Friday, August 17, 2012

Clean Eating's Maple-Dijon Cod



My best friend Cathy got me a subscription to Clean Eating Magazine a couple years ago, and I requested (yes, I really did make a request as to what I wanted for Christmas!) she get it for me again this year because the recipes are rockin'! Like I've said before, I'm not a fan of their nutrition information (I always seem to find inaccurate statements, and even when I write them and they admit they were wrong they never post them on their "comments to the editor" page. Go figure), but their recipes make the magazine worth reading. The recipes do all seem to be fairly low in sodium, so if you aren't used to lower sodium dishes they might take some getting used to (but in my opinion, you should get used to using less sodium in your food and recipes!).

A few Sundays ago Nick and I decided to have his mom over for dinner. Nick's mom, Dee, is a real foodie and is willing to try just about anything. I love that about her because I never hesitate to make new and unique dishes when she comes over (she inspired me to make this avocado ice cream) and that's not to mention the fact that she always serves some great food when we go over to her place for meals (and Nick's sister, Meghan, is also a real talent in the kitchen!). So on this particular Sunday I really wanted to make fish. Nick will only eat fish that doesn't "taste like fish" so cod was my best option. I grabbed my Clean Eating Magazine and flipped to a recipe I had tabbed; Maple-Dijon Cod. I made a few minor adjustments (due to my low FODMAPs diet) and came up with this;

Maple-Dijon Cod
(low FODMAPS)
(Source: Clean Eating Magazine)

Serves 4

Ingredients
2 t olive oil (for fish)
1 t garlic olive oil (for spinach)
3 T black or brown mustard seeds
2 T Dijon mustard
2 T pure maple syrup
1 t balsamic vinegar
Kosher or sea salt, and fresh ground black pepper to taste
4 5-ounce pieces of center-cut cod fillets
10 cups raw spinach

Directions
1. In a small nonstick skillet, heat 2 tsp olive oil on medium-low heat. Add mustard seeds and stir to coat. Cover and cook until seeds begin to pop (about 4-5 minutes). Once they begin to pop, and they've been popping for about 30 seconds, turn off the heat and let sit, covered, until popping stops (about 1-2 minutes). Transfer the seeds to a mixing bowl and add the dijon, maple syrup, vinegar, salt and pepper, and mix well.

2. Adjust oven rack ~5 inches from the heating element (broiler) and preheat the broiler to high. Line a baking sheet with foil and arrange the cod on baking sheet in a single layer. Spoon the dijon mixture over top of the cod, making sure to not get much on the foil (because it will burn!).


Broil until cooked through and flakes easily (about 8 minutes). Remove from oven and cover loosely with foil to keep warm.

3. Heat a large skillet on medium-high and add 1 tsp garlic olive oil to pan. Add the raw spinach and saute until it's wilted (about 2 minutes). Spoon the spinach onto serving plates, and top for the cod.



I served this with mashed sweet potatoes as the side (since Nick insists on having a starch, or two, with all of his meals). For dessert we had Girl Scout Cookies (or wait, Dee and I didn't have any, but Nick had eight. No joke. Dee and I were content with our alcoholic beverages; Dee had wine, I had an IPA beer). This recipe was devoured by all three of us, and will certainly be made again. And again. And...again.

QUESTION: Do you ever use mustard seeds in your cooking? I'd never seen a recipe with mustard seeds, so this was a first for me!

Any fun plans for Easter? My mom and dad are hosting Easter this year, which means no travel this year (yeah!). Not that I ever travel far, but it's nice to have a 2-minute drive :) I'm making a spinach salad and gluten free simple lemon bars. I'll be posting the recipes on Monday!


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11 comments :

  1. This looks great and I couldn't agree more about Clean Eating Magazine.

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  2. Yum-- looks great! I have a jar of mustard seeds that I never use, so this would be perfect for making a dent in it!

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  3. This is one of my FAVORITE glazes for fish. Instead of adding mustard seeds to dijon, I buy the grain mustard (seeds already in!).

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  4. Looks so so yummy! I look at clean eating's website sometimes for recipes. They are pretty good :)

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  5. mmm this looks great! I actually had some grilled steel head trout with a spicy mustard sauce tonight :) Happy Easter! I'm heading out to my dad's house.

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  6. Yum- I love cod so this looks delicious. I also agree with Nick and need to have a starch with my meals haha- I love sweet potatoes :)

    Have a great Easter! We are headed to Eric's parents for an Easter egg hunt and then we'll go out to lunch because that is their tradition- we are going to one of my favorite restaurants near them, yay. Tonight we are doing Easter with my family at my parents house. No long drives for us either!

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  7. I am pinning this. It looks SO good, and served with sweet potatoes?! Over the top, amazing combo of basically all my favorite foods. Thank you SO much for sharing!

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  8. i LOVEEEEE cod! its not my fav fish persay because i really just love them all but it is so good because it takes on the taste of whatever you make it in! yay for nick liking it! and awesome idea to wash it all down with irish cookies & alcohol haha. happy easter lady!!! xoxo

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  9. Never used mustard seeds in my cooking, but will have to scavenge for some for this recipe...looks too tempting to pass up!

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  10. The presentation of the dish is SO Portuguese! Yes, I have been served cook that looks just like that (minus the mustard, that part is not so Portuguese). Looks so yummy! I could imagine the nutrition info would drive me nuts too, but I am sure there are some good recipes too.

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