healthy cooking

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Can I get a brrrrr? This winter is pretty atrocious, and there is no end in sight. Cooking at home helps; at least if you are near a hot stove you are warm for a bit! Easy recipes that combine fun bursts of flavor are getting us through these cold nights, and I whipped up the below with Chatham cod from Red’s Best that I picked up at the Dorchester Winter Farmers Market. I have been in a huge seafood mood lately, so if you have a favorite seafood recipe, especially one that is hearty, feel free to share it in the comments!

This recipe started with some thinly sliced potatoes and chorizo in a nonstick frying pan.

sliced potatoes

I added a tiny bit of olive oil, and I cooked the chorizo and potatoes until sizzling. I really wanted the potatoes to have a crunchy crust, and I just about got it. Next time I would definitely cook the potatoes a few more minutes.

Chourico

chorizo and potatoes

Once the chorizo and potatoes were almost done, I added in four crushed garlic cloves and a can of crushed tomatoes, then mad room for the cod in the pan.

Chatham Cod with Chorizo

I put the whole thing into a 37 degree oven until the cod was flaky and the tomatoes were bubbly. It did not look very pretty, as you can see, but it was a dynamite dinner!  It cheered me up on a particularly blue Sunday. This meal was tasty and filling; I didn’t even want a snack later that evening!

I have been finding myself snacking big time at night, then regretting it, so I am trying to make more satisfying dinners and to stay away from the refrigerator at night unless I am actually hungry. I just want this winter to end. In the meantime, I’ll be hunkering down with food and wine and a fireplace.

How are you coping with this endless winter, if you live in a cold area? Any fun recipes you have been working on?

Tags: Chatham, chorizo, cod, dinner, Food, healthy comfort food, healthy cooking, recipe

Eggplant Lasagna

There’s food in our kitchen again! Summer definitely kicked my love of cooking out the door for awhile, but I have been slowly meal-planning again, looking forward to spending time in the kitchen chopping, combining flavors, and looking forward to something delicious.

I’ve also been trying to create meals that are both comforting and healthy. As I round the bend to the final stretch of NYC Marathon training, I am feeling exhausted, and I could just chow on fries for all meals. Add in some coffee and maybe a little cake, and I would be all set.

Thankfully, there are lots of great blogs to inspire me. I’ve been loving the Detoxinista, and recently I made an eggplant-based lasagna based on her eggplant and goat cheese lasagna.

The cheese filling in this lasagna, a goat cheese and cauliflower puree, is the creamy, delicious highlight, sneaking in nutrients and fiber without taking away any scrumptiousness.

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I started by prepping my eggplant. I cut it into thin slices (they should have been thinner), and marinating them in balsamic vinegar.

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Next up, I prepped my “meat”, chopped mushrooms sautéed with garlic and onions with a bit of pepper and salt.

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Then came the goat cheese and steamed cauliflower, which I mixed with oregano, basil, and garlic. Then I had a big spoonful before adding two eggs to bind the mixture together. I think these would make a great pancake appetizer with the eggs or a great veggie side dish on their own.

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When all of the pieces were ready, I started to layer, first some Bobby D.’s Angry Sauce (which was not at all spicy, sad), then eggplant, cauliflower cheese, mushrooms, sauce, repeat. I baked the whole dish at 425 degrees for about 50 minutes, keeping an eye on it until the sauce was bubbling nicely. The final layer of cheese on the top should be nicely browned; if not a few minutes under the broiler can help.

Bobby D's Sauce

A side note about the above sauce: after getting soaked on a bad run, freezing to death in the air-conditioned grocery store, and ruining my phone and a paycheck in the downpour, I was walking home with this sauce and it crashed through my grocery bag and hit the ground.

Thankfully it didn’t break; the bottom cracked and the lid was crushed. The worst part? The college kids walking behind me laughed at me! The day of this dinner didn’t start very well, but luckily it ended with a cozy dinner.

This lasagna is definitely something I will be making again. Even though it was noodle-free, the cheese and mushrooms really made it satisfying and filling.

How are you warming up your kitchen on these first days of Autumn?

Tags: dinner, eggplant, Food, healthy cooking, lasagna, Meatless Monday, Vegetarian, vegetarian recipe

Fear of Frying

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Some foods are just fantastic when fried. Potatoes, mozzarella cheese, and even pickles can benefit from a roll in some batter and a dip in boiling oil.

Fish cakes, like the ones I made last night, are another food that, even when lightly pan fried, taste just a little bit better. Unfortunately, my fear of frying got the better of me, and I baked them.

It turns out that they didn’t need to be fried, even only slightly browned, they were fresh and healthy without all of that extra oil.

I started with a cup of teeny tiny potatoes, tossed into boiling water until they were nice and soft.

teeny tiny potatoes

small potatoes

I also got some water boiling to steam the last of the Alaskan cod from the Foodbuzz Alaska Seafood recipe contest. They sent me a serious amount of cod, and it lasted very well in the freezer over the months. I cooked all of the cod from frozen, as Alaska Seafood mentioned in the materials that they sent me, and I was always surprised how good frozen fish could taste. In this case, I used my steamer basket to cook the cod until it was flaky.

Alaskan cod

I whipped up the seasonings on the side, a cup of panko bread crumbs, some salt-free dill and lemon seasoning, and a few spoonfuls of Dijon mustard.

dijon mustard and dill seasoning

bread crumbs

When the fish and potatoes were tender, I added them to the bread crumb mixture, then mashed my heart out with a potato masher.

cod and potatoes

Once the mix was a bit cooler, I added two whole eggs and thoroughly stirred everything up. The cod cakes went into a 400 degree oven for about 15 minutes and ended up nicely browned. They reminded me a lot of Morton’s crab cakes which are full of crab meat and not fried. It turns out some things are good fried, but they are even better baked Smile

dinner is served

Served with a simple side of roasted Brussels sprouts and mushrooms left over from my chicken dish the other night, this was a great meal for a night when I wanted something healthy and warm. Since we are going on vacation to Ireland soon, I am doing my best to get in lots of workouts, vegetables, and water. Once I get to Ireland. . . well, all bets are off. It’s called Supermac’s, it’s Ireland’s higher-quality answer to McDonald’s, and it is fabulous.

Random story and question: The other day, when I was running, I saw a Manwich can hanging out of someone’s busted open trash bag. It brought me back to childhood and the Manwich commercials. My mother would never buy Manwich despite my desperate requests for it. We also never ate Hamburger Helper or sugary cereals like Cookie Crisp.

What food/s did you really want to eat when you were younger but were prohibited by parents? Have you tried them as an adult, and if so, did they live up to expectations?

Tags: baked not fried, brussels sprouts, cod, cod cakes, cooking, easy recipes, fish, Food, healthy, healthy cooking, healthy recipe, mushrooms, protein, recipe, roasted vegetables

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