Grill Your Fish—Don’t fry it!

OK—it’s still summer and the grill is still hot (along with the weather). You know that for better health you should be eating a couple of fish meals per week, especially the deep cold water—omega-3 packed kind of fatty fish. But whatever you do—don’t fry your fish and ruin a perfectly delicious heart-healthy food. Eat like you’re in Crete and flavor fish with lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil, a little lemon and herbs and you are good to go. Your heart, arteries and taste buds will thank you for this simple preparation.

Recipe: Chef Mario Spina's Grilled Swordfish

A simply spectacular recipe from one of my favorite Italian chefs!

Delicious served with a side of Braised Broccoli Rabe

INGREDIENTS:

Two 6-ounce center cut swordfish fillets

Juice of 1 lemon

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 garlic clove, peeled and chopped

1 tablespoon fresh chopped oregano or mint

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS:

Place fish fillets in a shallow dish. Mix lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, oregano or mint, salt, and black pepper. Pour over fish and refrigerate for one hour. Preheat a grill or sauté pan to medium high heat. Grill or sauté swordfish for about 5 minutes on each side depending on thickness and desired degree of doneness. Meanwhile, heat marinade in a small saucepan, or in the skillet used to cook the swordfish, until boiling for 1 minute. Serve hot marinade over grilled fish with a pinch of fresh mint for garnish

Serves 2

NUTRITION

Per 6-ounce serving:

Food weight: 4.0

Calories: 395

Fat: 27 g (<1 1="1" ala="ala" dha="dha" epa="epa" font="font" g="g">

Saturated Fat: 5 g

Cholesterol: 66 mg

Sodium: 294 mg

Carbohydrate: 3 g

Dietary Fiber: < 1 g

Sugars: 1 g

Protein: 34 g

Less Red Meat = Longer and Healthier Life

It’s official…eating too much red and processed meats --including beef, pork, lamb, ham, hot dogs, sausage, and bacon, and especially well-done –is linked to increased risk of disease and cuts lifespan. Research continues to accumulate linking excess consumption of red meat with diabetes, heart disease and certain types of cancer. This time new research has found that men eating more than 2.5 servings of red meats (cooked at high temperatures) per week were a whopping 40 percent more likely to have advanced prostate cancer. Eat more fish, chicken and beans and live longer and better!

Recipe: Steamed Red Snapper with Black Bean Sauce

Black bean sauce is found in most supermarkets in the Asian food section. Any firm, white fish fillet substitutes well for the Red Snapper. You can also use a whole fish, just make 3, deep, diagonal gashes on each side of the fish. For steaming use a traditional Chinese steamer, an electric steamer, or simply make your own stovetop steamer using steamer cookware.

Food weight: 4.0

INGREDIENTS:

Two 6-ounce red snapper fillets

1 tablespoon black bean sauce

3 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped

1 teaspoon oyster sauce

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon dry white wine, such as Chardonnay

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into thin strips

2 scallions – one finely chopped and 1 cut into thin strips

3 sprigs fresh cilantro

DIRECTIONS:

Place the fish on heat proof plate that fits inside the steamer. Mix the black bean sauce, garlic, oyster sauce, sugar, wine, and salt. Whisk in the olive oil. Add 1 teaspoon finely chopped red pepper and the finely chopped scallion. Generously brush the sauce on the fish. Place the plate in steamer and steam over briskly boiling water until fish turns opaque and flakes easily with a fork about 10 to 12 minutes depending on the thickness of the fish. Remove the fish to a platter and garnish with the red pepper, scallion, and cilantro.

Serves 2

NUTRITION

Per 6-ounce serving:

Food weight: 4.0

Calories: 396

Fat: 23 g (< 1 g EPA, < 1g DHA, <1 ala="ala" font="font" g="g">

Saturated Fat: 3 g

Cholesterol: 63 mg

Sodium: 417 mg

Carbohydrate: 10 g

Dietary Fiber: 3 g

Sugars: 5 g

Protein: 37 g

Beans, Beans, the Poor (and Rich) Man’s Meat

There is no protein source that can rival beans in terms of supplying you with a nice array of amino acids in addition to a huge cache of fiber (a whopping 13 grams per cup), antioxidants, and tons of vitamins and minerals—and all this for only a few cents and just a fraction of the calories in meat! So learn to include beans in your day for a delicious, low-calorie, antioxidant-rich vegetable protein source that fills you up and not out.