Healthy Recipes from American Heart Association

Trout with Skillet-Roasted Peppers

Serves 4; 3 ounces fish and
¹⁄3 cup pepper mixture per serving
No need to slow-roast poblano peppers to get deep flavor. All it takes is quickly cooking them in a hot skillet and letting them steep a bit.

1 tablespoon olive oil, divided use
2 medium poblano peppers, ribs
and seeds discarded, thinly sliced
5 ounces grape tomatoes or cherry
tomatoes, halved (about 1 cup)
1 medium garlic clove, minced
1-2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
½ teaspoon salt, divided use
¼ teaspoon pepper
Paprika to taste
4 trout fillets or any other thin mild
fish fillets (about 4 ounces each),
rinsed and patted dry
1 medium lime, cut into 8 wedges

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 teaspoon oil, swirling to coat the bottom. Cook the peppers for 4-6 minutes, or until beginning to richly brown on the edges, stirring frequently.
Gently stir in the tomatoes. Cook for 2 minutes, or until soft, stirring gently and frequently. Remove from the heat.
Gently stir in the garlic, vinegar, and ¼ teaspoon salt. Transfer to a small bowl. Cover to keep warm.
In the same skillet, heat the remaining 2 teaspoons oil over medium-high heat, swirling to coat the bottom. Sprinkle the pepper, paprika and remaining ¼ teaspoon salt over both sides of the fish. Cook for 3 minutes on each side, or until the fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Transfer to a platter.
To serve, squeeze 4 lime wedges over the fish. Spoon the poblano mixture on top. Serve with the remaining lime wedges to squeeze over the poblano mixture if desired.

Cook’s Tip: Squeezing lime wedges over both the fish and the topping “lifts” and defines the flavors of the various ingredients. If you aren’t a true lime lover, though, you may want to skip the second spritzing.

Oven-Fried Okra 

Makes 6 half-cup servings

Canola oil cooking spray
1 20-ounce bag frozen sliced okra, thawed
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
2 cups yellow corn meal  (only a ½-cup actually adheres to the okra)

Preheat oven to 475°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray the foil generously with cooking spray. Set aside. Spray the inside of a gallon-sized food storage bag with cooking spray. Add the okra, a half-teaspoon of salt, and the pepper. Close the bag and shake to blend everything well. Let the okra rest for 10 minutes to extract juice from the okra. Add the cornmeal to the bag and shake vigorously to coat the okra. Let the bag sit for 10 minutes. Then, shake it up again. Using a wide mesh strainer or a colander over a large bowl, remove the okra in batches and shake off excess cornmeal into the bowl, discarding the leftover meal.
 Place the coated okra on the sheet pan and continue the process until all the okra is on the pan and the pieces are not touching each other. Spray the okra well with cooking spray. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and stir the okra, trying to turn over as many pieces as possible. Lightly spray them again. Return to the oven for another 20 minutes. Remove from oven and lightly spray the pieces again.

Salmon with Cilantro Pesto

Serves 4; 3 ounces fish and
1 tablespoon pesto per serving

Vibrant orange salmon fillets get a double dose of crunchy almonds, one in the pesto and one in the topping. The lovely green pesto is easy to make and gets a delightful flavor boost —  without salt —  from the garlic-herb seasoning blend. For a quick and pretty dish, scatter the almonds over the surface, as instructed. If you prefer a fancier presentation, after spreading the pesto over the salmon, slightly overlap the almonds on the fillets to resemble fish scales, then bake as directed.

Cooking spray (optional)
½ cup loosely packed fresh cilantro
3 tablespoons fat-free, low-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons sliced almonds
2 tablespoons shredded or grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon salt-free garlic-herb seasoning blend
4 salmon fillets (about 4 ounces each), rinsed and patted dry
¼ cup sliced almonds

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil or lightly spray with cooking spray.
In a food processor or blender, process the pesto ingredients for 15-20 seconds, or until slightly chunky.
Place the fillets about 2 inches apart on the baking sheet. Spread the pesto evenly over the top of the fillets. Sprinkle with ¼ cup almonds.
Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the fish flakes easily when tested with a fork.

This recipe is brought to you by the American Heart Association’s Go Red For Women movement. Recipe copyright © 2005 by the American Heart Association. Look for other delicious recipes in American Heart Association cookbooks, available from booksellers

NUTRITION ANALYSIS (per serving)
Calories 206; Total Fat 9.5 g; Saturated Fat 1.5 g; Trans Fat 0.0 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 3.0 g; Monounsaturated Fat 4.0 g
Cholesterol  166 mg; Sodium 129 mg; Carbohydrates 2 g; Fiber 1 g
Sugars 0 g; Protein 28 g.  Dietary Exchanges: 3 ½ lean meat everywhere or online at americanheart.org/cookbooks.