When Fish Meets Spicy Red Sauce

I keepf frozen, wild-caught Cod in my freezer at all times.  Fish is a favorite protein of mine, and hopefully of yours!  It's versatile, cooks quicker than other meats and is oh soo good for you. Herein lies one of my favorite fish toppings. The wonderful omega oils in the fish and the high antioxidant content of cooked tomatoes blend in a wonderful nutrition-filled dish. It's quick and easy to boot.

This recipe can be made with Salmon or Snapper (not farm raised) if you prefer.

Cod in Spicy Red Sauce

• 2 Tbs. virgin Olive Oil

• 1/3 c. finely chopped organic Onion

• 1 Garlic clove, minced

• 1 Shallot, minced

• 3 c. canned organic Plum Tomatoes, drained, seeded and coarsely chopped

• 1/2 c. chopped Green Olives

• 3 Tbs. organic Tomato Paste

• 1 tsp. Thyme

• ¼ tsp. ground Fennel

• 1/8 tsp. Cayenne Pepper

• 2 Tbs. minced organic Parsley

• Sea Salt and pepper to taste

• 6  6-oz. cold water Cod filets

• Cilantro leaves for garnish (opt.)

Preheat oven to 425º F.

Heat the oil in a heavy saucepan over medium heat.  Cook onions, garlic and shallot until soft but not brown.

Add remaining ingredients, stir to blend, and then simmer for 10 minutes on medium low.  Taste and adjust seasoning.

Lightly oil a baking dish large enough to accommodate the fish in a single layer.  Arrange filets in the dish.  Pour sauce over fish and bake for 15 – 20 mins.  or until fish is no longer translucent and the sauce is bubbling. Serve with wild rice, or GF pasta and a vegetable.

~ Sahtein! ♥

Tasty Ginger Cod Filets

Add Wild Caught fish to your diet 2 -3 times a week. If you have active cancer, it's important to limit your red meat intake to once or twice a week. A serving is 3 oz. of organic grass-fed beef or lamb. Even better, choose Bison.

A Note about Fish

Be very careful about the fish you eat.  As you know where the fish is caught and whether it's wild or farm-raised impacts the quality and the safety of the fish. Many contaminants in our oceans and rivers wind up in our food. Here is a handy list to take with you when shopping for fish.  For people who have had cancer, eliminating toxins is essential.  Click here for a list of safe fish.

Recipe

This is my favorite way to cook Cod and my second favorite way to cook Salmon.  Don't be fooled by the simplicity of the recipe...

• 6-8 organic Green Onions, cut in 1-2 inch pieces

• 3-4 Tbs. shredded or diced organic fresh Ginger

• 3 Tbs. organic Tamari Sauce

• 1 Tbs. Coconut Aminos

• 1/2 packet Stevia or a prinkle of Monk Fruit

• 1/2 tsp. Sesame oil for flavor (opt.)

Mix sauces, sweetener and oil together in a small bowl.

Place half the onions and ginger in glass or ceramic baking dish. Lay filets on top. Scatter remaining onions and ginger on top.

Drizzle with sauce.

ginger fish

Broil for 5 minutes, turn pieces over, and broil additional 3 minutes.  If filets are thick test for doneness (fish should flake when poked with a fork.)

Serve hot with sprouted brown rice and steamed vegetables.

Note: This may also be cooked in a saute pan on the stove. Cook vegs and fish on one side, flip and then add sauce mixture. Cook for 3 minutes and fiip once more to coat, and until done.

~ itadakimasu! ♥

To Fish or Not to Fish...

What's for Lunch?

salmon salad lunch

As a Lebanese, homemade Hummus is always at the ready.

Salmon is a favorite o fmine, and I am sure to have cans of Alaskan Wild Caught Salmon in my pantry for the time I am out of the fresh version.  So I here is my Salmon Salad to compliment the Hummus and steamed cabbage I made.

Hoda's Salmon Salad

Salmon Salad

• 2 cans wild caught Pink Salmon

• 2 organic Celery stalks, chopped fine

• 3 organic Green Onions, chopped fine

• 1/4 c. organic flat leaf Parsley, chopped fine

• 2-3 Tbs. Vegenaise

• 1-1/2 tsp. Spicy Brown Mustard or Dijon

• 2 tsp. Lemon Juice

• 1/4 tsp. Black Pepper

Flake the Salmon, and add rest of ingredients. Combine well in a medium bowl.

Serve over whole grain wheat-free toast or in a lettuce leaf, alongside avocado slices sprinkled with lemon juice.

~ Bon Apetit! ♥

And What About Copper?

I have to watch my intake of copper, and take 2 supplements to keep it in check. I have been advised to avoid Shellfish, Peanuts, Cashews and other copper-heavy foods. I don't use copper utensils for food.  I recently tossed out my water kettle because I realized it has a copper bottom! Every 3 -5 months I have a Ceruloplasmin blood test to check my copper level. Why? you may ask. Well, here are two sources with a little more information, and links to the full articles.

1. The Role of Copper in the Angiogenesis Process - from: cancerprotocol.com

Copper is believed to be the switch that turns on the angiogenesis process in tumor cells. It has been observed that abnormally high serum copper levels are found in patients with many types of progressive tumors.

According to the University of Michigan Oncology Journal, many studies have shown copper to be an obligatory co-factor in the process of angiogenesis. Growth factors in angiogenesis require binding to copper in order to function properly. As stated in Steven Brem's research at the Moffitt Cancer Center, linked below, "copper-binding molecules [ceruloplasmin, heparin, and tripeptide glycly-histadyl-lysine] are non-angiogenic when free of copper, but they become angiogenic when bound to copper."

On January 21, 2000, the University of Michigan reported that researchers had "successfully stopped the growth and spread of cancer by depriving the tumors of the copper supply they need to form new blood vessels." Dr. George Brewer used an inexpensive compound called tetrathiomolybdate (TM) to lower the serum copper levels in patients with cancer.

This study was done with a group of 18 patients in hospice with 11 different types of metastatic cancer. The goal of the study was to reduce ceruloplasmin to 20% of baseline for at least 90 days. The treatment achieved this goal in 6 patients, and 5 of those patients have seen no tumor growth or new tumors for more than 2 years. The other 12 patients could not achieve the target copper levels, suggesting that it can take more than a month to reduce copper levels to target, during which time the cancer may progress rapidly." -  Read full article here.

2. What is the evidence?  -  from : http://www.cancer.org

Copper is a trace mineral that is needed for many important body processes. Animal studies have shown that copper is useful in maintaining antioxidant defenses. Antioxidants block the actions of free radicals, which are activated oxygen molecules that can damage cells. While the role of copper in the cancer process is still unclear, copper complexes have been shown to have anti-cancer properties in laboratory studies.

Other laboratory and animal studies suggest that high copper levels may be linked to liver cancer and brain tumors. More recently, many studies have shown that patients' blood copper levels are higher in several types of cancer and other diseases. To add to the confusion, blood tests can show high copper levels even when there is little copper in the tissues. These high copper levels may be due to injury, disease, or inflammation. Because copper levels in the blood do not always reflect nutritional status, it's hard to design or find good studies of copper.

Copper is needed to form new blood vessels, and because cancer needs new blood vessels in order to grow, some researchers are lowering copper levels to see if it will help slow tumor growth. In effect the researchers are trying to use low copper levels to starve the tumor of nutrients by keeping it from building new blood vessels (anti-angiogenesis). One group of researchers looked at whether a copper-lowering drug, tetrathiomolybdate (or TM), could help patients with advanced kidney cancer. Some patients' cancer stopped growing during the 6-month treatment period. A few people had low white blood counts during treatment, requiring that treatment be stopped until they recovered. This was a small study, and further research is needed to find out whether copper can help more people with advanced cancer -  Read the full article here.

~ Be Well! ♥

Moqueca - Brazilian Spicy Fish Stew

I modified the recipe to meet the breast cancer diet recommendations.

You can turn down the 'heat' by using half the amount of chili peppers in the recipe. Remember that we don't want to saute in HOT oil.  Overheating oil turns it into a carcinogen.  Only use medium heat and add ingredients to the oil before it is hot or reaches its burn point.  The food should not 'sizzle' when you add it.

Although this method won't cause the usual browning, recipes are still tasty and so much better for you.

Tip: Whenever a recipe calls for cooking oil I use a 50-50 combo of olive and coconut oil...this boosts the burn point of the olive oil.

Moqueca

6-8 servings

• 2  lbs. Wild Cod, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 1 c. roughly chopped organic Onion, plus 1/2 cup julienned Onion
• 2 c. roughly chopped organic Tomatoes, and 2 Tomatoes cut into 1/4" rounds
• 2 cloves Garlic, and 1 Tbs. minced Garlic
• 5 Tbs. chopped fresh organic Cilantro
• 2 tsp. Sea Salt
• 3 Tbs. fresh-squeezed Lime juice
• 1/4 c. Extra Virgin Olive Oil (or coconut oil, or blend 50-50)
• 1/4 c. Piri Piri, recipe follows
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can Coconut milk

Place the fish in a large glass or plastic mixing bowl. In a blender, combine chopped onion, chopped tomato, the 2 cloves of garlic, 1 Tbs. of the cilantro, 1 tsp. of the salt, and lime juice. Blend until smooth, then pour directly over the fish. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 1 hour.

In a large sauté pan over medium heat, add the oil. Wait 1 minute (do not allow to reach sizzle point).  Add the julienned onions to the pan and sauté, stirring, about 4 minutes.

Add the minced garlic to the pan and sauté for an additional 30 seconds. Pour the fish and the marinade into the pan and add the remaining tsp. of salt, the Piri Piri, and the coconut milk.  Stir to combine.

Cover pan until the liquid comes to a slow boil.  Place  the sliced tomatoes on top and cover again.

Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue to cook until the flesh starts to flake, about 10 minutes.

Remove the cover from the pan and sprinkle the remaining 4 tablespoons of cilantro over the fish. Serve accompanied by cooked barley or whole wheat Bulgar.

Piri Piri:

• 1 Tbs. plus 1/2 c. extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 5 cloves Garlic, crushed with 1/2 tsp. Sea Salt
• 3 Cayenne Chile peppers, chopped; stems, ribs and seeds removed (or substitute hot red peppers)
• 1/4 cup fresh squeezed Lemon juice

Place a small pan over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil to the pan. Wait 1 minute and add the garlic and peppers.

Sauté, stirring often, until the edges of the garlic are barely golden, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the lemon juice to the pan, and remove from the heat.

Place the contents of the pan in a blender and add the salt. Puree until mostly smooth. Drizzle the remaining 1/2 cup of olive oil through the feed tube of the blender, processing as you do. Let cool before using. Store refrigerated in an airtight container.

Yield: 3/4 cup

~ In good health! ♥