Day 1 of my New Year Detox – Italian Food Blogger Style!! As I posted yesterday, I am starting off the year with a detox to wipe away the excesses from the holiday season. I will post as many recipes as I possibly can in case you are following along. (Food Stylist Warning: The photos may not be pretty as it is impossible to do good food photography under the glare of overhead lights! Arrgh!)
My rules for the weeks ahead – first two weeks: No grain (of any kind – eek!!), no dairy, soy, vino (except in recipes) or caffeine; third week: add rice back; fourth week: start adding foods back in. The ‘no grain and no dairy’ terrify me the most – this self-confessed carb and cheese addict!! I have to admit that I had visions today of dancing pasta and cheese floating around the room. And the smell of coffee this morning – killer!! But I have done this before and I remember that magical feeling of lightness at the other end – both mentally for having completed it and physically for having given my little ole body a healthy happy start to the new year!
So on day 1, I made Roasted Fish with Cherry Tomatoes and Meyer Lemon along with a side of sautéed broccolini and garlic. (Lunch was a simple salad with a bit of leftover chicken from last eve.) Easy, quick and very healthy! You can roast the tomatoes ahead of time if you wish. And if you use a piece of foil on the sheet pan, cleanup is a breeze. I used Meyer Lemon as I spotted them at the market and thought they would make a nice addition – but regular lemon works beautifully. If you haven’t tried a Meyer lemon, do so! They are a bright delicious cross between a lemon and an orange – very cool lemon indeed!
On the menu for the days ahead:
- Marinated Flank Steak with Mushroom-Wine Sauce
- Eggplant Fries
- Clams in a Fennel Broth
Salute!! On to day 2 :o)!!
xoxo
Michele
Roasted Fish with Cherry Tomatoes and Meyer Lemon
Ingredients:
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes
- 3 cloves garlic
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 firm white fish fillets (such as tilipia, flounder, cod)
- 1 lemon, halved
- 1/2 cup black olives, pitted
- Few sprigs fresh thyme
Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Cover a sheet pan with foil. Spread out the tomatoes on the foil. Thinly slice the garlic and sprinkle over the tomatoes. Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Toss to coat. Place in the oven and roast until the tomatoes burst and blister and give up their juices, about 10-12 minutes.
Raise the oven temperature to 450 degrees. In a shallow dish, place the fish fillets. Drizzle with a bit of olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and freshly ground pepper. Zest and juice one half of the lemon over the fish. Slice the other half of the lemon into very thin slices. Top the fish with the roasted tomatoes, the lemon slices, the black olives and the sprigs of thyme. Drizzle with olive oil.
Bake until the fish is opaque and cooked through in the center. Serve!
Buon appetito!