I don’t know about you, but after a holiday season of turkey, pork roast and roast beef, I’m looking forward to eating something lighter and healthier. One way to do that is by eating salads and fruits even though it’s winter time. Luckily, we can get fresh fruit like kiwi and blueberries from Chile, where it’s summer time during our winter time.

Why fresh blueberries?

While I like to eat locally as much as possible, I can’t resist the temptation of blueberries. They’re surprisingly affordable, too, when you buy them at Costco or Sam’s Club.

Everyone loves fresh blueberries, especially kids, which is great since a half-cup of blueberries packs plenty of fiber, vitamin C, potassium and antioxidants into only 40 calories.

According to the Chilean Fresh Food Association, did you know that?

• Blueberries contain a natural chemical found in laboratory studies to prevent colon cancer.
• Blueberries contain more disease-fighting antioxidants than red wine or green tea.
• Half a cup of blueberries a day may help improve brain function plus help prevent Alzheimer’s and dementia according to independent university studies.
• Blueberries not only lower risk of heart disease and cancer, they are anti-inflammatory.
• Some scientific evidence suggests that blueberries may be beneficial for the skin. New skin care treatments include blueberry extracts to help revitalize the skin and hasten healing.
• Blueberries provide the same bacteria fighters as cranberries to help guard against urinary tract infections.
• Blueberries are considered a “super food” by leading nutrition and medical experts and a recommended diet staple for health, skin care and longevity.

Healthy blueberry recipes

The next time I go to Costco, I’ll pick up some fresh Chilean blueberries, a salmon fillet to grill, and some lettuce greens and make this fabulous recipe from Chilean Fresh Food Association. (This salad recipe would also work with canned salmon or even canned tuna.)

You can find more recipes for blueberries and other Chilean winter fruit at www.chileanfruitonline.com.

Salmon, Fresh Blueberries and Lemon Salad with Chive Vinaigrette

Recipe courtesy of the Chilean Fresh Food Association

Print
Recipe

Ingredients

• 8 cups salad greens, in small pieces
• 1 pound salmon fillet, poached, baked or grilled
• 1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries
• lemon zest to garnish
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon fresh chives

Directions

1. Divide salad greens on four salad plates.
2. Tear salmon into medium pieces and arrange on greens.
3. Sprinkle on blueberries and top with lemon zest.
4. In a jar with a lid, combine lemon juice, olive oil, white wine vinegar, salt and pepper, and chives. Shake well.
5. Serve salads chilled with the dressing alongside.

Prep Time: 20 Minutes

Total Time: 20 Minutes

Nutrition Grade NA from CalorieCount

Weight Watchers POINTS = 11

Servings: 4 main servings

• Calories: 493
• Calories from Fat: 315
• Total Fat: 35 g
• Saturated fat: 5 g
• Unsaturated fat: 30 g
• Sodium: 212 mg
• Fiber: 4 mg
• Protein: 31 g
• Cholesterol: 64 mg

Don't forget that you can save any of the recipes you see here at This Mama Cooks! On a Diet to an online recipe box by clicking the Save Recipe button below.

Picture courtesy of the Chilean Fresh Fruit Association Media Center. Copyright © 2010.

Healthy salads: Salmon, Fresh Blueberries and Lemon Salad with Chive Vinaigrette is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!

For my second post in my American Express Blue Cash® Preferred and Everyday cards Blue Cash Dinner@6 $600 giveaway I’ve chosen a fish dish. After I made it, I realized it’s a bit like the Chicken with Feta and Sundried Tomatoes recipe I made last time. Not only does this fish dish contain six ingredients, it also contains the combination of tomatoes and cheese. Maybe I’ll keep with that recipe combination for my final dish, too. Who knows?

A Mexican inspired fish recipe

This Fish Veracruz (Pescado a la Veracruzana) dish is a take on a recipe my husband used to make for me when we were dating. He worked at a sports fishing landing in San Diego while he was in graduate school, so he always had access to freshly caught fish that people didn’t want or had too much of.

You can use any white, mild flavored saltwater fish – red snapper (pargo), Mahi Mahi (dorado), sole, tiliapia, and so on. I used pargo that my husband caught in Mexico. It was so mild that my daughter, Lucie, gobbled it up saying, “This is gooooood, Mommy!”

I recommend using Cotija cheese, a Mexican cheese similar to feta. If you can’t find it, you could use a mild feta instead. I also recommend using a pico de gallo. Del Monte makes a nice version, which you should be able to find at your local grocery store. If you can’t find it, you can use a spicy fresh salsa (salsa fresca) - just drain some of the extra liquid first. Another option is using a can of Muir Glen Organic’s Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes with Green Chilies.

See below to learn how submitting your favorite dinner recipes that use 6 ingredients or less can win you $600 in American Express gift cards!

Fish Veracruz (Pescado a la Veracruzana)

Print
Recipe

Ingredients

• cooking spray
• 4-6 to 8 ounce red snapper fillets
• 12 ounces pico de gallo
• 1/2 cup onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup Cotija cheese, crumbled
• 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Spray the inside of a large baking dish with cooking spray.
3. Place red snapper fillets in the baking dish and cover with pico de gallo and chopped onion.
4. Cover baking dish tightly with aluminum foil and place in oven.
5. Turn off oven.
6. Cook for 35 to 45 minutes until fish is done. (Cooking time will depend on how thick fish fillets are. Fish is done when you can easily flake fish with a fork.)
7. Remove foil and sprinkle Cotija cheese and cilantro on top of fish and tomatoes. Place back in oven for 10 minutes until cheese starts to melt a bit.
8. Remove, dish up and serve immediately.

Prep Time: 10 Minutes

Cook Time: 35 - 45 Minutes

Total Time: 45 - 55 Minutes

Nutrition Grade B from CalorieCount

Weight Watchers POINTS = 6

Servings: 4 servings

• Serving size: 1 fish fillet plus toppings
• Calories: 296
• Calories from Fat: 64
• Total Fat: 7.1g
• Saturated fat: 3.5g
• Unsaturated fat: 3.6g
• Sodium: 817mg
• Total Carbohydrates: 7.4g
• Sugar: 4.0g
• Fiber: 1.6g
• Protein: 48.9g
• Cholesterol: 97mg

How to enter the Blue Cash Dinner@6 giveaway

Please submit any dinner recipes you have that include 6 ingredients or less to be entered to win $600 in American Express gift cards. You can leave up to 6 total recipes between now and Wednesday, August 24th at midnight MST on this post and or last week’s post.

The recipe doesn’t have to be original. You don’t have to cook up something new. It can be from someone else’s blog, website or cookbook. All you have to do is just share the recipe below!

On Friday, August 26th, I’ll announce the winner of the $600 in American Express gift cards and post that recipe here at This Mama Cooks! On a Diet.

To earn additional entries (you can only do so if you have entered a recipe), leave a separate comment for each of the activities listed below. If you don’t leave separate comments for each step, I won’t be able to include them as entries.

1. Submit your favorite dinner recipe that features 6 ingredients or less. You MUST type or cut and paste the entire recipe into the comment form below. If you have a blog, please also provide a link to the post.
2. You may submit 6 recipes TOTAL on this post and the one next week. (Not six recipe per post.) However, you must leave each recipe in a separate comment.
3. If you have a blog or giveaways listing site/post/page, feel free to post about this contest on it for ONE additional entry.
4. Sign up for This Mama Cooks! Review’s RSS feed for ONE additional entry.
5. Sign up for my enewsletter for ONE additional entry.
6. Spread the word about this giveaway by submitting a link to this post on Twitter for ONE additional entry. You must leave your Twitter username in your comment so I can check.
7. Follow @amnichols on Twitter for ONE additional entry.
8. Follow @americanexpress on Twitter for ONE additional entry.
9. If you have done any of these additional activities you MUST come back here and leave a comment telling me what you did. I will be checking!
10. Maximum amount of entries at This Mama Cooks! is 12.
11. You have until midnight MST on Wednesday, August 24th to enter.
12. ONE winner will be chosen at random.
13. You must be willing to send me your full name, mailing address and phone number so I pass your info on to American Express’s PR people so they can send out your American Express gift cards.
14. I’ll announce the winner on this blog. I won't share your mailing info with the public, just your name. If you have a blog, I’ll link back to it when I announce the winner.

The giveaway is valued at $600 and is only open to legal residents of the United States, 18 years of age and older. No purchase required. Up to 12 entries per person. ONE prize of $600 in American Express gift cards will be given away. Void where prohibited by law. By submitting your name and email address, you agree to receive relevant promotional emails and contest follow up communications from This Mama Cooks! On a Diet in compliance with my privacy policy and giveaway rules.

___________________________
Disclosure: I was compensated for my time by American Express to create these series of posts and run the giveaway. All opinions are my own.

Best six ingredient dinners: Fish Veracruz {Blue Cash Dinner@6 $600 giveaway} is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!

After camping at Stagecoach Lake near Steamboat Springs, Colorado, we usually come home with a cooler full of lake trout. One of my favorite ways to prepare trout is to smoke it our Masterbuilt Electric Smoker. This recipe is good for any type of fresh water lake fish. Once you've tried smoked fish, you’ll never go back to grilling or baking it again!

What makes this method super easy is using World Harbors marinade, which I keep on hand just to make this dish. Last time I made this, I used World Harbors Maui Mountain Sweet 'N Sour marinade, which gave the fish a sweet, citrusy flavor. However, several of the World Harbors other marinades, like the Australian Style Bar-B or Maine's Own Lemon Pepper & Garlic would also be delicious.

Easy Smoked Trout

Ingredients:

• 2 – 3 medium to large trout, cleaned (You can leave head and tail on or remove.) Marinate enough fish to feed four people or have leftovers after feeding two.
• 1 bottle of your favorite World Harbors marinade

Directions:

Marinating:

1. Place cleaned trout in a large sealable plastic bag.
2. Empty entire container of marinade over the fish into the bag.
3. Seal and refrigerate for 8 to 10 hours up to 2 days.

Smoking:

1. Set your smoker to 150 degrees and use a mild wood such as pecan, apple, oak or alder. I used apple with World Harbors Maui Mountain Sweet 'N Sour marinade.
2. Spray your smoker grate with a high temperature cooking spray. Lay the trout directly on the smoker grate. There should be enough space between your trout so the smoke can reach all parts of the fish.
3. Let the fish smoke for 30 minutes at 150 degrees to dry the outside of the fish so that it can be firmer in the later stages of smoking.
4. After 30 minutes raise the temperature to 225 degrees to finish the smoking process.
5. Smoke until the fish reaches 145 degrees. If you go higher than this the fish will start to turn into fish jerky. Total cooking time usually takes 1 to 2 hours depending on size of your fish and how many you’re smoking at one time.
6. To serve, remove skin, bones, head and tail and serve with slices of lemon.

The leftover smoked trout is terrific the next day either cold in a salad or combined with mayo to make a sandwich spread.

_____________________
Disclosure: Mizkan, the parent company of World Harbors, provided compensation for this post. All opinions are my own.

Easy smoked trout with World Harbors marinades is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!

Looking for a different but healthy side dish for your Fourth of July party? My friend and cookbook author extraordinaire, Holly Clegg shares her recipe for Seafood Cornbread in today’s guest post. I love cornbread and I adore seafood, so this recipe is bound to be fantastic!

If you love Cajun food, make sure to check out her book trim&TERRIFIC® Gulf Coast Favorites Cookbook. You can also find Holly at The Healthy Cooking Blog and HollyClegg.com as well as on Twitter and Facebook.

My favorite healthy cornbread recipe

I recently appeared on a TV show with my Seafood Cornbread recipe. With so many recipe requests, I knew immediately what recipe to feature to round out your Fourth of July Menu!

When it comes to barbecues, everyone seems to have their own style of grilling and classics such as potato salad, baked beans and cole slaw grace the summer menu. So, what about the bread?

This cornbread recipe is scrumptious, outstanding and melts in your mouth. I know since I live in Louisiana where seafood is plentiful. However, this recipe works well with canned or frozen seafood as well. A fun preparation is to make in muffin pans (mini or regular) and serve in a basket. And, yes, cornbread freezes if you have any left.

If you don’t like seafood, just leave it out for a wonderful variation on cornbread. Diabetic friendly as it is low in fat, carbs, and sodium is the best surprise of all!

Seafood Cornbread

From trim&TERRIFIC® Gulf Coast Favorites Cookbook

Corn, cheese, seafood, and just a bit of jalapeños unite for truly exceptional flavor in every bite

Makes 28 squares

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups yellow cornmeal
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 cup skim milk
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, cored and chopped
• 1 (15-ounce) can cream-style corn
• 1 cup shredded, reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese
• 1/3 cup chopped green onions
• 2 tablespoons chopped jalapeño pepper slices (found in jar)
• 2 cups combination seafood ( small peeled shrimp, cooked; crabmeat, or crawfish)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven 350°F. Coat 13 × 9 × 2-inch pan with nonstick cooking spray
2. In a large bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, baking soda, and sugar.
3. In another bowl, combine milk, egg, and oil.
4. Add remaining ingredients except seafood. Mix well.
5. Stir into flour mixture. Gently stir in seafood.
6. Transfer mixture to prepared pan. Bake for 55–60 minutes or until golden brown.

Nutritional information

• Calories 87
• Calories from fat 33%
• Fat 3 g
• Saturated Fat 1g
• Cholesterol 27 mg
• Sodium 130 mg
• Carbohydrate 10 g
• Dietary Fiber 1 g
• Sugars 2 g
• Protein 5 g

Diabetic Exchanges: 1/2 starch, 1/2 lean meat

Weight Watchers POINTS = 2

Picture courtesy of Holly Clegg.

Seafood Cornbread for your Fourth of July menu from Holly Clegg is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!

My husband recently came back from yet another Mexican fishing trip. What am I going to do with all this fish I wondered? (You should have my problems, I know.)

I decided to grill up a couple of wahoo fillets. Wahoo is related to mackerel and is called “ono” in Hawaii and “peto” in the Spanish speaking parts of the Carribbean and Central America.

I’ve made Grilled Wahoo and Orange Butter before, but I wanted to try another recipe. After doing a search, I found a Grilled Wahoo with Tomato Sauce recipe from Bobby Flay.

It looked delicious, but I didn’t have many of the ingredients on hand. However, it got me thinking that I could substitute that jar of Spanish green and black olives I had in the fridge for the capers and anchovies. Here’s what I ended up making that got rave reviews from my husband. Super simple and it took longer to cook the fish than it did the tomatoes and olives.

Grilled Wahoo with Tomatoes and Olives

Serves 2

Ingredients:

• 2 thick small to medium- sized wahoo fillets
• canola oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 14.5 ounce can of diced tomatoes (I used Muir Glen Organic Fire Roasted Tomatoes)
• 1/2 cup of kalamata olives, pitted and diced
• 1/2 cup of manzanilla olives, pitted and diced

Directions:

1. Heat the grill to high.
2. Brush both sides of the fillets with canola oil. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
3. Place fish on the grill and immediately turn the dials to low. Close the cover. Grill until cooked through, about 4 to 6 minutes per side depending on how thick your fish fillet is.
4. While the fish is grilling, heat the olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat.
5. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
6. Add the tomatoes and olives and cook until heated through.
7. Plate fish and spoon sauce over it. Serve.

Get Grillin’ with Family Fresh Cooking and Cookin’ Canuck, sponsored by Ile de France Cheese, Rösle, Emile Henry, ManPans and Rouxbe.

Easy summer grilling: Grilled Wahoo with Tomatoes and Olives is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!

In today’s guest post, Holly Clegg shares a romantic – and healthy - Valentine’s Day meal for you and your sweetie.

A Valentine’s Day dish for the heart

Valentine’s Day is around the corner and love is in the air. Want a sultry dish that will have your sweetheart swooning? If you’ve never cooked salmon before, this quick and easy Salmon Marsala is a mouth-watering dish that is not only delicious, but good for you, too. Salmon is chocked full of heart healthy omega 3 fatty acids so you can love your honey’s heart inside and out!

You can find more of Holly’s recipes on The Healthy Cooking Blog.

Salmon Marsala

From Too Hot in the Kitchen: Secrets To Sizzle At Any Age

Looking to impress, but no time to cook? Salmon with Marsala wine and mushrooms have a sophisticated earthly flavor in this easy recipe.

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1/2 pound sliced mushrooms
• 4 (4-ounce) skinless salmon fillets
• 1/3 cup Holland House Marsala cooking wine
• 3/4 cup fat-free chicken broth
• 3 teaspoons cornstarch

Directions:

1. In large nonstick skillet, heat oil and sauté onion, garlic, and mushrooms until tender.
2. Add salmon to skillet, cooking 4 minutes, turn onto other side. Meanwhile, in small bowl, mix together wine, broth and cornstarch.
3. When salmon is almost done, add wine mixture to the salmon. Stir gently, as mixture thickens quickly.

Nutritional information

Per serving:

• Calories 241
• Calories from fat 30%
• Fat 8g
• Saturated Fat 1g
• Cholesterol 65mg
• Sodium 162mg
• Carbohydrate 10g
• Dietary Fiber 2g
• Sugars 5g
• Protein 27g
• Dietary Exchanges: 1/2 other carbohydrate, 3 lean meat

Weight Watchers POINTS = 5

This Mama’s tips

• If you have a food sensitivity to corn products, like cornstarch, use tapioca or potato starch instead. Both work just as well as cornstarch.
• You can also use a buttery spread like I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter instead of olive oil.

Recipes and pictures supplied by Holly Clegg and used with her permission.

Love is in the air with Holly Clegg’s Salmon Marsala is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!

In June, I attended the evo‘10 conference in Park City, Utah. The food bloggers were treated to a fantastic lunch at the Alpine House at The Canyons where I had the opportunity to make “Cedar Plank Smoked Caspian Flatbread” with one of their chefs.

I’ve taken their recipe and made it healthier by substituting Greek yogurt for crème fraiche, low fat Boursin for the regular kind, and using healthy whole wheat pizza dough recipe instead of their white flour flatbread recipe.

You can see what else I ate at the evo conference on Flickr. If you’re a food blogger, you may want consider attending the evo’11 conference. I recently spoke conference founder, Jyl Johnson Pattee, who told me that there will be even more food blogging programming next year!

Smoked Salmon on Flatbread

Based on the recipe from the Alpine House at The Canyons in Park City, Utah

Smoked salmon:

• 1 salmon filet
• 1 cup kosher salt
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 2 teaspoons pink sea salt
• 2 teaspoons whole pepper corn mélange
• 2 teaspoons ground allspice
• 2 teaspoons ground bay leaf
• 2 teaspoons ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon ground caraway
• 1 teaspoon ground fennel seed
• 1 ounce fresh dill

Smoked salmon procedure:

1. Mix all the ingredients, except the salmon, together in a bowl.
2. Using your hands, pat the spice mix on to the salmon filet.
3. Cover the salmon filet with plastic wrap refrigerate for 30-36 hours.
4. Remove salmon from plastic wrap and rinse spice mixture off with cold water.
5. Smoke with alder wood chips. You can do this in an oven or in a smoker.
6. When fish is done, cool and break up into small pieces.

Salmon smoking tips:

• How to smoke salmon in a smoker
• How to smoke salmon on a stovetop (video)
• How to smoke fish in an oven
• How to plank salmon on a grill

Flatbread ingredients:

• Flatbread
• Chopped up hard boiled eggs
• Caviar
• Chopped green onions
• Plain, no fat Greek yogurt
• Boursin Light Garlic & Fine Herbs

Flatbread assembly:

1. Using a knife or spreader, add a thin layer of Boursin on the flatbread.
2. Then add a thin layer of Greek yogurt.
3. Evenly distribute remaining ingredients – chopped hard boiled eggs, green onions, caviar and salmon pieces.

This Mama Cooks! Tips

• You can buy premade flatbread or make your own using my healthy whole wheat pizza dough recipe.
• If you don’t have any caviar (Really? Come on!) use capers or sprinkle on a little sea salt. You want something salty to contrast with the rest of the flavors.
• This dish is terrific for parties - just cut the assembled flatbread into bite sized pieces.

Smoked Salmon on Flatbread is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!

  I like getting my Omega-3s the old fashioned way – by eating fish! One of my favorites is to grilled wild caught salmon. Wild Atlantic salmon (6 oz. cooked) has 3,130 mg of EPA and DHA, and Wild Coho salmon (6 oz. cooked) has 1800 mg according to Nutrition Action Health Article: Omega Medicine? Is fish oil good for what ails you? (PDF).

Wild caught vs farm raised fish

I prefer wild caught because I’ve read that farmed salmon are given antibiotics to help fight disease outbreaks. I don’t like antibiotics in my beef, pork, turkey or chicken, so why would I want it in my fish? I also believe that fish farming is harmful to the environment.

More information on fish farming and the benefits of wild caught fish can be found at:

• Is Fish Farming Safe? from Time magazine
• Salmon farming in Canada from the Living Oceans Society
• Smart Fish: A PDF guide for Minnesota moms, moms-to-be and kids under 15 from the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP)
• Wild-caught salmon has less PCB contaminants than farmed salmon says the Center for Science in the Public Interest

Cooking salmon

Since you’re spending a little more on wild caught versus farm raised salmon, you want to make sure you cook it perfectly. The easiest way is making it – along with your favorite vegetables – in a foil pouch. I got this idea from the July/August 2010 issue of Clean Eating magazine and from The Perfect Recipe for Losing Weight and Eating Great by Pam Anderson.

Both Pam’s cookbook and Clean Eating gave elaborate  recipes for sauces and seasonings. I simplified it by using herbs I had on hand and vegetables fresh from my garden. I cooked my on the grill but you can also cook foil pouches in the oven.

Foil pouch salmon, squash and zucchini dinner

Serves 2

• 1-12 ounce salmon fillet
• 1 tablespoon olive or grapeseed oil
• salt and pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon of dried herbs like thyme, dill or herbes de provence
• 1 small zucchini, diced
• 1 small summer squash, diced
• 1 small onion, diced

Preparation:

1. Tear off a piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil – about 20 inches. Place on a flat surface, long side facing you.
2. Place fish in center foil. Drizzle both sides of fish with oil.
3. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Placed diced vegetables on top and season with herbs.
5. Grasp top and bottom edges of foil (the long sides) and pull up over the food, pinching together at the top.
6. Begin folding the foil down toward the food until it is about 2 inches from the food.
7. Grasp the right side of the foil and fold at least twice toward the center to seal.
8. Repeat with the left side.

Stove cooking instructions:

1. Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat over to 500 degrees.
2. Set foil packet on a large baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes.
3. Remove from oven and let stand for 3 minutes.
4. Open packet carefully to test fish for doneness (fish should be flakey). If the fish is ready, serve.
5. If needed, close the packet back up to cook a few more minutes.

Grill cooking instructions:

1. On a gas grill, ignite all the burners on high for 5 to 10 minutes.
2. Set foil packet on hot rack, cover and grill for 8 minutes.
3. Remove from grill and let stand for 3 minutes.
4. Open packet carefully to test fish for doneness (fish should be flakey). If the fish is ready, serve.
5. If needed, close the packet back up and place back on grill for a few more minutes.

Nutritional information:

• Calories 444
• Calories from Fat 252
• Total Fat 28.0g
• Saturated Fat 5.2g
• Cholesterol 107mg
• Sodium 117mg (before adding salt)
• Total Carbohydrates 7.4g
• Dietary Fiber 2.0g
• Sugars 3.5g
• Protein 39.4g
• Vitamin A 7%
• Vitamin C 48%
• Calcium 6%
• Iron 8%

Nutrition Grade B+ from CalorieCount 

Weight Watchers POINTS = 10 for 6 ounces of salmon or 7 for 4 ounces

This Mama Cooks! tips

• Experiment with different vegetables – mushrooms, asparagus, tomatoes, and so on.
• Use different types of fish like tilapia, Atlantic chard, mahi mahi, trout, etc. Try chicken breasts if you don’t like fish.
• Have fun with different seasonings and sauces. Some ideas are: a bottled salad dressing, teriyaki sauce or homemade barbecue sauce. Lemon juice and dill are great with fish. Try fresh herbs or sea salt mixes, too.
• To lower calorie and fat, add more veggies and reduce fish portion to 4 ounces.

Foil pouch salmon, squash and zucchini dinner is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!

Fish tacos get a bad rap because much of time the fish is battered, fried and served with a fatty mayonnaise or sour cream sauce. Instead, Jillian Michael’s version from The Master Your Metabolism Cookbook has several nutritional benefits like being heart healthy, an immunity booster and anti-cancer. She also claims it improves your digestion and gives you healthy skin.

Spicy Mahi Mahi and Mango Tacos

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 3 tablespoons fresh orange juice
• 1 garlic clove, chopped
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 pound mahi mahi, rinsed and patted dry, cut into bite- size chunks
• 1 large ripe mango, peeled, pitted, and coarsely chopped (about 2 cups)
• 1 tablespoon chopped red onion, rinsed and drained
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon seeded, chopped fresh red chile
• 2 teaspoons virgin coconut oil
• 4 (8- inch) whole-wheat tortillas
• 1 ripe avocado, pitted, peeled, and coarsely chopped
• Lime wedges, for serving

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons of the lime juice, 2 tablespoons of the orange juice, the garlic, chili powder, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper.
2. Add the fish and gently stir to coat.
3. Let stand for at least 10 minutes, or cover and place in the refrigerator for up to 4 hours.
4. In the meantime, in a medium bowl, combine the mango, onion, cilantro, chile, and remaining 1 tablespoon each lime and orange juice. Stir gently until well combined.
5. Set aside in the refrigerator if you are marinating the fish longer than a few minutes. Let stand at room temperature for at least 20 minutes before serving.
6. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the fish and its marinade and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, turning frequently, until the fish is opaque.
7. While the fish cooks, wrap the tortillas in damp paper towels and microwave on high power for 30 seconds.
8. Gently fold the avocado into the mango mixture.
9. Divide the fish evenly among the tortillas. Divide the mango mixture among the tacos, spooning it on top of the fish. Serve with lime wedges.

Nutritional information

• Calories: 405.2 kcal
• Fat: 13.9 g
• Protein: 26.8 g
• Carbohydrates: 43.9 g
• Sodium: 409.2 mg

This Mama’s tips

• If you cannot find (or afford) mahi mahi, tilapia is a good substitute.
• Personally I prefer corn tortillas over whole wheat. Not only do they taste better, but they’re more authentic. But Jillian wants you to avoid starchy vegetables like corn, so I completely understand why she uses whole wheat tortillas instead.
• I’m shocked that there’s no cilantro in this recipe! In the The Master Your Metabolism Cookbook, Jillian writes that it’s a “form of natural chelation therapy, helping to detox the liver and remove heavy metals from the body.” Whatever the case, you cannot have fish tacos without cilantro, so add some!
• If you can’t find virgin coconut oil, use olive or grapeseed oil instead.

More Jillian Michaels Master Your Metabolism recipes

• Blueberry Banana Muffins
• Tomato, Avocado, and Cheddar Burrito

More healthy taco and fish recipes from This Mama Cooks!

• Grilled Mahi Mahi with Green Chile-Coconut Milk Broth
• Crab tacos
• Grilled Wahoo and Orange Butter 
• Grilled Tuna with Smoky Tomato Salsa 
• Greek Mahi Mahi with Kalamata Olives 
• Sautéed Tequila Lime Shrimp Tacos with Mango and Pineapple Salsa and Spicy Black Beans
• Carne asada and fish tacos

Photo by by jpellgen on Flickr.

Master Your Metabolism with Jillian Michaels’ Spicy Mahi-Mahi and Mango Tacos is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!

I thought we had eaten our way through the fish my husband brought back from Mexico. Then I found a nice big package of wahoo in the corner of the freezer. I decided that grilling was the best way to prepare it, but how to make a delicious fish even more special?

I didn’t want to make a sauce and we didn’t have any veggies to make a salsa. How about a flavored butter using the Challenge Dairy European Style Butter I was trying out?

I got out my trusty Joy of Cooking cookbook and decided to make an orange butter with a few twists.

Chipotle Orange Butter
For fish and vegetables

In a small bowl, cream with a fork or wooden spoon 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened. Gradually add in the flavorings:

• finely grated zest from 2 Cuties® California Clementines (or one large orange if you don’t have any Cuties around)
• 1 tablespoon of the juice from the Clementine or orange.
• to taste or 2 large pinches of Spice Islands Ground Chipotle Chile spice (You can substitute ground red pepper or chile powder.)
• the leaves off of 5 sprigs of fresh thyme (or one large pinch of dried thyme)
• salt and ground white pepper to taste

Refrigerate in a small bowl or ramekin until you’re ready to use it.

To prepare fish (you can use this on wahoo, tilapia, mahi mahi or any other white fish), gently smear 1 tablespoon of orange butter on the cooked fish, let it melt and serve. To hasten the process, put the fish in a warm oven and remove once butter is melted.

Nutritional Facts for a serving size of 1 Tbsp (14g):
Calories per serving: 110, Calories from Fat: 110, Total Fat 12g, Saturated Fat 8g, Trans Fat: 0g, Cholesterol: 30mg, Sodium: 0mg, Total Carbohydrate: 0g, Protein: 0g, Vitamin A: 8%.

Weight Watchers POINTS = 3 POINTS for butter

If you had a 6 ounce piece of wahoo (or another white fish like tilapia or mahi mahi) that would be 4 POINTS. You may decide to go with half a tablespoon of the Chipotle Orange butter instead. This should be enough to add flavor to your grilled fish.

Challenge Butter

Challenge Dairy European Style Butter has 83% butterfat versus 80% for regular butters. Many people prefer cooking with European style butters because it has a creamier taste and cooks up better than regular butter. I have friends who are love to bake and swear by it.

Challenge Dairy is holding a Taste of the West sweepstakes where you can win a 7-day/6-night trip for 4 people to the Mountain Sky Guest Ranch in Montana’s Paradise Valley, just north of Yellowstone National Park. (Beautiful country up there!) The ranch features fine dining, cozy accommodations, horseback riding, hiking, fishing, rock climbing, clay shooting and much more. Airfare, food, accommodations and activities are included in this $17,000 luxury getaway. They will also be giving away a $850 kitchen package from Spice Islands and OXO to one other winner.

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Disclosure: Challenge Dairy sent me some sample coupons to try their products and some Spice Island spices to inspire me.

All links to Amazon.com are affiliate links. A commission may be earned from a referred sale to their website.

All other ingredients were bought/harvested by myself or my family.

Grilled Wahoo and Orange Butter is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!