White Fish Bruschetta

One of our favorite Italian restaurants, Mambo Italiano, makes an amazing white fish bruschetta, so I decided to try to recreate it at home last night. I have to admit, I think I succeeded! The flavor was great, and it was a pretty simple weeknight meal.  Anyone else try the fresh green beans out there lately?  They have been so good, and they paired nicely with this whitefish.

White Fish Bruschetta

(This is a photo of my husband's dinner. When he works late, I make him a pre-portioned plate that he can quickly heat up :)

Makes ~3 servings

Ingredients

12oz wild white fish, with skin

1/2 tsp salt, divided (optional)

1/2 tsp pepper, divided

1/2 tsp garlic powder

4 roma tomatoes, chopped

1/2 cups yellow onion, chopped

1/2 tsp dried basil

1 tsp balsamic vinegar

1 tsp olive oil

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Line baking sheet with foil and place fish on foil, skin side down. Season fish with 1/4 tsp salt (optional), 1/4 tsp pepper, and garlic powder. Bake for 15 minutes.

3. While fish is baking, combine tomatoes, onion, 1/4 tsp salt (optional), 1/4 tsp pepper, basil, balsamic vinegar, and olive oil in a small mixing bowl.  Spread mixture on top of fish and bake for an additional 5 minutes.

What are the nutritional benefits of this meal? White fish is low in fat and high in protein.  It is also a rich source of B vitamins and the minerals selenium and iodine. Tomatoes are an excellent source of lycopene and vitamin C. Onions are rich in quercetin, a type of antioxidant, as well as vitamins and minerals, including vitamins C, K, folate, thiamin, and minerals calcium, magnesium, potassium and manganese.

Yogurt-Marinated Chicken with Toum Garlic Sauce

I'm always looking for new ways to make chicken breasts that are easy and healthy, and I found this recipe in a Lebanese cookbook called Rose Water & Orange Blossoms that was really great. My husband, Ted, told me how good it was several times last night, so I'll be making this again for sure.  The only bad part of this recipe was how badly my eyes burned when I was grating the onion :) 

The original recipe called for regular whole milk yogurt, but we had some plain 2% greek yogurt in the fridge so I just used that and it seemed to work just fine. The greek yogurt may have been a bit thicker when it came to removing the excess marinade before grilling, but it wasn't difficult and the end result was really good. The recipe in the cookbook also called for 2 Tbsp crushed dried mint in the marinade, but I left that out because I am not a big fan of mint in my food.

The toum garlic sauce is very strong because the garlic is raw. I liked it in a very small amount because it was so strong. I'd like to modify it a bit by roasting the garlic first to take some of the bite out of the flavor. If you like garlic, you'll love toum.

The best part of making this meal was my Charlie-man helping me in the kitchen. He loves to prop up on the counter and tell me stories and help stir things. It definitely makes dinner prep one of the better parts of the day!

Yogurt-Marinated Chicken with Toum Garlic Sauce

Yogurt-Marinated Chicken

Ingredients

1 cup 2% plain greek yogurt
1 medium sweet onion, grated
3 garlic cloves, minced
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
3 Tbsp olive oil
2 organic boneless, skinless chicken breasts, halved lengthwise
Kosher salt, and pepper, for seasoning

Directions

1. In a mixing bowl, combine yogurt, onion, garlic, lemon juice, and olive oil.  Place mixture in a gallon sized sealable bag and add chicken. Seal and move mixture around until chicken is evenly coated. Place in refrigerator and marinate for 8-24 hours. (I marinated mine for 24 hours).

2. Remove excess yogurt mixture from chicken and season with salt and pepper. Grill for about 20 minutes, or until cooked through.

(Recipe adapted from Rose Water and Orange Blossoms by Maureen Abood, p.123)

Toum Garlic Sauce

Ingredients

1/2 head fresh garlic, peeled
1/2 tsp kosher salt
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
1/2 cup olive oil
4-6 Tbsp ice water

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients in food processor and grind until smooth. Store in refrigerator for several weeks.

(Recipes adapted from Rose Water and Orange Blossoms by Maureen Abood, p.30)


Green Beans

Ingredients

1 pound fresh green beans, ends removed

Directions

1. Place green beans in a small pot and add 1/3 cup water. Cover and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Continue to simmer until tender, about 10-15 minutes.

What are the nutritional benefits of this meal? Chicken is an excellent source of protein and is rich in B vitamins. Garlic is rich in phytonutrients and antioxidants. Olive oil contains monounsaturated fatty acids, which have been shown to help lower bad cholesterol (LDL), raise good cholesterol (HDL), and aid in blood sugar control.

Tomato Basil Salmon

We eat salmon at least once a week in our house and I usually just lightly season it with some salt, pepper and ginger and toss it in the oven. It is really good made this way (and really quick and easy), but we had some basil and tomatoes remaining in the backyard, so tried something different tonight. This is equally quick and easy and was delicious. It would probably also be great with some balsamic vinegar drizzled on top. I'll be making this one again for sure! (And a bonus: when it was baking in the oven, my 4 year old son, Charlie, asked "what is that delicious smell??" You can't beat that!).

Tomato Basil Salmon

Ingredients

2 6-ounce wild salmon filets
Salt (optional) and pepper, for seasoning
1 tsp dried basil
4 fresh tomato slices
2 tsp grated parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees

2. Place salmon filets on foil-lined baking sheet, skin side down. Season filets with salt, pepper and dried basil. Top with tomato slices. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes, or until fish is cooked through.

What are the nutritional benefits of wild salmon? Wild salmon is high in omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins B6 and B12, vitamin D, and protein.