Crab Stuffed Zucchini Boats

I rarely eat crab, but when it's on sale for half off, I do.  I know fish is best fresh, but here in Columbus, Ohio it's ok to enjoy canned fish.....since nothing is really "fresh" (although the seafood department where I work gets it in probably as fresh as you can find here in Columbus!  I only buy my fresh seafood from our seafood department, needless to say).  Canned crab is incredibly convenient, and actually quite delicious.  When I bought some a few months ago I wasn't exactly sure what I was going to do with it.  At first I thought crab cakes, but then I thought I should try something a little different ( I love crab cakes, but come on, that's boring).  I found this great recipe online for Crab Stuffed Zucchini, and although it was loaded with FODMAPs, I wanted to try it anyway.  This turned out to be such a fantastic recipe that I know I will be using this year's zucchini bounty to make this again and again (and again).

Crab Stuffed Zucchini Boats

Slightly modified from a recipe on AllRecipes.com

Serves 4

Ingredients

4 Zucchini, ends trimmed

1 Tbsp. unsalted butter

1/2 onion, finely chopped**

1/2 yellow (or other color) bell pepper, finely chopped

1 pound crab meat

1 tsp. smoked paprika

pepper to taste

1/4 cup white cooking wine

1 cup Panko bread crumbs**

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese

Directions

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2.  Slice the zucchini in half the long way, and scoop out the flesh leaving about 1/2-inch thick skins.  Place on a baking sheet.

3.  Melt 1 Tbsp. butter in a skillet over medium heat; cook and stir onion and bell pepper until the onion is translucent (about 5 minutes).  Gently stir in the crabmeat, and cook for about 5 more minutes (until crab meat is hot).  Season the crab mixture with paprika and pepper.

4.  Place the crab mixture into a mixing bowl, and lightly stir in panko bread crumbs, mayonnaise, and white wine.  Add a bit more mayonnaise to help the mixture hold together, if needed.  Spoon the filling into the prepared zucchini boats, and top each with ~ 2 Tbsp. parmesan cheese.

5.  Bake in preheated oven until the cheese melts and the filling is hot (~15-20 minutes).

**NOTE:  If you are following a low FODMAPs diet you will need to omit the onion.  Perhaps you could replace the onion with more pepper ( I haven't tried this, but it might be tasty!).  Also, look for a wheat free bread to make your own bread crumbs (although for most people on this diet, the small amount of unseasoned panko in this recipe shouldn't cause any problems).  

In the skillet.  Mmmmmm...crab!

Hollowed out zucchini boats

In the oven.

Nick added sriracha to his boat.  It wasn't a bad idea actually. 

Source: CalorieCount.com

Estimated Nutrition Facts for 2 boats (one full zucchini squash)

Nutrition Highlights:  Under 400 calories, good source of Vitamin A and fiber, excellent source of calcium, iron, vitamin C and protein.

Yes, this recipe is not low in sodium (not even close) and if you're watching your sodium I would suggest.....well.....not making this.  You could look for lower sodium versions of the ingredients, but I tried to use the lowest sodium version of the ingredients as possible (I'm actually not sure how accurate this sodium number is, I came up with closer to 900 mg).  The main culprits were the mayo, panko, and of course, the parmesan cheese (you could forgo the parmesan cheese, and I bet these would still be tasty!). This recipe was very easy to make, and both Nick and I really enjoyed the boats for a couple days (they were great as leftovers).

QUESTION:  What's your favorite vegetable to hollow out and make into a "boat"??  Or perhaps you like to do this with fruit?

Thanks for reading.

The Candid Rd

Ginger-Lime Seared Tuna with Spinach

I guess it's not a secret that Nick and I are thinking of having children (or at least, a child) at this point in our lives.  I mean, we're both thirty (or.....above, ahem....) and we've been together for a while and are ready for that next giant step!  That being said, no, I'm not pregnant, and nor do I plan to be in the really near future (although life never really goes as planned, right?!).  However I've been thinking about all of the foods that I'll have to limit (or omit) once I do get pregnant (and drinks.....wine, coffee, wahhhh!!!).  Tuna, one of my favorite types of fish, will definitely have to be an "every once in a while food", check out the mercury levels of your favorite fish (including tuna) in the 2010 Dietary Guidelines Appendices.  And if you're pregnant and want to know how much tuna (and what types) you can and can't eat, check out AmericanPregnancy.org's recommendations.  

And of course we can't forget what the Monterey Bay Aquarium has to say.  If you would like more information, visit their website.  Here is the information on Ahi Tuna.

Source: MontereyBayAquarium.org
Basically when it comes to buying tuna, or any fish for that matter, it's best to know where your fish is coming from and how it was caught.  This may not be necessary all the time, but it's especially true if you're pregnant, have young kids who eat fish, or if you eat a specific type of fish on a regular basis.

Anyway...... because tuna tends to be higher in mercury, I'm getting my fill before I decide to start thinking about getting pregnant.  Next week I'll be posting a Clean Eating Magazine recipe for sesame seared tuna and carrot salad.  But today it's all about the ginger and lime!

Ginger Lime Seared Tuna with Spinach

Source  

Serves 4

Ingredients

1.5 pounds tuna steak, cut into 4 even pieces (use a high to sashimi grade if you're cooking it rare to medium rare)

1/3 cup olive oil

1/3 cup lime juice

2 garlic cloves, minced *

1 piece of ginger (thumb-sized)

course salt and ground pepper to taste

1/2 Tbsp. butter

4 handfuls of fresh spinach

** NOTE:  If you are following a low FODMAPs diet omit the garlic and replace the garlic taste by using a tuscan or garlic olive oil instead of regular olive oil.

Directions

1.  Mix olive oil and lime in a mixing bowl.  

2.  Crush ginger and mince, then mince garlic and add them with the salt and pepper into the bowl with the lime and oil.  Whisk thoroughly.

3.  Place tuna pieces in bowl, turn them over in 10 minutes (basically you are marinating each side for about 10 minutes)

4.  In hot skillet, melt the butter and then place tuna pieces in, pouring the rest of the marinade over them, about two to three minute son each side to sear to medium-rare.

5.  Place a handful of fresh spinach on each plate, then plate a tuna steak on each bed of spinach.  Use the leftover marinade and butter in the skillet to drizzle over the tuna and spinach.

Estimated nutrition facts for one serving

Nutrition Highlights: Under 500 calories, excellent source of protein, vitamin A and vitamin C, good source of iron.  Also, based on the USDA Dietary Guidelines, this recipe provides ~200-400 mg EPA/DHA.

The original recipe called for rice, but I thought spinach would be a better choice.  First off, it's a vegetable, and second, it's lower in carbohydrate so you can leave room for a dessert ;)

QUESTION: Do you like tuna??  What's your favorite kind and how do you like to prepare it?  I really love the lazy dinners of pouched tuna on top of a salad.  I don't do this often, but it's nice to have as an option sometimes. 

Thanks for reading!

The Candid Rd

NOTE: I love comments!  But, be sure to come back to read any replies to questions or comments, as they do not go directly to your e-mail.

Thrifty Thursday; Grilled Cod Sandwiches with Homemade Tartar Sauce

Today's recipe is not only thrifty in terms of price, but also time.  When I get home after a long day of work (working around food, no less), I like to have options for quick dinner recipes.  I know I'm not alone in this desire.  You agree, right?  I also like to have options that I can provide to Nick, just in case one night he decides he wants to make dinner.  This recipe would definitely be something Nick could prepare (I hope he's reading this....hint hint Nick!)

Grilled Cod Sandwiches

Serves 4 

Time: ~20 minutes total

Price per serving: ~$3.00

Ingredients

1/4th cup light mayonnaise

1/4th cup plus 2 tsp. fresh lime juice, divided

2 tsp. finely chopped dill pickle

2 tsp. finely chopped red onion**

2 tsp. chopped fresh Italian (flat-leaf) parsley

4 6-ounce cod fillets

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 tsp. lemon pepper seasoning**

4 sandwich rolls, split and toasted

Toppings (optional):  Spinach, Tomato, Red Onion

Directions

1.  Make the tartar sauce by combining mayo, 2 tsp lime juice, pickle, onion and parsley in a small bowl.  Set aside

2.  Place fillets in a shallow dish; drizzle with oil and remaining 1/4th cup lime juice.  Season with lemon pepper, and salt to taste

3.  Coat grill rack with nonstick cooking spray.  Preheat grill to medium (300 degrees or 350 degrees F).  Grill fillets, covered, 4 to 5 minutes per side or until fish flakes easily with a fork.

4.  Spread cut sides of rolls with tartar sauce.  Place 1 fillet on each roll, top with your optional toppings.

NOTE: If you would like to make this a Low FODMAPs "cod-wich", use a lemon pepper seasoning without onion or garlic (or, since I am not aware of one that exists, use fresh pepper and some lemon zest).  Also, omit the red onion.  And, of course, use a wheat-free bun.

NOTE:  You can reduce the calories by only doing 3-4 ounces of cod, and using less oil to cook the cod.  This can easily cut the calories by 100 or more.  That's exactly what I did when I made my sandwich.  I used less oil and only ate about 4 ounces of cod (Nick, on the other hand, ate his double decker-style with the full 6-ounce pieces cut in half and topped on top of one another).

Homemade tartar sauce.  So easy!  And it was great on a simple grilled piece of cod, even without the bun.

Nick gave this sandwich two thumbs up (and that was amazing, considering it's seafood and Nick isn't a huge fan of seafood!).

We had our sandwiches with a side of vegetables, of course.  The entire meal was very filling.

Estimated Nutrition Facts for 1 sandwich, with 6-ounces fish and a 100-calorie whole grain sandwich roll/bun

Nutrition Highlights:  Excellent source of protein and fiber (from the particular rolls we chose).  A good source of calcium, iron, and vitamin C.  Not seen on the nutrition facts are the Omega-3 fatty acids, which would be about 350 mg/6-ounces of cod.  Not bad!



QUESTION:  What's your favorite fish to eat as a sandwich?  Mine is definitely cod, but I also like turning fish/seafood into burgers!

Thanks for reading!

The Candid Rd