dinner | cook with andrea

Here’s an easy and healthy way to cook fish filets. In this recipe I’ve used haddock and depending on the thickness of your fish filet, you may need to increase your cooking time. You can also use kale leaves, or parchement paper packets. The swiss chard is pairs really well with fish, it’s just delicious with it.

Chard Wrapped Fish Filets

adapted from a recipe by Jessica Seinfeld

Serves 2 (can be doubled, etc)

Ingredients:

2 5 ounce fish filets

2 large swish chard leaves, stems removed (and diced finely for use in this recipe)

1/4 cup onion, finely diced

1/4 cup swiss chard stems, finely diced

1/2 cup fennel bulb, thinly sliced

1/4 cup celery stalks, finely diced (preferably with leaves attached)

2 tbsp olive oil (or oil of your choice)

4 tsp basil pesto

juice of 1/2 lemon

salt and freshly ground pepper

some olive oil to drizzle

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Wash and trim swiss chard leaves. Remove stems and finely dice. Place leaves on baking sheet.

Place fish filets on top of chard leaves, on one side, so there is enough of the leaf to fold over.

Heat olive oil in medium-sized pan over medium heat. Add onions, diced chard stems, celery and fennel to pan. Add salt and pepper. Saute gently until softened – 5 minutes or so. Remove from heat.

Spread 2 tsp of basil pesto on top of each fish filet. Divide vegetable mixture and spoon on top of filets. Drizzle a little olive oil and lemon juice over the fish. Fold over leaf and adhere with a toothpick. (Can be prepared to this point and refrigerated to bake later).

Place into preheated oven and bake for 20 minutes, or until fish is cooked through.

Served with some simple boiled new potatoes. 🙂

Spread pesto on top of filet, followed by sautéed vegetables

Fold over chard leaf, secure with toothpick

I am including some preparation alternatives as well:

Alternatives:

To cook fish in a parchement paper packet, follow the instructions, but place fish on a square of parchment instead of chard leaf. Wrap/fold edges to create a packet. (I used some chopped chard or kale leaf with this alternative, as I love the flavours together).

This is a halibut filet with the same ingredients but more chard leaf chopped up in the vegetable mixture

Parchment packets- you can google how to wrap these properly

Slow-cooked pot roast, pureed cauliflower, gravy, green salad, beet horseradish

This is a great time of year to pull out the slow-cooker and figure out how to cook with it. I use it as often as possible because it means I’ve dealt with my dinner-making obligation early in the day and I can move on to other fun stuff – like baking and eating baking. Besides that, everyone should know how to make a pot roast, it’s a Canadian staple dinner.

Anyhow, I bought a grass-fed beef sirloin tip roast – it works well for pot roast — or use a blade or other tough chunk of beef. We’ll be cooking it low and slow so all those fibrous strands of meat will break down in the process, all the while providing some great flavour. I chose ‘grass-fed’ because that is what cows are supposed to eat naturally and I believe that it is way, way more healthy to eat this kind of beef.

You will need to make a flavour base to cook this in. Follow along with what I’ve used, but please feel free to stray from this guideline and use what you like and/or have on hand.

Slow-Cooker Pot Roast

serves 6

2-3 lb beef roast (blade, sirloin tip)

2 medium onions, diced

3 cloves garlic, diced

1 cup beef broth

1/2 cup red wine (I used shiraz – use a good wine)

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar (use any kind)

2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

2 tbsp tamari or soya sauce

2 tsp ground ginger

1 bay leaf

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1 tbsp chili garlic sauce

1/2 cup salsa

1/2 cup bbq sauce

ground black pepper

to thicken gravy:

1/2 cup water mixed with 2 tbsp cornstarch

Directions:

Turn slow-cooker on to high. Spread diced onions along bottom of cooker. Unwrap and wipe off roast. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. In skillet, heat 1 tbsp butter until melted over med-high heat. Brown roast on all sides. Place browned roast on top of onions.

In separate medium-sized saucepan, put in the rest of the ingredients (except water and cornstarch). Bring to a boil and stir. Pour mixture over beef roast in slow-cooker. Cover and cook for 6-7 hours on low, or 4 hours on high. When roast is tender (can pull apart with a fork), remove from liquid to a plate and tent with foil. Mix up water/cornstarch mixture and stir into liquid in slow cooker (on high). (If there is alot of fat on top of liquid, remove as much as possible before doing this). When thickened, pour into a gravy boat. Slice meat. Serve with horseradish (or beet horseradish – even better)…boiled or mashed potatoes and carrots – or for a healthier, lower carb option – pureed cooked cauliflower and a green salad. Cheers.