Roasted Cod on Shingled Potatoes


Roasted Cod, on Shingled Potatoes
Serves 4

I’ve had people ask me how to eat the foods they love and still be able to maintain their weight or continue to lose weight. It is a common theme on MakeYourSomedayToday, my motivational podcast. This recipe has a healthy, low fat, high protein fish and potatoes (but not deep-fried) for an excellent main course. Served with a nice salad (mixed greens or a delicious Panzanella salad) and you have a perfect meal!

1 large baking potato, approx 1 pound
24 ounces cod, skinless
2 tablespoons olive oil
Spices/herbs of your choice
Lemon slices

Preheat oven to 425F
Wash potato. Slice thinly. You need about 40 slices.
Place potatoes in a bowl. Toss with olive oil and spices. I used Penzey’s Sunny Paris.
Shingle the potatoes into four sections.

Roast for 20-25 minutes, or until they begin to brown. (Mine are about 5 minutes too long.)
Remove from oven. Lay fresh herbs on the potatoes. (I used oregano and basil from my garden.)

Place 6 ounces of skinless cod on the herbs.
Brush with a bit of olive oil. Top with lemon slices.
Roast for another 12-15 minutes.

Remove and serve.
Nutritional data:
Calories:        241
Fat:                 8g
Sat fat:          1.2g
Chol:        62.3mg
Sodium:      98mg
Carbs:         13.6g
Fiber:            1.8g
Protein:       27.5g

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Make Your Someday Today is a twice-weekly podcast, where we talk to successful people in all walks of life and around the world on Monday, and then on Thursday, I take a specific message from the previous guest and give my “Trevitorial”, where I help you apply that message to your life. The entire purpose of the show is to help all of us overcome our challenges and fears and become the person we want to be, the person we deserve to be.

Baked Alaska (built on Lemon Cake)

This is my first attempt at a Baked Alaska. I made a two person piece and two individual servings because I didn’t know if any would work. I think this was a good first attempt, but I need to work a bit more on getting the meringue brown. (It went from was white for the first 3 minutes under the broiler, and then went from white to browned in about 15 seconds. I think it needed about another 10 seconds, but I panicked.)
All the various attempts.

The best single portion.
Already starting to melt.
Melty, but tasty.
Since I haven’t mastered the Baked Alaska (yet) I am not going to give the recipe here. (If you want it, you can easily find one online.) However, I will give the recipe for the incredibly lemony cake that I used as the foundation. It is part cake, part souffle, and total deliciousness.
Lemon Cake
Serves 8
3 tablespoon butter, softened
1 cup sugar (or I used Splenda)
2 tablespoons lemon zest
1 egg
1 cup Greek Yogurt
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup flour
3 egg whites
About 1 liter boiling water (for the water bath in the oven.)
  1. Preheat oven to 350F.
  2. Spray eight 5 ounce ramekins or 6 ounce custard cups with cooking spray
  3. With an electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter until creamy. Add sugar and lemon zest, beating until light and fluffy. Beat in egg at low speed.
  4. Add half the yogurt, half the lemon juice and half the flour. Beat until smooth.
  5. Add remaining yogurt, juice and flour, beating until smooth. Set aside.
  6. With clean beaters, beat egg whites in a clean bowl until stiff peaks form.
  7. With a rubber scraper, fold half of the egg whites into lemon mixture, gently folding until no white remains. Repeat with remaining egg whites.
  8. Divide mixture between ramekins. Place ramekins in a 9×13 baking dish. Add boiling water to the baking dish to surround the bowls with about one inch of water.
  9. Bake until golden brown and just set in the center (about 30 minutes.)
  10. Transfer the ramekins to a cooling rack and let cool for 10 minutes
  11. Dust with confectioner’s sugar and serve warm. As the cake cools, it will begin to collapse.
Nutritional data:
Calories:       105
Fat:               5.1g
Sat fat:          2.9g
Chol:             48mg
Sodium:        44mg
Carbs:          9.1g
Fiber:           0.7g
Protein:        6.7g
Note: the flavor is HUGE lemon, but the color is very pale. If you want it to look more “lemony” you will need to add artificial food coloring. But the aroma and flavor is so pronounced that everyone will know it is lemon cake just from the incredible smells coming from the kitchen.

Potato Ham Skillet and Lemon Souffle Cheesecake

Potato Ham Skillet and Lemon Souffle Cheesecake
The Potato Ham Skillet serves 6 and the Lemon Souffle Cheesecake serves 8.

Potato Ham Skillet
3 Medium potatoes, peeled and sliced VERY thin (If using redskin potatoes, wash them well, and leave the skin on, which is what I do.)
3 scallions, sliced into thin slices
6 ounces of chopped, cooked ham
4 eggs, scrambled
1/4 cup shredded cheese (your preference)

Spray a 10 inch non-stick skillet with cooking spray.
Layer half the potatoes.
Sprinkle half the scallions and half the ham.
Black pepper to taste.
Repeat the layers.
Cover and cook over medium heat for 15 minutes.
Pour the eggs, cover and cook another 3-5 minutes, or until the eggs are almost set.
Top with cheese, cover and cook for 3-5 minutes, or until melted.

Nutritional data:
Calories:        167
Fat:                6.9g
Sat fat:           2.8g
Chol:             156mg
Sodium:        88.2mg
Carbs:          16.3g
Fiber:             1.3g
Protein:        10.4g

Other options:
Add bell peppers, jalapenos, mushrooms or tomatoes.
Use zucchini instead of the potatoes.
Add corn or black beans.
Replace the ham with bacon, sausage, pulled pork, taco-spiced ground beef, shrimp or smoked salmon.

Lemon Souffle Cheesecake

1 graham cracker, crushed
2/3 cup boiling water
1 package sugar-free lemon gelatin
1 cup 2% cottage cheese
8 oz low fat cream cheese
2 cups thawed fat free whipped topping

Spray a springform pan or pie plate with cooking spray. Sprinkle half the cracker crumbs on the side of the pan.
Add water to a gelatin mix in  small bowl. Stir 2 minutes or until completely dissolved. Cook for 4 minutes.
Blend gelatin, cottage cheese and cream cheese with electric mixer or blender until smooth. Pour into a large bowl.
Gently stir in whipped topping.
Pour into prepared pan. Smooth the top. Sprinkle remaining crumbs around outside edge. Refrigerate for 4 hours or until set.

Garnish with lemon zest. (We topped it with a bit of whipped topping and blueberries.)

Nutritional data:
Calories:        106
Fat:                5.5g
Sat fat:              3g
Chol:               19mg
Sodium:         268mg
Carbs:            6.8g
Fiber:                0g
Protein:          6.2g

Other ideas:
Use orange flavored gelatin, top with chopped fresh pineapple and whipped topping.
Use fat free cottage cheese and cream cheese (I don’t like the taste of fat free cottage cheese and cream cheese, so I won’t use those.)
Use cherry flavored gelatin, chocolate graham crackers, and top with shaved dark chocolate.