Slow Roasted Salmon with Fennel & Pomegranate Salsa ~Healthy

Have you ever tried the slow roasting technique to cook fish? 

The method is really simple, just rub the fillets with a little oil (olive oil if possible), place in a shallow baking pan or dish lined with baking parchment or foil, then sprinkle with your seasoning or herb/s of choice.  This time I simply sprinkled with sea salt, 3-color freshly ground pepper, and a light sprinkle of ground cayenne pepper.

The pan with fish goes into a preheated 275˚F oven for 17 to 20 minutes. (Instant-read thermometer should register 125˚F when inserted into the thickest part of the fillet.)  If you don't have an instant read thermometer, the fish should be opaque when tested with a paring knife at the thickest area of salmon.  The results of slow roasting produces unbelievable moistness and great flavor.

 I just love the deep red-orange color of wild Alaskan sockeye salmon; it's good for you ~ naturally rich in Omega-3's, 6's, and vitamin D.  It is healthful, feel good food!

The fish is delicious roasted just that way, with no adornment ~ but I was drawn to the vibrant colors in the salsa so I wanted to try it.

The colorful and healthy salsa goes together in minutes ~ no cooking involved.

Oops, I neglected to add the fresh jalapeno in this pic. Sorry! ;)

The salsa ingredients are fennel bulb, cut into 1/4-inch dice, include bits of the fennel fronds if you like. Pomegranate arils (we used to call them seeds when we were kids), a minced jalapeno pepper without ribs or seeds (adjust this amount according to your tastes and the heat of the pepper), sliced green onions (scallions), chopped fresh cilantro, fresh lime juice, sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste.

I found the recipe in "Clean Eating" magazine and was immediately drawn to it ~ in the article it was plated with previously cooked brown rice which was made into a fried-rice mixture using very little oil, with the addition of chicken broth, fennel fronds, and additional green onions.

I had haricot vertes on hand  (tiny French string beans), so I steamed them as a side dish instead.

Yes, I would definitely make this again, and even if you don't think you would care for this salsa I hope you'll try the slow roasting method, you can always finish it any way you like.  

Simple to prepare, and easy on the cook as you're preparing the remainder of the meal; this would make a fine dinner party entree because the cooking time is so short and you can prepare the salsa well ahead of time.  If you try it, I hope you enjoy it too!

If you would like a printable version of the recipe come on over to Once Upon a Plate ~ The recipes by clicking HERE.

Thanks for coming by today! xoxo ~mari

Mushroom Stroganoff ~ Healthy!

It's true, comforting stroganoff can be made in a lighter and healthier way. 


I found a recipe from 'Clean Eating' magazine, and adjusted it to suit my own taste. I
Please allow me to explain ~ If my portions are smaller, I NEED flavor to compensate so I don't feel deprived. Do you feel that way too?  If so, this recipe might be one you'll like.

Where I live the common, cultivated  mushrooms are available any time of year and this is a tasty way to make them into a main course ~ I've tried it with a combination of sliced white mushrooms and portobellos, which I really like. But if other varieties are available, by all means, include them ~ the dish will be all the more flavorful!

The great news is this method is low in calories & fat per 1 cup serving, which works out to be a little fewer than 140 calories, only 3.5g fat, 18g carbs, 10g protein, 15mg cholesterol.

I realize that a one-cup serving doesn't sound like much, but if you include a leafy lettuce, spinach, or arugula salad with some fresh vegetables or tomatoes added it rounds out the meal to make a filling, healthful choice.

The original recipe used medium-firm tofu and low-fat sour cream to duplicate the creamy sauce in the stroganoff ~ and you can certainly use the low-fat sour cream if you like . . . but I substituted 0% fat Greek-style yogurt for the sour cream and it worked out very well. You could use 2% fat Greek-style yogurt instead of the 0% fat if you prefer.

In addition to the medium-firm tofu and Greek-style low fat yogurt, here are the ingredient ~ including the extras I added to pump up the flavor a bit. 

Whole Wheat or Grain noodles (or any shape pasta you like), yellow onion, garlic, tomato paste, and Cajun-style seasoning, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. 

My changes:  I sub the low-fat sour cream with Greek-style yogurt,  add a tablespoon or so of dry white wine  (optional),  a few drops of Worchestershire sauce, a little extra garlic, and finish the plated dish with a tiny drizzle of White Truffle Infused Oil * .

As the original recipe suggests you can also add some fresh or dried dill to enhance the flavor. I didn't add the dill, but added drops of truffle oil after the serving was plated. 

And just a hint ~ don't skip the Cajun seasoning as it really provides a great flavor hit without being over powering at all. I am particularly fond of adding the drizzle white truffle oil as a finish to the dish, after plating:

     Incidentally, a favorite sandwich of mine is a couple of thin slices of good Prosciutto on a sliced ciabatta roll with a nice layer arugula, thinly sliced ripe tomato, with just a drizzle of this truffle oil & a grind of fresh black pepper. I love good mayonnaise but the truffle oil beats mayo in this sandwich hands down!  Yum . . . soo good!

Thumbs up here and if you would like a copy of the recipe with my adjustments you'll find a printable copy over on my recipe blog by clicking HERE.

Thanks for stopping by for a visit today, friends!  xo ~m.

Smothered Portobello Mushrooms ~ Clean and Healthy Eating

This one is a "no brainer", as easy as can be and you don't need a written recipe to make it. But I have included it over on my recipe blog in case you want to print it out to save the idea (see link at bottom of this post.) Recipe is adapted from "Clean Eating" magazine.

You'll need one Portobello mushroom for each serving. I gently wipe them to clean any debris, remove the stem but not the gills, although some people prefer to remove the gills too.

Preheat oven to 400˚F  Lightly mist or brush a shallow baking dish with olive oil, place mushrooms (resting on their caps ~ gill side facing up) in the prepared dish.

 Spoon 1/4 cup chunky salsa (your choice) into each mushroom (low-sodium salsa if you wish.)

Sprinkle 1 tablespoon chopped or sliced green onion/scallion, both white and green parts, and 1/4 cup shredded, low-fat mozzarella cheese over the salsa in each mushroom. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. 

Optional: Garnish each with 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, or a few slivers of green onion.

These make a wonderful first course or main course ~ I served them as a light lunch entree with . . .

Whole-grain tri-color orzo (pasta), slivered onion, flat leaf parsley (cilantro or mint leaves work as well), and  dressed with a lemon vinaigrette, made with just freshly squeezed lemon juice, a dab of Dijon mustard, minced garlic (optional), a tiny drizzle of olive oil & a little salt and freshly ground pepper, all whisked together. 


You could add some toasted pine nuts or walnuts as a garnish to the pasta salad if you like.  It's really straightforward, clean tasting and refreshing.

Surprisingly flavorful, satisfying and delicious with little fat and few calories.  I would definitely make these again. 

If you would like a printable copy of this ultra-simple recipe, please click here.

Hope you enjoy!

Have a blessed day, friends!

Grapefruit-Avocado Salad ~ Healthy & Clean Eating

Yes, in my hemisphere it's winter, but I still enjoy a healthy salad ~ no matter what the weather, and this one utilizes the fruits and vegetables available to us at this time of year.



The base is organic baby arugula, and the toppings are grapefruit supremes (segments without the membrane), sliced avocado ~ I like the rich buttery variety with the thick pebbly skins such as Haas.  


Then a sprinkling of thinly sliced radishes, sliced scallions and toasted slivered almonds, then a generous shower of freshly ground pepper. I used tri-color pepper blend this time ~ I like the confetti look it adds to the salad. And a good sprinkle of coarse sea salt and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil to finish.




I usually always trim my own citrus supremes ~ but this time I used the already prepared kind, like these fresh, non-canned ones ~ found in the refrigerator case, usually in the produce department.  They are packed in very lightly sweetened grapefruit juice not too sweet at all, and so convenient.(This isn't a plug for this particular brand, just look for the kind that must be refrigerated to assure the best quality and taste.)




To bump up the protein you could certainly add some diced or shredded chicken, cooked shrimp, salmon, or other fish.  You could swap out the arugula with baby spinach leaves, and add or substitute orange segments for the grapefruit.
I love everything about this salad, clean tasting, healthy and flavorful.Low in fat, and the fat it does contain is the good-for-you kind.
If you try it I hope you like it too.
No formal recipe needed, just use what you like, in the amounts that are pleasing to you.  Enjoy!

Approximately 168 calories per serving, about 2 1/2 cups, loosely packed, each

Ranch Dip & Dressing ~ the HEALTHY way

I was pleased to see that a version of very low fat "Lighter Ranch Dip" appears in the current edition of "Everyday Food" magazine because I practically gag on the synthetic taste of the commercial low-fat Ranch Dressing.  I made the EF recipe, and although it is simple to make and healthy it seemed to be lacking flavor, and understandably so ~ that version is seasoned with only thyme leaves, garlic and salt and pepper. That's not ranch as we all know it!

It looked like Ranch Dip/Dressing, but I found the taste quite disappointing. So I played around with the recipe a bit and arrived at my own version which I think is infinitely more flavorful. It requires just a couple of additional ingredients, but those don't add any calories, just more flavor.

While the original recipe called for low-fat Greek-style yogurt, and whole fat mayonnaise ~ I used 0% fat Greek-style yogurt (Fage brand), and Best Foods/Hellman's low fat mayonnaise, further trimming the fat to less than 30 calories, and negligible fat per each serving size (2 slightly heaping tablespoons each.) Of course you could still use the low fat yogurt and whole fat mayo, and it would still be much lower in fat than traditional Ranch Dip.

The additional seasonings I added were minced chives (green stems of scallions/green onions, finely minced, could be substituted), onion powder, minced parsley, and dried dill weed. I also added a small squeeze of fresh lemon juice (optional.) Just those few ingredients made a huge difference in the appeal of this dip. To change the dip into a dressing, simply thin with low or non-fat milk to achieve the consistency you like.

As suggested in the magazine other uses for the lighter dip are:

Sandwich spread, particularly chicken or turkey sandwiches

Substitute for mayonnaise in tuna or chicken salad

Condiment alongside chicken or fish

Dressing for pasta salad

And there is another delicious way I use this, which I'll share shortly in an upcoming post.

If you would like a printable copy of my version of lighter Ranch Dip/Dressing you'll find it on the Once Upon a Plate recipe site.

Thanks for coming by for a visit ~ I hope you have a delicious day!

Italian-Style Turkey Lasagna Roll-Ups ~ Clean Eating

During my quest to shed a few pounds, I almost resigned myself to the frozen food aisle ~ you know; Lean Cuisine, Smart Ones, Weight Watchers, etc.  But I couldn't see myself eating that way long term ~ at all.


To me those meals are "okay" in a pinch, but I have never been very satisfied with the flavor or seasonings used in most of them. The tomato based sauces always taste cloyingly sweet, and the remainder of the ingredients are invariably bland in almost all of the entrees, imo. And you just know they don't use the same quality ingredients that you would choose yourself if you were making the dish, plus the fresh taste is missing , not to mention the chemicals and other additives which are incorporated into the frozen meals. :p


 As I said, for me, they are "okay" once in a while ~ BUT

I knew if I was going to stick with this change in my way of eating I was going to have to find a way to make the lower fat/calorie meals way more palatable.

The good news is there are plenty of magazines and cookbooks designed to assist in keeping meals healthy, lean and delicious. 

Here is an example of that kind of recipe; it was originally published in Clean Eating magazine ~ I missed it in the magazine, but

I found it in the cookbook ~




 The Best of Clean Eating: Over 200 Mouthwatering Recipes to Keep You Lean and Healthy

Here's the assembled dish before baking

They are a little time consuming to make, but the good news is that they can be made ahead, covered and refrigerated until you're ready to bake and serve them.

Although I haven't tried it yet, I suspect these would be a good candidate for freezing, either individually or in multiples that would work for your family.

The recipe makes a 8 generously sized rolls so I ended up dividing the recipe in half, and along with a green salad one roll made a good size serving ~ in fact, I couldn't finish the entire roll and the remainder was great reheated for lunch the next day.

To bump the nutrition us you can use either whole wheat lasagna noodles or whole grain. I substituted fresh spinach for frozen that the recipe called for, simply because I had it on hand ~ and the remaining ingredients are:

a small onion, clove of garlic, lean ground turkey breast, 28oz jar of tomatoes in juice, low fat ricotta cheese, an egg, reduced-fat mozzarella cheese. I added some freshly ground black pepper, dried basil and oregano to the sauce, and a tablespoon of red wine as well.

Each roll provides 234 calories, total fat 3g, sat fat 0, carbs 27g, fiber 5g,

sugars 7g, protein 28g, Sodium 508mg, Cholesterol 76mg


And! 90% of your daily vitamin A requirements, plus 366mg calcium. :)

One serving ~ delicious, and more than I could eat at one meal (reheats beautifully)




Definitely a keeper!  I would gladly make these again.

You'll find a printable copy of the recipe is over on Once Upon a Plate ~ The Recipes:   click HERE.




~*~*~*~*~*~

If you would like to learn more about "The Best of Clean Eating" cookbook, just click the link below.  (It's a wonderful cookbook.)

I've been really pleased with this cookbook ~ everything I've tried so far has been very flavorful and easy to prepare and I like the fact that it contains the best of the Clean Eating magazine's recipes all indexed and in one place. If you like flavorful, light and healthy cuisine, I think you'll like this one.

Antipasto Chicken ~ Healthy!

Antipasto Chicken
Yes, there is a grilled chicken breast under there ~ can you see it?


While looking for interesting & healthy recipes for boneless, skinless chicken breasts I came across this one on the Food Network website. I changed it a bit by grilling the chicken rather than cooking it in a skillet, I also changed up the ingredients in the antipasto relish topping; and instead of cooking the antipasto ingredients I just stirred the ingredients together and spooned it over the grilled & plated chicken hot off the grill.
Trust me when I tell you no recipe is needed for this one ~ just grill or pan sear the chicken until done. While the chicken is cooking stir together the antipasto topping in a small bowl. Plate up the chicken and spoon the antipasto over the top and enjoy.
I served a lightly dressed (lemon juice, drizzle of olive oil & salt and pepper) arugula salad alongside.



The ingredients I used for the antipasto mix ~
Peperoncini, minced parsley, marinated artichoke hearts (including some of the marinade), chopped bell pepper ~any color, and grape (cherry tomatoes, or diced ripe tomatoes would work too.) The recipe called for canned, sliced black ripe olives but I had the tiny French Niçoise olives on hand so I used those, and added a few cocktail onions, cut in half. After spooning the antipasto mix over the chicken I crumbled a couple of tiny cubes of feta cheese over all.  Though I didn't include them I think capers would also be a great addition.  Of course, you can omit or add any ingredients according to your own taste.
Because the antipasto mix is salty, I didn't sprinkle salt on the chicken prior to grilling, I just brushed it with a little olive oil mixed with some crushed dried oregano (or basil) and sprinkled with freshly ground black pepper prior to grilling. 


So easy to put together ~ low in calories/fat, too.  
I really liked this combination and would definitely make it again ~ It would be fabulous during warm weather served at room temperature as well.


If you give it a try I hope you enjoy it too.Have a delicious day! ~m.