Ahhhhhh … another new year. Another year for me to resolve to get fit. Sigh. Some day … some day … it won’t be resolve to get fit but to stay fit. I’m going to talk more about my goal progress/new goals next week, but since so many people want to eat a bit lighter after the holidays, I decided to post two healthy recipes this week to help get you back on track. Or me on track. Whatever.
Fish is so good for you and I need to incorporate it more regularly into my meal plans. I admit that for many years I actively disliked fish. And I still do dislike those frozen fish sticks that school cafeterias serve during lent. Bleech.
However, I don’t hate all fried fish as beer-battered fish is yummy, but that really doesn’t scream healthy or getting fit, unfortunately. 🙁
On the other hand, this citrus cod is super healthy, flavorful and delicious and truly is a great meal to jumpstart a year of getting fit. It’s baked (or essentially steamed) in a foil packet. You could certainly use parchment paper instead, which may be a bit fancier if you’re serving this to company or trying to impress your family.
I used foil because MaxE is never impressed by my cooking (rude!), and I also ran out of parchment paper a few months ago. Regardless of whichever you use, both make clean-up a breeze, which is always music to my ears.
The fish bakes on top of orange and lemon slices and is covered with good-for-you veggies like zucchini, tomatoes, onions and mushrooms. You could certainly adjust the veggies to your family’s favorites — just keep in mind that they need to be fully cooked within 20 minutes. You don’t want them to be under or overcooked.
I served with this with a lemony quinoa, which was so good. I’ll be sharing that recipe with you on Friday. And I must confess that I double, triple and possible quadrupled dipped my spoon into it. Thank goodness it is good for you!
Citrus Cod with Vegetables
Ingredients
- 4 pieces of cod 6 oz each
- 1 zucchini thickly sliced in half-moons
- 1 onion sliced
- 2 roma tomatoes chopped in to large pieces
- 1 8 oz container of mushrooms, sliced
- 1 orange divided
- 1 lemon divided
- 1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1/2 teaspoon Oregano
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut four 12×17-inch pieces of aluminum foil and set aside.
- In a large bowl, add the zest of the orange with the the juice of half an orange and lemon. Be sure to zest the orange first, otherwise it is virtually impossible to do so after you juice it. Combine juices with extra virgin olive oil, oregano and salt and pepper to taste.
- Stir the zucchini, onion, roma tomatoes and mushrooms in the orange marinade. Set aside.
- Cut the remaining halves of the orange and lemon into 4 slices each. Lay one orange and lemon slice on each piece of aluminum foil. Top with a piece of cod. Salt and pepper to taste.
- Spoon an equal amount of veggies over the cod and around it. Spoon a teaspoon (or two) of the remaining orange marinade over the cod.
- Fold the sides of the aluminum foil over the cod and veggies to make a packet and seal completely. Place packets on cookie sheet and bake for 20 minutes.
- Be careful when opening packets as it will release quite a bit of steam. There will be some yummy juices in the packet that you can pour over the cod. Serve with rice or quinoa to soak up those juices.
I hope this heart-healthy recipe makes into your regular rotation! Enjoy!
Tanya