hooray!
I learned a new expression on this trip and it’s not in a foreign language. My daughters kept saying to me, “YOLO, Mom. YOLO.” Huh? Is that Dutch? Apparently YOLO stands for “You Only Live Once.” This often came up in regard to food. The first five days of the trip I was able to avoid bread, pizza (except for that tomato and cheese pancake in Amsterdam), pasta and desserts, but my family was going for it. Big time. Eventually, I think around Copenhagen, I gave in and basically had a carb fest for 2 1/2 weeks. It was fun while it lasted, but it also reinforced what I already know about wheat and refined foods — overdoing it is never a good thing. And I’ve got my tight jeans to prove it.
Although it was a nice break to be out of the kitchen for a few weeks, I am happy to be back, cooking the food that makes me feel good. I especially have a craving for fish and vegetables since the last half of our trip focused mostly on apple strudel, meat, apple strudel, potatoes, apple strudel, and bread. This fish in parchment recipe is one of my favorite, easiest and most healthful ways to prepare fish. It’s also the perfect light dinner for summertime, especially if you have some herbs growing in your garden. Feel free to change the herbs in the recipe to suit your tastes or you can even add some thinly sliced, quick-cooking vegetables to the packets. I used baby spinach leaves in these photos, but I also like diced fresh tomatoes and zucchini. Or if you have some roasted or grilled vegetables from last night’s dinner, throw those in. You really can’t go wrong.
Lucky for me, only Daughter #2 is still holding out on seafood, but everyone else loves fish, including this preparation. Wild, cold water fish is high in important anti-inflammatory Omega-3 fats, which help support brain and cardiovascular function, as well as balance inflammatory influences in our lives, both from diet and lifestyle. Steaming the fish in parchment actually helps to protect those fats from oxidation since the temperature inside the packets is low. I am eager to start cooking for family again the way I know they and I should be eating. Because like I always say friends, YOLO.
I think you should have a Cinco de Mayo party! Wouldn’t that be fun? Even if you’re not up for hosting a bunch of people next Saturday night, you at least need to prepare some delicious Mexican-inspired food for your family. Who needs to go to the local overcrowded Mexican restaurant and eat greasy, over-sauced, heavy food in the presence of too many inebriated partyers? Not me, friends! Although I don’t need it to be Cinco de Mayo to make Mexican food. My family requests Mexican about as much as anything else and I am happy to oblige with fresh, healthful and easy-to-prepare recipes.
The Mexican dishes I like to make and eat are perfect for busy weeknights, but even better for entertaining because they’re always crowd pleasers and often it’s all about the toppings and allowing everyone to make their own. I love this for many reasons — it gives kids more control in what they’re eating and really encourages them to try new things, it’s less work for me, and it’s fun!
One of my favorite Mexican dishes is fish tacos. Not only do I make them all the time at home, but I find myself ordering them whenever I can especially on vacation (what vacation?). I’ve been known to eat fish tacos every single day for a week and not tire of them. I love changing the toppings each time to keep it different. Sometimes I’ll even use a Savoy cabbage leaf instead of a corn tortilla. In my house we’re split down the middle as to the preferred fish preparation, so in my classes this month and on my blog post, I decided to demonstrate two delicious methods. I prefer a lime juice-based marinade and my husband likes the dry rub better, but you can’t go wrong with either. Where you can go wrong is not putting together a great assortment of condiments, because this is the KEY to building a perfect fish taco.
I went on a reconnaissance mission to Wahoo’s Fish Tacos in Manhattan Beach to see what a restaurant with the words “fish tacos” in its name does with fish tacos. Wow. Major disappointment. A piece of grilled fish in a soft corn tortilla with a pinch of thinly sliced cabbage. Ok so far. Plus shredded cheddar cheese. Huh? Fish and cheese? No. And then a tiny scoop of pico de gallo (fresh tomato salsa) on the side. People, we can do so much better! A delicious and satisfying fish taco has a balance of different tastes and textures (and no cheese!) Here’s what you need:
I am excited to share a few more great Mexican-inspired recipes next week in hopes to inspire you to enjoy your own fiesta at home!
Don’t let the fancy name fool you. This recipe is as easy as it is beautiful and it’s absolutely delicious. All of this is in season right now — from the wild salmon and spinach to the blood oranges and beets — and it comes just in time for the last Friday of Lent.
This dish reminds me of a nutrition lesson I taught to some elementary school students one year about “eating the colors of the rainbow.” Nature provides us with a beautiful spectrum of colors from which to choose and those colors represent different phytonutrients — compounds found in plant foods which help protect the plants from viruses and bacteria, but also support our health, as well.
There are thousands of phytonutrients which are classified by family. But teaching the classification of phytonutrients to fifth graders (or adults) is overwhelming and confusing. All we really need to know is that each color (including white) represents an important set of different health benefits. In order to maximize our exposure to all these health benefits, we need to eat a wide variety of fresh fruits and vegetables everyday in as many colors as possible…..like the colors of the rainbow.
This salad may not cover every color, but it sure gives you a solid start. One colorful addition to the salad which does not contain phytonutrients, but is loaded with anti-oxidants and anti-inflammatory Omega-3 fatty acids is wild salmon. If you don’t eat fish, the salad is fantastic without it, but if you do eat fish I strongly encourage you to find a good source for wild salmon which is one of the richest sources of Omega-3s that you can find. Unfortunately the typical American is both lacking in Omega-3s and out of balance in the Omega 3 – Omega 6 ratio, resulting in a highly inflammatory diet. I bought this lovely piece of sockeye from Vital Choice because I need a consistent source of high quality fish for my classes, but occasionally I can find what I’m looking for in my local markets, including the farmer’s market.
Although I don’t get too worked up about the presentation of my food (I’m much more concerned with how it tastes and its nutritional benefits), it is always nice to eat something that looks as beautiful as it tastes.
To all my students and readers who celebrate Easter, have a lovely holiday!
