Fast Fish Soup

Well I suppose that is not proper English, the fish isn't fast, it is a quick soup to make, how's that?

I love soup, and when you are trying to eat a low calorie or low carbohydrate (starch) meal, soup is just the ticket.

I almost always have tilapia in the freezer, my friend Virginia gets it at Costco for me, I am not a member. I sometimes get it at Safeway or Whole Foods, but rarely buy it anywhere else. Both Safeway and Whole Foods (along with Costo) sell the right kind of tilapia. Yes, Safeway does indeed!

I will not buy tilapia from China or Taiwan, and all frozen tilapia is from one of these places. I have written extensively about the reasons, so you can search back and read, but basically their methods are not safe as far as contaminates in the water and feed.

If you are concerned about what you put in your body, then you should only buy tilapia from the US or South America.

I know many people, mostly competitors (because who else eats tilapia?) who buy frozen tilapia and frozen hockey puck chicken, they do it because it's cheap and convenient.

You need to decide what is more important to you: cheap and convenient or pure and healthy? Make the choice, be open about it and then live with it.

I digress.

I wanted soup, I was home alone, so in the morning before work, I had taken a pre-measured package of tilapia out of the freezer (that I received fresh then subsequently froze), it was thawed and ready to go.

I heated a skillet, sprinkled the fish with plenty of Spanish paprika, and quickly cooked it.

I then took 2 cups of homemade chicken stock out of the freezer (I always have it) and added vegetables that I had in the fridge that have been cooked for my lunches.

I added chard, kale, asparagus, and then a nice spoon of Thai Red Curry Paste! Yum!

After that was heated, I poured it over the fish I had laid in the bowl.

On the top? A few splashes of Sriracha sauce, so hot and tasty.

It took me about 15 minutes, start to finish and I ate (and loved) the whole thing!

I'm in love with a Greek

You got it! A non-fat Greek yogurt. I don't eat yogurt as a rule, I rarely eat dairy. A couple reasons, with the first being that dairy is not a good food choice to select when you want to stay lean, so I just don't eat it.

I am lactose intolerant so I cannot have milk or milk products, including ice cream. Lucky me! I don't have to worry about ice cream cravings because I never crave something that whacks my entire body.

But yogurt I can have small amounts without a problem. I use it in place of sour cream, so a dollop in soup, maybe a small amount mixed with tuna instead of mayo. That's it! I don't remember the last time I ate an entire carton of the stuff, kind of sounds gross actually.

I used to buy Vosko's, well no more. Not after I read this and bought some Trader Joe's to try. It is thick, like clotted cream and rich and so creamy, it puts the non-fat sour cream to shame! Even my husband tried it and said "oh my, I can eat that!"

Here is the influential article from the San Francisco Chronicle.

Wouldn't you know? Just as Taster's Choice was lamenting the lack of Hall of Fame products from 2010, our first panel of the new year yielded a new inductee to our holy grail of supermarket shelf items.

The category: nonfat, plain Greek-style yogurt.

The winner: Trader Joe's, by a nearly unanimous vote.

In a tasting that demanded textural perfection, Trader Joe's ($1.99 for 16 ounces) became a Hall of Famer by earning more than 80 points out of a possible 100.

One panelist gave it perfect marks - "rich, creamy, no graininess," she cooed. "Good balanced flavor" with a "nice, fresh tang," others wrote. While the "dense" yogurt is fat free, "the milk flavor comes through." Four tasters would buy this brand, and the other might.

Chobani ($1.49 for 6 ounces at Whole Foods) was second. "Milky with balanced tartness," this "smooth" and "mild" yogurt had "good up-front taste." But some noted an "almost slight sour-milk residual," while another said it "could be tarter for my tastes." Three would buy, one might, and one would not.

Third place went to Voskos ($2.19 for 8 ounces at Safeway). While this "mild" yogurt had a "creamy mouthfeel," tasters mostly found it "a bit bland" - "the faint flavor has no depth." "Looks creamy, but texture is chalky." Two would buy, two might, and one wouldn't.

In fourth place was Oikos, made by Stonyfield Farm ($1.99 for 5.3 ounces at Safeway). This "very tangy" yogurt is for those who seek "a good level of tartness." Those who don't, beware: it was also described as "very sour" and "too tart - almost metallic." Three would buy, while two would not.

Athenos ($2.99 for 16 ounces at Safeway) rounded out the top five. Better known for its hummus, this brand had the "smooth" and "creamy" texture, but the taste? "Sour" and "much too tart" for some; "quite mild" and "bland" for others. One thing our panelists seemed to agree on, though: "not so milky." Two would buy, two might, and one would not.

 

Nonfat Greek-style yogurt

Trader Joe's 82

Chobani 71

Voskos 67

Oikos 61

Athenos 60

Brown Cow 56

Fage 54

Karoun 39

Greek God 32

Panelists were Linda Anusasananan, food writer/consultant, San Mateo; John Carroll, cookbook author, San Francisco; Shelley Handler, consultant, San Francisco; Rosemary Mark, recipe developer, Walnut Creek; Roland Passot, chef-owner of La Folie in San Francisco and three Left Banks. All products are tasted blind; a perfect score would be 100. Prices listed are the lowest found, but products may be available at other stores.

Moroccan Spiced Black Bass

Fish, fish, fish, I love fish. I have fish almost every night for dinner. I recently bought some  Black Bass at the farmers market in Campbell, it was quite tasty.

The beauty of fish is that it can be cooked in so many different ways or methods. The key is just not overcooking and that's about the only thing you need to be concerned with.

I love different spices and picked up this great spice in a tube at Safeway, in the produce section.  It is Gourmet Garden Fresh Blends Moroccan.

 A serving is 3/4 of a teaspoon, and that is definitely enough. It is 10 calories, 1 gram carbs, .5 grams fat.

I heated a skillet then added a very small amount of coconut oil, you can use cooking spray if you prefer.

I pat the fish dry, then spread about 1/4 teaspoon Moroccan spice blend on one side of each filet, then seared it for a couple minutes in the pan. Before turning I spread another 1/4 teaspoon of the Moroccan spice blend on the uncooked side.

After I took the fish from the pan, I added about 1/2 cup water and scraped the stuck bits up off the pan and made a pan sauce. A little salt and pepper and poured that over the fish on the plate. 

I served it with Brussesls sprouts that I had quartered and steamed, then baked in a hot oven just until a little charred, some baked little dumpling squash and a couple lemon wedges.  

David even liked it!