Passion Fruit and Lime Quencher Today’s dish: Steamed, spicy, curried cod fish topped with Pikliz and served with a side of pan roasted okra and brown rice with pigeon peas! Our non-alcoholic drink today is a passionfruit and lime quencher.
Steamed Spicy Curried Cod Fish
Ingredients:
2 filets of cod fish, cut into large cubes
1 cup of sliced bell peppers (red, yellow, green or any color combination)
3 chopped garlic cloves
1/3 cup diced yellow onion
1/8 tsp sliced/chopped scotch bonnet pepper (more if you prefer a spicier dish!)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 heaping tablespoon of curry powder blend
½ tsp of cumin
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 sprigs of fresh thyme
½ cup chopped tomatoes
1½ cups low sodium vegetable broth
Salt/pepper to taste
Pikliz (pickled, spicy cabbage slaw with carrots, onions, black peppercorn, scotch bonnet peppers, scallions, bell peppers, distilled white vinegar and lime)
Budget Corner:
To make this dish more affordable, some good alternatives to cod are pollock, halibut, sole or tilapia. Frozen fish is often much cheaper and is just as nutritious as fresh fish.
You can also easily plant leftover fresh herbs such as thyme and basil from the grocery store with stems attached, for an endless supply!
Method:
Heat a non-stick pan and add olive oil
Add thyme, garlic, scotch bonnet pepper and onions. Saute till the onions are translucent
Add tomatoes, bell peppers, and stir well
Add curry powder, cumin and stir well until most of the liquid in the pan is evaporated
Add fish, stir well
Slowly drizzle in vegetable broth, add 1 tsp salt and black pepper, cover pan and let it steam until the fish is firm to the touch
Drizzle lemon juice over the dish or serve with Pikliz on top
Pan Roasted Okra:
Ingredients:
1- 2 cups of freshly chopped or frozen okra
3 tablespoons of minced garlic
½ tsp scotch bonnet peppers or your favorite hot sauce
½ cup chopped white or yellow onion
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ tsp cumin
Salt/pepper to taste
Method:
In a non-stick pan, add olive oil
Add onion, garlic, pepper, and sauté until the onions are translucent
Add okra, season with salt and pepper and stir well
Let okra sit for about 4-5 minutes on medium heat before stirring the pot. You may start to see charred okra edges. This is what you want!
Stir and allow okra to cook to your desired level of char.
Add cumin and stir for another minute
Ready to serve alongside the cod fish dish
Pigeon Peas and Rice:
Ingredients:
1 cup of brown rice, washed
1 cup of canned pigeon peas, drained
1.5 cups of vegetable stock
1 tablespoon of chopped pimientos
3 tablespoons of minced garlic
1 whole scotch bonnet pepper
¼ cup chopped white or yellow onion
2 tablespoons olive oil
1-2 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 tsp of turmeric
Salt and pepper to taste
Budget Corner
This fantastic dish contains some of the most affordable healthy ingredients, such as brown rice ($0.18 per ¼-cup dry serving) and canned beans (9.1 ¢/oz). Canned beans are a great healthy option, not only for their affordability, but because they are already ready for us to enjoy! Just make sure you rinse them well before adding to the dish to remove excess salt.
Although buying an olive oil bottle can be expensive, luckily small quantities of olive oil give us big benefits – a $10 bottle actually contains about 64 servings, giving us a $0.15 expense for every meal.
Method:
Add olive oil to a hot pan
Add onion, garlic, pimiento, and thyme, stir well until onions are translucent
Add turmeric, pigeon peas, rice and stir well
Add vegetable stock and the whole scotch bonnet pepper. Add enough liquid to cover the rice by about ¾ inch. Add salt and pepper to taste
Cover the pan and let steam until the rice is cooked.
Add more liquid, cover, and steam to your preferred consistency
Remove from heat and fluff with a fork
Ready to serve with the cod fish and pan roasted okra!
Passion Fruit and Lime Quencher
Ingredients
1-2 passion fruits
Juice of 1 lime
1 teaspoon of date sugar
Cold carbonated water
Budget corner:
Passionfruit is a delicious and nutrient-rich fruit. If you would like to try a cheaper alternative, mangos and peaches also pack a health punch and add the same sweetness!
Method:
Scoop out passion fruit pulp, mix with lime juice. You can freeze these to make passion fruit/lime ice cubes
Add cold carbonated water to a chilled glass, mix in date sugar and passion fruit/lime ice cubes
Enjoy! This drink gets stronger as the fruit ice cubes melt!
Why it’s great for you: Healthy has never tasted so delicious! With the combination of omega-3s from the fish and fiber from both the vegetables and the brown rice, this dish truly packs a health punch. Both omega-3s and fiber intake have been linked to heart health and a lower risk of heart disease and stroke. (1,2,3)
But it’s not just about what you eat – it is also about HOW you eat it. We will be steaming our fish today because it is a great alternative to frying, which, in frequent amounts, has been linked to a higher risk of adverse health events. (4) This is because fried foods are high in saturated and trans fats, which can increase our blood lipids and put us at a greater risk for heart disease. (5)
Instead of using condiments that are high in saturated fats or trans fats such flavor enhancing cubes, coconut milk, butter, lard, palm oil or hydrogenated oils, we have added flavor with fresh herbs and spices. This simple change not only makes our meal less calorie-dense and helps us maintain a healthy weight, but also adds health benefits. Research has given us evidence that herbs and spices pack antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. (6)
Today we will also be making a passionfruit and lime quencher drink, sweetened with date sugar. The antioxidants in the fruit and date sugar, such as vitamin C, have shown preventative and therapeutic benefits in cardiovascular health. (7) Additionally, making this drink instead of buying it, allows us to control the amount of sugar we add, which is another important factor in maintaining heart health. (8)
In short – delicious dishes like this one can help you live a long healthy life, not only because they pack heart-protective nutrients, but also because their flavors can make a healthy diet more sustainable in the long term. We hope you will enjoy it!
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