How many times have you read a study that says to eat more fish in your diet because it’s good for you? But is what’s good for you good for the environment? Over the last 2 1/2 years of food blogging I’ve always stayed true to my healthy cooking ways but I have grown in one key area, which is choosing sustainable ingredients. In my opinion it’s the only way forward to save our food sources and I’m glad word is catching on (no pun intended).

The albacore tuna photos above were taken in Dingle, Ireland where I had the opportunity to speak to the owner of the fishery, which you can read about here. Now, I’m still learning about what’s considered sustainable and I’ll admit it’s not always an easy task. But that’s the point here–I’m choosing to educate myself to make the right choices. Our Dingle trip was back in October 2008 and rereading that article I wrote I realised that these fish were caught with nets, which nowadays is not considered to be sustainable fishing practices. Here I thought just picking the right fish was good enough but the reality is now I need to know how it’s caught as well. Here’s a great article on albacore tuna practices.

Well this article wasn’t supposed to be about albacore but that’s what happens when I start putting my thoughts on paper–my beautiful mind starts racing all over. What really got my attention last night was this piece from the Nightly News about salmon. I love salmon so I was happy to see the word is spreading about farmed salmon. Take a gander at the video:

I’m sure you can guess where I stand and trust me, even I get overwhelmed by it all. But there’s help out there. What do you think? Have we all gone mad or is overfishing/purchasing unsustainable fish a real problem? When you buy fish including at restaurants do you order sustainably or does that factor into your decision making?

For those of you that don’t know, this month is National Heart Month. Not to get too Debbie Downer about it but heart disease is the country’s no. 1 killer. We all know the co-relation between food and a healthy heart. Making wise food choices is so important and with childhood obesity on the rise reaching epidemic proportions we need to take back control of what we put in our bodies. We only have the one!

According to the American heart assoc. living a heart healthy lifestyle includes making wise daily food choices. Here are some of their recommendations:

• Choose lean meats and poultry without skin and prepare them without added saturated and trans fat.
• Select fat-free, 1% fat and low-fat dairy products.
• Cut back on foods containing partially hydrogenated vegetable oils to reduce trans fat in your diet.
• Cut back on foods high in dietary cholesterol. Aim to eat less than 300 mg of cholesterol each day.
• Cut back on beverages and foods with added sugars.
• Choose and prepare foods with little or no salt. Aim to eat less than 2,300 mg of sodium per day (or less than 1,500 mg if you are in a higher risk group for high blood pressure).
• If you drink alcohol, drink in moderation. That means no more than one drink per day if you’re a woman and two drinks per day if you’re a man.
• Keep an eye on your portion sizes.

In addition to healthy eating habits, the American Heart Association also recommends doing the following to lead a heart healthy lifestyle:

• Avoid use and exposure to tobacco products.
• Achieve and maintain healthy cholesterol, blood pressure and blood glucose levels.
• Emphasize physical activity and weight control.

One of the best foods you can eat is oatmeal, or porridge as we called it when I was growing up. Not only is it full of fiber but it helps reduce bad cholesterol, which is what blocks the arteries and leads to heart attacks. I’ve been eating a bowl every morning since I was young, totally true. I love the stuff. Here I decided to crumb some fish with it in place of bread crumbs and bake it. Serve with my homemade tartar sauce and you’re golden…..and heart healthy.

RECIPE:
Serves 4
4 x 4-5 oz Pacific Sole (an eco-OK fish)
2 organic egg whites, beaten (for breadcrumbing fish)
1 cup old fashioned porridge (oatmeal)
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp lemon pepper

Tartar Sauce:
2 egg yolks
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 cup canola oil
1/2 lemon – zested
1 tsp capers – chopped
1 tbsp parsley – chopped
3 gherkins (cornichons) – chopped
1/4 tsp black pepper
pinch salt

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat skillet on medium heat for 30 seconds. Add oatmeal and brown oats, tossing occasionally until golden, 7-8 minutes approx. Do not burn.
Once golden brown place in food processor along with paprika and pepper. Pulse to breadcrumb consistency but not too fine.

Now we’re ready to coat the fish. To do this simply dip the sole in the egg whites and let drain over the egg bowl to catch any excess drippings and then coat gently in the oatmeal crust on all sides. Once coated lay on a foiled or parchment paper lined tray until ready to cook.

To Make Tartar:
Tartar sauce is a mayo-based sauce. Homemade mayo is one of the easiest condiments to make and is way more healthier and tastier than store bought. When making homemade mayo you’ll notice it’s colour right off the bat–it’s not white, it’s yellow. Crazy isn’t it?

Place the egg yolks in the food processor along with the mustard & zest. With the machine running slowly add the oil to emulsify. If the mayo looks too thick add a drizzle of cold water to smooth it out. Once all the oil has been incorporated add the capers, gherkins, parsley & salt and pulse for 20 seconds. Done. Pop in the fridge until ready to eat.

From aioli to tartar sauce

To Cook Fish:

Preheat oven to  420°F.

Lay fish on foiled oven tray and spray both sides liberally with olive oil spray. Pop in oven for 8-10 minutes until crispy and firm to touch.

Cheers to healthy hearts!

All recipes are made with the finest quality farmers market whole foods, natural and non-processed ingredients as much as possible.

Tomorrow is Fat Tuesday aka Mardi Gras, Carnival and Pancake Tuesday. It’s a BIG party day down in the Big Easy and you bet everyone there is going to be eating and drinking like kings. Though I’ve never been to New Orleans I can only imagine what typical Mardi Gras food consists of. I imagine it contains lots of seafood from the Gulf with French influences such as gumbo, bouillabaisse, bisque, crawfish, you get the picture. (My stomach is growling as we speak.) This is my simplified version of a bouillabaisse. Typically, and according to tradition, there should be at least five different kinds of fish (not including shellfish) in a proper bouillabaisse. That can get pretty pricey so I thought I’d use some key seafood ingredients saving money yet without compromising flavour (which I may have used for a six-pack). This version is light, fresh and brothy just the way I roll.

RECIPE:
Serves 4

20 mussels – rinsed
20 Manila clams – rinsed
1/2 lb large locally caught wild shrimp – P&D’d (peeled & de-veined)
1 lb white fish (Pacific cod, Tilapia, Pacific halibut) – 1″ cubes
3 cups leeks (whites only) thinly sliced, washed
1 red bell pepper – small dice
3 bay leaves
1/2 tsp chili flakes
1 x 15 oz can diced tomatoes – drained
1 cup white wine (whatever’s in your glass will work) OR an 8 fluid oz bottle of clam juice*
3 cups water
about a handful of fresh basil – chiffonade
2 sprigs fresh thyme (for steaming mussels & clams)
2 tbsp olive oil

*TIP: Bottled clam juice is easily found in the States though it might be hard enough to find across the pond. Steaming the shellfish in the white wine is a great alternative for making your own clam juice.

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat large soup pot on medium heat for 1 minute. Add olive oil along with leeks, red pepper and chili flakes. Saute, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes. Cover with lid while they’re sauteing. This will keep in the moisture and help prevent them from going brown. You don’t want any colour on the leeks, just softened.
As leeks and pepper are cooking, preheat a large saute pan on high heat for 1 minute. Very carefully add mussels and clams to pan along with the wine and thyme or bottled clam juice and thyme. (Be careful of splashing the liquid.) Cover with lid and cook until all the shells are open. Give the pan a shake after 30 seconds or so to move them around. Cook for 2 minutes approx or until all the shells have opened.
NOTE: If there are any unopened or cracked shells when the majority are cooked, discard them.

Holding a colander over the soup pot drain the shellfish into the colander. This steaming liquid will be the base of your soup and it’s delicious. Add the water, bay leaves and chopped tomatoes to the soup pot and bring to a boil.
Next remove all the mussels & clams from their shells. Set the meat aside and throw away the shells or even better you could use them with your saved veg and the shrimp shells to make a seafood stock.

Add the white fish and shrimp to the soup and stir. (They’ll cook in the broth.) Once soup comes to a boil reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for 15 minutes on medium low heat.
Just before serving add all mussels, clams and fresh basil. Stir and taste. Season with S&P.

All recipes are made with the finest quality farmers market whole foods, natural and non-processed ingredients as much as possible.

Valentine’s Day, The day of Love or something like that. I’m not a fan of this hallmark holiday to be honest but I get it. On the one hand I get that it’s the one special day to show the person you love just how much you love them but on the other hand, why does it have to happen every year? Only kiddin’, kinda. Kudos to the shops who capitalize on this day but that’s yet another reason why this holiday bugs me. What’s a Irishman to do? Suck it up is right! I may not buy into the gift giving but I’d better do something special or I’ll be in the dog house! You guys out there feel my pain don’t you?

Since Valentine’s Day has landed on a Sunday this year I thought I’d give you some brunch ideas (think brekkie in bed) and dinner ideas that will make anyone happy and feel special.

BRUNCH:

Spinach & Mushroom Frittata with Crispy Potatoes
Spinach is available all year round in SoCal but if you can’t find locally grown spinach in your area right now a great substitute would be kale  or Swiss chard.
Pair with a mimosa and you’ll be in business!

Valentine’s Beet Soup
Beetroot is in full swing over here. This soup can be served warm or at room temp and it’s presentation is stunning.

Easy Peasy Oysters
Oysters in bed on Valentine’s Day, might be a bit messy but you catch my drift!

DINNER:

The key to dinner is to make delicious food that won’t be too filling. You don’t want your lady (or yourself) to be bloated after a heavy meal if you planning on gettin’ some. Am I right?

Wild Scallops with Saffron Butternut Squash Risotto

One word: Delicious! (Remember my advice–Don’t eat too much risotto!)

Here’s (one of my first) a video I did making a Seafood Provencal. Remember, you can substitute the veg for what’s in season and use tinned tomatoes if you can’t get cherry tomatoes this time of year.

DESSERT:

Prosecco Poached Pears

Boxed chocolates ain’t got nuthin’ on these! Plus you have all day since it’s Sunday so go that extra mile. (How am I doing ladies?)

Of course I didn’t forget about the good stuff aka CHOCOLATE. I’m working in my kitchen today whipping up a healthy flourless chocolate cake recipe just for this special occasion so keep checking back all this week for that!

Cheers & Happy Hallmark!

All recipes are made with the finest quality farmers market whole foods, natural and non-processed ingredients as much as possible.

You may have noticed all the different winter squash at the markets–acorn, butternut, spaghetti, kabocha, just to name a few. I absolutely love butternut squash, which is what I tend to use most often. I suppose we all tend to stick with what we know and like but lately I’ve had quite a few inquiries for what to do with a spaghetti squash, which is great because I really dig this squash too. Actually I’m really into pasta (gluten free) but I’m off heavy carbs in the evening so this squash, believe it or not, makes a brilliant substitute for pasta! Thought all you who are sticking to any sort of get-in-shape resolutions would love this idea, too.

RECIPE:
Serves 2 with leftovers

1 medium spaghetti squash (preferably organic)
1 lb medium wild, locally caught shrimp (21-30’s) P&D’s (peeled & de-veined)
1 cup pasta tomato sauce (whatever you fancy)
1 tbsp capers
1/2 lemon- zested
chili flakes (as much as you can handle)

Preheat oven to 400°F.

When choosing a spaghetti squash look for the yellow-est ones as those will be the ripest and best to eat. I also prefer the larger ones as they make better “noodles”. When it comes to choosing a jarred pasta sauce, be sure to read the labels for added sugars, which is crap. I’m really fond of The Silver Palate’s Fra Diavolo sauce. This all natural, gluten free sauce has great flavour and a nice spicy kick. “Fra Diavolo” generally describes spicy tomato-based sauces used for pasta or seafood.

To Roast Squash:

Cut the spaghetti squash in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds from the interior. Drizzle the flesh with olive oil and season with S&P. Lay each squash half flesh side down on a foiled oven tray and pop in the oven until a knife pierces the flesh easily. Smaller ones will take less time to cook than larger ones so check them about 45 mins to an hour in. My small ones took about an hour to roast and my large ones took about 1 1/2 hours. (We’re talking SQUASH people!)

Once ready, remove from oven, let cool enough to handle and using a fork gently scrape out the ’spaghetti’. Place on a plate until ready to use.

Place tomato sauce, capers and zest in a saute pan and gently simmer shrimp until pink and firm to touch about 10-12 minutes, approx. When ready to serve add spaghetti squash to sauce and toss to coat. Of course you can eliminate the shrimp and eat on its own OR you can add grilled chicken. Deliciousness either way!

All recipes are made with the finest quality farmers market whole foods, natural and non-processed ingredients as much as possible.

And now for something completely different! Need something other than turkey or ham to spice up the ol’ taste buds again after the holidays? Here’s something to tickle your fancy. This is a simple little healthy dish that takes just minutes to throw together. Of course you can use chicken instead of the shrimp if you prefer. No biggie. You can adapt this recipe all year round too to accommodate whatever veg is fresh and in season. Yet another beauty about my cooking (wink wink).

If you’re feeling adventurous and may even have gotten a pasta maker from Santa this year try making your own pasta. Having fresh homemade pasta will take this dish up a notch and will get you some serious kudos from your friends. In fact, have them help you make it! Making your own pasta is actually quite straight forward and boy will you notice the difference. Here’s how!

RECIPE:
Serves 4

1 lb local or wild medium shrimp (21-30’s- between 21 and 30 per pound), peeled & de-veined (P&D’s if you want the lingo)
1 cup Cannelini beans – drained
8oz Brussels sprouts – cook for 7-10 mins in boiling salted water. Drain and once cool enough to handle cut each sprout in half.
1 cup dry fusilli, penne, rigatoni pasta (2 cups cooked) or the fresh homemade stuff will work, too
1/2 lemon
chopped parsley

PESTO RECIPE
Makes 2 cups (extra for another time)

2 bunches fresh basil – packed
2 cups Italian parsley – packed
1 lemon – zested
1/2 lemon – juiced
2 tablespoons toasted walnuts – toast in a dry heated saute pan for 3-4 minutes tossing periodically until browned but not burned
1/4 cup grated Parmesan (low fat preferably)
1 1/2 cups olive oil
S&P to taste

DIRECTIONS:
Add all pesto ingredients in a food processor, except for olive oil. Blend and while blitzing gradually pour in olive oil. Season with ¼ tsp salt and ¼ tsp pepper. Done.

To make the dish: Preheat large saute pan on high for 1 minute. Drizzle 1 tbsp olive oil. Add shrimp and saute for 3-4 minutes, stirring to cook all sides. Add cooked Brussels sprouts and continue sauteing for another minute. As the shrimp begin to turn opaque and become firm add 1/2 cup pesto along with the cooked pasta and beans. Toss to coat.

Finish with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and chopped parsley.

Ah yes, now we can sing our favourite song again, “We’re bringing healthy back. Yeah!”

All recipes are made with the finest quality farmers market whole foods, natural and non-processed ingredients as much as possible.

If you’re like me you’re knee deep in the throws of everything Christmas, especially food. Every Christmas, without fail, I get my annual side of smoked salmon sent over to me by the matriarch of the Murphy clan. For me it’s like getting a little piece of home every year, which is important. Sometimes it’s hard living so far away from home.

My fondest memories of Christmastime of course revolves around food and along with that goes the odd scoop or tree. For our family in particular, Christmas is all about spending time with family and friends so much so that for as long as I can remember my parents hosted an open house for any and everybody to pop in. (And boy did they!)
Mum would prepare a few starters for people to nibble on and this is one of the classics. You can’t beat some Smoked Salmon on brown bread. We of course, had Brown Soda Bread but here I adapted it by using pumpernickel bread.

Check out my Soda Bread Cooking Demo to see me in action.

So if you’re still looking for a quick n’ easy appetizer for Christmas, try this. It will surely go down a treat!

RECIPE:
Makes about 4 portions (single servings). Adjust as needed per your guest count.

Irish Smoked Salmon
pumpernickel bread
Cucumber – peeled and thinly sliced

2 tbsp whipped low-fat cream cheese
1/2 lemon – zested
1/4 tsp white pepper

fresh chopped chives – garnish

DIRECTIONS:

Mix the cream cheese, zest and pepper together and smear each pumpernickel bread with some to coat.

Lay 3 pieces of the cucumber on each piece of bread and a couple of pieces of smoked salmon on top. Cut the bread slices in half diagonally and finish with a sprinkle of fresh chives and a wedge of lemon.

All recipes are made with the finest quality farmers market whole foods, natural and non-processed ingredients as much as possible.

I remember as a young fella going fishing with the boy scouts (ahh, I was Angelic looking as you can imagine) and on occasion catching a catfish. We’d always just throw them back in as we were told they were inedible, though the people in Texas would beg to differ! There are Catfish Parlours all over the map there. According to Wikipedia, the most commonly eaten catfish species in the States are the channel catfish and blue catfish, both of which are common in the wild and increasingly widely farmed. Farm-raised catfish became such a staple of the diet of the United States (I’m pretty sure Texas played a substantial role in it) that on June 25, 1987, President Ronald Reagan established National Catfish Day to recognize “the value of farm-raised catfish.” Catfish is eaten in a variety of ways; in Europe it is often cooked in similar ways to carp, but in the United States it is typically crumbed with cornmeal and fried. Now, how ’bout that for some good info?

I think usually catfish is one of those fish that we don’t always gravitate to in the store because some people just don’t know what to do with it but once you get the hang of it, you’ll really enjoy it especially since it’s not expensive and it’s sustainable. I’ve made some delicious fish tacos with catfish and most recently Cajun spiced with Chard & Leek Saute. This is another tasty way to whip up a quick n’ easy dinner. How times have changed!

Serves 4

RECIPE:
4 x 5-6 oz local farmed Catfish portions

DIRECTIONS:

Combine the marinade ingredients together in a mixing bowl and marinate the catfish for up to 2 hours. Once ready preheat a non-stick skillet and sear the fish on one side for 4-5 minutes on medium heat. Once nicely golden flip over and reduce heat to medium low. When fish is cooked it should be opaque and firm to the touch.
Serve with rice ‘n’ beans and sauteed spinach. Yeehaw! (as they say)

All recipes are made with the finest quality farmers market whole foods, natural and non-processed ingredients as much as possible.

I’m really diggin’ our CSA box delivery service. So far the produce has been great and in order to use it all we’ve had to use our noggins and think outside the box a bit, so to speak! Who said you can’t have looks and brains?

This week our box contained organic Fuji apples, spinach, leeks, rainbow chard, broccoli, Valencia oranges & mixed peppers. I turned to old faithfuls for some of these—I used the oranges for Jerk sauce and the mixed peppers went into a pot o’chili.

Each week when our box arrives there’s a newsletter inside from the farm talking about what’s in season and giving tips and such about the fruit n’ veg. They also give a recipe highlighting one of the veggies. I was intrigued by this particular chard recipe not only because I really like leafy greens but also because it used the entire bunch of chard, stems & all. Usually one would remove the stems and either put them in the stock pot as I do or into the compost heap. Either way they’re getting used but I’d much prefer to eat them. They have a lovely peppery flavour and they add brilliant colour to the sauteed chard. I can’t take any credit for this but it did turn out great and I combined it with a rice recipe (below) which uses up some of the apples. Usin’ my noggin!

CHARD & LEEK SAUTE
RECIPE
Serves 4

2 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 cup sliced leeks – white part only, washed & drained
4 minced garlic cloves
1/4 cup low sodium chicken or veg broth
1 bunch rainbow chard – washed
salt
freshly ground pepper

DIRECTIONS:
Pull the leaves from the stalks and chop finely. Set aside. Chop the leaves coarsely and rinse thoroughly in cold water. Drain.

Preheat large skillet on medium heat for 1 minute. Add 1 tbsp olive oil. Saute leeks for 3 minutes approx, stirring.
Add garlic and chard stems to leeks and saute for additional 3-4 minutes until softened. Add broth and chard leaves and saute for 4-5 minutes until tender and stock reduced.
Taste and season with S&P.

RICE WITH LEEKS & FUJI APPLE:

RECIPE:
Serves 6-8

2 cups uncooked Brown & Red Rice Mix (I like the Texmati Royal Blend)
2 cups Fuji apple – small dice
1 cup leek – white only – chopped
2 cloves garlic – minced
3 cups low-sodium chicken/veg  broth
2 cups water
1 tsp fresh thyme – chopped
1/3 cup walnuts -toasted & chopped
3/4 chopped walnuts – toasted
1 tsp olive oil
S&P to taste

Directions:
Preheat large saute for 30 seconds on medium heat. Drizzle 1 tbsp olive and saute diced apples for 6-7 minutes until soft. Once softened, remove from pan and add another tbsp olive oil. Saute leeks for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add garlic and continue cooking for another 30 seconds. Add broth, water, thyme and rice.  Stir and cover with lid. Bring to a boil. Once boiling reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 45 minutes approx or until rice is cooked through.
NOTE: If additional liquid is needed add 1/2 cup at a time.
Once cooked, drain any excess liquid and return rice to pan. Fold in apple and walnuts.
Taste and season with S&P.

SERVING SUGGESTION:
Cajun Catfish or Grilled Organic Chicken Breast
I was able to purchase pre-seasoned cajun catfish at Whole Foods and it was damn tasty! (Even headdaball enjoyed it.) Definitely a meal worth trying!

All recipes are made with the finest quality farmers market whole foods, natural and non-processed ingredients.

My good friend Sheila from LiveWell360 posted a nice little fish recipe during the summer that I was meaning to try out and finally got my act together and did it. She used Barramundi but as she pointed out, it’s not that readily available so I wanted to use a fish that people would be more likely to find in their local store. I’ve always been a big fan of sole and I remember as a kid eating breaded plaice and chips for dinner on occasion. Back then this was available in the frozen fish variety so this time I tried to replicate that old favourite with my own healthier fresh version (inspired by Sheila’s post). As for healthier chips, I’ve got two great versions, grilled or baked.
Alright, enough of this chit chat. Here’s my version of this recipe. Enjoy.

RECIPE:
Serves 4

4 x 6 oz Sole fillets
2 oz raw cashews
1/2 cup low-fat Parmesan cheese, grated
1 cup Ener-G bread crumbs (gluten free)
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp chili powder
2 organic egg whites + 1 whole organic egg
2 tbsp grapeseed or olive oil

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 425°F.

Put cashews, Parmesan, bread crumbs, S&P & spices in food processor and pulse for 20 seconds or so to combine. Put in a shallow mixing bowl or casserole dish.

In a another bowl, whisk egg whites for 30 seconds.

Line an oven tray or baking sheet with parchment paper and make an assembly line with the egg whites first, then bread crumb mixture followed by the tray.
TIP: Use your left hand for dipping into the eggs and your right hand for the dry mix. This will make it much easier, especially if you’re making a few more of these.

Take a fillet of fish and dip it into the egg wash, making sure to coat both sides. Hold over the bowl to let excess drip into the bowl. Alternatively you could add all the fillets to the egg wash and give ‘em a good swish around to coat well. Once coated, you’d want to individually hold them over the bowl to drain the excess as stated above. In either case, you’ll then immediately dip the fish in the “breading” mixture pressing it down, so that the mixture sticks. Flip over and do the same to the other side. Place fillet on baking sheet and continue the process, coating each of the other three fillets and placing them in a single layer on the baking sheet.

You can either bake them, as Sheila did, or pan fry them as I did.

Preheat a large nonstick saute pan on med-high then add in 2 tbsp of oil. Once the oil is hot, carefully lay your fish in the pan.
TIP: When you’re laying anything in a hot pan lay it away from you, so the start of the fillet is placed in the direction of your body and the end of the fillet is laid toward the stove. This way the oil splashes away from you, not on you.

Cook for 3 mins or until crust is golden brown. If the fish begins to brown too much, simply reduce the heat. Gently flip over and cook for an additonal 2 mins. Fish should be firm to the touch and nice n’ crispy.

All recipes are made with the finest quality farmers market whole foods, natural and non-processed ingredients.