Saturday 7 July 2012

Stop by Saturday...

My fellow blogger, Melinda @ Does this scale make me look fat has had a fab idea for sharing both blogs and recipes!  Basically, she has asked a question on her blog and invited her readers (and fellow bloggers) to answer that question on their blogs.  So, today's question is: What food or recipe are you loving right now?

Well, without doubt, the food I am eating copious amounts of (and thankfully, requires no cooking or recipes of any kind!) is STRAWBERRIES!  Oh Dear Lord, do I L-O-V-E them!  English strawberries in June and July are, well, in my humble opinion, as near to heaven as it's possible to get!  I never thought I could enjoy a food that is good for you so much!  I have already mentioned that we had a party earlier this week and I stopped by the local farm shop for some olives (OMG - another fabulous food that I love!) and noticed this beautiful basket beckoning me!


And yes - they did taste as delicious as they look!  The wonderful thing about strawberries (and all berries actually) is that they are low in calories and high in vitamin C (one cup of strawberries has 46 calories!).  So not only are they a low fat snack - they're also super good for you!

Not wishing to cop out of actually contributing a recipe, the other food that I've been mental, mental for lately is Couscous!  We went to a BBQ a couple of weeks ago at a friend's house and she made the most delicious couscous with raisins, cranberries, blueberries and chickpeas - it was amazing!  Since then, I've been seeking it out for my lunchtime salads - I can't get enough of the stuff!  So, here's a Jamie Oliver recipe, taken from his fantastic 20 Minute Meals app on iPhone (if you don't already have this - get it!  It's great for working moms looking for a quick after work dinner for the whole family!).

Spicy Cod with Lemon Courgette Couscous

(Serves 4)
4 garlic cloves
1 small bunch fresh coriander
1 fresh red chilli
2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes
2 medium courgettes
1 medium red onion
4 x 150g skinless fresh white fish fillets (such as cod or haddock)
1 tsp ground cumin
1 lemon
extra virgin olive oil
salt & pepper

Method:
Get a frying pan on a medium heat.  Peel and finely slice your garlic (I just put it through the mincer).  Finely chop the coriander stalks and reserve the leaves for later.  Finely chop the chilli.
Add a splash of olive oil to the hot pan along with half of the garlic, all of the chopped chilli and coriander stalks.  Fry for a couple of minutes, tossing occasionally, until the garlic is golden brown.
At this point, add the tinned tomatoes.  Season lightly with salt and pepper, then simmer gently on a medium heat for 5 minutes.
While the sauce is thickening, roughly chop your courgette and slice your onion into wedges.  Add your fish fillets to the pan and cover with a lid, simmer for 10 minutes until hot and cooked through.
Heat a splash of olive oil in another frying pan and add the rest of the garlic, the courgettes, and onion with the cumin and pinch of salt and pepper.  Toss around and allow to soften.  Put to one side.
Put your kettle onto boil.
Tip your couscous into a bowl and pour over 200ml of boiling water. Cover with cling film and leave for 4 minutes, then mix in your fried veg and recover with cling film.
Check your fish is cooked through, then take off the heat and season with a good pinch of salt and pepper.
Grate the zest of half the lemon and put to one side.  Cut the lemon in half.  Remove the clong film from the couscous, squeeze in a good bit of lemon juice and fluff up with a fork.
To serve, out a big spoonful of couscous on each plate.  Spoon over the sauce with the fish fillets in it - it doesn't matter if they break up a little.  If the sauce is too thin, then reduce it on a high heat for a couple of minutes.
Sprinkle over the lemon zest and add a good pinch of salt and pepper and the coriander leaves. 


You get a lot of food here - I would go so far as to say there is too much couscous (am I complaining that I've been given too much food?!).  But, even given the amount of couscous, this dish works out at 452 calories per serving - which is not bad at all for a full main meal!

So, I hope you all enjoyed Stop by Saturday!  And thanks Melinda for a fantastic post idea!



6 comments:

  1. Oh, I LOVE strawberries! My husband has been trying to grow them for the past couple of years...but unfortunately my kids have been getting to them before we can pick them!

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    1. That's the wonderful thing about growing your own fruits and veggies - being able to walk through your garden sampling :-). I tried growing peas once and didn't realise that you need a lot of plants to get a lot of peas! I think I had six plants, so each night I'd go "harvest" my six pea pods!! It was pretty pathetic, but I was pleased to have grown them, even if I did have to throw in some frozen peas to bulk it up!

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  2. I am loving all the fresh fruits & popchips (they are my new addiction).

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    1. ooohhh - popchips, we don't have those here :-(. We do have something called Sunbites - they're wholegrain chips that are low in fat and calories - I LOVE those!

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  3. Sounds delicious! I love berries too. The blackberries we grow have just started ripening and I've been trying to beat the birds at picking them.

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    1. I love blackberries! We have a ton that grow wild here, so every September I get baskets and take the kids blackberry picking! They're so versatile too for baking - and I do love baking!

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