This Mama Cooks! On a Diet

Staying slim on Cinco de Mayo

I've done a healthy Cinco de Mayo recipe roundup at the FoodieView blog. So stop on by for some great tips on eating healthy during this food holiday.

Since I wrote the post, I've come across some other terrific, healthy Mexican dishes. The first recipe comes from the April 2008 issue of Sunset magazine.

Crab Tacos
Makes 8 tacos

Ingredients:

• 4 Roma tomatoes, halved, seeded, and sliced
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• 2 large jalapeño chiles, halved, seeded, and sliced, divided (or use canned instead)
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves, divided
• 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 8 ounces shelled cooked crab (used canned to save time)
• 8 taco shells or tortillas (corn tortillas are the healthiest choice)
• 1 cup Iceberg lettuce, thinly sliced (cabbage is a good alternative)
• 1 cup shredded jack or cheddar cheese (leave out the cheese to cut back on POINTS, fats and calories)
• 1 avocado, thinly sliced (yes, they're high in calories, but oh so good for you)
• 1/4 cup chopped green onion

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Put tomatoes, garlic, half of the jalapeño, 1/4 cup cilantro, and the lime juice in a food processor and pulse a few times to chop. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set salsa aside.
2. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Sauté onion and remaining jalapeño until soft, 4 minutes. Add crab and cook just until crab is warm, about 2 minutes.
3. Put tortillas on a baking pan and warm in oven, about 3 minutes. (I like to use my double burner skillet to do this. My husband puts the tortilla right on a low burner - we have an electric stove - a trick he learned from his hunting buddy, Jose. When I do this, I burn them, so be careful.)
4. Arrange on a platter and fill with crab mixture, dividing evenly. Top crab with lettuce, cheese, and avocado. Sprinkle tacos with green onion and remaining 1/4 cup cilantro. Serve immediately, with salsa on the side or on top.

Nutritional information for one taco:
Calories: 200
Fat:  12g
Protein: 11g
Fiber 1.7g

Weight Watchers POINTS = 5

Reynolds Parchment Paper is not just for holiday cookies

Even though you're trying to lose weight - and all your friends know it - you've probably been invited to a cookie swap party. You know, a party where each participant brings cookies to swap with friends along with a copy of the cookie recipe.

I was invited to two cookie exchanges this month, and I couldn't attend either of them because of a my new job (I'm now a community manager at CafeMom.com), and because I was already going out three times that week to parties and a holiday concert. Like I had time to bake let alone go out two more times!

I really dodged a bullet there and was thankful not to blow my weight loss plan. But just in case you're invited to a cookie exchange - and promise only to indulge a little and to give the rest of the cookies to friends, family and coworkers - you may want to check out ReynoldsSimpleSecrets.com.

(You should also check out my 5 Ways to Avoid Temptation During Bake Sale Season post for some tips to get out of baking yourself or eating everything you make.)

Get a Free Cookie Swap Starter Kit from Reynolds

Reynolds Parchment Paper and cookie exchange hostess, Robin Olson have teamed up to give helpful tips and tricks for a successful cookie exchange this holiday season.

Here's the cool part. You can get a cookie swap starter kit complete with Reynolds parchment paper, recipe cards, invitations, a cookie tin, and tips and tricks for hosting your own cookie swap by signing up here. The nice folks at MS&L Digital sent me one and its worth getting.

Extreme Fat Smash Diet uses for parchment paper

But since you don't want to get side tracked on your weight loss journey, give the recipes and invites to a friend, put your arts and crafts supplies in the tin, and keep the parchment paper to make a delicious, low calorie - Pesto Snapper en Papillote (in paper). This would be a perfect meal on either Weight Watchers (only 4 POINTS per serving) or the Extreme Fat Smash Diet.

(Check out Reynold's other en Papillote recipes.)

The Skinny does seared mahi-mahi

The Skinny: How to Fit into Your Little Black Dress Forever is not about feeling deprived. It’s about a lifetime of eating exactly what you want, when you want it -- in moderate portions. It’s about figuring out what you really crave and satisfying your craving – whether it’s chocolate, wine, bacon, or a perfectly ripe, juicy-crisp pear. Nothing is off limits on The Skinny.

My sister turned me on to their website, blog and recipe section - she's a friend of Melissa (or is it Robin?) Anyway, check it out. Great writing and wonderful recipes like this one for mahi-mahi. (FYI, mahi-mahi is also called dorado). A six ounce portion of fish would be 4 Weight Watchers Points. I would add another point for the olive oil.

The onions are a bit of a pain to peel, but it's worth it - a fabulous, tasty, low point and healthy dish!

Seared Mahi-Mahi with Balsamic-Glazed Onions and Thyme
Serves 4

Per Melissa: "Mahi-Mahi is not only very tasty, it is also good for you and relatively sustainable. On my little eco-seafood chart, mahi-mahi gets a green, meaning go for it! Of course it can be expensive and hard to find, in which case, substitute striped bass or salmon (preferably wild since I’m in a sustainable frame of mind). You can substitute white pearl or cippoline onions for the red pearl here. Or use the smallest regular red onions you can find. Just quarter them, keeping the root end attached so they don’t fall apart."

Ingredients:

• 4 Mahi-mahi fillets (about 7 ounces each), rinsed and patted dry
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 10 ounces red pearl onions
• 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 6 sprigs fresh thyme, plus additional leaves for garnish
• Kosher salt or coarse sea salt
• 6 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, plus additional for serving
• Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

Directions:

1. Season the fish with black pepper. Peel the red pearl onions, leaving the root ends intact.
2. In a very large sauté pan, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat. Add the onions and thyme and season lightly with salt and pepper. Cover and cook until almost tender, about 3 minutes.
3. Uncover the pan and continue to cook until the onions are caramelized, about 3 minutes more. Add 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar to the pan, let cook for 10 seconds, then immediately transfer the onions to a bowl.
4. Heat the remaining oil in the pan until very hot. Lower the heat to medium-low, add the fish, skin side down, and cook until just opaque, about 5 minutes per side.
5. Add the remaining balsamic and remove from heat.
6. Transfer the fish to serving plates and top each fillet with some of the onion mixture. Drizzle with additional balsamic and sprinkle with sea salt. Garnish with thyme leaves and parsley.

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Cooking in parchment

Another awesome recipe from Sunset magazine, this one with a terrific culinary technique - cooking in parchment. Parchment cooking creates maximum flavor with minimal use of oil or butter because all aromas and flavors are sealed in (along with moisture) as the food cooks.

Flavor combinations with fish are endless. Try various herbs - I love dill with fish - flavored oils, lemon juice or wine, or thinly sliced veggies.

And the nicest thing about using parchment? Without the added fat or heavy sauces, this dish is only 4 Weight Watchers Points. LOVE IT!

How to Make a Parchment Packet:
The key to cooking en papillote starts with the shape of the paper. Fold a piece of parchment paper, about 2 1/2 times the size of what you'll be cooking, in half and cut it into a half-heart shape. Unfold, fill one half with the ingredients, and fold the other half over to enclose. Starting at the top of the heart in the center of the dip, fold about 1/4 in. of the edge toward the center and start rolling this "hem" around the edge, crimping the roll as you seal it. When the roll reaches the bottom tip of the heart, twist to seal. When using aluminum foil, simply fold foil over contents and crimp edges to seal.

Martha Stewart has some fish en papillote recipes - including salmon and red snapper - on her site. But this one from Sunset magazine is is staight forward and looks delicious.

Green Onion and Sesame Parchment-Baked Fish
Prep and Cook Time: 25 minutes
Yield: Makes 4 servings 

Notes: Aluminum foil may be used in place of parchment, but parchment creates an elegant presentation and can even puff up while cooking. Thin fillets like sole cook in 15 minutes. For thicker cuts, add 5 minutes for every 1/2 in. of thickness over 3/4 in.

Add steamed brown rice and simply cooked greens for a healthy supper.

Ingredients:

• 4 fillets petrale sole
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
• 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
• 3 green onions, cut into 3-in. lengths and sliced thinly lengthwise

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Fold 4 pieces of parchment paper (12 by 14 in. each) in half to form 7- by 12-in. rectangles and cut them into half-heart shapes as large as the paper allows. Unfold into hearts. Place a fish fillet to one side of center of each heart and sprinkle with 1/4 of the salt. Spread each fillet with 1/4 of the ginger. Drizzle with 1/4 of the sesame oil and top with 1/4 of the green onions. Fold papers over fillets and crimp edges to close (see "How to Make a Parchment Packet," above).
2. Put packets on a baking sheet and bake 15 minutes, or until the fish is opaque and flakes easily in the center; if necessary, cook 5 minutes more. Serve hot.

Nutritional Information:
Per serving - CALORIES 179 (22% from fat); FAT 4.3g (sat 0.8g); PROTEIN 32g; CHOLESTEROL 82mg; SODIUM 283mg; FIBER 0.3g; CARBOHYDRATE 1g

Sunset, FEBRUARY 2007

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Charlie Palmer's Herb-Broiled Cod

Back in October I wrote about eating at Charlie Palmer's Aureole Las Vegas restaurant in the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. So I was pleasantly surprised to see a Charlie Palmer recipe in last week's Denver Post food section.

Then I realized how easily this recipe for Herb-Broiled Cod fits into the Weight Watchers Flex Plan. Even with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter, one serving (6 ounces of fish) plus embellishments is about 10.5 points. That's the wonderful thing about fish - it's very low in points! If you could halve the butter and oil, you could reduce it to 8 points. Perfect!

Herb-Broiled Cod
From The Practical Guide to the New American Kitchen: Splatterproof, Waterproof, Sauceproof Durabook by Charlie Palmer

One Serving
Ingredients:

For the seasoned butter:

• 1 stick butter at room temperature
• 1 Tbsp chopped parsley
• 1 Tbsp chopped chives
• 1 Tbsp mined shallot (about one clove)
• juice of 1 lemon
• freshly ground black pepper

For the cod:

• 1 ruby grapefruit
• 1 orange
• 1 6-oz cod fillet, a thick one
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp white pepper
• 1 Tbsp seasoned butter (see above)
• 2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp coriander seed, lighted toasted in a dry saute pan, then cooked and ground between your fingers
• 1 romaine heart, spearated into leaves and chopped
• a few thin slices of red onion

Directions:

1. For the seasoned butter: mix togther all ingredients. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate. Butter will be good for a wekk or so. Try some of the leftover butter on a baked potato.
2. For the cod: preheat broiler to high. Position over rack about 6 inches from the heat.
3. With a sharp paring knife, peel the grapefruit and the organge, removing all the zest and the white pith.
4. Working over a small bowl to catch the juice, cut the segments of fruit away from the connective membranes. Place the segments in a salad bowl. After all the segments have been cut, squeeze any remaining juice fom the membranes into the small bowl.
5. Season the cod with half of the salt and white pepper. Place the fish on a small, lighted oiled cast iron skillet. Spoon 1 Tbsp. of the seasoned butter on top of the fish.
6. Broil the cod until a skewer pushed straight down through the middle of the fish offers no resistance and the flesh flakes easily - about 7 minutes.
7. While the fish is under the broiler, mix the vinaigrette: whisk the oil into the bowl of citrus juice and add the coriander. Season with the reamining salt and pepper and set aside. Place the romaine and red onion into the salad bowl, add a little vinaigrette and toss to coat.
8. Mound the salad onto a plate and place the hot fish on top. Drizzle the remining vinaigrette over the cod.

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Pan-Seared Scallops Pumpkin Risotto

I think this is the start of an season full of pumpkin and squash cooking, since all the October foodie magazines are full of pumpkin and squash recipes. As faithful reader, Michelle D. writes:

We have a Friday tradition of making a gourmet dinner every Friday night. I guess it makes us feel grown-up! I made this for dinner tonight for Sean and Agnes. They both loved it. I thought your family might like it, too. I love cooking with pumpkins. To me it means Autumn is here!

The recipe looks difficult but it only took about 30-40 mins to make. I did make some changes to it. I roasted the pumpkins yesterday. When I took them out of the oven I left them sit in the pan, covered, for maybe 2 hours. When I remembered them (I have a 1 year old. You lose track of time.) they were cooked perfectly. I cut off the tops, scooped out the seeds, and then scraped out the "meat". Mmmm, squash.

I didn't save the pumpkins to serve with but it would look really cute if you did. When I made the risotto I used 3 cups of chicken stock and 1 cup of water mixed with a couple shakes of chicken bullion. I think I only used about 3 1/2 cups of liquid. Our scallops were HUGE so I cooked them for 6 minutes on both sides and they were done perfectly. Anyhoo, here is the recipe:

Pan-Seared Scallops Pumpkin Risotto
Active time: 1 hr
Start to finish: 1 hr 4 miniature
Makes 4 servings

Ingredients for risotto:

• 1 1/4 cups diced (1/4 inch) peeled seeded fresh pumpkin (preferably from sugar or cheese pumpkins, like Jack-Be-Littles at 3 1/2 to 4 inches in diameter)
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 2 cups water
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3/4 cup Arborio rice
• 1 oz grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (1/3 cup)
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Ingredients for scallops:

• 20 large sea scallops (1 1/2 lb), tough muscle removed from side of each if necessary
• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh sage
• 2 tablespoons white truffle oil

Directions to roast miniature pumpkins:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Roast whole miniature pumpkins in a small roasting pan with 1/2 inch water, tightly covered with foil, until very tender, 45 to 50 minutes.
2. Cool slightly. Cut out tops and reserve, then scoop out seeds.
3. Discard water from roasting pan, then return pumpkin shells to pan and keep warm, covered with foil.

Directions for making risotto while pumpkins roast:

1. Cook diced pumpkin in a medium saucepan two-thirds full of simmering water until tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain in a colander.
2. Bring stock and 2 cups water to a simmer in a small saucepan and keep at a bare simmer.
3. Cook onion in oil in a 2- to 2 1/2-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 3 minutes.
4. Add rice and cook, stirring, 1 minute.
5. Add 1 cup simmering stock and cook at a strong simmer, stirring constantly, until stock is absorbed.
6. Continue simmering, adding stock 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly and letting each addition be absorbed before adding the next, until rice is tender and creamy-looking but still al dente, about 18 minutes total. (There may be broth left over.)
7. Remove from heat and stir in diced pumpkin, cheese, and butter, stirring until butter is melted.
8. Season with salt and pepper and cover to keep warm.

Directions for preparing scallops:

1. Pat scallops dry and season with salt.
2. Heat oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté scallops, turning once, until golden brown, 4 to 6 minutes.
3. If scallops are not cooked through, reduce heat to moderate and cook about 2 minutes more.
4. Transfer to a bowl with a slotted spoon and discard any oil remaining in skillet (do not clean skillet).
5. Cook butter in same skillet over moderate heat until it foams and turns light brown. Add sage and cook, stirring, 1 minute.
6. Remove from heat and stir in truffle oil. Season with salt.

Toserve:

1. Put each pumpkin shell on a plate, fill with risotto, and cover with reserved tops.
2. Arrange scallops around pumpkin and drizzle with sage butter.

(Risotto image courtesy of Cole's)

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Food Blog of the Week - Food is Yummy

Since returning from BlogHer, I've vowed to start finding different blogs to read. One of my new finds is the allergy friendly Food is Yummy, blogged by a 28-year-old nursing student in Alexandria, Virginia.

I'm not sure where she finds the time to cook, let alone take great pictures and blog about cooking and eating. It's a terrific food blog, and includes dishes off the beaten path, including this one for California Role Sushi Salad.

It's a great recipe if you love the taste of sushi but feel roll challenged.

Rice Salad

• 1 1/2 cups sushi rice
• 1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons rice vinegar (not seasoned)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped pickled ginger
• 4 scallions, cut lengthwise into thin 1-inch strips (about 3/4 cup)
• 1/2 cup finely shredded carrot
• 1 large seedless cucumber (about 1 pound), quartered lengthwise, cored, and chopped
• 2 sheets nori (paper-thin sheets of dried seaweed)
• 1 Haas avocado
• 1/4 pound imitation crab meat, sliced thin (check ingredients if you're sensitive to certain things, some have wheat, egg, etc.)

Dressing

• 1/2 cup rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon grated peeled fresh ginger
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/4 to 3/4 teaspoon prepared wasabi

Directions:

1. To prepare rice, rinse rice thoroughly in a sieve. Drain well. Bring 2 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan; add rice and salt. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat; uncover and cool to room temperature.
2. While rice is steaming, in a small saucepan bring 1/4 cup vinegar to a boil with sugar and salt, stirring until sugar is dissolved, and remove from heat. In a dry small skillet toast sesame seeds over moderate heat, stirring, until golden and fragrant and transfer to a small bowl.
3. Transfer rice to a large bowl and stir in vinegar mixture. Cool rice and stir in sesame seeds, remaining 3 tablespoons vinegar, oil, ginger, scallions, carrot, and cucumber. Salad may be prepared up to this point 1 day ahead and chilled, covered. Bring salad to room temperature before proceeding.
4. Dry-roast nori, 1 sheet at a time, directly above moderate heat (gas or electric burner), holding it at opposite corners and moving it back and forth, until it turns bright green, 30 seconds to 1 minute. With scissors cut nori into thin 2-inch-long strips.
5. Peel and pit avocado. Quarter avoado and cut crosswise into thin slices. Add avocado to salad with crabmeat and two thirds of nori strips and toss well.
6. To prepare dressing, combine vinegar and next 5 ingredients (vinegar through garlic) in a small bowl. Add wasabi, if desired.
7. Serve salad sprinkled with remaining nori strips and drizzled with dressing.

So if you like pseudo-vegetarian, allergy-friendly, sometimes healthy but always yummy food try Food is Yummy

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Pineapple marinade for fish

Always on the look out for new ways to cook fish, I came across this pineapple juice marinade recipe at City Palate, the magazine and website that covers Calgary's food scene.

I'll be trying it with tuna, though the recipe originally is for Wahoo. Also, I doubled the marinade recipe as it didn't seem like enough to truly soak the fish in and then use to brush on during grilling.

Pineapple-Marinated Wahoo with Coconut Rice
Courtesy Victoria Adams
Serves 6

Ingredients:

1. 6 wahoo steaks (or mahi-mahi, tuna or other firm-fleshed fish)
2. salt and pepper

Marinade:

1. 1 c. pineapple Juice 1-inch piece of ginger root, sliced
2. 2 garlic cloves, sliced
3. 1 scotch bonnet chile, seeds removed, roughly chopped
4. 1 t. cornstarch
5. 1 t. vanilla
6. 1 T. fresh thyme

Coconut rice:

1. 2 c. long grain rice
2. 1 can coconut milk
3. 1-1/2 c. water
4. 2 t. salt
5. 1 T. fresh thyme

Instructions:

1. Combine the marinade ingredients in a small pot and simmer for 5 minutes.
2. Cool and strain over the fish. Marinate for 2 to 4 hours.
3. Bring the rice, coconut milk, water, salt and thyme to a boil.
4. Lower heat and cook the rice for 15 minutes, or until the liquid has been absorbed.
5. Remove from heat and let sit for 5 minutes.
6. Remove the fish from the marinade, reserving the extra marinade.
7. Season the fish with salt and pepper.
8. Barbecue the fish to medium-rare brushing it with the extra marinade.
9. Serve the fish with the rice and grilled or steamed vegetables, or a big salad.

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Coctel de camarones

Michelle D. writes in:

"Remember the yummy shrimp dish Brook brought to Kurt and Karen's? Well, I got the recipe from him and it is a cinch to make. This has become a summer staple at Casa Dargen. -M "

Brook is an awesome cook and always brings unusual and extremely tasty dishes to parties. He recently had a daiquiri party at his house where he made a variety of drinks from different kinds of fresh fruit - pineapples, strawberries, peaches, and so on. But the shrimp dish he brought to Kurt and Karen's was amazing. I think Big Bad Dad and I went back about three times for more of this.

After doing a search on the web, I found out that this dish is considered by some to be an aphrodisiac. I don't know about that but we did have a nice time at the party.

Alton Brown's Macadamia Nut Crusted Mahi Mahi

I made this recipe for Father's Day. Big Bad Dad goes to La Paz, Mexico every year to fish. He always brings back a great deal of mahi mahi, so I'm always on the outlook for a good recipe.

I made a gluten free variation of this dish, since my mother-in-law is visiting and she has celiac sprue disease and couldn't eat the panko (Japanese bread crumbs) and flour. I used crushed gluten free corn flakes and rice flour. The corn flakes gave the fish a nice flavor and went well with the macadamia nuts. If I couldn't find the panko (yes, my local Safeway does carry it) I'd use the cornflakes instead.

Panko is really interesting, too. It soaked up the coconut milk and turned fluffy after baking the fish. Cool stuff, so I'll have to look into using panko in other dishes as well.

So next time your local fish store is having a mahi mahi sale, or you want something decadent but easy to make, try Alton Brown's Macadamia Nut Crusted Mahi Mahi dish!