Cooking Light with Rachael Ray: Greek Baked Fish

This recipe is one that grabbed my attention from the start. Tell me something has olives, feta and olive oil...and say no more. I am in love. Knowing that my husband is not a fish fan, I knew this was going to be a tough sell. So, to keep us all happy, I used the following recipe, yet substituted 2 of the fish pieces for 2 thinly-cut chicken breasts (cooked in separate dishes). The results were wonderful! This is a great week-night dinner. It looks like it takes some time, but most of that work is done by the oven. With about 15 minutes of prep and 25 minutes in the oven, dinner is served!

GREEK BAKED FISH (or CHICKEN)
Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

• 4 (6-ounce) pieces of haddock or thin chicken breasts
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 handful of fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 medium red pepper, chopped
• 1/4-1/2 cup Kalamata olives, chopped
• 1/2 medium red onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup REDUCED-FAT crumbled Feta
• 1-1/2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Lemon wedges

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 400°F.



Arrange fish or chicken (thin or pounded to 1" thickness) in a baking dish. Lightly dress with 1 tablespoon of Extra Virgin Olive Oil; season with a tiny bit of salt and some pepper.

Combine garlic, oregano, parsley, red pepper, olives and onions in a bowl and dress with just enough 1/2 tablespoon of Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Toss together to lightly coat. Arrange topping all over the top of the fish or chicken. Scatter feta on top. Bake fish 20-25 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges alongside. Fantastic served with a salad or roasted vegetables (as seen in photo with asparagus).

RESULTS

I know I've said that bread was intimidating to me, but I think fish might have bread beat. I can whip up a tuna melt with the best of them, however actually cooking the fish has always caused a bit of cook's anxiety. As it tends to do, taking a chance and teaching myself to cook something new has transformed my cooking abilities and relieved some unnecessary anxiety. If we don't ever step outside our cooking comfort zones, how will we ever learn or expand on our skills? And just think of all the great dishes we would miss out on! So if you are or aren't into fish, I would give this a try. It really is easy to prepare and tastes incredible! Still not sold on the idea? Make it with chicken. My "Picky Rudy" refuses to eat haddock (with his nose turned up like that 10-year-old boy he becomes when I make something he doesn't "like"), so I subbed chicken. It's still healthy...and still delicious; an easy accommodation.


To make this a "lean" version of Rachael's Greek Baked Fish, I reduced the amount of olive oil, reduced the amount of feta used and replaced it with a reduced-fat version. I also left out the bread crumbs; leaving room for a salad or roasted vegetables. When we do all of this, this is what we get...

NUTRITION FACTS (per serving):
W/ HADDOCK~ 332.75 calories; 15.4g fat; 6.2g carbohydrate, 41.07g protein;  1.2g fiber
W/ CHICKEN~ 280 calories;  11.34g fat;  5.38g carbohydrate;  41.07g protein;  1.03g fiber

BEFORE (w/Haddock): 809 calories;  46.43g fat;  44.86g carbohydrate;  50.42g protein;  3.13g fiber
SAVES: 476.25 calories; 31.03g fat;  38.66g carbohydrate

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Enjoy!

Livin' Lean Topic Tuesday: Got Red Wine?

Walk by a bakery in the morning and you can smell those fresh, delicious donuts cookin'. The temptation is high, yet you know that nothing in that donut is going to do anything good for you; nutritionally speaking, that is. However, hold your nose over a glass of red wine and you can feel great knowing that each sip is a toast to good health.

Not all wine is created equal. Red wine is better for us than white wine because it contains a certain something called resveratrol. Resveratrol is a polyphenols (antioxidant) in red wine that has been found to help prevent damage to blood vessels, reduces "bad" cholesterol and prevent blood clots. In fact, red wine has 10x the antioxidants found in white wine! The giveaway is that beautiful, deep red color you see.

Now don't get carried away with this news! Red wine is best for us in moderation; which is considered one 4-ounce glass a day. In Dr. Janet Brill's Book Prevent a Second Heart Attack: 8 Foods, 8 Weeks to Reverse Heart Disease, she suggests 1-2 glasses of red wine per day. Now that is a prescription I can live with.

Watch this short little video clip of Dr. Janet Brill discussing the health benefits to drinking red wine in moderation, daily. She really knows her stuff and is able to explain it in a way that makes sense. Love that!




No, donuts are never going to be good for us, but at least we have our wine.

Cheers!

Cooking Light with Ina Garten: Irish Soda Bread

Although St. Patrick's Day was a week ago, I couldn't wait a whole year to share this with you. This is something you are going to want to enjoy throughout the year, not just one day in March. Ina Garten's recipe for Irish Soda Bread totally inspired me to make a healthier, whole-wheat version. Her recipe has now become our very own NEW whole-wheat, butter-free, sugar-free Irish Soda Bread recipe! How does that sound? It's super healthy, super yummy and I couldn't be happier with how it all turned out. I think you will be just as happy. Here you go!

IRISH SODA BREAD
Makes 1 loaf, 10 Servings

INGREDIENTS

• 2-1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 large mashed banana (needs to be soft; skin spotted brown)
• 1/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce
• 1-3/4 cup FAT FREE buttermilk
• 1/4 cup Egg Beaters (or egg substitute)
• 2 teaspoons grated orange zest
• 1 cup dried cranberries

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

Combine the flours, baking soda, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a large bowl using an electric, hand-held mixer). Add the mashed banana and apple sauce; mix on low speed until mixed into the flour.

With a fork, lightly beat the buttermilk, Egg Beaters, and orange zest together in a measuring cup. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture. Toss in the cranberries and mix into the dough. It will be very wet. (If using a hand-held mixer, the batter will begin to wrap around the mixers. Mix until this happens, then finish mixing using a spatula. That's what I had to do and it worked just fine. Still savin' for that fancy Kitchenaid Standing Mixer!)

Dump the dough onto a well-floured board and knead it a few times into a round loaf. Place the loaf on the prepared sheet pan and lightly cut an X into the top of the bread with a serrated knife. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until a cake tester (or dinner knife) comes out clean. When you tap the loaf, it will have a hollow sound.

Cool on a baking rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

RESULTS

Not confident in your bread-makin' abilities? Those days are over! Can you believe how simple this recipe looks?!?! I promise, coming from someone that doesn't make bread from scratch EVER, it really is simple. Up until now, something like Irish Soda Bread would have been reserved for the baking professionals. But by taking a chance, I now know that I can do this! I'm not saying I am ready to open up a bakery or anything, but testing out this recipe has given me a big boost of cookin' confidence in the baking department. Let's take a look at how we did in the nutritional department. If you compared this recipe to Ina's original, you can see that we got rid of all the butter and sugar. Instead, we are using mashed banana and applesauce; acting like butter and providing just the right amount of sweetness. Yah!!

NUTRITIONAL FACTS (per serving): 238.7 calories;  1.32g fat;  51.09g carbohydrate;  8.23g protein; 5.29g fiber

BEFORE: 311.8 calories; 7.5g fat; 54.09g carbohydrate;  7.26g protein;  2.02g fiber

SAVES: 73.1 calories;  6.18g fat;  3g carbohydrate; + .97g protein;  + 3.27g fiber

What do you think?!? When I worked the numbers, I was so excited! Those small changes improved this recipe in every nutritional way. Now it's time for you to try it out and let me know what you think about the flavor.  Enjoy!

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