Recipe: Low-Calorie Moroccan Cod Parcels for the 5:2 Diet and a Healthy Happy Heart

Recipe: Low-Calorie Moroccan Cod Parcels for the 5:2 Diet and a Healthy Happy Heart

Recipe:

Low-Calorie Moroccan Cod Parcels for the 5:2 Diet

and a Healthy Happy Heart

Recipe: Low-Calorie Moroccan Cod Parcels for the 5:2 Diet and a Healthy Happy Heart

As Lavender and Lovage regular readers will know, I love fish! I eat it at least twice a week – it’s easy to cook, tasty and extremely healthy, as well as being low in calories. I have been working with Fish is the Dish (as part of their Healthy Happy Hearts campaign) lately to promote the health benefits of eating  fish, and my friend John from Delish Fish is also keen to emphasise the benefits of eating fish as part of a healthy diet too. With that in mind, he very kindly sent me a fabulous “Omega 3 Healthy Heart” fish pack, brimming with fresh (and frozen) Scottish “omega 3 oil rich” fish…….cod, haddock, salmon, herrings and mackerel are all included in this amazing pack of fish, and I have made my FIRST Omega 3 healthy meal with some of the fish already, Low-Calorie Cod and Moroccan Fish Parcels.  I will be promoting John’s delicious fish as part of this healthy campaign over the next four weeks, and I will also be offering one of these Delish Fish packs to win in a new giveaway, so watch out for that over the weekend.

Delish Fish Healthy Omega 3 Fish Pack

Did you know, that by eating fish that are rich in omega 3 oils regularly, you can increase your lifespan by at least two years, a new report has suggested – this information also made the news headlines on British television this week. The study found that older adults with higher levels of blood omega-3 may be able to lower their overall mortality risk by as much as 27%, and their mortality risk from heart disease by about 35%. On average subjects with the highest blood levels of fatty acids found in fish lived 2.2 years longer than those with lower levels.If you are interested in which fish are highest in omega 3 oils, this handy chart from Seafish.org is very interesting: Omega 3 Health Claims, and I have shared a simple list below:

Omega 3 Oil Rich Fish from British Waters: 

Herring

Mackerel

Sardines

Atlantic Salmon

Native British Oysters

Hake

Mussels

Atlantic Pollack

Cod

Haddock

Recipe: Low-Calorie Moroccan Cod Parcels for the 5:2 Diet and a Healthy Happy Heart

My recipe today is not just healthy due to it being high in omega 3 oils, but it’s also low in calories too, and one portion of this delectable recipe is only 200 calories per person. It’s part of my ongoing 5:2 diet and perfect for a fast day, which, for those of you who don’t know, is a low-calorie day (taken twice a week) where women are allowed 500 calories a day and men, 600 calories. It’s also suitable as a tasty family meal, and crusty bread can be served with the meal, or maybe a baked potato, or even some pasta. The roasted vegetables can be made ahead of time, and I have posted the recipe for them in this post too…….it forms the basis of this easy to cook fish recipe, where fresh Scottish wild cod is baked in a foil parcel for ease.

Recipe: Low-Calorie Moroccan Cod Parcels for the 5:2 Diet and a Healthy Happy Heart

John’s beautiful Scottish cod is individually packed for ease of portion control, and is wild, and if you want to know why mentioning the fact that it’s wild is so important, it’s because wild fish is LOWER in fat than farmed fish. And, there are other significant differences too…….despite being much fattier, farmed fish provide less usable beneficial omega 3 fats than wild fish, so, wild is definitely best! And yes, there are parts of Europe that “farm” breed cod, and if you want to read more about the subject, there’s a very interesting article here: Rapid growth in European cod farming prompts fears from green groups. It appears that Norway that leads in farmed cod, so what better reason than to buy Scottish wild cod.

Recipe: Low-Calorie Moroccan Cod Parcels for the 5:2 Diet and a Healthy Happy Heart

The recipe for my Low-Calorie Moroccan Cod Parcels is shared below, as well as the recipe for the Roasted Moroccan Vegetables. If you would like to buy one of John’s “Delish Fish Omega 3 Rich Fish Packs”, then he has a special offer running throughout April. Each special pack contains: 4 x portions salmon, 4 x portions smoked mackerel, 4 x portions frozen herrings, 2 x portions hake, 2 x portions haddock and 2 x portions of cod and costs only £35 delivery included – the usual price would be £46 plus delivery charges, so that’s a considerable saving! John will also include a handy Omega 3 oil guide for fish too, perfect for discovering how you can all have a happy and healthy heart! Watch out for my giveaway to be posted soon and have a GREAT weekend, Karen 

Recipe: Low-Calorie Moroccan Cod Parcels for the 5:2 Diet and a Healthy Happy Heart

Low-Calorie Moroccan Cod Parcels (200 Calories)

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Serves	1
Prep time	5 minutes
Cook time	35 minutes
Total time	40 minutes
Allergy	Fish
Meal type	Lunch, Main Dish
Misc	Child Friendly, Pre-preparable, Serve Hot
Occasion	Barbecue, Casual Party, Christmas, Easter, Formal Party, Valentines day
Region	British
By author	Karen S Burns-Booth

A tasty low-calorie meal that is easy to cook and makes a wonderful family meal, as well as being the perfect dish for those following the 5:2 diet for a fast day. This healthy fish and vegetable recipe only has 200 calories per portion - 122 calories for the roasted veggies and 78 calories for a 100g portion of wild cod.

Ingredients

• 1 portion of Roasted Moroccan Vegatables
• 1 Scottish wild cod fillet (boneless and skinless)
• lemon wedge, to serve
• fresh parsley, to garnish
• salt and pepper

Note

A tasty low-calorie meal that is easy to cook and makes a wonderful family meal, as well as being the perfect dish for those following the 5:2 diet for a fast day. This healthy fish and vegetable recipe only has 200 calories per portion - 122 calories for the roasted veggies and 78 calories for a 100g portion of wild cod.

Directions

Step 1	Pre-heat oven to 180C/Gas mark 4.
Step 2	Cut a large piece of tinfoil and spoon the Moroccan vegetables into the centre. Sit the cod on top and season with salt and pepper. Seal the foil parcel by gathering all of the edges together and crimping, sit the parcel on an oven tray and cook for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the fish is cooked and opaque, and the vegetables are steaming hot.
Step 3	Serve immediately with fresh lemon wedge and some parsley scattered over the fish.
Step 4	Be careful when opening the parcel that the steam doesn't burn you.

Low-Calorie Moroccan Cod Parcels (200 Calories)

Roasted Moroccan Vegetables

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Serves	6
Prep time	15 minutes
Cook time	45 minutes
Total time	1 hour
Dietary	Vegetarian
Meal type	Lunch, Main Dish, Salad, Side Dish, Snack, Soup, Starter
Misc	Child Friendly, Pre-preparable, Serve Cold, Serve Hot
Occasion	Barbecue, Birthday Party, Casual Party, Christmas, Easter, Formal Party, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Valentines day
Region	Moroccan
By author	Karen S Burns-Booth

An all purpose low-calorie roasted vegetable recipe with exciting Moroccan flavours. This batch makes enough for 6 servings, and each serving is only 122 calories, so it is perfect for those on a diet, such as the 5:2 diet for a fast day or weight watchers. This recipe can be served as an accompaniment, or can be used in other recipes such as salads, soups, tagines, pasta, curries and gratin dishes.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 small fennel bulbs (trimmed and cut into even size pieces, keep green fronds for decoration)
• 6 medium carrots (peeled and cut into even size pieces)
• 6 medium onions (peeled and cut into quarters)
• 3 cloves garlic (peeled and finely chopped/minced)
• 1 tablespoon fennel seeds
• 1 tablespoon Ras-el-Hanout
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander

Note

An all purpose low-calorie roasted vegetable recipe with exciting Moroccan flavours. This batch makes enough for 6 servings, and each serving is only 122 calories, so it is perfect for those on a diet, such as the 5:2 diet for a fast day or weight watchers. This recipe can be served as an accompaniment, or can be used in other recipes such as salads, soups, tagines, pasta, curries and gratin dishes.

Directions

Step 1	Pre-heat oven to 200C/400F/Gas Mark 6.
Step 2	Place all of the prepared vegetables, fennel seeds, ras-el-hanout, ground cumin and coriander into a large plastic bag, (or freezer bag) and add the olive oil. Mix the vegetables by squeezing and shaking the bag, so each piece is covered in a little oil.
Step 3	Tip the seasoned vegetables into a large oven or roasting tray, and cook in pre-heated oven for between 30 and 45 minutes, or until vegetables are just tender, with a little bite and are slightly charred. Adjust seasoning with a little salt and pepper. (If the vegetables start to brown too quickly, cover them with foil and then take the foil off for the last 5 minutes)
Step 4	Serve as a hot salad, as an accompaniment, or as part of a recipe such as tagine, curry, bakes, pasta, soups and stews etc.

Roasted Moroccan Vegetables

Recipe: Low-Calorie Moroccan Cod Parcels for the 5:2 Diet and a Healthy Happy Heart

Disclaimer: I was sent a Delish Fish Omega 3 fish pack for free, in order to create recipes and promote eating more fish; all opinions and views are my own. Karen S Burns-Booth

Delish Fish Wild Scottish Cod is:

Wild Scottish Cod Fillets

Skilfully filleted, skinned and smoked with the skills handed down through the generations. Fished and caught under strict EU quotas to ensure sustainability. Individually vacuum packed and flash frozen for your convenience and ease of use.