The 150 Healthiest 15-Minute Recipes on Earth (19 page)

Tone Up with 10-Minute Tilapia over Lemony Tomatoes

From Dr. Jonny
: I live in Los Angeles, supposedly one of the trendiest cities in the nation, and as I write these words there’s hardly a restaurant in the City of Angels that doesn’t feature tilapia. If fish were starlets, tilapia would be on the cover of
People
magazine! It’s a light white fish, high in protein, ridiculously low in calories, and much like Forrest Gump, it seems to be able to take on the flavor of anything it’s paired with. In this case, the chunky rustic Italian vegetables combine beautifully with this flaky fish to give it a salty tang that sings on your tongue! (Good to note: This is one of Chef Jeannette’s favorites!)

1 tablespoon (15 ml) macadamia nut oil (or rice bran oil)

1 1/4 pounds (567 g) boneless, skinless tilapia fillets

Salt and cracked black pepper

2 tablespoons (28 ml) olive oil

1 teaspoon prepared garlic (or 1 large clove, crushed and sliced)

1 large lemon, peel and pith cut away, and roughly chopped (seeds removed, if possible)

1 pound (455 g) Campari tomatoes, halved (or use 2 pints [600 g] whole cherry tomatoes to save chopping time)

1/2 cup (50 g) whole pitted Kalamata or green olives, drained

2 tablespoons (18 g) capers

1/2 lemon, optional

1/4 cup (15 g) chopped parsley, for garnish, optional

Heat the macadamia nut oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat.

Evenly season the tilapia fillets to taste with salt and pepper. Add the fillets in a single layer to the skillet and allow them to cook, undisturbed, three-quarters of the way through, 3 to 4 minutes depending on the thickness of the fillets. Gently flip the fish and sear the other sides for 1 to 2 minutes or until just cooked though. (Try to flip the fish only once to prevent breakage.)

While the fish is cooking, heat the olive oil in large sauté pan at just below medium-high heat. Add the garlic, lemon, and tomatoes, and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes until the tomatoes start to soften. Add the olives and capers and sauté for 2 minutes more (bursting some of the cherry tomatoes, if using), until everything is hot and tender.

Make a bed in the hot lemon tomatoes and olives, and arrange the fillets on top.

Squeeze the lemon over all and garnish with the parsley, if using.

Yield
: 4 servings
Per Serving
: 247 Calories; 13g Fat (44.6% calories from fat); 27g Protein; 8g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 61mg Cholesterol; 296mg Sodium

From Dr. Jonny
: If you eat at sushi restaurants, you’ve undoubtedly encountered wasabi, even if you didn’t know its name. It’s a root vegetable that’s ground into that little green paste served with sushi and sashimi and, if you’re not careful, will make your mouth feel like it’s on fire. But the fact is that wasabi has some surprising health benefits. It’s rich in chemicals called isothiocyanates, which are anticancer compounds also found in the brassica family of vegetables (broccoli, cabbage, and the like). These compounds activate detoxification enzymes in the liver and actually have an anticancer effect. I love the mix of hot wasabi with sweet honey, tart lemon, and smooth yogurt—an incredible dressing! This dish is high on flavor and low on calories—and it makes a great meal for the hot weather of high summer!

Dressing

1/3 cup (77 g) plain low-fat yogurt

2 tablespoons (28 ml) fresh-squeezed lemon or lime juice

1 to 2 tablespoons (20 to 40 g) honey, to taste

2 teaspoons wasabi powder

Salad Boats

4 smallish cucumbers, peeled

2 cans (5 ounces or 140 g each) water-packed tuna, drained and flaked (we like Vital Choice)

1/2 cup (80 g) sliced scallions

1 tablespoon (8 g) toasted sesame seeds

1 head red oak lettuce, cored and torn, optional

In a small bowl, whisk together the yogurt, juice, honey, and wasabi powder until well combined. Set it aside to rest for a few minutes so the wasabi’s flavor can develop.

Slice the cucumbers lengthwise, scoop out the seeds, and discard (or better yet, eat them!). Slice a thin strip from the bottom of each cucumber “boat” so it will sit flat without rolling over.

In a medium bowl, mix the tuna and scallions with the prepared dressing, to taste, until well combined.

Scoop equal portions of tuna salad into each cucumber boat and sprinkle with the sesame seeds. Serve on a bed of lettuce, if using.

Yield
: 4 servings
Per Serving
: 184 Calories; 2g Fat (9.7% calories from fat); 22g Protein; 21g Carbohydrate; 3g Dietary Fiber; 21mg Cholesterol; 262mg Sodium

From Dr. Jonny
: Personally, I can’t get enough of curry. If Ben and Jerry’s came up with a curry-flavor ice cream, I’d probably be the first to buy it. (Then again, I was at the head of the line to buy the buggy first-edition iPhone, and look how that turned out.) The stuff that makes curry yellow is a spice called turmeric, which I consider a superfood of the spice kingdom. It contains active ingredients called curcuminoids, which have been found to have anticancer activity and are also one of the most anti-inflammatory plant compounds on the planet. Warm coconut curry is an absolutely great treatment for a tender fish such as halibut. And the nutty, salty gingered beans are the perfect finisher!

2 teaspoons coconut oil

2 teaspoons prepared minced ginger (or fresh, grated)

2 teaspoons prepared minced garlic (or 3 cloves, minced)

2 teaspoons high-quality curry powder

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 can (14 ounces or 400 g) light coconut milk

3 tablespoons (45 ml) lemon juice (preferably fresh squeezed)

4 boneless, skinless halibut fillets (4 ounces or 115 g each)

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the ginger, garlic, curry powder, coriander, salt, and cayenne, and sauté for 1 minute until fragrant. Add the coconut milk, increase the heat, and bring to a boil, stirring to mix well. Stir in the lemon juice and add the fish, decreasing the heat to a simmer. Cook, flipping once, for 7 to 8 minutes or until the fish is cooked through (should flake with a fork).

Yield
: 4 servings
Per Serving
: 201 Calories; 10g Fat (43.8% calories from fat); 23g Protein; 6g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber; 33mg Cholesterol; 349mg Sodium

From Dr. Jonny
: It’s hard to think of too many better basic sources of protein than good old-fashioned tuna fish. Rich in tyrosine, a precursor of the “alert” neurotransmitter dopamine, tuna can wake you up and energize you, not to mention fill you up and satisfy. It’s just an all-around great food, and there are few better ways to eat it than in salad niçoise. In our version, canned Great Northern white beans take the place of the more traditional (and way less nutritious) white potatoes. That substitution alone has the double advantage of adding extra fiber and saving extra cooking time!

2 cups (248 g) frozen cut green beans (or prepared fresh)

1/2 red onion, very thinly sliced

2 cans (6 ounces or 170 g each) tuna packed in extra-virgin olive oil (we like Vital Choice albacore packed in organic extra-virgin olive oil), well drained

1 can (15 ounces or 425 g) Great Northern beans (or other white bean), drained and rinsed

7 ounces (195 g) quartered artichoke hearts in water (about 1 1/2 cups or 355 ml), drained

1 bag (6.5 ounces or 185 g) butter lettuce 1 cup (100 g) niçoise olives, pitted and drained (or Kalamata)

1 pint (300 g) heirloom cherry or teardrop tomatoes

Dressing

1/4 cup (60 ml) olive oil

1 tablespoon (28 ml) champagne vinegar (or white wine vinegar)

1 tablespoon (28 ml) lemon juice

3/4 teaspoon prepared garlic (or 1 large clove garlic, minced)

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

1 1/2 tablespoons (13.5 g) capers, drained, or to taste

Steam the frozen beans in the microwave in a tempered glass container with a vented rubber lid (we like Pyrex) for 2 to 3 minutes or until tender-crisp (or steam on the stovetop as directed on the package). Set aside to cool slightly.

Submerge the onion slices in a bowl of cold water while you assemble the rest of the salad (cold-water soaking removes some of the “bite” of raw onion).

In a medium bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, mustard, salt, and pepper. Stir in the capers and pour half the dressing into a cup and set aside. Add the tuna, beans, and artichoke hearts and gently stir to evenly combine and coat.

Drain the onions and pat dry. In a large salad bowl, make a bed of lettuce, add the olives, tomatoes, onions, and green beans, and spoon the tuna evenly over the top.

Pour the remaining dressing evenly over the salad.

Yield
: 4 servings
Per Serving
: 681 Calories; 20g Fat (25.5% calories from fat); 47g Protein; 83g Carbohydrate; 27g Dietary Fiber; 43mg Cholesterol; 831mg Sodium