Cod Filet and Black Bean Sauce

It's funny how things happen where you think your discussions or thoughts seem to have no relationship to anything.  They are just random; just like last night at a fabulous and tasty dinner at the home of Alisa and Greg's, close friends of my daughter's, the conversation, as usual, turned to everybody's take on food.  The food was great!  There were many cooks in attendance, 8 people out of 9, as a matter of fact.  Greg made the Shrimp Creole. Gerri made a Key Lime Pie to which she added toasted coconut and Alisa and Wendy W made a delicious salad.

 Of course, with that many cooks at the table, the conversation naturally turned to food.  Then, the discussion shifted to the subject of vegetarianism and "organic foods."  I mentioned that a friend of mine from Ethiopia who travels extensively in Europe laughed and noted that only in America are people concerned with "organic" foods and vegetables.  She said that in Europe, and in many other countries, the food is fresh, in other words, it's already pesticide free. 

Then, the hostess, Alisa, my daughter Wendy H's contemporary, commented that when she first stared cooking a cookbook she used started every recipe with the ingredients, "a can of this" and 2 cans of that.  We all laughed and tried to figure out what foods we still use from a can.  Not too many we thought, with a slight bit of arrogance.

We pretty much poo-poo'd the idea, thinking of the foods we still use from a can as if everything else is beneath us.   Everybody thought of beans and I thought of anchovies, because that's also a favorite of mine that I use salted from my favorite Italian deli or from a can.  However, like food snobs, we decided canned foods are relatively obsolete and it's passé to use them in healthy cooking.  So, I didn't think that anything more about the subject of canned foods.

Today, however, after an entire day of not eating because I overslept and then was really busy all day and unable to eat until I got home at 4:30, I was ravenous.  So right away, I made a salad of only romaine (because it was right there), sprinkled on some grated Parmesan and a bit of salad dressing and started on that.  I knew that I wanted some fish so I took a couple of frozen cod fillets out of the freezer to thaw out.

Did I mention that I was extremely hungry?  So, after I ate the salad, I thought about the kind of taste I wanted for my fish.  The night before, we had eaten Greg's Creole shrimp, which was delicious and took a little while to chop and cook the ingredients. 

Yet true to my way of cooking and the state of my hunger, I didn't want to wait too long to eat.  So I opened up, guess what?? A can of black beans and a can of tomatoes and hot chilies, threw them into a pan in which I had already melted a tablespoon of olive oil and a tablespoon of light butter for flavor and let them cook about 5 or 6 minutes to let the liquid evaporate and thicken the sauce.  Then I placed the cod fillets into the black bean sauce.  (I was so hungry,  I couldn't even wait for the fish to thaw completely.) 

I lowered the fillets gently into the sauce and let them cook for about 3 minutes on each side, smothering them, so to speak, with the black bean and spicy chili tomato mixture.  Then I let them simmer for about  3 minutes more to soak up the flavor of the sauce. I didn't add anything extra; no salt, no pepper, not even any herbs or spices.  I was ready to eat!  Lo and behold—the fish and canned vegetable were delicious; and satisfying and healthy to boot!

I realized that there are many foods we still use that are canned and bottled and can be a lot healthier than some so called "healthy, low fat" foods that have loads of sugar and sodium in them so they taste good.   Just like this cod filet and black bean sauce recipe.  Way yum!

Sunday Night Dinner in a Sandwich for Two

Sunday dinner doesn't always have to be an elaborate all-day cooking affair,  In fact, this meal takes very little time and effort.  You can make it for an intimate dinner for two or even for a family..  All it takes is Portabello mushrooms, grated mozzarella or cheddar cheese. onions, tomato slices, extra virgin olive oil, sprouted wheat bread or whole wheat or whole grain hamburger buns.

I must admit that when I came in  recently from a long Sunday of visiting friends I love who are in assisted living facilities, I was really hungry and didn't feel like waiting for the mushrooms to marinate.  10 minutes was all it took.  I actually marinated, if you can call it that, the mushrooms right in the non-stick pan I cooked them in. 

I put about 1 tablespoon olive oil in the pan, then placed very thin slice onions all over the bottom.  Next, I took two  large Portabello mushrooms caps, wiped them dry  with paper towels and rubbed the top side with a little extra virgin olive oil and placed them on their tops in the pan with the olive oil and onions.    Meanwhile, I put about a tablespoon of olive oil into the underside of the mushrooms, sprinkled ground dill, garlic powder, savory, fresh ground pepper and Italian seasoning over them and added some thin slices of onion.  I Iet everything sit so all the flavors could soak through.

After about 5 minutes, I inverted the mushrooms and sprinkled the seasonings on the tops of the caps, which had been sitting on the onions and olive oil.  Then I turned the stove on and cooked them, covered, top side up over medium-low heat for just a few minutes.  Turn off the heat and add grated or your favorite sliced cheese.  Cover for a few seconds, letting the cheese melt over the caps.

Let drain on paper towels.  Serve on your favorite bread, lettuce or spring mix, (pictured above) tomatoes, the cooked onions, mayo or guacamole and anything else you like. 

Healthy Fish Tacos For Your Family Movie Night

I usually make my fish tacos with fried fish, as in my photos here.  However, recently, I have been aware of the amount of sodium and fat I am eating these days.  So, for a change, I have been testing making my fish tacos by sauteeing the fish instead of frying.  I have also been experimenting with herbs and spices instead of salt since there is so much sodium in so many of the foods we eat.  Surprisingly, they taste just as good because of the seasonings in the guacamole and the salsa.  Plus, I have the pleasure of knowing they are truly healthy and still way yummy!  Even if you decide to fry your fish, you can omit deep frying and salt.

I have used catfish, tilapia, and whiting to make these.  You can use cod, flounder or any other white fish you have available.  I use the prepared standing taco shells, just because I like the idea that you can sit them up side-by-side and they don't fall over so much.

Ingredients

2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 lb catfish, tilapia or cod fillets
*Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste, if necessary
Guacamole
Salsa
**Light sour cream or Homemade Fish taco sauce (See Below)
Shredded reduced-fat cheddar or Colby Jack cheese
Shredded lettuce
8 Stand and stuff taco shells

Preparation

Heat oil in skillet over low-medium heat.  Add the fish.  Add *salt and pepper if desired and cook slowly on each side for about 3-4 minutes or until the fish flakes easily.  I like to add a couple of tablespoons of water if the fish starts sticking to the bottom of the pan and then cover to steam until fish is done. Season with garlic salt. Remove from heat.

Place fish into shells and add toppings.  I usually start with the lettuce, fish, then guacamole on top; salsa, light sour cream or my homemade tartar sauce and cheese

*In my quest for no added salt recipes, I have combined ground savory, basil, dill to season the fish.  It has been a delicious substitute and has made the fish have really succulent.

My Homemade Tartar Sauce

1/2 cup light mayonnaise
1/2 cup low or non-fat yogurt
2 Tbs dill relish
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp dried dill
1/2 tsp dried oregano or Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp basil
1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper or to taste

In a medium bowl, mix together yogurt and mayonnaise.  Stir in dill relish, oregano, cumin seeds, dill, and cayenne.  Let stand to blend flavors while preparing tacos

Stuffed Soft Crabs Maryland Style

I love Maryland seafood.  There are so many delicious varieties in the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean.  I feel lucky to have grown up in a region with, what I consider, the best seafood in the world. You may ask whether I have had all the seafood in the world and I'd have to say "no." Nevertheless, that's what I think and I'm sticking with it.

It's coming up on soft-shell crab season in May. I haven't tried this particular soft shell crab recipe yet, however, it won't be long before I do.  I love soft crabs and stuffing them with crab meat sounds so delicious.  I just hadn't thought of this.  It looks so easy and that's what I like--Food that is simple, easy and delicious.  Found this recipes in one of my Maryland Seafood Booklets.

12 medium Maryland soft crabs, cleaned
1 pound Maryland backfin crabmeat
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine

Dry soft crabs with paper towels.
Remove all cartilage from crab meat.
Place soft crabs in shallow baking pan.
Remove top shell from crabs and stuff each
crab cavity with about 3 tablespoons
crabmeat. Replace top shell. Melt butter
and pour evenly over crabs. Bake at 400°F
until shells turn red and crabs are slightly
brown, about 15 minutes. Serves 6.