Getting More Fish into Your Diet

You've seen all the healthy eating suggestions that encourage getting more fish into our diets, but you really can't face another tuna casserole or tuna salad sandwich? You look at the price of fresh seafood and are sure your budget will never be able to handle these meals regularly--even if the kids would even eat them? Or you only think of fish as something that either adds lots of fat and breading--think fish sticks, etc.--or is just way too time consuming to prepare?

Well, here's an idea that you may not have thought of: use your microwave. With this approach, you can have a healthy meal on the table in the length of time it takes to cook some rice or make a salad, since the fish main dish will require minimal preparation or cooking time.

If you are unsure what kind of fish to buy, consider the lighter, milder kinds like tilapia, cod, etc. As your family becomes more "comfortable" with fish, you can branch out to stronger flavored kinds like catfish.  Salmon and trout are always wonderful of course, but they are often pretty pricey. 

What about fresh vs. frozen? For the busy, thrifty, cook and for most of us at a distance from major fishing markets, frozen is almost always going to be the best option. Look for larger packages that have individually frozen filets so you can pull out enough for your family in the morning, tuck these in the refrigerator, and they will be thawed to just the right level for preparing a quick dinner when you get home.

Now that we are entering the Lenten season, many stores will be featuring seafood specials, so you might be able to find many kinds of fish at some really good prices. Start out with one of these basic recipes and then begin to branch out on your own. There are really only two critical things to keep in mind:

• Cover the fish tightly. I like to use a casserole dish with its own cover, but you can also use plastic wrap (don't let it touch the food!) or a pretty tight microwave cover. 
• Because every fish filet is going to be slightly different in thickness and shape and because different kinds of fish have different cooking times, you should plan to test the fish every minute after the first minute or two. How?
• The key to fish "doneness" is when it "flakes" with a fork. If you have always wondered what this means, just insert a fork into the thickest part of the filet and twist gently. If it is well cooked, the fish will pull apart slightly, just like when you put a fork into canned tuna.

Here are two possibilities for you to try. These can easily be scaled up or down, for 1 to 4 servings, with the time in the microwave adjusted accordingly.

 

Microwaved Fish Florentine

2 tilapia or other white fish filets, 3 to 4 oz each
1/3 c coarsely chopped onion (for added color, red onions may be used)
8 to 10 frozen, chopped spinach or kale--do not thaw
seasoning--marjoram, thyme, and dill are often favored, but choose whatever your family likes best
a sprinkle of salt--seasoning salt can add a dash of color to the dish, as seen in the photo at the top of this post

1.  Spread the spinach or kale in the bottom of a lightly oiled baking dish. Top with the onions, and then lay the filets across the top. Try to place the thickest parts of the filets near the outer edges. Sprinkle with your choice of seasoning and cover the dish well.
2.  Microwave on high for 3 to 5 minutes, checking for doneness after 2 minutes. If the centers of the filets are cooking slower than the thinner outer edges, rearrange as necessary.
3.  Serve immediately. May be topped with a bit of Ranch or other dressing if desired. You may also wish to serve this with Fresh Tomato Salad.

Serves 2.

Variation: If your family prefers, you can first saute the onions on the stove top in a little olive oil. If these are put into the baking dish while still hot, this will shorten the cooking time a bit.

Fresh Tomato Salad

1/3 large onion--about 3/4 c
2 to 3 tomatoes--about 2 c
1/2 cucumber
1/2 bell pepper, any color
1/2 t dried basil
1/2 t dried rosemary
salt to taste
2 t cider or wine vinegar
1 t sugar (optional)

1. Chop all the vegetables coarsely--may use a processor to do this all at once.
2. Stir in the seasonings and taste. Add sugar, if needed, and vinegar.
3. Set aside for at 15 to 20 minutes to allow flavors to blend. This may also be made ahead and refrigerated, but it will taste best if allowed to come to room temperature before serving.

Fish and Vegetables Au Gratin

1 sweet onion, cut in rings
1/4 to 1/2 red bell pepper, cut in large dice
8 oz fish filets
1 to 2 T prepared zesty salad dressing of choice
10 to 12 oz frozen vegetables--French cut green beans, broccoli, cauliflower, or a mixture
1/2 t Italian seasoning or other dried herbs of choice
1 c grated cheddar cheese
OR 1/2 c grated cheddar cheese and 2 slices American cheese
1/2 c toasted bread crumbs

1. Spread the onion rings and diced pepper evenly in the bottom of an oiled casserole dish. Lay the filets over the top and drizzle with the salad dressing. Cover tightly and microwave about 2 minutes.
2.  Spread the frozen vegetables over the fish and sprinkle with the Italian seasoning. Cover and return to the microwave for about 5 minutes, until the fish flakes and the vegetables are piping hot.
3.  Top with the grated cheddar cheese. If the American cheese is being used, lay these over the top. Finish with a thin layer of the bread crumbs. Return, uncovered, to the microwave for another minute or just until the cheese has melted.

Serves two to three.

Two More Things--Sustainable Seafood and Tilapia "Warnings"

As with so many of our food choices, there are lots of articles on the internet with warnings and concerns about fish. One of these relates to the varieties of fish to choose, both for our own health and for the global fish supplies. A reputable site with lots of information is seafoodwatch.org. They have a set of regional downloadable guides that you might want to print and carry with you when at the store. The national guide can be found at:

http://www.seafoodwatch.org/cr/cr_seafoodwatch/content/media/MBA_SeafoodWatch_NationalGuide.pdf

About tilapia: A few years ago a study was published that raised concerns about the levels of omega 3 and omega 6 fats in tilapia. As with so many of these kinds of things, the findings have been pulled out of context, magnified, and turned into dire warnings. Seafood Watch generally gives tilapia excellent ratings, and you can find a nice summary of the best science on this currently at http://www.snopes.com/food/warnings/tilapia.asp

Okay, One More Thing!

...about that fishy smell in the house:  If this is an issue for anyone in your household, the microwave minimizes this odors in the kitchen but can retain some of the aroma in the microwave itself. There is an easy cure however. Just put a cup of water with perhaps a tablespoon or two of lemon juice (use ReaLemon or a similar brand) into the microwave and heat to boiling.

Mushroom and Barley Soup

Another winter Monday, another round of snow shoveling. Today's snow was light and fluffy, with the air temperature at a "comfortable" 20 degrees. Still, it was nice to come back into the house to the aroma of homemade soup simmering on the stove.

Soup is one of the easiest of foods to make from scratch--really!--but it also is something that is hard to pin down to specific recipes. Part of this comes from the great American propensity for wanting carefully calibrated amounts in their cooking instructions, but good soup includes ingredients that just don't come in pre-measured amounts. Just how big is a "medium onion" and is the clove of garlic listed in the ingredients as big as your thumb or just a little cashew? Even if you are using a 15 oz can of diced tomatoes and chiles, the amount of seasoning varies from brand to brand--and sometimes from one year to the next. There are two other things that make homemade soups wonderfully unique (and sometimes hard to duplicate): broth and the exact choice of ingredients.

Broth (or Stock--see NOTE below)

And then there is the base of most soups--broth. Yes, you can buy fairly standardized broth in the store, and you might even find one that you like especially well. However, the cost is generally far higher than broth you make yourself, and there still is no better broth than that coming from your own kitchen. The problem here is that every time you make broth (or better yet, save it from a prior pork or beef roast or braised chicken), the seasoning will be slightly different, the concentration varying from batch to batch. The bottom line is that every time you make soup with a different broth for the base, there will be a different flavor result. Not a problem. Instead, this is when you get to taste and adjust, taste and adjust. Not quite salty enough? Easy to resolve, just a sprinkle more. But maybe the soup needs a little more "zip." Maybe, with some recipes, that means a bit of black pepper, a splash of hot sauce or a little diced jalapeno. More often though, it might mean a tiny bit of sugar (or more sweet ingredients--see below) or a splash of vinegar or Worcestershire sauce--or maybe even soy sauce or some other favorite condiment sauce. It's your soup, so you could to play with what you add.

What if, on the other hand, the broth starts out too salty? If it is just a little over the top, you can add some beans or starchy ingredients to the soup. If the salt is just a little too strong, just adding a cup or two of unseasoned rice, pasta, barley, lentils, or potatoes to the soup may take care of the problem. If it is really salty, you might try the old remedy of cutting a large potato in perhaps two or three chunks and let them simmer for a few minutes. You remove these potatoes and discard, taking a lot of the salt with them.

It is best of course to taste the broth before adding to the soup. If you realize early on that you have an over-salt problem, you may choose to cut the broth with water (or milk for a cream soup) before starting the soup. If you don't catch the problem before adding other ingredients, you can also double the vegetable and other ingredients and increase the water accordingly.

NOTE:       Do a quick search and you'll find a variety of explanations for the difference, sometimes completely opposite in the definitions of each. Probably the most consistent distinction is that stock comes from the cooking of a variety of ingredients including bones for non-vegetarian stocks, while broth is made with more meat. However, the bottom line is that the home cook can generally consider these terms interchangeably in any recipes. I will use broth in the rest of this post, just to keep things simple.

All Those Other Ingredients

Even though I have included a recipe here, with specific ingredients and amounts, the truly freeing part of homemade soups is the opportunity to be totally flexible. Unlike the more scientific world of baking, where even small differences in the amount of fat, leavening, flour, etc., can make or break a cake or muffin recipe, soups are where you can really get creative.

Let's use today's recipe for an example. This one includes carrot juice and a small amount of canned diced tomatoes. I have to admit that carrot juice is not typically in my pantry, but I found a great buy at Costco and tucked a couple of quarts into the freezer. A soup seemed an ideal time to use it, especially a soup where I might have otherwise added some sliced carrots. It turned out to be a good choice, but the soup ended up losing the bright color of the carrot slices; I happened to have the cup of tomatoes in the refrigerator, left over from an earlier soup of another kind, so that worked well to add a little color while not being a large enough amount to overwhelm with too "tomatoe-y" flavor.

I've added a suggested variation if you don't have carrot juice on hand, but that is only the start of variations you could make. And then you can keep going with your own variations. Maybe you are not crazy about celery, or only have one tired stalk left; reduce the amount or leave it out. I know that the broth I used had some poultry seasoning and sage in it so those flavors were already in the soup; you might want to add one of these--or maybe rosemary or some other herb--in addition to or in place of the herbs I used this time. And if you have some leftover vegetables in the refrigerator, maybe one or more of them might appeal to you in this soup too. But don't just dump every leftover into the soup just because it's there. Think first about the combinations. Asparagus is not going to work here, and as I mentioned, too much tomato would probably overwhelm the lovely mushroom/barley flavor combination. However, a cup or so of corn could  be a nice complement--and color brightener besides. Some chopped spinach or kale (kept in the freezer for just this kind of use) could also be a good addition.

I really do recommend this soup as a great way to enjoy mushrooms in a soup that even a lactose intolerant person could have. If you use a vegetable broth/stock as the base, it could even be a good choice for a vegan. (The butter is there because I find that just a little added to the mushrooms as they are sauteed adds great depth of flavor. That too could be left out for a vegan version.)

Barley Mushroom Soup

1 1/2 c hulled or pearl barley

5 to 6 c chicken or other broth

3-4 garlic cloves, minced

Olive or canola oil

2 T butter (optional)

1 large onion—about 2 cups—chopped

1 1/2 c diced celery

8 oz mushrooms, sliced (I used crimini or “baby bella”)

app 1 t each dried marjoram, basil, thyme, black pepper

2 c carrot juice

1 c canned diced tomatoes, with juice

1.  Cook the barley and garlic in the broth according for about  30 to 45  minutes, until just barely soft.

2.  While the barley is cooking, heat a small amount of oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Brown the onions and celery slowly, stirring occasionally.

3.  When the onions become translucent and start to brown, add the butter if used and the sliced mushrooms. Continue sauteeing, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are well-cooked.

4.  Add the mushrooms to the cooked broccoli and stir in the remaining ingredients. Taste and adjust for seasonings. Continue to simmer for about 20 minutes or so to deepen flavors.

This soup is especially good the next day and can be frozen if desired. 

Serves 6 to 8.

 Variations:

Saute 2 to 3 cups of sliced carrots with the onions and celery and substitute added broth or water for the carrot juice. 

Substitute about a cup of cooked and pureed butternut squash for the carrot juice.

Add other vegetables or seasonings as desired. One to two cups of chopped frozen greens (spinach or kale) may be added in step 4. If still frozen, simmer for 30 minutes or so to be sure the flavors are well developed.

Substitute one to two 8 oz cans of mushrooms for the fresh mushrooms, including the liquid in the can. Do not saute with the onions; just add in step 4 directly from the cans.
You could even turn this into a Beef and Barley Mushroom Soup by adding leftover, diced, roast beef or steak, using beef broth instead of the chicken broth. Stir in the meat in step 4 and simmer for at least 20 minutes. 

"Squash Surprise"--for Dessert

Year after year, one of my gardening daughters-in-law harvests lavish, overwhelming, crops of zucchini and yellow summer squash. This summer has been no exception to the pattern, with the yellow crooknecks especially prolific.

After a certain point, however, the family becomes sated with variations of "squash surprise" dishes, but no one wants to just let the rest of the harvest go to waste. Time for some kitchen creativity. A web search for zucchini recipes produces a zillion hits, for everything from appetizers (this year it seems to be zucchini "chips" in the oven) to side and main dishes to breads and desserts.

As I reviewed some of the options available for cakes, I realized that I have a proven winner, so why look further. My recipe is one I discovered over 35 years ago, though I have actually never made it as written. The original called for zucchini and crushed pineapple, but I am not a big pineapple fan and never have that in the house. Instead, over the years, I have included zucchini, carrots, applesauce, and even plums.

Especially plums.

One of my first tries was for a 4th of July pool party in Arizona. The plums were at their peak in the stores, and I had lots of carrots in the refrigerator as usual. The cake baked up nicely, with a golden brown crust. I added the powdered sugar frosting but left it in the pan without cutting it at all before we went to our friends' home. Imagine my horror, then, when it came time to serve the cake. When the first piece was lifted from the pan, the interior color emerged--bright, lime green! My adult eyes saw this as a major appetite suppressor. The kids at the party, however, thought it wonderful, and the entire cake was gobbled down quickly.

A few weeks later, my own family asked me to repeat the recipe, and I dutifully obliged. Imagine our disappointment, then, when the cake came out...golden brown. Not a horrible color for a spice type cake, but definitely not the green we had expected. Over the next few years, I tried repeatedly to get back the specific combination of fruit and vegetable that had caused that original hue, but it never worked. My only explanation is that I did not make note of the variety of plums I used in that first try. Unlike apples and pears and peaches, plums come in such a wide range of types and colors, and I apparently never again found just the right variety to get back to the bright green.

Regardless of the color, however, this is a great cake. This week was the perfect time to try it with yellow summer squash. In combination with carrots, it turned out to be a lovely light golden color.  Sometimes, when I have made it with zucchini, even the finest kind of grating still leaves tail-tell speckles of green throughout; the yellow squash did not reveal itself in this way.  I did cook the carrots for this version; I found myself with several pounds of organic carrots and had cooked and mashed them for other uses. However, you could easily use raw grated carrots as well. (If the batter seems very thick using all raw vegetables, you may wish to add a tablespoon or so of water.)

The original recipe included no spices, but that too has never been tried. For us, a cake like this begs for the addition of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, or even cloves and allspice--try out a variety of these flavors for yourself and see. The nuts are optional, as are raisins or dried cranberries but either of these additions will just make the cake more special. And though the illustrations here show only frosting, feel free to sprinkle on chopped walnuts or colored sprinkles for a little more pizzazz.

So here it is, a great basic cake recipe for anyone looking for ways to use up those super large harvests of crookneck squash or zucchini. Enjoy.

Squash Surprise Cake

1/2 c butter
1/2 c canola oil
2 c sugar
3 eggs
2 t vanilla
1 c cooked, mashed carrots (baby food carrot puree could be used)
2 c finely grated yellow crookneck squash, lightly packed
3 c flour
1 t baking powder
1 t soda
1 to 2 t cinnamon
1/2 t nutmeg
1/2 to 1 t ground ginger
1 c chopped walnuts.
1/2 c raisins or dried cranberries (optional)

1. Cream the butter, oil, and sugar until fluffy. Add the carrots, eggs, and vanilla and continue beating for another minute or so.  Stir in the squash.
2. Sift the dry ingredients together and fold into the squash and carrot mixture.
3. Add the nuts and raisins, stirring just enough to distribute them evenly.
4. Pour batter into a well-greased 9 X 13 pan and bake at 325 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. (If you are "overly generous" with some of the veggies, the cake could take a little longer to bake.)
5. Frost with a basic cream cheese frosting. Sprinkle with more chopped walnuts if desired.

Variations:

You can use your food processor to puree the carrots; cook them until very soft and then use the plastic mixing blade to process them to a smooth puree. You can then just proceed with step 1, without removing the carrots from the bowl. Be careful not to over-mix when the dry ingredients are added.

For the two cups of grated squash, substitute two cups of either of the following:

• grated zucchini
• grated raw carrot

For the one cup of cooked, mashed carrots, substitute one cup of any of the following:

• applesauce
• chopped plums, firmly packed
• chopped apples, firmly packed
• chopped pears, firmly packed
• who knows, maybe crushed pineapple might even work!

(And though I have never tried it, I would guess that you could use a cup of pumpkin puree with two cups of zucchini too.)

Increase the spices as desired, or substitute pumpkin pie spice or apple pie spice, using at least two teaspoons of these mixtures.

Substitute chopped pecans, slivered almonds, or even coconut for the walnuts.

If you are a big ginger fan, a small amount of finely chopped candied ginger could also be added with the nuts.

This may also be made into cupcakes, with the recipe yielding about two dozen. The original recipe suggested that a Bundt pan could also be used, but I have never tested the recipe that way. As open as this recipe is to variations, however, I can't see why this wouldn't work.

Since this batter is so similar to many zucchini and fruit breads, you could probably also make this into two full sized loaves for slicing. With added ginger, it could be wonderful spread with cream cheese mixed with some orange juice. 

******************************

By the way---if you ever find a combination that results in a bright green cake, please let me know--I would love to be able to recreate that one!

Vitamin enhanced refried beans

It's hard to make refried beans very photogenic, no matter how tasty they are, but I'd like you to look closely at this photo. See any little flecks of orange? These aren't pepper flakes but instead are finely shredded carrots.

Yup, carrots. Prepared with minimal fat, refried beans are a wonderfully healthy food just as is, but this method of including some carrot along with all the other good ingredients enhances the vitamin A and antioxidant levels and adds just a little hint of natural sweetness. As usual, I encourage cooking your own beans (cheaper, little extra work in the kitchen, no salt or very little, and no questions of potential problems from the chemicals in the can linings of prepared beans). Cook up a huge batch (I get the two pound bags from Aldi, still well less than $2 for the bag) in your slow cooker (or on top of the stove on a cool day) and then freeze them in 2 cup portions, ready for whatever you might want to make with beans.

...and of course, one of the things you'll surely want to make is a big batch of refried beans.

Refried Beans with a "Secret" Ingredient

1 to 2 T canola or olive oil
1/2 c chopped onion, or to taste
1 c finely grated or shredded carrot
1 jalapeno, finely diced, or to taste--carefully remove the ribs and seeds if you don't want too much heat
3 to 4 cloves garlic, minced, to taste
2 c cooked unsalted pinto beans, with liquid
1 t cumin, or to taste
1 T cider, wine, or balsamic vinegar, to taste
1/2 to 1 t salt, to taste
water, if needed

1.  Saute the onions, carrots, and peppers in the oil over medium to high heat, until the onions are translucent and the carrots are quite soft.Add the garlic about 5 minutes after the rest of the vegetables.
2.  Stir in the beans, bean liquid, and seasonings. Use a potato masher to break up the beans and get the refried bean consistency of your choice. Taste and adjust for seasoning and continue simmering for 10 to 15 minutes, adding water if needed to keep the consistency you like. Be aware that the beans will thicken as they cool.

Variations:
If using a 15 ounce can of pinto beans, omit the salt until you have tasted the beans.
Black beans can be substituted for the pinto beans.
1/2 to 3/4 c cooked and pureed butternut squash can be substituted for the carrots. If squash is used, add it at the same time as the beans.
The jalapeno can be omitted or a 4 oz can of green chiles may be substituted instead.