Good eat:Lemon spice baked fish recipe

Lemon Spice Baked Fish (or Chicken Breast or Salmon or meat of your choice)

w/Green Beans

The recipe and pictures are from a young naturalista by the chosen name of Apple. To read more about her and her healthy choices check my previous post: http://goodhealthdiva.blogspot.com/2011/08/good-health.html

Now here's the recipe in her own words! Enjoy!

"You will come to see that you can come to achieve this healthy delectable in about 45 minutes.

Ingredients:

1 Lemon

Whiting Fish (up to 4)

Green Beans (if canned drain before using)

Butter or Margarine or Marinade

Worsctershire Sauce

Cayenne Pepper (spice)

Salt (can use seasoning salt)

Black Pepper

Paprika (spice)

Curry (spice)

Parsley (spice)

Onion salt (not necessary I use it sparingly)

You will also need:

Baking pan

Aluminum Foil

Oven (you can also make this on a grill if it’s too hot for an oven or you just want a slight variation)

Something to flip fish (sturdy spatula)

I also like to use a timer (as to I am very forgetful and don’t want my meal under o over cooked)

Directions:

You can use the ingredients in a way that is most accommodating to your taste buds. I like spiciness and lemoniness (I know that isn’t a real word lol but I likes what I likes) and prepare it so.

                First I make sure my fish is thawed and that my pan has been foiled and that that foil does not have any holes in it because I want my fish to be able to marinate and remain tender amidst  all of the seasonings, lemon, butter and sauce. I then put the fish into the foil, preheat the oven at 350®F and begin to season.

                I like to add the cayenne pepper, black pepper and salt first because I like a certain amount, I don’t want either to drown out the other flavors(and they will, I don’t want it TOO spicy or TOO salty). However, I want to be able to taste the cayenne as my main spice. Therefore, if I put too much I can rinse and reapply. Everything else I use quite sparingly.

I then lightly sprinkle (and I do mean lightly) with the onion salt (again this spice is not necessary) paprika and curry, roughly the same amount. I then generously add parsley flakes (this can either be dry from a spice bottle or freshly cut yourself). Flip the fish over add thin slices of butter (I cannot say an amount because it depends on the amount and size of your fish- use I little more than I did if you are using chicken breast as they are typically thicker than fish) and repeat the seasoning process.

I then cut my lemon (a 65:35 ratio cut) and squeeze lemon juice onto my fish generously (or to your own liking). I then go back to my lemon cut a thin slice and cut that slice in half (using one half of that slice per piece of fish) and lay it directly on top of my fish. Then I cut three thin slices of butter and lay one piece at the top end of my fish and at the bottom end of my fish and then the third directly on top of my lemon slice.

I add my green beans(with chicken breast I prefer spinach) to either side of my fish (not on top) and then add enough Worshctershire sauce (also not on top of fish) so that it lightly coats the bottom (but not so much to where I can’t clearly see the bottom- remember you have already added butter).

Baked fish with green beans

I then close my foil by taking either side, bringing them together and rolling them down so that most of the steam will be locked in (this will also help to seal in the flavor). I let it bake at 350 degrees for about 15 – 20 minutes pull it out, open my foil, flip my fish, squeeze a bit more lemon juice onto it, close it back up and then let it bake for another 15 minutes (about 20-25mns for thicker meats like chicken breast). Take it out, let it cool and EAT!

(One last tip: taste your fish after you have removed it from the pan and before you toss the “marinade” so that if you think you want to, which I do, you can pour a little over your fish and beans :D Happy Eating)

And here are some picks of when I baked Chicken Breasts and Spinach:

(My quick tip for the chicken and spinach) Eat the spinach and the chicken in one bite. The moistness of the spinach really helped to combat that dryness of the chicken and just make those seasons pop and the chicken melt in your mouth!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Well that was Apple's recipe all in her own words! No editing of my own I just stayed true to my cook of the day! To learn more about Apple please read my previous post: http://goodhealthdiva.blogspot.com/2011/08/good-health.html

My own feedbacks here, the picture of the chicken looked good and based on the plate with the chicken I would have guessed that the meat looked a little dry! Thankfully she suggested eating the quicken and spinach in one bite. For someone like me there would be 2 issues! I can't stand spinach and I like food moisted! So the spinach would be a a deal breaker for me and I would come up with a nice sauce to eat my baked chichen with. My side dish of choice would have been some " pomme de terre sautee" Sauteed potatoes!

The fish and lemons look yummy right? It's hard to go wrong with butter and lemon and you can easily fix a lemon butter sauce to be a great addition on the other sides  that might accompany your fish/meat.

So what do you think? What's your favorite baked fish recipe?

N'na

Natural pregnancy week by week

Hello you all!

How are you? I know I promised you some updates on the 'breaking news'!
http://goodhealthdiva.blogspot.com/2011/07/breaking-newshun-i-got-some-news-for.html


So I had my first prenatal doctor's visit.
Took me half a hour to fill up some paperwork, thank God I went early!
My appointment was for 9:00 am and I was at the office by 8:30! It took so much time to answer all the health history questions etc...

                                                                  The lab works

So I did the usual urine test, (right on time...)
Weight in: 5 lbs gain!
Blood pressure test, my BP was perfect!
Did the blood work, (She took like 5-6 tubes )
Got the physical and went ahead and got a Pap smear done,  heard the baby's heartbeat yeaah..(it sounds like a galloping horse)!

The urine test came first
I then waited a few minutes to get them to weight me and take my BP.

                                         Prenatal visit and a woman's right to pretty shoes...

When I first got called the first thing the nurse asked was how to pronounce my name, the second thing she said was " I love your shoes"! I thanked her and told her that I have 3 pairs of these shoes! ( I know it's crazy but I just love them.) She explained to me about the urine test and then left. I waited a few minutes before moving on to the rest of the tests that my visit entitled!
When a different nurse called me to take my weight,her first comment was about my shoes, the nurse taking my Blood Pressure asked where I was from and she kept checking out my shoes and complimented them, then a third nurse stepped in and noticed my shoes right away and complimented them and commented that they match well my dress and even my nail polish!

We don't expect a fashion revue when at a doctor's office but I must tell you it felt good to get these compliments! When you are starting to feel frustrated, challenged and limited with your wardrobe comments like those help a whole lot! Like I told them I have three pairs of those shoes, because, as one of them assumed, they are very comfortable in addition to being very pretty! I love pretty things and I love comfort! I am not the type of girl you will catch in pretty shoes that cause a lot of pain!
(I will add a picture of the shoes later on! I am writing in a rush!)

Picture update

Prenatal doctor's visit!

After my time with these fashion critics/nurses I waited in a private room (pictured above)...I waited like 15-20 mns before I was seen by the midwife. Thank God I had my crosswords puzzles book with me or I would have lost patience like a fly trapped in a small space. I never go anywhere without a book in my purse and my puzzles book have kept me sane at many occasions when my patience was running low!

                                                              Pregnancy and exercises

The midwife came in. The first thing we did was go over my paperwork. She had some questions naturally! She was curious about the fact that I do work out more than 3 times per week. (The paperwork does require to specify how often you work out).
She asked me what kind of exercises I do and I explained that I normally run on the treadmill but haven't done it in the past 3 weeks. I still walk one hour most days, I stretch daily for at least 20 minutes. I did not care to tell her that I do squats and lunges every other days.
 She asked if I plan on working out as the pregnancy progresses, my answer " Of course! Exercising and staying healthy is more important now" I said! I went on to say that I am very much aware that it's thanks to exercising that I have had some healthy pregnancies in the past and some prompt recoveries!
She was also interested in the kind of supplements I take, (the paperwork inquires about medication, supplements etc) I am not under medication, haven't been since the pain killers of my last C-section!
                                                   
                                                               Details about my supplements
The midwife was curious about my supplements and I explained that they do include the prenatal vitamins I started taking recently and they also include the following:  B12, Folic Acid, Fish oil, and Magnesium. I have been taking all these supplements daily or weekly for months now and I continue to take them in spite of the fact that some of them (B12 and Folic Acid) are present in the prenatal vitamins that I now take.
Magnesium keeps you regular and believe me I am seriously sticking to it because pregnancy causes constipation and constipation is BAD if you plan on being very healthy! The midwife seemed surprised that I knew the benefits of magnesium as a supplement to prevent constipation.
 B12 is already present in the prenatal vitamin but I still take that supplement because B12 is the 'energy vitamin' and I need energy now more than ever!  Please check the following article for more info about the importance pf vitamin B12
http://goodhealthdiva.blogspot.com/2011/02/little-introduction-to-benefits-of.html

 Folic Acid is the most important vitamin during pregnancy, as a matter of fact it's very important even before pregancy!

After the questions and answers session and sharing some general info, I got a physical and I got to hear the sound of the baby...Aw www so sweet!
I told my midwife that my hubby and children would love to listen to it so after I got dressed a nurse gathered them from the lobby and we crammed that small room while I laid once again for a sonogram! It was great to share this with all my children but the best was saved for last!

                                                       Ultrasound and more shoes talks
I got my blood work done while waiting on the ultrasound to determine how far along I am in my pregnancy! I was so glad to get the ultrasound done because they were not sure that they could fit me in in the schedule since they were only working half day today! I said a little prayer on the subject that God graciously answered!
After getting all of us set up in the ultrasound room, I was about to lean back on the bed when the lady doing my ultrasound said " Oh you are the lady with the pretty shoes!" It caught me off guard...

Picture update

Here are my favorite shoes!

I was surprised that words have gotten around about my shoes. My hubby made a comment on the way home that only us women would do things like that, check people from head to toes and talk about them "and their shoes" (lol).

                                                              Special moments
Having my children watch the ultrasound was a special moment! They had tons of questions, made their smart comments about their little sibling in my tummy and found that it was the best part of the visit! I agree with them! I feel so grateful for this blessing! It's so amazing to be able to see a baby at such an early stage and it's awesome to be 'chosen' to carry a new life! I have always respected the gift of 'fertility' because I am so aware of others 'misfortunes and I spend so much time praying in secret for others less fortunate, to experience that gift!

                                                             Still guessing how far along I am
So... we had the ultrasound and my hubby was surprised to be wrong in his estimate!
He thought I was just 8 weeks. I have been telling him how many weeks I thought I was, but he acted like he knows my body better than me, (making a face).
 It turns out that my prediction were pretty close, the ultrasound revealed that I am actually at...umm let's make you wait...

       I will give you some hints

• in 2 more weeks I should be able to feel the baby move,
•  in 7 weeks we will know the sex of the baby

      So how many weeks am I?

Picture update:  me after my prenatal visit

Got to rush out of here, will be back with pictures and will update this post sometimes tonight or tomorrow! Have a great week-end and thanks to you all for your love!

To any expecting woman reading this, I wish you too a Happy Pregnancy!
Okay got to go, hubby is ruuushing me!
~Hugs~

N'na

Health benefits of Omega-3 fatty acid (linolenic acid)

It's been weeks now that I keep talking about fish, seafood and a pescetarian diet.
Many fish such as salmon, tuna, sardines etc are high in the essential fatty acid omega-3. but Omega-3 fats can be found in other foods as well. (See below)
Most Americans are deficient in omega-3 due to the high consumption of over processed food! Consequently, their health is more likely to miss the benefits of those superb fatty acids while other nations with a diet high in Omega-3, clearly reap some remarkable benefits!

I read somewhere recently that in the 1970s a study was done on the Inuit ( Eskimos) of Greenland and scientist discovered that they were the healthiest people in the world. They attributed their great health to their diet that's very high in fat from eating whale,salmon and seal. They also had fewer health problem than other Europeans. So the scientists' conclusion was that Omega-3 was the determining factor in the Inuit people's superior health.  They barely suffered from coronary heart disease, arthritis, diabetes etc.


 I also read that people in Iceland were reported ( in the 1970s), to have the longest life expectancy, the lowest infant mortality rate in the world. In addition to that they have fewer problems with heart disease, stroke and high blood pressure.  All those benefits thanks to Omega 3- fish oils.

Since I personally believe that nature offers us the best prevention and the best medicines from sickness and disease, I have disciplined myself in the past years to take advantage of nature's gifts.
As those studies cited above show,  Omega-3 fats are the good fats our body need and they have the incredible power to prevent us from many illnesses and keep us in great health.
Below, I am sharing a list of benefits from consuming Omega 3 fats and then sharing ways to add more to your diet. It's easy to do. Just increasing your intake to at least twice a week should allow you to take advantage of this natural gift to you.


First of all there are conditions that show a deficiency in Omega-3 fats. So you need more Omega-3 facts if you suffer from:

• Depression
• Cardiovascular Disease
• Type 2 Diabetes
• Fatigue
• Dry, itchy skin
• Brittle hair and nails
• Inability to concentrate
• Joint pain

Omega-3 fats are benefiting to our health because they help promote:

• Joints health and mobility
• Healthier Skin and complexion
• A stronger Immune system
• Visual function
• The ability to breathe
• Positive Behavior in children
• Function of the nervous system
• Spatial function and spatial memory
• Cellular communication
• Weight maintenance as they reduce the risk of becoming obese and improve the body's ability to respond to insulin by stimulating the secretion of leptin. Leptin is an hormone that helps regulate food intake, body weight and metabolism. 

Omega -3 fats also help :

• Reduce inflammation throughout your body
• Keep your blood from clotting excessively
• Maintain the fluidity of your cell membranes
• Lower the amount of lipids (fats such as cholesterol and triglycerides) circulating in the bloodstream.

Well, I think this is enough for some of the benefits of Omega 3 fats, we could go on and on and be very technical but it will be well beyond the scope of this post.


Now that I mentioned how those good fats benefit you, here are ways to add it to your diet. Some of you probably do it with full awareness of those benefits, some of you might not know that some of the food you have been consuming have been so good to your body and some of you might be having a wake up call!
 So as you go grocery shopping here are some things to look for:

•  Salmon

Rainbow trout!

• Bluefin tuna mackerel, herring, and rainbow trout 

• Anchovies and sardines. Little warning as they tend to be hingh in sodium  

• Crustaceans such as Shrimp, mollusks, and Alaskan king crab are also excellent sources Oils. Like flaxseed oil  and olive oil.
• Nuts and seeds such as pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, Brazil nuts, walnuts and flaxseed
• Flaxseed oil is reported to have the highest content of linolenic acid
• Winter squash

• Beans. Some beans are better than others so look for pinto, kidney and mungo beans.
• Papaya. Probably the only fruit  with more omega 3 than omega 6.
• And last but no least spinach, broccoli and cauliflower

My top  favorite ways of adding omega 3 fats to my diet is with flaxseed and of course salmon.

I add flaxseed daily to my diet by adding some to my plain vanilla yogurt or to every one of my homemade smoothies!

If you are familiar with my previous posts you must know by now that my favorite way to add Omega 3 fats to my diet is dining in my favorite restaurants  J. Alexander's restaurant and F2O.  This past Sunday  I decided to do an 'autopsy' on my salmon sandwich because I was curious to know what made it so good, beyond the obvious.

Showing you what's left of this delicious sandwich before it disappeared in my hungry tummy

                                Now, doesn't it look yummy?! It's not just yummy, it's healthy!


So this is my favorite way of adding omega-3 to my diet! What about you? What's your favorite source of Omega-3? Do you see ways you could add more to your diet? Have you ever suffered from a deficiency of omega-3 fats? Which one of the conditions listed above (of deficiency) were more apparent in your life?

Delicious Tuna Croquettes recipe inspired by the Queen of Soul Food!

A few nights ago I decided to surprise my hubby with one of his favorite food. I figured I will share the recipe with you because it's really easy and would make a great appetizer or great snack for the week-end or any week night when you just want something delicious and quick.
The recipe below is originally from Evelyn Woods, sister-in-law of Sylvia Woods owner of the world famous restaurant Sylvia's restaurant in Historic Harlem! I have never had the pleasure of eating there but since I have had her book "Sylvia's Family Soul Food Cookbook" for over 5 years now, I have had the pleasure of eating some delicious meals inspired by her cookbook!


 I say inspired here because I have the habit of always adding my own ingredients to a recipe. I can never stay true to the ingredients suggested when I am cooking an American dish. Having been raised with French and International Food, my palate is pretty obstinate and always after delicious flavors. For example, if a cake recipe did not call for flavoring like cinnamon, vanilla extract or nutmeg you can count on me to add one of those or lemon zest to the recipe. I even twist a simple waffle recipe to taste like a delightfully perfumed little treat! I love adding unexpected flavors to my cakes and dishes so below I will just share her original recipe and add pictures I took 3 evenings ago when I was fixing those croquettes. Even though I don't like frying, this recipe is certainly worth it.

Ingredients for Tuna croquettes by Evelyn Woods
Two 6 ounces cans tuna, drained
2 eggs
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup chopped bell pepper
3 tablespoon all purpose flour
1 teaspoon ginger teriyaki sauce ( or 1 teaspoon soy sauce plus a pinch of ground ginger)
1/8teaspoon ground red pepper
1/8teaspoon salt
2to3tablespoons vegetable oil

 1. In a medium bowl combine all the ingredients (except the oil)! Well in the book she explained step 1 by listing all the ingredients one by one come on! If you read the ingredients it's obvious that you keep the oil for frying and mix everything else.

2. In the author's words: "In a large skillet , heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium -high heat until the oil bubbles when a little bit of the tuna mixture is tossed in. Drop the tuna mixture by soup spoonful into the oil to make patties about 3 inches in diameter. Fry until browned on the bottom, for 1 to 2 minutes. Turn and fry until browned on the other side, for 1-2 minutes more. Drain on paper towels. Continue until all patties are cooked,adding more oil to the pan if necessary." ( Sylvia's family Soul Food Cookbook p.159)

I use a measuring cup or soup spoon to place each patties in the oil and I do put much more than 2 tablespoons of oil . I use my wok constantly so I do not use a skillet. I generally fill my wok  1/3 of the way for all my frying, which I do rarely because I really do not like frying food. I don't  like the smell of fried food and I especially do not like to deal with left over oil. I never re-use the same oil because it's unhealthy  and I discard my oil by pouring it in clear jar that I seal with a lid and wrap in an old grocery bag before placing it in the trash can.  In college I was taught in my environmental sciences classes that pouring oil in the toilet, the drain or the backyard like some people do, it not healthy at all for the environment! I don't buy jars for that, I simply save empty jars from pasta sauce or jams and re-use them as needed! Well that was a little GREEN lesson here! (smiles)

Soooo back to the recipe, I did not use ground red peppers in mine. I did use ginger and soy sauce instead of the ginger teriyaki sauce and I used more ginger than suggested in the recipe. I don't care to measure my onion and bell pepper. So I just used what I had left over from the lunch I had fixed earlier that day. I actually had sardines for lunch and had used onions and green pepper with some seasoning and apple cider vinegar to make a small fresh sauce for my sardines.
In fixing the tuna croquettes I prefer to use olive oil. I also added some garlic to the recipe. I would have preferred fresh ones but had used it all for my lunch so I made due with garlic powder.The recipe in the book did not suggest adding any so that's just me playing with flavors here. I also added cayenne pepper, some red Cajun spices that I got from the Dekalb farmer's market in Atlanta,GA and I added some fresh chili peppers that were left from my lunch. So as you see I added a few ingredients that the original recipe in the book did not call for. I call my version my Cajun tuna croquettes considering all the 'heat' I added!
But the croquettes did not taste that spicy just very juicy and tasteful. Said with all modesty right?lol. I did not drain my tuna unlike what she suggested. My tuna had vegetable oil and I figure I will pour the whole thing in my mixture to moisten it.

Mixture for tuna croquettes

Now, if you are watching your weight your probably should not imitate me on that! Remember I mainly fixed those for my husband and he barely has any extra body fat. He is all lean muscles so he can afford eating like this once in a while. I can too...while I do the quality control that is!!! Quality control a.k.a. snacking while cooking!!! (lol)

 But I left the rest to him! The picture above shows the plate I fixed for my hubby.  He was delighted when I presented this plate to him as soon as he stepped into the kitchen upon returning from work. I heard many " Humm this is real good" " Man this is goooodd" the whole time he was eating them. In the meantine all I ate for dinner was what you see on the picture below, after saving some for  my lunch for the day after.  Well, yes that was my only serving...considering that by the time all was said and done I did not have much appetite left due to my diligent quality control while cooking... Yessss, I snacked on quite a few of those while I was cooking them! (Making a guilty grin)

So you see that I did indeed add my little twists to the original recipe. I am sure a lot of people are like me! A cookbook is mainly for inspiration and guidance after all! Don't you think?! I like to own what I cook so I can't help twisting a recipe. I stay true to the ingredients only to some extent! When it comes to flavoring a sauce,a cake or a any dish I stay true to my well trained French palate! (smiles)

 The author explained in the book that the recipe was actually intended for salmon cakes but that day they ran out of salmon and all they had left was tuna. So if you don't have tuna or don't like tuna you can simply use some salmon and you will be gooood to go!!! (smiles).

I hope you will get the chance to try this recipe and indulge! This is truly an easy recipe worth sharing! I got home from my morning walk and decided to take some time to share this recipe and my adaptation with you. If you can try it let me know how yours turned out. For the fun of it you could cook both the original version of Miss Wood and my own "Cajun" adaptation and tell me which you like the most. Every one's taste is different so that would be a tasty experiment!

Before I leave I will also share with you a picture of some branches I cut this morning. It has nothing to do with cooking but it will have a lot to do with eating my meals while enjoying the charms of flowering shrubs.  One neighbor allowed me to cut it from her yard when I asked her this morning. It's so exciting to see Spring coming back. Each morning as I was passing by my neighbor's home this week, I kept thinking about how lovely those would be as floral arrangements. So glad I got the opportunity to get some today.

Branches cut during my morning walk from some flowering shrubs in a kind neighbor's front yard!

 On my pescetarian menu this week-end are Fish tacos at J.Alexander's restaurant tonight or tomorrow, Salmon fish sandwich at F2O on Sunday and I will probably fix more of those tuna croquettes for my hubby sometimes this week-end.  Please remember to use a towel to soak some of the oil off of your food every time you fry.
Here are some pictures of Sylvia's restaurant that I just found online:
           I find her life's story to be very inspiring, not just her cookbook.  Hope to get the pleasure of visiting her establishment one day mainly for her red velvet cake! I personally don't care much for " Soul Food" . I initially got the book for cultural reasons as I was curious to educate myself more on the dishes that are so popular with " Soul Food's Lovers". I fell more in love with her personal story than I did with 'Sould Food' itself.  I greatly appreciate her values and the ones she inculcated her children. Another recipe from her cookbook that I used to fix a lot was her chicken soup. I had also adapted it to my taste but it has enough ingredients in it to keep me from being too creative. Cooking that soup is a true labor of love. Should I cook it again I will make sure to share some pictures with you.

I was wondering...What place would you recommend for tuna or salmon /crab cakes? I ate a few years ago at a restaurant in Saint Louis Missouri which I believe was called the Fish Market. I felt in love with their salmon cakes, so so good!!!Too bad  it's now closed! Do you have a salmon/tuna cake recipe worth trying or a restaurant that you would recommend for their salmon or crab cakes? Who is the best salmon/crab cakes cook that you know? Anything that makes their recipe stand out? When was the last time you enjoyed some delicious yummy salmon/crab cakes? Has any of you eaten before at Sylvia's restaurant in Harlem? How is it?



N'na