My best friend Cathy got me a subscription to Clean Eating Magazine a couple years ago, and I requested (yes, I really did make a request as to what I wanted for Christmas!) she get it for me again this year because the recipes are rockin’! Like I’ve said before, I’m not a fan of their nutrition information (I always seem to find inaccurate statements, and even when I write them and they admit they were wrong they never post them on their “comments to the editor” page. Go figure), but their recipes make the magazine worth reading. The recipes do all seem to be fairly low in sodium, so if you aren’t used to lower sodium dishes they might take some getting used to (but in my opinion, you should get used to using less sodium in your food and recipes!).
A few Sundays ago Nick and I decided to have his mom over for dinner. Nick’s mom, Dee, is a real foodie and is willing to try just about anything. I love that about her because I never hesitate to make new and unique dishes when she comes over (she inspired me to make this avocado ice cream) and that’s not to mention the fact that she always serves some great food when we go over to her place for meals (and Nick’s sister, Meghan, is also a real talent in the kitchen!). So on this particular Sunday I really wanted to make fish. Nick will only eat fish that doesn’t “taste like fish” so cod was my best option. I grabbed my Clean Eating Magazine and flipped to a recipe I had tabbed; Maple-Dijon Cod. I made a few minor adjustments (due to my low FODMAPs diet) and came up with this;
Clean Eating’s Maple-Dijon Cod
Ingredients
- 2 t olive oil (for fish)
- 1 t garlic olive oil (for spinach)
- 3 T black or brown mustard seeds
- 2 T Dijon mustard
- 2 T pure maple syrup
- 1 t balsamic vinegar
- Kosher or sea salt, and fresh ground black pepper to taste
- 4 5-ounce pieces of center-cut cod fillets
- 10 cups raw spinach
Instructions
- In a small nonstick skillet, heat 2 tsp olive oil on medium-low heat. Add mustard seeds and stir to coat. Cover and cook until seeds begin to pop (about 4-5 minutes). Once they begin to pop, and they’ve been popping for about 30 seconds, turn off the heat and let sit, covered, until popping stops (about 1-2 minutes). Transfer the seeds to a mixing bowl and add the dijon, maple syrup, vinegar, salt and pepper, and mix well.
- Adjust oven rack ~5 inches from the heating element (broiler) and preheat the broiler to high. Line a baking sheet with foil and arrange the cod on baking sheet in a single layer. Spoon the dijon mixture over top of the cod, making sure to not get much on the foil (because it will burn!).
- Broil until cooked through and flakes easily (about 8 minutes). Remove from oven and cover loosely with foil to keep warm.
- Heat a large skillet on medium-high and add 1 tsp garlic olive oil to pan. Add the raw spinach and saute until it’s wilted (about 2 minutes). Spoon the spinach onto serving plates, and top for the cod.
Notes
** This is a low FODMAPs recipe.
I served this with mashed sweet potatoes as the side (since Nick insists on having a starch, or two, with all of his meals). For dessert we had Girl Scout Cookies (or wait, Dee and I didn’t have any, but Nick had eight. No joke. Dee and I were content with our alcoholic beverages; Dee had wine, I had an IPA beer). This recipe was devoured by all three of us, and will certainly be made again. And again. And…again.QUESTION: Do you ever use mustard seeds in your cooking? I’d never seen a recipe with mustard seeds, so this was a first for me!
Any fun plans for Easter? My mom and dad are hosting Easter this year, which means no travel this year (yeah!). Not that I ever travel far, but it’s nice to have a 2-minute drive I’m making a spinach salad and gluten free simple lemon bars. I’ll be posting the recipes on Monday!
