The day started on the bike trainer … just a quick 30-minute session. Then work. Then traffic. Then a quick ride to Old Town Sac and back. Then a super healthy and yummy and light dinner …
Rock Cod Poached with White Wine & Heirloom Cherry Tomatoes & Fennel Seeds, Asparagus & Green Beans, & Sprouted Rice. Healthy, light, comforting, and delicious. This picture does not do it justice!
If you have never had Pacific Rockfish before, you want to try it. In terms of nutrition, it’s a great source of lean protein, a natural source of vitamin D, and potassium. A 3-ounce serving provides the daily supply of selenium. Not only that, but it has a lovely delicate flavor and buttery-flaky texture.
Pacific Rockfish with Cherry Tomatoes
4 to 5 ounces of Pacific Rockfish filet
1 teaspoon avocado oil
1 cup Heirloom Cherry Tomatoes, sliced in half
1 1/2 cups fresh spinach, chard, arugula (your favorite cooking greens)
2 cups sliced fresh Crimini mushrooms
Salt and pepper to taste
Rinse, trim, and slice the mushrooms. Rinse and spin your greens. In a heavy-bottomed non-stick pan, saute the mushrooms, watching carefully so they don’t burn. You can add a little oil, if you want, but I’ve found that with a good non-stick pan, you don’t need to. Top with the greens, cover, and allow to steam on low heat until they’re nicely wilted.
For the fish, heat the avocado oil in a heavy-bottomed non-stick pan. You’ll want to get the pan fairly hot so that you can get a nice sear on the fish. Quickly sear on both sides. Add the sliced cherry tomatoes, cover, and reduce heat to low. Cook until the fish is very tender and flaky, and the tomatoes are reduced just enough to make a delicious, light sauce.
Perfect!
To serve, portion the spinach and mushrooms on one side of a wide, shallow bowl. With a slotted spoon, portion the cherry tomatoes onto the other half.
Prepare the base of your dish.
Place the fish on top of the tomatoes, spoon the sauce over the fish.
Season to taste with a little salt and pepper.
This is a very simple, light meal. You can certainly add fresh herbs and other seasonings as you wish, but to me, this is perfect because it allows the delicate flavor and buttery texture of the fish to really shine.
This is a large portion and it makes for a great recovery meal after a big ride. I have a feeling I’ll be eating a lot like this as I get ready for my 2015 Napa Valley Tour de Cure. Please consider donating to my ride – it is a great cause!
I’m estimating the total calories for this dish to be: 315
Fish = 160
Oil = 40
Tomatoes = 30
Greens = 45
Mushrooms = 40
Today was going along fine until about noon, then I suddenly felt funky sick. I had a little ginger candy and that worked like a miracle and I feel OK now. I’m thinking maybe I had too much coffee and not enough food this morning. I started drinking lots of water and nibbled on my food as tolerated.
Spicy Teriyaki Salmon with Steamed Veggies
Totals for the day:
* 3 cups vegetables
* 1 cup fruit
* 2 3/4 cups protein
* 1 1/2 cups carbs
* 2 T healthy cheese (“light”)
* 1 1/2 T dressing (Teriyaki sauce & Sriracha)
* 2 tablespoons nuts
Last night I had some friends over for dinner. After the holidays, we’re all feeling a bit, dare I say, overindulged? However, last night was the final “holiday” party for 2014. It just had to wait until 2015 due to everyone’s schedules. So a light and healthy meal with just a touch of decadence was in order.
We had a few appetizers, the usual fresh vegetable platter, some cheese and crackers, and one experimental recipe – Roasted Crimini Mushrooms with Herbed Goat Cheese and a Balsamic Vinegar Glaze.
Roasted Crimini Mushrooms
Fresh Veggies
For the entree, I made Cioppino, mostly based on this recipe from Giada De Laurentiis. I made just a few modifications, but tried to follow her recipe as closely as possible because I’ve never made Cioppino before.
Cioppino
3 tablespoons avocado oil
1 large fennel bulb, thinly sliced
1 onion, chopped
3 large shallots, chopped
2 teaspoons Kosher salt
4 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
3/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 cup tomato paste
28 ounces of chopped fresh Roma tomatoes
1 1/2 cups dry white white
2 cups oyster broth
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth, low sodium
1 1/2 cups water
1 bay leaf
2 1/2 pounds mixed seafood: mussels, shrimp, scallops, calamari
1 1/2 pounds wild caught fresh swordfish, cut into chunks
Mis en place: assemble and prepare all of your ingredients.
In a large pot (at least 5.5 quarts), heat the oil over medium heat. Add the fennel, onion, and shallots; saute about 8-10 minutes, until translucent. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and saute another 2 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste, tomatoes, wine, broths, water, and bay leaf. Stir to combine well. Cover and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and allow to gently simmer for about 30 minutes. This will allow the flavors to blend.
Add the mixed seafood, cover and cook for about 5-10 minutes. Add the fish, stir gently, and cook another 5-10 minutes more. Season to taste with salt and red pepper flakes.
Ladle into bowls and serve with a good, crusty bread. This recipe makes six generous portions.
Cioppino - light, yet rich and satisfying, this Cioppino will make you want to head back for seconds.
We served a 2011 Luna Canto, which paired nicely and stood up to the spicy kick of this Cioppino.
For dessert, I made a “Paleo” Apple Crisp that I know you’ll want to try.
Here’s a healthy, light, and easy to prepare dinner that’s perfect for a chilly autumn night.
Wild Ling Cod Provencal
2 tablespoons avocado oil
2 pieces of wild ling cod
1 1/2 cups heirloom cherry tomatoes, cut in half
2 tablespoons pesto
Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed skillet. Quickly sear the fish on each side. Reduce the heat and add the halved cherry tomatoes, spread evenly around and on top of the fish. Top with the pesto. Cover and simmer on low until the fish is cooked through, about 15-20 minutes, depending on the size of your pieces of fish.
Serve steamy hot with some brown rice, or a good, crusty bread.
I wish I had taken photos of this dish – it was beautiful!
Enjoy!
Had a long day and need a quick, healthy dinner? Try this.
Wild cod cooked in citrus juice
Fish Tacos
2 nice-sized cod filets
1 each: lemon, lime, small orange
1 tablespoon avocado oil
1/2 teaspoon lemon-pepper seasoning
1/2 to one small red onion, cut into a small dice
Fresh flour (or corn) tortillas
Your favorite salsa and guacamole
Optional: your favorite hot sauce or “crema caliente” (recipe follows)
Quickly rinse and pat dry two nice sized cod filets, then place in a glass baking dish. Zest and then squeeze the lemon, lime, and orange. Sprinkle the zest over the fish, then pour the juice over. Allow to sit for up to 30 minutes, turning once or twice. Add the avocado oil to a thick-bottomed non-stick saute pan and heat on high until the pan is hot. Sprinkle the fish with a little lemon pepper, then add to the hot pan. Quickly sear on one side, then turn and quickly sear on the other side. Pour the juice in the pan, cover, and turn the heat down to low. Allow to cook slowly until the fish is tender and flaky. Turn the heat off and allow the fish to sit in the hot juices.
Preparing the filling
Heat the tortillas and wrap in a towel until you’re ready to assemble the tacos.
We mixed together the fish, salsa, and red onion, along with some of the cooking juices from the fish. This worked out great. Simply spoon some of the fish mixture onto a tortilla, top with a little guacamole, and enjoy!
Fish Tacos
If you like it spicy, top with a splash (or two) of your favorite hot sauce or a little dollop of crema caliente.
Enjoy in good health! These are perfect post-ride … good lean protein (cod), good fat (avocado), great flavor.
Crema Caliente
1 tablespoon chipotle in adobo sauce
1 cup sour cream (natural, no fat, of course!)
Dice the chiles, add with their sauce to the sour cream. Stir.
Swordfish with Pineapple Salsa
Fall 2014 Quarter has officially started and life on campus is returning to its hectic quarter pace. I miss my morning pre-work rides, but have been able to get a few post-work rides in lately.
Thursday on my way home … dealing with commute traffic (ugh!) … I realized that what I really needed was to sort of reset things with a healthy, satisfying dinner. I stopped by my new local neighborhood store, Sprouts Farmers Market, and wandered about. Walking by the seafood counter, I saw some beautiful wild swordfish on sale. Hmm … grilled wild swordfish with pineapple salsa … why not? That was one of the very first special meals I cooked as a rookie foodie, and a soothing reminder of a simpler time long ago.
This beauty of it is that this is actually a very simple meal to prepare. Marinate the fish. Chop a few ingredients for the salsa. Make a simple salad. Grill the fish. Enjoy. If you want, serve with some roasted root veggies (pictured here – from the deli counter at my local Nugget Market), steamed rice, or a crusty hearth bread.
First, marinate the swordfish in some freshly squeezed lime juice and a little olive oil while you prepare the pineapple salsa.
Pineapple Salsa
1 1/2 cups fresh pineapple* chunks (about 1/4-inch cubes)
2 Serrano chilies, seeded and chopped
1 small red onion, cut into about 1/8-inch chunks
juice of 1-2 fresh limes
a large handful of fresh cilantro leaves
salt and pepper to taste
Fresh pineapple is best, but in a pinch you could use canned (in its own juice, not sweetened).
Prepare the cilantro. Remove the leaves from the stems, rinse well and drain on towels.
Prepare the fresh pineapple. Using a large chef’s knife, cut off both top and bottom and discard. Cut off the outer skin, being sure to cut deep enough to remove the “eyes.” If you’ve never cut a fresh pineapple, try Googling “how to cut a pineapple” and you’ll find some videos and easy to follow instructions.
Once you’ve removed all of the skin and “eyes” of the pineapple, slice off a few 1/4-inch thick slices, then stack them and cut them into 1/4-inch cubes.
Note – if you want to make this even more simple … buy some pre-cut fresh pineapple chunks or spears. Many stores carry it in the the produce section.
Rinse the peppers, then cut them length-wise. I like to remove most of the seeds from the peppers, otherwise the salsa is too hot. However, some like it hot, so this is up to you! Dice finely and add to the pineapple.
Squeeze the limes and add the juice to the pineapple and peppers.
Coarsely chop the cilantro and add. Stir to combine all ingredients well. Season to taste with a little salt and pepper.
Get your grill ready. While it is pre-heating, prepare your salad or other side dish. I’d recommend a simple salad with a light citrusy vinaigrette.
Grill the swordfish. Click here for some simple directions.
Place the grilled fish on your plate and spoon some salsa over it. Serve with side dish(es) of your choice.
Enjoy!
Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
We had a terrific weekend for cycling in Davis – loads of sunshine and warm temperatures, and just a bit o’breeze. The 2014 Napa Valley Tour de Cure is just 7 weeks away, so it’s time to start getting some longer rides in. March Madness is in full swing and I’m now about 2/3 of the way to my goal.
Saturday 80 miles, Davis, Winters, Vacaville, Winters, Davis. We rolled out to Winters on Road 29, out to Vacaville through English Hills and Gibson Canyon, then back to Winters via Pleasants Valley Road, and to Davis by way of Putah Creek Road and the Russell Bike Trail. That was about 68 miles, but I also did about a 12 mile warm up loop.
It was absolutely gorgeous out there, but I did not take a single picture. We got a little bit of a late start and I didn’t want to risk not getting back before dark.
We had a nice rest stop at Steady Eddy’s on our homestretch.
By the time we got home, we were pretty hungry. We had started talking dinner while we were still on the road. Salmon. Asparagus. Salad. That sounded like an awesome plan.
Wild King Salmon.
Roasted Asparagus.
Salad.
Never send me to the store to buy salmon when I am this hungry. I came back with enough salmon to feed an army. Though I bought only two filets, they were huge. As hungry as we were, we could eat only one! We nibbled on the leftovers throughout the day yesterday. For dinner last night, I simply crumbled the last bit on top of a light green salad. It was amazing.
Roasted Avocado
I was craving avocado, but none of my avocados were ripe. At $2.49 each at my local market, there was no way I was going to buy one. I have grilled avocados before, so I wondered about roasting one. It was interesting. Simply cut it in half, remove the pit, drizzle with a little avocado (or olive) oil, season with a little salt, and roast until softened.
This avocado was a little dark on the inside to begin with, so this is not the best photo, but it was very interesting and an idea I’ll try again.
Sunday 44.1 miles, Davis, Winters, Davis … easy spin, recovery ride. It’s a really good thing I didn’t venture further than that …
I stopped at Steady Eddy’s for water and a quick stretch and rest. As I was doing my usual Facebook check in there was a loud BANG! That all too familiar sound of a bike tire exploding just as a large group of cyclists was leaving. They checked their bikes, no flats. Then they started looking at everyone else’s bike to see who the lucky one was. They kept looking at my bike and futzing with it. I walked over to see what was going on and asked why they were looking at my bike, but then they found the exploded tire. Mystery solved. They left happy quite it wasn’t one of theirs.
Oh, dear ... not good.
I stayed a few more minutes, then saw the “lucky” cyclist. I was heading out, but wanted to let him know there’s a bike shop just down the block who could fix him up if he needed it. He wasn’t feeling so lucky.
Well, the luck of the Irish was with me because another cyclist happened to be there when all of the commotion happened and he stopped to tell me that on his way in he noticed this …
I am profoundly grateful that he pointed this out to me. I don’t think this tire would have made it home.
Funny. As I was leaving for my ride, I realized that I did not have my debit card with me, but I didn’t want to turn around and get it. “I’ll be fine! It’s just a quick ride.” I thought. So off I rode with just $39 in my pocket.
The Best Bike Shop in Winters!
So I walked my bike down to Mike’s Velo City Bike Shop in Winters. A while back I had to replace a tire mid-ride and it cost me more than $100. Now wishing I had turned around to get my debit card, I thought I might have to walk my bike home 20+ miles to Davis.
The luck of the Irish was with me. Mike’s Velo City Bike Shop fixed me up with a used tire and got me back on the road for $15.75. I was so, so thankful! I love this bike shop. They’ve helped me out before with minor mid-ride adjustments, flat tires, and other basics like this. I took my Trek in there for a full tune-up a while back and they did an awesome job.
So, a HUGE shout out to Mike’s Velo City Bike Shop in Winters!
Here’s wishing you and yours a very Happy Saint Patrick’s Day! May the luck of the Irish be with you!
Wishing you a rainbow
For sunlight after showers—
Miles and miles of Irish smiles
For golden happy hours—
Shamrocks at your doorway
For luck and laughter too,
And a host of friends that never ends
Each day your whole life through!
Can it really be Labor Day weekend already? Where did this summer go?
Quesadilla
The weekend got off to a good start with a nice, light dinner of an easy quesadilla and simple fish tacos.
Quesadillas
Fresh artisan corn* tortillas
Light cheddar cheese
Salsa Verde, warmed
Avocado
Fresh limes
Make a quick quacamole-like topping by mixing the avocado with some fresh lime juice and a little salsa verde. Heat the tortillas over medium-high heat on a cast iron griddle, turning once. Turn the heat down to medium. Top one tortilla with a little cheese, the avocado mixture, and a little salsa. Place the second tortilla on top and gently press down. Allow to heat through a couple of minutes, then turn to lightly brown the other side. You want the cheese to melt and the tortillas to pick up a light, golden brown color. Cut into wedges and serve with some warmed salsa.
*If you prefer, you can use flour tortillas.
Fish Tacos
Fresh artisan corn tortillas
Cod filets, or other light flaky white fish
Salsa Verde
Avocado
Fresh limes
Fresh cilantro
Fish Tacos
You can either slice the avocado or use the quacamole-like topping as above. Warm the salsa a bit, if you like. Heat the tortillas on a cast iron griddle over medium heat. Cook your fish – you can steam it, grill it, saute, or whatever method works best for the particular fish. I had some beautiful cod fillets, so I just cooked them in a little olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat, and seasoned lightly with just a dash of salt. For most fish, cook to an internal temperature of about 145-degrees. Assemble the tacos by placing some fish in the center of the tortilla, then top with some salsa and avocado. Garnish with some fresh cilantro (which was missing from these last night) and a squeeze of fresh lime.
If you are not a fan of fish, these tacos would also be yummy with chicken … especially if that chicken has been marinated with lime, fresh cilantro, a little Serrano chile, and if you are so inclined even a little tequila, then grilled and cut into bite-sized pieces.
These can even be made vegetarian or vegan. Grill up some portabello mushrooms and slice, or grilled onions and peppers, or zucchini … I’ll bet even grilled sliced potatoes would be good in these. Of course, there’s always tofu. The possibilities are nearly endless!
Here’s wishing you a great weekend! I hope you get the chance to ride. I know I am certainly looking forward to logging a few miles this weekend!
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