December 6, 2011: Crispy Baked Cod Recipe

Although my husband’s favorite fish is battered and deep fried, every now and then I try to make a slightly healthier version. I wouldn’t call this recipe low fat by any means, but because it’s baked instead of fried, it’s marginally healthier – but oh so tastier! I served it with a spicy bottled remoulade dipping sauce, alfredo noodles, and peas with mushrooms for a complete dinner. By the way, if the ingredients look familiar, it’s because the breading is the same basic recipe I used to make Crunchy BakedParmesan Chicken.

Crispy Baked Cod

1/3 cup mayonnaise

1 t. olive oil

2 garlic cloves, finely minced

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

½ t. garlic salt

1 pound cod fillets

¾ cup panko bread crumbs

1 T. flour

1/2 teaspoon each: dried parsley, sage, garlic salt and oregano

1/4 teaspoon each: cumin, black pepper, cayenne pepper

Combine mayonnaise, oil, garlic, pepper and salt. Refrigerate for at least an hour, preferably several hours to overnight, to allow flavors to meld.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare a broiler pan by placing foil in the bottom pan and spraying the broiler rack with nonstick cooking spray.

Rinse the cod fillets and pat dry. Cut into fourths, if necessary, to make four even-sized pieces. Place the pieces on the broiler rack. Smear a fourth of the mayonnaise mixture on top of each fish piece. Combine bread crumbs, flour and spices; sprinkle a fourth of the mixture on top of each piece of fish. Gently pat the crumbs into place.

Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Turn heat to broiler and broil fish fillets for about 3 – 5 minutes, until the crumb topping is browned.

Serves 4

December 3, 2011: Rice Alfredo Recipe

If you want to sneak more veggies in to the food your family eats, this recipe for a yummy rice side dish just might fit the bill. Because the cauliflower is the same color as the rice, chances are no one will even notice it's there!

Alfredo rice served as a side dish with Parmesan Chicken and fresh green beans.

Rice Alfredo

1/2 cup white rice
1/3 cup finely chopped cauliforets
1/2 t. dehydrated garlic
1/2 t. garlic salt
1/2 t. dried parsley
1 cup water
1/2 t. freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup prepared Alfredo sauce (or just use bottled, such as Ragu)
1 T. butter
2 T. milk

In a medium sized saucepot, add rice, cauliflower, garlic, parsley, garlic salt and water. Bring to a boil; cover and reduce heat to simmer. Simmer for 20 minutes, until rice is done. Add pepper, butter, Alfredo sauce and milk. Heat through.

Serves 3 - 4

November 17, 2011: Orange Sauced Pork Chops Recipe

As I shared with you earlier, I’m getting into extreme couponing and it’s changed the way I buy groceries. I now have quite a stockpile going and I keep a much keener eye out for bargains.

At our Safeway store, there are special featured $5 deals every Friday. One Friday recently it was a big bag of cutie oranges. Although they were very good and sweet, my husband and I just couldn’t eat the whole bag. Rather than see any of them go to waste, I juiced what was left and decided to use that fresh juice for the night’s meal. Here’s what I came up with.

Orange Sauced Pork Chops with Whole Grain Sesame Noodles and Baby Corn

Orange Sauced Pork Chops

4 bone-in or boneless pork chops

Garlic salt and pepper

1 T. vegetable oil

1/3 cup orange juice

¼ cup teriyaki sauce

Rinse and dry pork chops. Sprinkle both sides with garlic salt and pepper to taste. Heat oil to medium in large saucepan or electric skillet. Add pork chops and cook for about 5 minutes each side, until juices are no longer pink (total cooking time depends on how thick the chops are). Remove and set aside.

Add orange juice to hot skillet. Cook for a few minutes, until reduced by half. Add teriyaki sauce. Return chops to skillet and heat through just until warm. Serve pork chops with sauce spooned over the top.

Serves 4

November 10, 2011: Cornbread Stuffing and Chicken Bake Recipe

Here’s a quick and easy weeknight meal perfect for serving the family. It’s hearty and the juicy, tender chicken is sure to please even your finicky eaters. And because you can often find the ingredients for this dish on sale, it’s very economical, too.

Cornbread Stuffing and Chicken Bake

1 package cornbread stuffing mix (such as Stovetop)

1 T. butter

1 2/3 cup hot water

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Garlic salt and black pepper

1 can corn, drained

1 can cream of chicken soup

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Stir together stuffing mix, butter and hot water with a fork; set aside.

Grease a casserole dish. Place the chicken breasts in a single layer in the bottom. Sprinkle with garlic salt and black pepper. Combine soup and corn. Spread over the top of the chicken breasts. Top with stuffing.

Bake for 45 or until juices from chicken breasts run clear.

Serves 4

November 2, 2011: Roasted Garlic Smashed Potatoes Recipe

Do you love mashed potatoes rich enough to be delicious even without gravy? Then these “smashed” potatoes are perfect. Try this recipe for your Thanksgiving dinner this year for a traditional side dish that is just a bit different.

Roasted Garlic Smashed Potatoes

1 head garlic

Olive oil

4 medium potatoes, peeled and quartered

1 cup cauliflower florets

1 T. chicken bouillon (or chicken stock base)

2 T. butter

½ t. garlic salt

¼ t. freshly ground black pepper

1 t. dried minced parsley

½ cup heavy cream

Place the garlic, unpeeled, in a square of aluminum foil. Drizzle a bit of olive oil over it. Close the foil to make a package and place in a 350 degree oven (ideally, roast the garlic while you’re baking other dishes in the oven). Bake for about 30 minutes, until cloves are completely soft.

Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to boil. Add the potatoes, cauliflower and chicken bouillon. Reduce heat to medium and cover. Continue to gently boil until vegetables are tender. Drain.

Return the pot with the potatoes to the warm burner. Allow moisture to evaporate, about one minute. Add the butter, seasonings, and heavy cream. With a fork or potato masher, smash until creamy but still slightly chunky. Serve with a dollop of butter in the middle of the mound of potatoes.

Serves 4

BTW, today is my husband’s birthday. Happy Birthday, my dear sweet husband! His favorite food is hamburgers so that's what we're having tonight - as I stand outside in the dark and freeze in order to grill his burger!

October 25, 2011: Baked Meatballs Recipe

I’ve recently figured out that there’s an easier way to cook both bacon and meatballs – and that’s by baking them. Cooking these meats on a baking sheet in the oven results in less mess and actually should be healthier because you can drain away all of the grease.

I had a large jar of leftover homemade pizza sauce recently. In order to transform it into spaghetti sauce, I thinned it down with water and added these baked meatballs to give it extra Italian flavor.

Baked Meatballs

1 T. dehydrated minced onion

1 T. Italian seasoning

1 t. garlic salt

1 slice of day old sandwich bread, torn into small chunks (the heel works great)

¼ cup milk

1 egg

1 T. ketchup

1 pound 80% lean ground beef

Combine onion, garlic salt, Italian seasoning, bread cubes and milk in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Let stand for five minutes to rehydrated ingredients. Add remaining ingredients and mix with thoroughly with your hands.

Shape balls out of the meat mixture (make them small or large, depending on your preference. Mine were medium-sized and I made about 13 of them with this recipe; you'd get about twice as many by making them walnut-sized or half as many by making them the size of tennis balls).

Place on a baking sheet sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Bake in a 400 degree oven about 20 minutes, or until completely browned. Add to spaghetti sauce during last half hour of simmering.

 Note: You can also use a half pound of ground beef and a half pound of Italian sausage, if desired.