Cooking made easy with Ellie Krieger

I so enjoy cooking nearly everything we eat from scratch that I sometimes forget how quickly a meal can be put together. One of my Christmas gifts was a new cookbook—So Easy by Ellie Krieger. Krieger is one of my favorite Food Network cooks because she’s also a nutritionist who pays attention to healthy food. This cookbook includes, healthy, easy recipes that don’t take an enormous amount of time or effort to prepare.

Last night I tried two recipes—prosciutto-wrapped cod and pesto potatoes and green beans. Although the potatoes took longer to steam than the recipe called for, the results, paired with our home canned green beans, were spectacular. I’m not a huge fish fan but Jim is and he was thrilled that I prepared a fish other than salmon. I was thrilled to find a way to prepare fish without frying that he actually liked.

Here are our ratings for the recipes.

Cod
Jim: 8.5
Beth: 8

Potatoes and beans
Jim: 9.5
Beth: 10

Eat Fish

It was back to the grocery store for me yesterday after more than a week away. We traveled to see my family in Indiana then took a trip to Helena, Montana for a friend’s wedding. It was cold out there but the snow and mountains made a beautiful scene. We also ate some good food.

I was surprised at some of what I tasted because a portion of the wedding party is vegan. I’ve never given much thought to being vegan since I’m a cheese-lover and have no problem with animal products, as long as the animals are treated humanely. But the muffins were so fluffy and light that I am now curious to learn more about vegan cooking. Maybe that will be a lesson for later this year.

Yesterday, however, the task was to restock the refrigerator with supplies for some healthy meals. I spent more time than usual in the seafood section of the grocery because Jim has been asking for something other than the wild-caught Alaskan salmon that I enjoy. I have a list of fish that is good for specific health concerns but I’ve heard much concern recently about toxins in fish and over-fishing. So I went to a respected source to discover what fish is best to eat—The Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch. It lists the best and next best fish to consume.

So tonight I’ll be trying a recipe for cod with potatoes and green beans. Yes, we still have plenty of potatoes and beans, although I think I’ve used all of my pesto, which is the recommended seasoning for the veggies. Excuse me while I go search through the freezer to see if I can find one last container.