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Crispy, Healthy Fish August 28, 2009

Posted by Teresa in : Dinner, Lunch , add a comment

Halibut Crusted with Cornmeal and Sesame

Yield: 4

Instead of deep-frying to get a crispy crust for fish – this method is a good lean and mean alternative. The cornmeal and sesame give a wonderful textured crust and there’s a double coriander flavour with the fresh herb and crushed seeds.
Ingredients:

Halibut Crusted with Cornmeal and Sesame

  • 4 piece skinless halibut fillet, each fillet about 5 to 6-ounces
  • 1/3 cup cornmeal (75 ml)
  • 3 tbsp Sesame seeds (45 ml)
  • 1 tsp cracked coriander seeds (5 tsp.)
  • Coarse salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
  • Small handful of fresh coriander, chopped
  • 2 tbsp grapeseed oil (30 ml)

Directions:
  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
  2. Add cornmeal, sesame seeds, cracked coriander to plate or shallow baking dish. Season mixture with salt and pepper to taste.
  3. Season the fish with salt and pepper. Dip fish into freshly chopped coriander. Dredge fish generously into the cornmeal mixture, coating evenly on all sides.
  4. Add oil to non-stick skillet or large sauté pan over medium high heat. When oil is hot, pan sear fish on both sides until golden, about 1 to 2 minutes per side.
  5. Transfer to baking sheet lined with parchment. Bake fish in oven until just firm to the touch and cooked through, about 7 to 9 minutes.
This one came from Foodtv.ca, Christine Cushine Live (here)!  Aw, darn I should have taken a picture of it!  I just devoured it! (And I used Basa instead of Halibut.) Enjoy!

Black Bean Brownies August 9, 2009

Posted by Teresa in : Dessert , add a comment

This recipe is from one of my favourite sites, 101Cookbooks!  :) Click here. They are a bit of work, but SO WORTH IT!

Amazing Black Bean Brownie Recipe

For those of you who have a hard time tracking down agave nectar (which is becoming much more readily available) substitute honey 1:1 for the agave nectar. Ania’s head notes encourage you to keep these brownies in the refrigerator, they will slice much better if refrigerated several hours or preferably overnight. I used instant coffee this time around, but you can find natural coffee substitute at many natural food stores.

4 ounces unsweetened chocolate
1 cup unsalted butter
2 cups soft-cooked black beans, drained well (hs: canned is fine)
1 cup walnuts, chopped
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
¼ cup (granulated) natural coffee substitute (or instant coffee, for gluten-sensitive)
¼ teaspoon sea salt
4 large eggs
1½ cups light agave nectar ( I used honey… and wow, that’s a lot!)

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line an 11- by 18-inch (rimmed) baking pan (hs note: or jellyroll pan) with parchment paper and lightly oil with canola oil spray.

Melt the chocolate and butter in a glass bowl in the microwave for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes on high. Stir with a spoon to melt the chocolate completely. Place the beans, 1/2 cup of the walnuts, the vanilla extract, and a couple of spoonfuls of the melted chocolate mixture into the bowl of a food processor. Blend about 2 minutes, or until smooth. The batter should be thick and the beans smooth. Set aside.

In a large bowl, mix together the remaining 1/2 cup walnuts, remaining melted chocolate mixture, coffee substitute, and salt. Mix well and set aside.

In a separate bowl, with an electric mixer beat the eggs until light and creamy, about 1 minute. Add the agave nectar and beat well. Set aside.

Add the bean/chocolate mixture to the coffee/chocolate mixture. Stir until blended well.

Add the egg mixture, reserving about 1/2 cup. Mix well. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Using an electric mixer, beat the remaining 1/2 cup egg mixture until light and fluffy. Drizzle over the brownie batter. Use a wooden toothpick to pull the egg mixture through the batter, creating a marbled effect. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the brownies are set. Let cool in the pan completely before cutting into squares. (They will be soft until refrigerated.)

Makes 45 (2-inch) brownies.

Reprinted with permission from Baking With Agave Nectar: Over 100 Recipes Using Nature’s Ultimate Sweetener by Ania Catalano. (Ten Speed Press 2008)

Crazy Potato! August 9, 2009

Posted by Teresa in : Dinner, Lunch , add a comment

It was the week of crazy food around here!  When I went to Mexico, Mary introduced me to the Papa Locas, the “crazy potato.” It’s a baked potato, with a crazy variety of toppings on it. They peel back the foil, add some crema (a thick cream they have in Mexico, similar in texture to toothpaste, not sour, just cream) and some butter and some soft cheese (again, something I’ve only had in Mexico, like a cross between cream cheese and ricota). Then they wrap it back up again in the foil, and let it warm up for all the yumminess to melt. Then, a few minutes later, they open the foil and add any or all of these toppings (depending what you want):

- shaved marinated beef

- radishes (sliced)

- lettuce

- tomatoes (diced)

That’s all I can remember, they might have also had more cheese. I’m pretty sure they add fat (beef fat) to the shaved beef to keep it moist while they warm it on the BBQ.

So, I wanted to make this at home, so I went to the deli and got some roast beef, sliced as thin as possible. I cut up some mushrooms, and cooked them in a pot with a little butter, until they released their juices and were smelling wonderful. Then, I added the beef to that, put the lid on and forgot about it. I had whipping cream for the cream, and used Ricota for the cheese, but also had sour cream and cottage cheese on standby in case someone wanted those. I had lettuce cut into small strips, and sliced radishes. I grated some mozza too, because who wouldn’t want mozza on a baked potato! After a half-hour or so, I took the beef out of the pot and cut it into slices, so it was more or less like the beef from Mexico (shaved). It was all so yummy when I put it all together!  :) It’s a meal all in itself!

My ingredient list:

- yukon gold potatoes, wrapped in foil

- roast beef, sliced very thin

- sour cream

- whipping cream

- cottage cheese

- Ricota cheese

- butter

- lettuce (romaine)

- tomatos, diced (roma)

- radishes, sliced

- green olives, with pimento, just for fun!

Crazy Salad! August 9, 2009

Posted by Teresa in : Dinner, Lunch , add a comment

I made a crazy salad the other day… it turned out great, so I didn’t want to forget how I made it! Preheat oven to 350°F.

Ingredients for the salad:

- 1 1/2 heads Romaine lettuce

- 5 Radishes, sliced

- 3/4 cup Almonds (whole, raw)

- 1 cup Goldfish (the little crackers)

- 1 small container (about 3/4 cup) cubed Feta cheese

Ingredients for the dressing:

- 1 can Lychee fruit

- 2 Tbsp coconut milk (canned)

- 1 tsp (approx) white balsamic vinnegar

- mint

I washed the lettuce, and then cut it into slices. Sliced the radishes, tossed them in. Then put about a cup of the Goldfish snack crackers on a cookie sheet and into a 350°F oven, to toast them a bit and dry them out. They are the croutons! Then put the almonds on a cutting board and cut them up a bit – so each nut was roughly in half. I cubed the feta cheese and threw it in. This particular feta wasn’t too salty, but I think the salty kind would be fine too.

For the dressing, I threw most of the canned Lychees (and juice) in the blender and whizzed them until they made a smooth sauce. I had some canned coconut milk from the sweet potato recipe I’d made a few days before, so I added about 2 Tbsp of it. I knew it would be ridiculously sweet, so I added a little balsamic to offset the sweetness. Try 1 tsp, taste it and add more if you need it. Then I thought I’d toss in a little mint from the garden, just for flavour! And it turned out great! The radishes give a little zing, the almonds a little crunch, and the dressing a little sweetness. The Goldfish absorb the dressing, so don’t add them and toss until you are ready to serve!