Oven-Baked Lemon Cod

Last week my husband went over to the discount supermarket and picked up two whole cod fillets for $10 and change.

These cod fillets were huge! In fact, it was pretty much an entire fish, sans head and bones!

For anyone who is on a budget, especially in the current economic state, I highly suggest you seek out discount supermarkets in your area. Last month, my husband and I bought almost $300 worth of groceries for less than $90! That included luxuries such as steaks, fish, fresh blueberries, strawberries, artichokes, etc!

On this last trip, my husband came home with steaks and fish, next time he has his eye on buying lobster tails!

Many of these stores have restaurant packaging so you could easily buy a huge packet of French fries for $1 or $2! When my husband and I went last month, eggs were on sale for 50cents a dozen... we bought 8 dozen!

It truly is well-worth your checking out, some stores are not as well laid out as others, but keeping an open mind and keeping a look-out for great deals and a recipe progressing in your head as you browse through the shop, will enable you to make some amazing buys.

This weekend, I decided to make the fish. Since the fillets were in one bag and I did not want to re-freeze the other fillet once it was defrosted, this meal gave us two dinners. (Note: Re-freezing meats and fish that have been thawed can lead to the meat or fish going bad. Once defrosted, use the meat or fish within one day.)

With just a little butter, a little salt and pepper, and some thinly sliced vegetables and lemon, these fish fillets are so easy to make, fast to make, delicious and incredibly healthy. You can serve them with boiled potatoes, steamed brown rice, barley "risotto", or oven-baked potatoes (like I did... I'd been craving baked potatoes for about a week!).

You can also serve it with a lovely crisp salad.

I can't wait to go back again this week and get more fish and may even splurge for a couple of lobster tails! Stay tuned to this page for more wild and wacky recipes coming up!

Happy Cooking, Happy Eating!


Ingredients:

Cod fillets
1/4 stick of butter, thinly sliced
1/2 red onion, sliced very thinly
2 zucchinis, sliced very thinly
1 carrot, julienned
1 red pepper, julienned
1 lemon, sliced very thinly seeds removed
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat oven to 400*F

1. On a large piece of aluminium foil (long enough to fit around the fish and roll to create a "parcel"), lay the butter slices down. Place the vegetables over top in layers and sprinkle with a little salt and pepper.
2. Lay fish fillet over top of vegetables, sprinkle salt and pepper to taste, place sliced lemon over top of fillets. Depending how large the fillets are, using a half-side of fish, lay 3-5 lemon slices over top.
3. Pull the aluminium foil up and meet the edges together and fold over, continue to fold over until just above the fish, leaving a little room for the parcel to expand and steam the fish and vegetables. Fold over the sides and make sure the entire parcel is sealed well. Place on a cookie sheet and put into the oven. Bake for 25 minutes.

Serve with oven roasted potatoes, baked potato, steamed brown (or red) rice, or barley risotto.

TIP: These fish parcels can be cooked on the BBQ as well. Make sure you use a heavy-duty aluminium foil if you do. 

Aromatic Beef Patties

Yesterday, my husband and I went to a BBQ put on by our local mosque. When turning up to an event put on by Muslims, one expects that there is going to be some "different" in the taste of the food. When we saw that it was hamburgers and hot dogs, we were, at first a little taken aback but we do love hot dogs and hamburgers on the BBQ, so we actually were really happy.

So my husband brought me my plate that comprised of a perfectly BBQ'd hot dog on a bun, a beef patty (he said there were no more buns, but I actually prefer my hamburgers without the bread), potato salad, lettuce, tomato, onion, and lots of gherkins, and some chips. YUM!

But then, I took a bite of the hamburger and my knees went weak. To think that a group of Muslims (from varying parts of the world) would simply slap a beef patty on to the grill with a bit of salt and pepper on it, would be sacrilegious! This beef patty had been marinated to give it an amazing taste.

As I wrote in a post the other day, lemon infused meat on the BBQ is amazing, and as I bit into the beef patty and the aroma hit my taste buds, my senses came alive with the citrus chili blend that the meat had been marinated in.

Last night, I sought to recreate the delight my taste buds were craving for, but to do it without a BBQ - we are currently "sans BBQ".

I made a delicious paste which I spread on both sides of the beef patty and let it marinate for a short time before popping it into the oven. And I served it with a green salad and homemade Orange and Ginger Salad Dressing (to continue with my citrus theme during Arizona's citrus season), and steamed rice. Oh my heavens, it was a taste-buds delight and sensation. Its really quick to make and if you cook the meat on the BBQ, you'll have an added taste that will delight even further.

Ingredients:
4 beef patties
Juice from 1/4 lemon
3 tsp lime juice
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp Middle Eastern 7-Spices
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp sriracha chili paste
1/4 tsp sumac (optional)

1. Add all ingredients after "beef patties" together to make a paste.
2. Lay beef patties on a baking sheet and smear the paste on both sides. Pierce the patties with a fork, and set aside to marinate for 20-30 minutes.
3. Heat oven to 350*F (or light BBQ and bring to a high temperature). Place beef patties into the oven and cook for 15 minutes, or BBQ until hamburgers are cooked through.

Serve immediately.

Spicy Lemon Chicken

The lemon tree in our yard is so heavy laden this year that some of the branches are near touching the ground. So what is a person to do with such a tree? Create lots of dishes with the fresh and delicious yellow fruit!

I don't know about you, but for me, when I have a dish that has just enough lemon in it, it gives the entire dish a sense of freshness. Maybe its that fact that lemons are a great cleaning agent, and so my senses feel the "cleanliness" in the dish, or maybe it is something entirely different, but I love cooking with lemon; and in Arizona, that means cooking with it more often in our wintertime when the citrus are in season.

Last night, I grabbed some chicken legs out of the fridge and upon deciding to roast them, thought back to the many meals my Middle Eastern friends would make, many of the dishes would contain the juice of lemon. And maybe this dish isn't so "spicy" as it is aromatic.

On the BBQ, lemon juice infused meat reacts to create an incredible taste that is quite unique, but it works well in the oven also. I thought to give it a whirl and add a bit of lemon juice to the chicken and see what it created. Well, it could only go one of two ways... great or awful. No "grey area" here.


As most of my cooking is experimentation, the results of this experiment turned out brilliant, and my "taste-tester" hubby insisting that I should get the recipe up on here fast. So, without any further adieu, here is the recipe.

Happy Cooking, Happy Eating!

Our lemon tree. It is so heavy laden this year.

Ingredients:
8 chicken legs
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
4 tbsp garlic powder
1 tsp seven spices
2 tsp paprika
juice of 1/2 - 1 lemon
salt to taste


8 red-skinned potatoes
salt to taste
1/2 cup vegetable oil


8 cups baby carrots
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp water
salt to taste


Heat oven to 375*F

1. Rinse and pat dry chicken legs (remove any excess fat). Place in a baking dish, skin side up.

2. Sprinkle the spices and salt evenly over the legs.

3. "Drizzle" the lemon juice over the legs, making sure you don't "wash" the spices off the chicken legs. Set aside.

4. Wash potatoes and cut in half, toss in salt lightly.

5. Pour oil into a separate baking dish and then lay the potatoes, exposed flesh side down in to the oil.

Bake chicken and potatoes for 45 mins - 1 hr, or until chicken skin is well roasted (and crisp) and chicken and potatoes are cooked through. Remove from heat and let sit 5-8 minutes before plating.

6. Pour carrots into a microwave safe dish, season with a little salt. Dab the butter on top of the carrots, and add the water down the sides of the dish. Microwave on HIGH for 7-8 minutes until cooked through but not over-cooked. Once cooked, give a quick toss to coat all the carrots with butter, and serve immediately.


Serves 4-6

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"Soft" Mead

With the summer upon us, I like to have a variety of choices when it comes to beverages.

Since my husband and I don't drink coffee or tea (which is quite often enjoyed iced during the summer months), I'll often make this most refreshing drink. If you have never tried mead, which was the alcoholic beverage of choice during times of 'ole, here is a very refreshing non-alcoholic version. It is really easy to make and not much fuss.

I add frozen strawberries and always make sure to drink it cold. This is a very refreshing drink and is not only great to drink often, but is really great to serve at Summer BBQ's and get-togethers.

I am going to experiment with various different fruits and will then let you know how these turned out.

When you try it, let me know how you liked it...


Ingredients:
4 cups spring water
1 cup honey
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 lemon, sliced
1 orange, sliced
½ packet of frozen strawberry (or experiment with other fruits)

Instructions:
1. Bring water, honey, nutmeg, ginger, and cinnamon to a boil in a medium-sized saucepan.

2. Stir until honey is dissolved; heaviness at bottom of pan will disappear.

3. Use a wooden spoon to skim off the film that rises until surface is clear.

4. Add lemon and orange slices, squeezing as they are placed in the water (add frozen strawberries now too - let cook for about 5 - 10 mins and then mash the strawberries to expel the juices).

5. Cool completely; strain. Pour into bottle and store in refrigerator.






"Soft" Mead

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Grilled Middle-Style Eastern Chicken Leg Dinner

Grilled Middle-Style Eastern Chicken Legs

4 boneless/skinless chicken legs
1 TBSP garlic powder
1 TBSP cumin powder
1 TBSP coriander powder
1 TBSP fresh lemon juice
2 TBSP vegetable oil
Salt and Pepper to taste

1 onions, cut in 6ths
3 cloves garlic, sliced


Method:

1. Rinse and dry chicken legs, place on aluminium lined baking sheet
2. Sprinkle the spices, salt and pepper on the chicken, add 1 TBSP oil and a bit of lemon juice per chicken leg to create a paste and rub all over chicken on both sides.
3. Add cut onion and sliced garlic around the chicken and put in broiler approx 8-10 mins per chicken side (alternatively, cook on BBQ grill for better flavour).



Homemade Salad Dressing

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/4 tsp Tumeric powder
3 TBSP Splenda sweetener
1/2 TBSP Honey
1/2 lemon (juice)
3 TBSP vegetable oil
1 TBSP Kosher salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper

Method:

Add all ingredients to the Magic Bullet (or to a food processor or blender), and pulse until thick and creamy. Adjust taste to suit

Serve with tossed lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, sliced onions for a fresh taste



Chicken-flavoured Rice

2 cups white rice
3 cups water
1 tsp chicken powder (bouillon)
1 TBSP garlic powder
2 TBSP butter
1 tsp salt

Method:

1. Rinse rice and add water
2. Add the garlic powder, chicken powder, and salt; stir and then set to cook
3. When rice is cooked, add butter and mix through thoroughly