ARF/5-A-Day #119

When the e-mail from Cooking Light magazine arrived in my e-mail box this morning, dinner was decided in an instant.  Spanish-Style Halibut it was.  I think calling it “Spanish-style” is a bit of a stretch since not much past the smoked paprika really makes it “Spanish-style,” but no matter.  Dinner for under 10 bucks, dirtying only one pan, tabled within 30 minutes from start to finish, and delicious and healthy to boot … a tall order to fill, but successfully done.  With the spinach, it’s perfect for tonight’s ARF/5-A-Day roundup.  Now on to what other food bloggers are serving up…

I’m with Claire … you can’t go wrong with roasted vegetables, and it looks like green beans are no exception:

Paula from The Cookbook Junkie is up next, with a new potato recipe (Horseradish Smashed Potatoes) from The Most Decadent Diet Ever cookbook:

Table for Two is thinking warm weather with her Summertime Pasta this week:

Newcomer Renae du Jour joins us this week with a Simple Watermelon Salad:

Amazingly, these dairy- and egg-free Fulla Oats Cookies are the 45th ARF/5-A-Day contribution from Sarah since she started joining in the roundup – way to go!

Laurie from Mediterranean Cooking in Alaska does Carrots with Capers by way of Marcella Hazan:

Want to join in next week’s ARF/5-A-Day roundup?  It’s easy, and you can find out how right here. 

A year ago today … nothing.
Two years ago today … rained out in Brimfield, but in the pink!
Three years ago today … nothing.

Spanish-Style Halibut
Recipes courtesy of Karen Levin , Cooking Light, JULY 2007

1 slice applewood-smoked bacon (I used three slices … shhh, don’t tell; I figure I offset this by upping the spinach)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
4 (6-ounce) skinless halibut fillets (I used flounder to save time in having to skin the halibut)
2 teaspoons bottled minced garlic
1 (6-ounce) package fresh baby spinach (I used a full 9-ounce bag)

Cook the bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, and crumble. (I let the brain degrease a bit on a paper towel before crumbling). Set aside.Combine 1/2 teaspoon salt, smoked paprika, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper in a small bowl. Sprinkle spice mixture evenly over fish. Add fish to drippings in pan, and cook for 3 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork or until desired degree of doneness. Remove fish from pan, and keep warm.

Add 2 teaspoons garlic to pan, and cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently. Stir in bacon. Add spinach to pan, and cook for 1 minute or until the spinach begins to wilt. (I added about a teaspoon of olive oil, just to keep things wet enough to keep garic from burning).  Serve with fish.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 fillet and 1/2 cup spinach mixture)

CALORIES 214(21% from fat); FAT 5.1g (sat 1g,mono 2.7g,poly 1.3g); PROTEIN 37.4g; CHOLESTEROL 57mg; CALCIUM 124mg; SODIUM 475mg; FIBER 1.2g; IRON 2.9mg; CARBOHYDRATE 2.4g