Category — Dinner Ideas

The only downer to trying to eat more fish is the fact that you have to buy your fish the day you’re going to prepare it.  And for many of us, that’s hard.  The best work-around I’ve come up with is to buy flash-frozen fillets from either Trader Joe’s or from Whole Foods.  These are fresh-tasting and can be kept around and defrosted when you’re hankering for fish, but I think the freezing changes the texture a bit in a way I don’t love.  I think that baking garners the best results from flash-frozen fish, so if you have some hanging around your freezer, you might want to give this recipe a whirl with those.

This chili-lime cod recipe is adapted from one in Real Simple that I found on-line.  It’s a departure from how I usually prepare cod – either steamed Asian-style or else baked with a drizzle of olive oil and sprinkled with salt and pepper.  The spice combo here is simple, yet adds zingy flavor to the fish without overpowering it. 

Here, I give you the roadmap for a complete meal:  Fish, sweet potato and steamed broccoli on the side.  My adaptation calls for doubling the sauce recipe so that you can drizzle it over the broccoli too . . . . deeee-licious and super-speedy.  This entire meal can be ready in 20-30 minutes!

Chili-Lime Cod With Sweet Potatoes and Steamed Broccoli (adapted from Real Simple)

Heat the oven to 450.  Coat a oven-safe baking dish with cooking spray.  Arrange the fillets in the pan and sprinkle with chili powder, oregano and salt.  Bake 5-7 minutes or until the cod is opaque and flakes easily when tested with a fork.

Meanwhile, scrub the sweet potatoes and prick each several times with a fork.  Arrange them on a paper towel in the microwave and microwave them in 2-minute intervals until they’re tender to the touch.

Place the broccoli in a microwave-safe covered dish and microwave in 1-minute intervals, stirring in between, until broccoli is bright green and tender.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small skillet.  Cook, stirring constantly, until butter begins to brown.  Add the cumin and the lime juice and continue to cook (keep stirring!) about one minute more.

Remove the fish from the oven, drizzle ½ the butter mixture over the top of the fish and ½ over the steamed broccoli.  Serve the sweet potatoes with a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and a little salt sprinkled over the top.   

Serves 4.

© 2010, Semi-Sweet. All rights reserved.

Have you ever had kofta? They’re essentially Middle Eastern meatballs, prepared with ground meat (usually beef and/or lamb) and sometimes with the addition of bulgur. I used to love a kofta plate from the Sultan’s Kitchen when I worked downtown. These are a loose interpretation – not authentic, but very very tasty. I made this last week and both D. and I loved it. Don’t be afraid of the ingredient list – these, the rice and the accompanying carrot slaw will all come together in 45 minutes tops.

Moroccan Kofta and Carrot Slaw (adapted from Cooking Light)

For the kofta:

For the sauce:

To accompany:

For the slaw:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. To prepare the kofta, combine all the ingredients except the cooking spray in a large bowl. Shape into 4 equally-sized patties. Heat a large skillet (cast iron will give you a nice crispy char here) over medium-high heat and spray the pan with cooking spray. Add the kofta to the pan and cook until the center is only slightly pink, about 5 minutes each side.

To prepare the sauce, combine the ingredients in a medium bowl.

To prepare the slaw, combine all the ingredients in a large bowl.

To serve: Spoon a mound of rice onto each of 4 plates, top with kofta, drizzle sauce over the lot and serve the slaw on the side.

Serves 4.

© 2010, Semi-Sweet. All rights reserved.