Thursday, March 21, 2013

Spicy Mahi-Mahi with Roasted Squash & Cabbage, Snap Peas

Today was a tough day which started with learning that my grandmother, lovingly called Mamacita, had passed away. Mamacita was an amazing, strong woman, who was quite a cook! I decided to start a cooking blog in her memory.

So before we get going I'm going to explain the ground rules for my cooking.

1) Minimally processed food. I an effort to be less OCD about health, I'm giving myself a guideline of 80+% unprocessed foods. The health benefits of eliminating processed foods are overwhelming.
2) Limited starchy foods, carbs from vegetables and whole grains.
3) Low sugar, no artificial sweeteners.
4) Low-fat or whole dairy products (2%+)
5) Two vegetable sides per meal. I really try to get 7 servings of fruits/vegetables a day

Tonight is a night for comfort food. In times past that might mean mac & cheese, or pie. But in the quest for health, its time to meet some new comfort foods! Also, since we just got back from Jamaica, we had a whole container of jerk seasoning. We bring you...

Spicy Caribbean Mahi-Mahi 

Calories: 165 * Fat: 1.8 g * Carbohyrdates: 2.6 g. * Protein: 35.1 g
Ingredients: 10.5 oz Mahi-Mahi, 2 T lemon juice, 1 T Jamaican jerk seasoning 

Roasted Squash & Cabbage with Herbs

Calories: 200 * Fat: 7.4 g * Carbohyrdates: 35.9 g. * Protein: 3.5 BONUS: 10.8 g. fiber! 
Ingredients: 3 cups, cubed butternut squash, 1 c. thinly sliced cabbage, 1 T olive oil, dried rosemary, thyme, sea salt

Salt & Vinegar Snap Peas

Calories: 55 * Fat: 2 g * Carbohyrdates: 6 g. * Protein: 2 g
Ingredients: 2 cups snap peas, 1 teaspoon grapeseed oil, vinegar, sea salt
 

Step 1 - Marinade Mahi-Mahi

I got 2/3 lb. of frozen mahi-mahi from the grocer. It's important to follow the package directions about thawing, for safety's sake.

Place the mahi-mahi in a shallow dish. Pour 2 tablespoons of lemon juice over the fish.

 Sprinkle fish with 1 Tablespoon jerk seasoning:
Ingredients: pimento, onion chips, garlic, paprika, ginger, celery, mustard, crushed pepper, salt, sugar

Turn fish over, sprinkle on the other side

Cover and refrigerate for thirty minutes.

 Step 2: Roast Vegetables

Oven should be preheated to 400 degrees. Toss squash and cabbage in 13"x9" Pyrex dish.

Sprinkle vegetables with olive oil, rosemary, thyme, and sea salt.


Roast for 40 minutes, tossing every ten minutes to ensure even cooking.

Step 3: Prepare Snap Peas

Snap peas are naturally sweet, and when you pan fry them they are crispy and delicious!
 
Put the peas in a colander and rinse...












Heat grapeseed oil (use olive oil if not available)
in frying pan until hot. Toss in snap peas.




 Once the peas are bright green and slightly browned...








Add vinegar, to taste. Finish off
with sea salt, to taste.




Step 4: Finish Fish

Almost done! Take the fish out of the fridge when there are 10 minute left on the squash. Set oven to broiler, high (which will keep oven warm too). Place fish on broiler rack, and pour juices over it.

Grill five minutes per side, or until done.

Plate fish, squash, and green beans for a complete meal. The creamy squash balances with the crisp beans and the spicy fish quite nicely, and all this food is about 400 calories.