by zan@zeliciousrecipes.com | Favorite Recipes, Fish
This is probably not the lightest dish! But the infamous “they” said that fish has a high water content and when you fry it in oil, the fish itself does not absorb the oil, so if you put that delicious crispy skin aside, you can actually still have a healthy meal. ;-). Trout is a great local fish that we find often at the markets in Colorado. The trout is brought in fresh, and you can sure taste the difference!
This was another inspiration from my favorite guide – “The Flavor Bible“, pairing the fresh trout with butter, sage, capers and lemon. It’s actually super fast and easy to cook!
Ingredients:
- 1 cup organic canola oil
- 3 whole trout
- 1/2 cup flour for dredging
- 6 tbsp butter
- 20 sprigs of fresh sage
- 3 tbsp of capers
- rock salt
- 2 tbsp fresh chopped Italian parsley
- lemon as needed
Directions:
Sprinkle rock salt on the inside and outside of the fish. In a large deep skillet, add the oil to medium-high heat. Pat the capers dry and add to the oil. Once the capers pop, you can remove them with a sieve and place onto a paper towel to drain some of the oil. Dredge the fish in the flour, then place the fish into the oil. Cook for 3-5 minutes on each side, depending on the thickness. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan add the butter to medium high heat. Once hot and bubbling, add in the sage leaves. Cook until sage becomes crispy and the butter turns brown. Make sure not to burn the butter. Remove the fish and place onto a platter. Pour the sage butter onto fish and sprinkle with the parsley. Serve with lemon wedges. This served 5 hungry adults. Also served with the side dish of Haricot Vert (with Almonds and Parmesan).
by zan@zeliciousrecipes.com | Appetizers, Meats, Paleo
Here is a great light Thai inspired dish that I have made numerous times! And falls into the Paleo category. I have been trying to find other alternative recipes to red meat (beef), and honestly after watching “CowSpiracy” I have been avoiding red meat about 95% of the time. That movie was such an eye-opener! Surprisingly, Leonardo DiCaprio was the executive producer. Anyway, hope you enjoy this simple light recipe, it was inspired by a recipe I found in Women’s Health Magazine back in 2012.
Ingredients:
- ⅓ cup fresh lime juice
- 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 2 tbsp Thai fish sauce
- 2 tbsp honey
- 3 tbsp organic canola oil
- ½ red onion, diced
- 3 small shallots, diced
- 1 piece of lemongrass (4″ long) minced
- 1 Thai or Serrano chili, stemmed and thinly sliced
- 1 lb of 99% fat-free ground turkey
- 2 tbsp of sriracha (optional for a bit more “kick”)
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1/3 cup chopped fresh mint
- 1 head of organic butter lettuce
Directions:
- In a bowl, whisk lime juice, lemon juice, fish sauce, and honey.
- In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion, shallots, lemongrass, and chili. Cook until vegetables begin to soften, approximately 5 minutes.
- Add turkey to skillet and Siracha. Season with salt. Cook, stirring frequently and making sure turkey does not stay in large chunks. Cook until meat and vegetables are cooked through, approximately 5 minutes.
- Add dressing to the pan and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Add mint and season with salt and pepper.
- Spoon turkey mixture onto lettuce leaves and serve.
by zan@zeliciousrecipes.com | Fish, Vegetables
Cod is another one of my favorite types of fish, flaky and dense, with a mild flavor. If cod is not available, (as some stocks are severely overfished), you could swap out with some more sustainable fish: i.e. cobia, pollack, hake or whiting. I like a crunchy texture to my fish, so I used some Panko breadcrumbs to create a nice crust. I paired this fish with some crispy mushroom, pea/parsley puree and some crispy shoestring sweet potatoes. Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
FOR THE MUSHROOMS
- 3 tbsp oil
- 10-12 ounces mushrooms (cremini, shiitake), cleaned and coarsely chopped
- Salt and pepper
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tbsp butter
FOR THE FISH
- 1 ½ pounds of cod, cobia or pollack (4 pieces)
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1 cup of panko crust, enough to cover each piece
- 3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- Lemon juice, to taste
FOR THE PEA PUREE
- ¼ cup chopped parsley
- 1 cup of cooked frozen peas
- ⅓ cup chopped shallots
- ⅛ cup EVOO (olive oil)
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 oz. Crème Fraîshe
PREPARATION
- Make the pea puree. Bring a small pot of water to a boil, salt generously and add parsley leaves. Blanch for 20 seconds only and transfer to a bowl of cold water. Drain and press leaves against strainer to squeeze out water. Using a food processor, add the cooked peas, shallots, parsley and salt. Slowly add in the oil so that all ingredients become a smooth puree. Place the puree into a bowl, and slowly stir in the Crème Fraîshe. Be sure to stir gently with a spoon so it does not separate or turn to butter. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and set aside.
- Heat oven to 425 degrees. Place oil into sauté pan and heat on medium-high heat. Salt the fish. Press the panko bread crumbs onto all sides of each piece of fish. Cook the fish on each side (2-3 minutes per side), or until outside crust is golden brown. Place fish into baking dish. Drizzle lemon over the fish and bake 5 to 8 minutes (depending on the thickness of the fillets), until fish is opaque and pulls apart when a fork is inserted.
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high until just beginning to smoke. Arrange mushrooms in skillet in a single layer and cook, undisturbed, until bottom side is golden brown, about 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, toss mushrooms, and continue to cook, tossing often and reducing heat as needed to avoid scorching, until golden brown all over, about 5 minutes more.
Reduce heat to medium and add butter and garlic to skillet. Tip skillet toward you so butter pools at bottom edge. Spoon butter over mushrooms until butter smells nutty, about 4 minutes. Remove mushrooms from skillet with a slotted spoon.
- Place a piece of fish on each of 4 plates. Spoon pea sauce onto plate, next to fish. Place mushrooms on pea sauce and serve.
by zan@zeliciousrecipes.com | Desserts
So I found this video online and tried the recipe. Here is Tip Hero’s Video. I made some slight alterations to it, but they turned out incredible. Thank you Tip Hero!
Ingredients:
- 4 apples, cored and halved (leave the skin on)
- Juice from 1/2 lemon
- 6 Tbsp apricot preserves*
- 2 sheets of pie crust*
- Cinnamon and sugar mixture* (equal parts)
- Powdered sugar*
* Items with Asterix have been changed from original Video.
Instructions:
- Preheat Oven to 375 degrees
- I used my food processor* (Breville Sous Chef) with the adjustable slicing blade) – took less than 30 seconds and the slices were all equal. Put apple slices in microwave safe bowl. Fill bowl with water and juice from half a lemon. Use enough water to make sure apple slices are covered by water. Microwave for 3 minutes. This will soften the apple slices and make them more pliable for rolling up.
- Next grab a sheet of pie crust sheet. Flour your board and roll out the pie crust enough to make 6 strips at 3 inches wide. I scored and cut mine with a pizza wheel put you can use a knife.
- Spoon out the preserves in the center of the strip of puff pastry.
- Next place the apple slices long ways halfway on the strip. Keep adding slices until you reach the end. Sprinkle the apples with the cinnamon and sugar mixture. Then fold the puff pastry over the bottom of the apple slices.
- Roll up the puff pastry and place in a greased muffin tin.
- Bake the apple roses for 35-45 minutes.
- Pull out of oven and let cool for 5 minutes.
- Sprinkle powdered sugar on top of each rose. Can also be served with Vanilla ice cream or Brown Sugar Sauce (recipe coming soon).
Here are some more photos of my Apple Rose Batch:
by zan@zeliciousrecipes.com | Meats, Sauces
I’m always trying to find other ways to make chicken, as we are making a conscious effort to try and eat less red meat. I have some dairy items in this recipe but they can be replaced if you are trying to stay away from it. This recipe is pretty easy and quick and goes great with roasted potatoes.
Ingredients:
- 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts (filleted and pounded) Organic preferred
- 2 eggs
- salt
- 2 tbsp of lemon
- 1 cup flour (organic preferred)
- 2 tbsp butter (divided)
Sauce:
- 2 tbsp butter (divided)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ½ cup finely chopped shallots
- ¼ cup capers
- 2 tbsp dijon mustard
- 3 tbsp of fresh lemon juice
- 1 cup chicken broth
- ½ cup cream (optional – can use a paste of four and water to thicken sauce)
Directions:
If you have whole chicken breasts, you can first remove the tenderloin first, then filet the breast. Pound out all of the pieces so they are thin, approximately ¼”. If all your pieces are the same thickness they will cook evenly and at the same time. In a mixing bowl, mix eggs, with lemon and 1 tsp of salt. Place the chicken into egg mixture. You can do this proceed before cooking, for a little extra time in the marinade. I marinated them for ½ hour.
For the sauce you will melt the butter and oil in a saucepan, add in the chopped shallots and cook on medium high heat, but be sure not to burn them. Then add in the capers and cook on medium heat for 5 minutes. Remove the capers and onions from the pan, leaving the liquids (butter/oil) in the pan. Now you can dredge the chicken breasts. I dredge them as I cook them so they don’t sit in the flour. Add 1 tbsp of butter and place the chicken pieces, spaced so they do not touch. Cook the chicken until crispy on both sides (approx. 2 minutes a side). Repeat, adding butter and additional chicken pieces. Once all pieces are cooked you place them on a platter, or warming plate. Next you will add the caper/onion mixture back into the pan, scraping up any residue on the pan. Add in the mustard and lemon stirring frequently, then the chicken broth. Cook down the mixture for 3-5 minutes. Add in the cream and stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens. If you prefer to avoid the cream you can add a mixture of 1 tbsp of flour in a cup with some warm water, until you have a flour paste. You can slowly whisk this into the sauce to thicken it. Pour the sauce over the chicken and serve. (Additional sauce can be placed into a gravy boat).
Serves 4
