Fish Stew

Simple, spicy, satisfying. That's how I'd describe this easy, low fat stew. I made a big batch and had it for lunch several times last week, and now that it's gone ... well I kinda miss it. The green olives provide a nice tangy element of surprise and the smoked paprika lend some subtle heat. The flavors of the stew are pulled from Spanish influences and took the humble (bland?) tilapia and transformed it into something exciting!


28 oz fire roasted tomatoes, pureed
1 medium yellow onion
5 cloves garlic
1 Tbsp turmeric
1 Tbsp smoked paprika
1 Tbsp Italian herb blend
4 tilapia fillets cut into 2" chunks
2 bay leaves
2 cups low sodium chicken stock
salt/pepper
1 cup green olives (optional)
2 cups cooked yellow rice
fruity extra virgin olive oil, diced avocado, sliced lime (optional)

Puree the tomatoes and transfer to a large soup pot. Add onions, garlic, herbs and spices and stock and stir together over medium heat. Bring up to a simmer and submerge the fish into the soup base. Cook gently for 15 minutes or until fish is thoroughly cooked but not falling apart (stir as little as possible during the cooking so as not to break up the fish). Gently fold in cooked rice and olives and heat through. Finish soup by garnishing bowls with a drizzle of flavorful olive oil, diced avocado and/or a wedge of lime.

Chilled Strawberry Soup with Balsamic Grilled Strawberries

Now that spring has sprung, gorgeous, delicious, fresh and CHEAP strawberries are plentiful. Here's an easy way to make good use of them. Super easy to put together, this chilled soup makes for a great brunch item, or a dessert, or a nice starter to a long meal. This makes a good amount, so unless you have guests halve the recipe.

4 pints Strawberries, trimmed of their stems
1 cup Vanilla Yogurt
1 bunch Mint
Splash Balsamic vinegar
2-3 Tbsp Agave Nectar or Honey, to taste
1 tsp Cinnamon
Apple Juice as needed

Pour 1/2 cup of good balsamic vinegar into a small sauce pan and cook over medium-high heat until reduced into a syrup. Remove from heat, season with cinnamon and set aside.

Slice 1 pint of strawberries in half and cook on a hot, buttered griddle or pan just until cut side is carmelized, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat and cut into a large dice. Chiffonade (thinly slice) a few mint leaves and add to the cut strawberries. Pour balsamic syrup over strawberries, stir and set aside.

In a blender combine 1 1/2 pints of strawberries, yogurt, mint and agave nectar until smooth (will probably have to do in 2 batches). If it's too thick, thin with a little apple juice. Pass the cold soup through a strainer to catch any lumps.

To serve, ladle the cool soup into bowls, and top with the balsamic strawberry mixture. Garnish with a mint leaf and serve immediately.

Seeing is believing...

I admit I learn a lot on Twitter and YouTube. They are great places for info sharing. For example, I've hear of this urban myth: a happy meal that's been shown around in perfect condition that's 4 years old. The healthy food circles are always bringing this up. Well thanks to a Tweet from @kandaka_long I now have proof.

Here's the video of said old McD's food, preserved without any interference of it's own composition (whatever that may be): http://youtu.be/4IGtDPG4UfI

Look Here: Recipe Roundup

Ok I know I said you could find the curry chick peas and the whole wheat pasta salad right here, but some of you have probably had to dig around the website to find the recipes. So I'm going to corral the recent demo recipes right here for you to make it easy to find.

Very Berry Soda

Fill a tall glass 2/3 full with ice cubes.
Pour half full with club soda or sparkling mineral water.
Top off with an all-natural dark berry juice blend such as cran-blueberry.
Stir and enjoy the refreshing burst of antioxidants and flavor!

Curried Chickepeas with Kale (or Spinach) also see video in left margin on this page
http://lifechef.blogspot.com/2009/03/curried-chick-peas-with-kale.html


Whole Wheat Pasta Salad with Artichokes, Chicken and Spinach
http://lifechef.blogspot.com/2009/09/whole-wheat-pasta-salad-w-chicken.html

Herb Roasted Chicken

1 Roasting hen
1 spring rosemary, stemmed and chopped
5 sprigs of thyme, stemmed and chopped
½ head garlic
4 bay leaves
salt
black pepper
1 lemon thinly sliced

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Liberally season chicken with salt, pepper and herbs (including inside the cavity). Stuff garlic and bay leaves inside of the cavity. Fold wings behind the chicken and secure the legs. Place on a rack or perforated pan in a roasting pan. Cover breast and tops of legs with lemon slices. Bake at 400 degrees in center of the oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour, turning half way through cooking. Chicken is done when thick part of the thigh joint is pierced with a knife and the juices run clear, and none of the flesh is pink. Discard lemons, and slice chicken to serve.