Wild Cod in White Wine Butter Sauce

Serve: 4

Sauce:

8 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

2 large lemons, juice and zest

1 large garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup extra dry Chardonnay 

Combine lemon juice, zest, and wine. Cook over high heat until reduced to half. Remove from the heat to cool slightly (about 10 minutes). Add butter cubes and blend until smooth. Season with sea salt and black pepper. Keep warm. 

Cod: 

4 6oz wild cod or similar firm white fish

3 fresh large garlic cloves, minced

3 tablespoons virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon fresh chopped dill

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Sea salt and black pepper to taste

Combine garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, and chopped dill. Marinade cod in room temperature for 30 minutes. Season to your preference with sea salt and black pepper.  

Drizzle olive oil to cover the bottom of a large skillet on medium to high heat. When hot pan fry cod for 4 minutes, turning over halfway.

Serve immediately with a generous amount of the sauce over the top.

The Myth of the 'Low-Fat' Diet, and Why Consuming Healthy Fats is Vital to Your Health

www.naturalnews.com - February 20th, 2013

Many people today still adhere to the misguided belief that nearly all fats are bad, and that the best way to stay slim and healthy is to cut fats, whenever possible, from your diet. On the contrary, fats are an absolutely vital component of any healthy diet as they aid in the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins and minerals, as well as feed the brain, heart, liver, lungs, bones, cells and nervous system the nutrients they need to function properly.

It is widely assumed that, because they are called "fats," these substances must contribute to obesity and obesity-related illnesses like heart disease that afflict millions of people today. This is true for trans fats and certain other unhealthy fats, of course, but there are all kinds of healthy fats as well, such as coconut oil, for instance, or even animal-based fats like grass-fed butter and naturally-produced lard that can actually promote good health.

At the recent World of Healthy Flavors Conference in Napa, Calif., the myth of the low-fat diet was tackled head on by several key figures in nutrition and epidemiology, including Walter Willett, chair of the nutrition department at the Harvard University School of Public Health (HSPH), and his colleague Dariush Mozaffarian. As part of their "Focus on Fat" panel, these experts encouraged their audience to abandon the low-fat mindset and learn about the benefits of consuming healthy fats.

Many low-fat food items contain high levels of processed salt and refined carbohydrates, they pointed out, which are added to low-fat foods to make up for the loss in taste and flavor that results from the artificial removal of fats. Both of these additives, which are devoid of their nutritional counterparts due to over-processing, are linked to numerous health problems, including obesity and heart disease.

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Gluten Free Banana Crumble Cake

Cake:

2 cups gluten free flour blend

1 1/2 teaspoons gluten free baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 cup coconut sugar

1 cup milk

1/2 cup melted butter

1/2 cup Greek yogurt

3 large eggs, room temperature

2 teaspoons vanilla essence

3 large ripe mashed bananas

Preheat oven to 350 F

Whisk all the dry ingredients. Combine all the wet ingredients including mashed bananas and add to the dry.

Pour into a greased round 9" cake pan. 

Crumble:

1/4 cup gluten free all purpose flour blend

1/4 cup coconut sugar

1/4 cup cold, diced butter

Cut butter into the flour and sugar until it resembles crumbs. Scatter over the top of the cake.

Bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until a stick inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Gluten Free Vanilla Raspberry Chocolate Cake

4 cups Mia's gluten free cake flour blend

4 teaspoons gluten free baking powder

2 teaspoons guar gum

1 1/2 cups powdered/icing sugar

1 cup plain greek yogurt

1 cup milk

1 cup butter, room temperature

4 eggs, room temperature

2 cups dark chocolate chunks or chips

1 cup raspberry preserve

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time beating well in between. Using a separate bowl, combine flour, xanthan gum, baking powder, salt, and chocolate chunks.

Combine milk and yogurt in a small jug. Fold flour and milk mixture, alternately to the batter, making sure to start with flour end with flour.

Divide batter equally into two lined round cake pans (9"). Drop tablespoonfuls of the raspberry preserve randomly over the top of the cake and use a knife or the tip of a rubber to gently swirl preserve in a circular motion. 

Bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until a stick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.

Remove from the oven and put directly into the freezer for 45 minutes. This process makes the cake lovely and moist.

Leave to cool completely in the pan.

Gluten Free Pear Ginger Lemon Loaf

2 cups Mia's gluten free cake flour blend

4 ripe anjou pears, remove skin, core, and chopped into small pieces

1 cup plain Greek yogurt

1 cup milk

8 tablespoons butter

3 large room temperature eggs

1/2 cup coconut sugar

2 teaspoons ginger powder

2 tablespoons lemon zest

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Whisk milk and yogurt to combine. Set aside. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time beating well in between. Using a separate bowl, combine flour, ginger, pears, and lemon zest. Fold flour and milk mixture, alternately to the batter, making sure to start with flour end with flour.

Pour into a prepared square cake pan (8 by 8" or 20 by 20 cm). Bake for 1 hour or until a stick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.

Remove from the oven and let the cake cool completely before removing from the pan.

White Chocolate Raspberry Muffin

Muffins:

3 cups all purpose unbleached flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup fresh raspberries
1 cup white chocolate chunks
8 tablespoons butter, melted

3 eggs, room temperature
1 cup milk
1/2 cup greek yogurt

Preheat oven to 350 F

Whisk all the dry ingredients to fully combine. Fold in chocolate and fresh raspberries. Set aside. Beat all the wet ingredients to combine and fold into the dry.

Scoop into a lined 24 cup muffin pan and bake for 30 minutes or until a stick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Leave to cool completely in the pan.

   

Parmesan Cheese Herb Rolls

2 tablespoons butter, melted

3 large eggs

1 cup milk

1 cup parmesan cheese

2/3 cup all purpose unbleached flour

Pinch of Salt

1 tablespoon fresh herbs of choice, chopped (I used dill)

Preheat oven to 425 F. Grease muffin pan or 12 small ramekins.

Melt butter. Beat eggs with a electric mixer until well combined, then beat in the milk and melted butter.

Stir together flour, salt, and parmesan cheese. Add to the wet ingredients and continue beating with the mixer to fully combine.

Fill prepared pans half full with batter.

Bake 20-25 minutes until golden. Serve warm.

   

Orange-Honey Roasted Carrots

12 fresh carrots

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons fresh parsley

1 tablespoon wild honey

3 tablespoons fresh orange juice

1 small clove garlic, finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon yellow curry powder

Salt and pepper

Heat a large saute pan over medium-low heat. Melt butter and cook garlic to soften. Add honey, orange juice, and curry powder. Stir to combine.

Once hot, add carrots. Season with salt and black pepper. Turn the carrots occasionally until the glaze thickens and carrots are soft and a golden brown in color (10-15 minutes).

Arrange carrots on a serving platter, sprinkle with fresh parsley and serve hot.

   

Mixed Berry Scones

2 cups all purpose unbleached white flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

3 tablespoons sugar

pinch of salt

6 tablespoons frozen unsalted butter

1 1/2 cups mixed fresh berries of choice (frozen works also)

1/2 cup whole milk or cream

1 egg, room temperature

2 tablespoons grated orange rind

juice of 1 large orange

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Using a pastry knife, cut butter into the dry ingredients until mixture is crumbly. Add the berries (leave a few aside to decorate the top) and grated orange peel. Lightly mix to combine. Set aside.

Mix milk (or cream), orange juice and egg in a separate bowl. Fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients.

Pat dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Use a round pastry cutter or a drinking glass (make sure to flour the edge first) and cut into pieces roughly 2 inches in diameter (they expand). Place on a cookie sheet spaced 2 inches apart. Should yield 9 scones.

Decorate the top of the scones with the extra berries. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

  

Asparagus With Hollandaise Sauce

Asparagus Spears:

24 asparagus (about 1 bunch)

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 small garlic clove, minced

Salt and black pepper

If the asparagus spears are thin, just snap the ends off. If the stalks are thicker, then peel the stalks from half way down to the end to ensure the spears are tender and not stringy. In a large bowl, drizzle olive oil all over the asparagus spears. Sprinkle garlic on top and rub well with your hands to ensure all the spears are fully coated. Season with salt and black pepper and toss over medium high heat in a large frying pan with 1 tablespoon of olive oil or on the grill/barbecue until it's cooked but still crispy (about 4 minutes).

Hollandaise Sauce:

3 egg yolks

1/4 teaspoon dijon mustard

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup butter, melted

In a blender, combine egg yolks, mustard, and lemon juice. Blend to fully combine (about 5 seconds). With the blender on high speed, stream the melted butter in. Sauce should be a thick, but smooth consistency. Pour over asparagus and serve immediately.

   

Mixed Berry Cobbler

3 cups all purpose flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 cup sugar (use up to 1 cup if a sweeter taste is preferred)

1 egg, room temperature

8 tablespoons butter (226g), room temperature

1 cup milk

2 cups fresh blueberries

2 tablespoons raspberry preserve or preserve of choice

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Combine flour, sugar, and baking powder. Using a pastry knife, cut butter into the dry ingredients until mixture is crumbly. 

Mix milk, vanilla and egg in a separate bowl. Fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Add more milk if dough is too dry.

Combine blueberries and preserve.

Pour half the batter into a 8x8 in (20x20 cm) greased cake pan, spreading evenly to coat the bottom of cake pan. Add fruit mixture and spread evenly. Add the rest of the batter on top making sure to cover all the berries (refer to picture).

Bake until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean, about 50 to 60 minutes.