Spicy Spicy Mahi Mahi + Bacon Asparagus & Spicy Carrots

April 1, 2016

Well hello friends! It has been waaaay too long since we've talked. I know you're not looking for excuses – but I've got 'em if you want 'em. Work stuff. Life stuff. Nutrition schooling. Wedding planning. Breathe in. Breathe out. Okay, that's enough. Let's get to what you came here for.

My favorite kind of recipes are the ones that I make up on accident. They feel like a stroke of pure genius. What if I…? And then I added…? OH! And just a pinch of…! These are the truly original recipes because they happened from a series of accidental circumstances. Here's how this one happened:

My fiance brought home mahi mahi. I knew I wanted something with a little heat to it, so I created this concoction of herbs and spicy spices. But then, I had all this leftover seasoning. And I HATE wasting good food. So I identified the one vegetable that's always in my refrigerator, and always up for anything – CARROTS! I shredded them up, cooked them in leftover bacon fat I had in my fridge from Saturday morning breakfast, and sprinkled them with my spicy seasoning. Voila! A Heallthy Stacey recipe was born.

Oh. And let's not forget the health benefits of everything in this dish.

Why Mahi Mahi Is Awesome:

Great source of protein and omega-3 fatty acids. Has a ton of selenium in it – an antioxidant thought to have cancer protecting qualities, as well as vitamins B3 and B6, and iron. It is a mild-flavored fish, so it's great for those who know they should eat fish, but hate that fishy smell and taste.

Take Note: Since it is a low-fat, you will want to add some form of stable cooking fat to it before you grill or bake it to keep it moist.

Why Asparagus is Awesome:

Your digestive system loves Asparagus. Not only does it have a good amount of fiber and protein, it also has something called inulin. You may have heard of this thing called a "prebiotic." The idea is that inulin doesn't get broken down in the first segment of our digestive tract. Instead, it passes through undigested all the way to our large intestine, where it gets a big welcome party. Because there, it serves as an ideal food source for bacteria assocated with better nutrient absorption, lower risk of allegies, and lower risk of colon cancer.

Take Note: How you store asparagus is VERY IMPORTANT. Unfortunately, it is much more perishable than a lot of its fellow vegetables. It willl quickly lose water, wrinkle and harden. However, you can slow down the process by wrapping the ends of the asparagus in a damp paper or cloth towel. But you really should consume them within a couple of days, otherwise your'e going to lose out on a lot of their benefits. Sorry!

Why Bacon Fat is Awesome-Ish:

Bacon is not evil. I swear. And I'm not just saying that because it tastes awesome on everything and I love it so very much. I'm saying it because it's the truth. Dietary saturated fat and cholesterol are good for us, and not just in moderate amounts. Fat is a great source of fuel. It’s excess protein consumption that should be feared more than excess fat consumption. Here's the -ish part. There are some fat choices that are better than others. And when it comes to bacon fat (lard), bacon has higher levels of polyunsaturated fats and lower levels of omega-3 than others (lower polyunsaturated fat and higher Omega-3 is ideal). Which just means that you shouldn't cook with it everyday. But there is NO harm in indulging in bacon fat every once in awhile. It's still a hell of a lot better than cooking with canola oil (or any vegetable oil for that matter).

Spicy Spicy Mahi Mahi

If you like it hot like I do, you will like this fish. Note that, when I make up spice mixes, I tend to just add a dash of this and a dash of that – according to what I know I like. I encourage you to do the same. Consider the below measurements as loose guidelines and go to town!

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon dried herbs de provence/ italian herb mix
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
S&P
1 spoonful of ghee, melted

Directions:

Preheat grill.
Mix seasonings together in a bowl.
Make a few slits in the mahi mahi with a sharp knife.
Rub Mahi Mahi with melted ghee.
Sprinkle seasoning all over fish until it is completely covered.
Cook Mahi Mahi for about 4 minutes per side. Note: this largely depends on your grill, so watch your fish closely. As soon as it easily flakes when you press it with a fork, it is done.

Bacon Asparagus & Spicy Carrots

This may look like just vegetables. But in reality, it's so much more. It's vegetables roasted in bacon fat. Yeah, you heard me. The key is: make sure the bacon comes from happy pasture-raised pigs. It makes all the difference. When your food is healthy, you’re healthy.

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon of bacon fat for asparagus + 1 teaspoon of bacon fat for carrots
1 bunch of asparagus
3 large carrots
1 teaspoon of leftover spicy seasonings from above (cayenne, herbs de provence, thyme, onion powder, paprika, S&P)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375.
Melt 1 teaspoon bacon fat. Drizzle over asparagus.
Sprinkle S&P over the asparagus.
Stick in oven at 375 for 8 minutes.
Shred carrots into long strips.
Mix spicy seasonings together in a small bowl. Adjust amount of each seasoning to your taste.
Heat second teaspoon bacon fat on sauté pan till it’s hot.
Sauté carrot shreds for about 4 minutes – until they’ve shrunk a bit, but not to the point of crispy. Now sprinkle spicy seasoning over the carrots. Saute for 1-2 more minutes.
Pull asparagus out of the oven and sprinkle with spicy carrot shreds. You’ve never had veggies like this before.

That's all she wrote, folks!

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Much Love,

Sources:

http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/mahi-mahi-healthy-5223.html
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=12
For The Love Of Bacon

Healthy Body

Too Many Nuts! Too Many Nuts! + Lemondamia Zest Mahi Mahi Recipe

May 12, 2015

I used to have a nasty habit of eating exactly the same thing every single day. At about 9:05 AM, I would bust out my Ziploc bag of dry roasted, unsalted almonds, and happily crunch one by one at my desk. For about 3 years straight, there was very rarely a day that I skipped this ritual. Why should I? I was proud of my healthy, but oh-so-easy snack.

The only problem is – nuts aren't as good for my body as I'd like them to be. As protein-packed as they are, they are not something I should have been eating every single day. For one, nuts in big handfuls (as some like to eat them) can easily add up in fat and calories if you're somebody who is trying to watch your weight. But more importantly (I think), is the fact that too many nuts can really work a number on your digestion.

WHY?

Nuts are high in inflammatory Omega-6 and low in anti-inflammatory Omega-3.

WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?

Omega-3 and omega-6 are known as “essential” fatty acids because the body can’t produce them itself. You want Omega-6 in your diet. But you want it to be about even with your Omega-3 intake. However, with the standard American diet, Omega-6 is available in spades (they are in our “vegetable” oils like soybean, corn, peanut, sunflower, grain-fed animal fat, and a ton of processed, packaged food); while Omega-3 is a lot harder to come by (wild fish, grassfed meats, flaxseeds, Brussels sprouts). So many of us are extremely unbalanced in this ratio, putting all of our eggs in the pro-inflammatory Omega-6 basket.

Here is a breakdown of the Omega-6 content in a handful of nuts (see what I did there?):

Walnuts – 9.5 g

Almonds – 4.36 g

Cashews – 2.6 g

Macadamias – 0.5 g

Brazil nuts – 7.2 g

Hazelnuts – 2.7 g

Pistachio – 4.1 g

Pine nuts – 11.6 g

Pecans – 5.8 g

As you can see, some of our most popular healthy nuts are very high in Omega-6.

On the other hand, the shining star of this list is surprisingly the Macadamia Nut. Funny thing is, the macadamia nut is probably the one nut I avoided the most because I had heard how terribly high it was in fat (Oh! The horror!). But it turns out, that high fat content holds numerous health-benefiting nutrients, minerals, antioxidants and vitamins.

100 g of macadamia provides 23% of daily-recommended levels of dietary fiber. And BONUS, the nuts carry no cholesterol.
They're gluten-free. Whoop. Whoop.
Excellent source of minerals such as calcium, iron, magnesium, manganese and zinc.
Rich in many important B-complex vitamins that are vital for metabolic functions.
They contain small amounts of vitamin-A, and vitamin E. Both fat-soluble vitamins that serve to protect cell membranes and DNA damage from harmful oxygen-free radicals.*

So you get the picture? Yes, nuts are good. They have a lot of benefits. And they are responsible for heavenly things like Sunflower Butter, Cashew Cream Sauce and Almond Milk Smoothies. But you really don't want to overdo them. If you're going to love on them, err more towards the ones with the lower Omega-6 levels like Macadamia Nuts, Cashews and Pistachios.

I can say from personal experience that as soon as I lowered my nut consumption to a couple times a week – and switched over to macadamias and cashews – I noticed that the scratchy swollen feeling in my throat (inflammation) that I'd always get mid-morning soon after my almond snack had disappeared. Coincidence? I don't think so. But that's just my opinion.

Enough talk. Let's eat. Here's a beautiful new recipe I like to call Lemondamia Lemondamia Mahi Mahi – so nice, I named it twice!

Lemondamia Lemondamia Mahi Mahi Recipe

INGREDIENTS:

Zest of 1 lemon
1/4 cup of macadamia nuts, chopped up tiny
1 tablespoon Coconut Oil
Salt and Pepper
2 pieces of Mahi Mahi

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to broil.
Place your Mahi filets on an oiled-up baking sheet with slots (for the broiler).
Season the filets with S&P.
Chop up macadamia nuts into tiny pieces (or pulse them to a course texture in your food processor). Put them in a small bowl.
Take a grater to your lemon to collect your zest in the same bowl as the macadamia nuts.
Mix together with a small dash of S&P.
Rub your Mahi Mahi with coconut oil.
Sprinkle your Lemondamia Zest on top.
Broil in the oven for 8-10 minutes.
Voila! You fancy, huh?

*Source: http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/macadamia-nut.html