Lemon-Herb Cod with Crispy Garlic Potatoes Recipe

I have had this recipe for years.  I believe this recipe came from Cook's Country or America's Test Kitchen....one of those.  It tastes absolutely decadent, but is very low in calories, only 447 per serving (depends on the fish used and weight)

Ingredients:

2 Tbl Olive Oil 2 Russet Potatoes (8 oz each) 2 cloves minced Garlic 2 six to eight oz Cod fillets 1 Tbl real Butter 2 sprigs fresh thyme 1/2 Lemon, sliced thin

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Brush 13 by 9-inch baking dish with 1 tablespoon oil.

Slice potatoes into 1/4 inch thick slices. Toss potatoes with remaining 1 tablespoon oil and garlic and season with salt and pepper. Shingle potatoes into baking dish in 2 rectangular piles measuring 4 by 6 inches. Roast potatoes until spotty brown and just tender, 30 to 35 minutes, rotating dish halfway through roasting.

Pat cod dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Carefully place 1 fillet skinned side down on top of each potato pile. Top fillets with butter pieces, thyme sprigs, and lemon slices. Roast cod and potatoes until fish flakes apart when gently prodded with paring knife and registers 140 degrees, about 15 minutes.

Slide spatula underneath potatoes and fillets and gently transfer to individual plates. Serve.

Grilled Mahi-Mahi Sandwiches with Pasta Salad

So we've had a long, exhausting week and since the weather was gorgeous, bordering on hot (84 degrees), we thought we'd have a Florida cookout night.  We went over to my folks where my hubby grilled Mahi steaks for dinner.  The recipe tonight was for 5-6, but can easily be adapted back down to two.  This recipe lies less on steps and a lot more on availability of very fresh seafood.

Mahi Sandwiches:
Fresh Mahi steak, 6oz steak for each sandwich
Fish marinade of choice (we used Grills Seafood Restaurant Tuna Marinade)
Kaiser rolls
Lettuce
Tomato
Mayo

About an hour before grilling, place steaks in a sealed container such as a tupperware container.  Put enough marinade in to cover the steaks. Seal and chill in the refrigerator for 1/2 hour. Turn container over and let rest in fridge for last 1/2 hour.

Cover rack of grill with aluminum foil and spray foil with non stick cooking spray.  Heat grill to medium.  Place steaks on grill and cook for about 7 minutes each side depending on thickness of steaks.  After turning, brush more marinade on steaks.  Remove steaks from grill and toast kaiser rolls.

Serve with aioli **, lettuce and tomato.

**For aioli : combine 1/4 C mayo with 1 Tbsp of chosen marinade.

Pasta Salad:

Ingredients
-8 oz pkg seashell or elbow macaroni
-1/2 can tuna, drained
-Miracle Whip or Mayo
-1 tsp mustard
-Salt & Pepper
-Shredded lettuce, 1/4 head
-1 tomato, diced
-1 tsp sweet relish
 
Instructions
Prepare pasta according to package directions. Drain. Add tuna, mustard, relish and salt and pepper to taste. Add Mayo to moisten.  Fold in lettuce and tomato.  
Chill and serve.

There was no way to go wrong with this one! Hubby got the Mahi-Mahi fresh caught, never frozen just this afternoon.  The dinner was very, very yummy and just perfect for sitting out on the patio with a small breeze.

*****

Crab Mornay

1/4 C water
1/4 C Chablis or other dry white wine
1/2 tsp chicken-flavored bouillon granules
dash of white pepper
1/2 C sliced mushrooms
1 Tbl sliced green onion
1/4 C skim milk
1 1/2 tsp cornstarch
1/4 C shredded swiss cheese
1/3 lb lump crabmeat paprika

 Combine first 4 ingredients in a small saucepan; bring to a boil.  Add mushrooms and onions. Cover; reduce heat and simmer 1minute or until mushrooms are tender.

 Combine milk and cornstarch, mixing well; add to mushroom mixture.  Cook, stirring constantly, 2 minutes or until thickened.  Remove from heat; add cheese, and stir until melted.  Stir in crabmeat.  Spoon into custard cups or ramekins.  Sprinkle with paprika.  Broil 2 minutes or until hot.  Garnish with green onions. Serves 2.

153 calories a serving

YUMMY!  My only complaint is that it didn't make more...which I suppose would just kill the reason for all this portion control, lol.  I used canned crab (cuz it's cheaper) and I did use the skim milk as directed.  It was a tad loose so I would say maybe whole milk would be better.  Very good though and a lot quicker and easier than I first thought.

*****

Tilapia with Lemon Butter Sauce

So today was the last of the groceries day, lol.  Hubby went out and did a little emergency shopping to get us through to the weekend. Tonight's recipe is from a Publix Apron's Meal.  For those of you who do not live in the eastern USA, Publix is a Supermarket and every wk the food demonstrator makes one of these meals to sample.  they also give out recipe cards to go with the meals...


Ingredients
2 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley, coarsely chopped
1 lemon
1 1/2 lb tilapia fillets (thawed)
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
4 teaspoons flour, divided
Large zip-top bag
3 tablespoons butter, divided
1/4 cup white wine

Preparation:
Chop parsley; cut lemon in half. Set both aside.
Check fish for bones (wash hands).
Steps
Preheat large sauté pan on medium-high 2–3 minutes. Place seasoned salt and 3 teaspoons flour in zip-top bag; shake to mix. Add fish to zip-top bag; seal tightly and shake to coat.
Place 1 tablespoon butter in pan, then add fish; cook 3 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon butter to center of pan. Turn fillets, using spatula, and distribute butter under each fillet. Cook 3 more minutes or until fish is golden and flakes easily. Transfer fish to serving plates.
Add wine, and remaining 1 tablespoon butter and 1 teaspoon flour to pan; squeeze juice of lemon into pan. Heat and stir 1–2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in parsley and serve butter sauce over fish.

CALORIES (per 1/4 recipe) 270kcal; FAT 12g; CHOL 95mg; SODIUM 520mg; CARB 5g; FIBER 0g; PROTEIN 34g; VIT A 8%; VIT C 10%; CALC 2%; IRON 6%

So the hubs and I can't always agree :D.  I really liked this and him...not so much.  He's not the biggest fan of fish and he thought this was too lemony.  I really liked it.  I served this with orzo and asparagus.  I might make this again for a lunch for myself, but not for dinner for the two of us.

**

Grilled Jerk Shrimp and Crab Skewers with 3 Bean Salad

This was perfect for a lovely, warm afternoon.  The Skewers are pretty much straightforward (no recipe but by memory) and the 3 bean salad recipe is from Allrecipes.com :


Skewers:
about 18 shrimp
lumps of crab or lobster meat


peel and devein shrimp.  Layer 3 lumps of crab and 3 shrimp on each skewer.  Sprinkle both sides with jerk seasoning and grill over a medium-high grill, turning once.



3 Bean Salad:
Ingredients

1/8 (15 ounce) can green beans
2 ounces wax beans
1/8 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1/8 onion, sliced into thin rings
1 tablespoon and 1-1/2 teaspoons white sugar
1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon celery seed

Mix together green beans, wax beans, kidney beans, onion, sugar, vinegar, vegetable oil, salt, pepper, and celery seed. Let set in refrigerator for at least 12 hours.

This was just perfect and refreshing!

*****

Individual Shrimp Casseroles

We had these last night and I didn't get around to posting until this morning.  This recipe is again from the Light Cooking for Two page 111:


Ingredients
5  ounces  orzo, uncooked
1/2  pound  unpeeled medium-size fresh shrimp
Olive oil-flavored vegetable cooking spray
1/4  teaspoon  olive oil
2  teaspoons  minced garlic
3/4  cup  peeled, seeded, and chopped tomato
1  tablespoon  dry white wine
1/2  cup  shredded fresh basil
1 1/2  teaspoons  chopped fresh oregano
Dash of freshly ground pepper
1/4  cup  crumbled feta cheese

Preparation
Cook orzo according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain. Set aside, and keep warm.

Peel and devein shrimp; set aside.

Coat a small nonstick skillet with cooking spray; add oil. Place over medium-high heat until hot. Add garlic, and saute 30 seconds. Add tomato, and saute 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium. Add shrimp and wine; saute 2 minutes. Add basil, oregano, and pepper; saute 2 minutes or until shrimp turns pink.

Combine shrimp mixture and orzo, stirring well. Spoon mixture evenly into 2 (2-cup) casseroles coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle evenly with feta cheese. Bake, uncovered, at 500° for 5 minutes or until cheese melts.

Nutritional Information
Calories:394 (15% from fat)
Fat:6.4g (sat 2.6g,mono 0.0g,poly 0.0g)
Protein23.7g
Carbohydrate:59.5g
Fiber:0.0g
Cholesterol:99mg
Iron:0.0mg
Sodium:256mg
Calcium:0.0mg

To start with, I could not find my individual corningware so I had to use soup bowls.  No substitutions were made.  We didn't even have to use a bunch of bowls and mess up the kitchen. I thought it was incredibly yummy but the hubby thought the feta was too strong of a cheese for this recipe. It's ironic since I'm the one who an't stand feta, lol.  We both agreed that fresh parmesan or even Gruyere would have been better (milder).  I will definitely make this again!

On a side note, tonight is our anniversary and the hubby is making beef wellington!!  I'll post the recipe and review tonight :D.

*****

Bouchee A La Reine

Another long crappy day.  This is a pretty quick, easy goto recipe. This is my mom's recipe that serves (I think) 6.


Ingredients
 
-2 lbs of scallops (fresh fish market)
-1 1/2 lbs of mushrooms, fresh
-2 boxes (12) Pepperidge Farm Patty Shells
-Swiss Cheese ( enough to sprinkle on top)
-1 stick of butter (no margarine!)
-3 heaping Tbl flour
-half and half
-1 Tbl chopped parsley
  
Instructions

1 - Simmer the scallops cut in pieces slowly in a seasoned broth (shrimp broth). Make a Bechamel sauce; combine flour and the stick of butter in sauce pan. Add 3 - 4 Tbl of scallop broth. Add half and half stirring until sauce is smooth and thick.
2 - Cut mushrooms in small pieces and cook in some butter and a little salt. If they get too juicy, drain. Add the mushrooms and scallops to the Bechamel sauce. Add parsley.
3 - Bake the shells according to the package directions. Remove tops and a little of the dough from the inside to make room for the filling. Fill with the sauce, sprinkle with cheese and replace the tops. Return the to the oven just to melt the cheese.

 

OK, substitutions...we didn't have any pastry shells so we just used wheat toast.  Also, I didn't have enough cheese (my fault). Other than that, this is a delicious, quick meal.  As always, 5 stars
*****

Baked Tilapia

So, not to be all whiny, but I still feel absolutely wretched.  Darling hubby took pity (again) and made dinner tonight.  We were both very weak and considering take-out but two things stopped us.  One, we have $3.23 to our names and two, we really want this new diet to work.  Hubby baked a few tilapia fillets and made a side of rice-a-roni.  Delicious and lowfat, too.

2 tilapia fillets
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp parsley
4 Tbl butter

Preheat oven to 350. combine all seasonings in a small bowl.  Pat fillets dry.  Sprinkle both sides of fillets with seasoning. Place fillets on greased, shallow baking dish and place two pats of butter on each fillet.  Bake for 20 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.

This hit the spot!  After a very horrible day, this is just what I needed!
****

Crabmeat-Stuffed Flounder

It was a little chilly this morning but with the windows all opened up to the ocean breeze, it felt so nice in the house.  I decided I wanted something fresh and light for lunch.  Tonight is movie night followed by sitting around the fire-pit and roasting s'mores so we're doing our main meal this afternoon. This recipe is also from Light Cooking for Two page 103:

Ingredients

• Butter-flavored vegetable cooking spray
• 1  teaspoon  reduced-calorie margarine
• 2  tablespoons  chopped fresh mushrooms
• 1  tablespoon  chopped green onions
• 1  tablespoon  Neufchatel cheese
• 1/2  teaspoon  minced fresh marjoram
• 1/8  teaspoon  pepper
• 2  ounces  fresh lump crabmeat, drained
• 2  tablespoons  soft breadcrumbs
• 1  teaspoon  lemon juice
• 2  (3-ounce) flounder fillets (1/4 inch thick)
• 2  tablespoons  (1/2 ounce) shredded reduced-fat Swiss cheese
• Lemon wedges (optional)
• Fresh marjoram sprigs (optional)

Preparation

Coat a small nonstick skillet with cooking spray; add margarine. Place over medium-high heat until margarine melts. Add mushrooms and green onions; saute 2 minutes. Add cheese, minced marjoram, and pepper; cook, stirring constantly, until cheese melts. Remove from heat; add crabmeat, breadcrumbs, and lemon juice, and stir well.

Spoon crabmeat mixture evenly onto fillets; roll up each fillet, jellyroll fashion, beginning at narrow end. Secure with wooden picks. Place rolls, seam side down, in a small baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 10 minutes. Sprinkle Swiss cheese over rolls; bake an additional 10 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Remove wooden picks, and, if desired, garnish with lemon wedges and marjoram sprigs.

OK, here were the changes: I used Tilapia instead of Flounder, I didn't have marjoram so I used parsley. and I used fake crabmeat instead of lump crab. Also, I took one look at the fillets and figured there was no way I was going to be able to roll them, so I just placed the stuffing on top of the fillets. I really enjoyed this though it seriously needed some kind of seasoning on the fish...salt for one. It tasted like it was missing something...marjoram perhaps?  I will more than likely make this again though the hubby agreed it was missing something.  I imagine when I make it again, I will season the fish before adding the stuffing.  The portions were plenty large and at only 192 calories a serving (for original recipe) you can't go wrong.

***

Shrimp Salad Sandwiches

It's worth noting that I will be making thousands of substitutions throughout these recipes.  This is either done for taste preferences, or because of availability.  In this case, its a combination of the two.  I will post the recipe as is, tell you what I changed, and tell you if it needs any fixes.  When I have it, I will try to give general nutrition info, but I don't expect to have that most of the time.  Also, I'll try to give credit and location for each recipe if I have it available.

to OK, for this afternoon, we had Shrimp Salad Sandwiches (Light Cooking for Two, pg 157).

Ingredients

• 3  cups  water
• 1  pound  unpeeled medium-size fresh shrimp
• 1/4  cup  nonfat cream cheese, softened
• 2  tablespoons  sliced green onions
• 2  tablespoons  diced sweet red pepper
• 2  teaspoons  nonfat mayonnaise
• 2  teaspoons  lime juice
• 1  teaspoon  capers
• 1/2  teaspoon  dried dillweed
• 2  (2 1/2-ounce) French rolls

Preparation

Bring water to a boil; add shrimp, and cook 3 to 5 minutes or until shrimp turns pink. Drain well; rinse with cold water. Chill. Peel and devein shrimp.

Combine cream cheese and next 6 ingredients, stirring well. Add shrimp, and toss gently. Cover and chill 1 hour.

Cut a 1/2-inch slice off top of each roll; set tops aside. Hollow out center of rolls, leaving 1/2-inch-thick shells. Reserve excess bread for another use. Place bread shells and tops, cut sides up, on rack of a broiler pan. Broil 5 1/2 inches from heat (with electric oven door partially opened) 1 to 2 minutes or until lightly toasted. Spoon shrimp mixture evenly into shells; cover with tops.

OK...to start with, I apparently used the recipe as a guide only, lol.  Instead of the shrimp, I used imitation lobster.  I omitted the capers and peppers for taste reasons. I do not have nonfat mayo or cream cheese, but I used light mayo and neufchatel cream cheese.  All in all, I thought this was delicious!  Because we had this for lunch instead of dinner, I didn't serve anything on the side but tea. This was actually amazingly filling, but for dinner I might serve this with cucumbers and onions or some steamed veggies. The calories listed are 311 per serving.  I have zero idea how to convert things like that when making substitutions, so....go with it.

My hubby said that he would prefer less Dill and lime juice.  I eyeballed those measurements so I think if you were very specific on the recipe, you'd be fine.

****  (on a scale of *-*****)