Healthy Catholic Lenten Fish Recipes, Pescatarian Diet Cooking Tips

I was raised on Lake Michigan and we dined regularly on her bounty: salmon, perch, walleye, catfish, trout, whitefish. Fish in nutritious: high in protein and Omega-3 oil and low-fat. Here are fish recipes to turn you on to this super food. Even fish haters ask for these dishes.

Poached Salmon or Trout: Using fresh or fresh frozen salmon fillets (I like fillets better than the steaks), place them in a pan sprayed with non-stick spray (a good way to reduce fat intake). Pour in enough lemon juice to cover the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle the fillets with coarse pepper, dill weed, onion powder, minced garlic and salt. Cook them on low until the flesh is light pink instead of bright orange and flakes away from the skin. Serve them with rice and a green vegetable. You can pour a white sauce of mayonnaise and horseradish over them if you wish. I sprinkle mine with toasted almonds or crushed pecans.

Seafood Alfredo: Using frozen cooked shrimp, remove the tails and run under cool water to remove ice. Saute them with a stick of margarine ( I use about 3 tbsp of margarine for every 8 oz of shrimp). Add a pound of rinsed frozen broccoli after about 5 minutes. After another five minutes, add an 8oz pkg. of low fat cream cheese (not fat free), half of an 8oz container of Parmesan cheese, nutmeg, white pepper and a little milk. Stir continually until it becomes creamy. Serve over noodles (linguine, angel hair or seashell pasta). My oldest daughter (the self-proclaimed fish-hater) will do bodily harm to get this dish.

Tuna Salad: The beauty of this dish is its ease and low cost. My daughter craves it. First, set 16 oz of seashell or elbow pasta to boil. Use any variety of tuna, but note: the solid white albacore has the mildest flavor. Finely chop a medium sweet onion (vidala are yummy) and slice four ribs ribs of celery. Drain and rinse the pasta. Combine the tuna, celery, onion and pasta with mayonnaise. Use your preference on the amount of mayo. I go easy on it, about a cup. Season the salad with dill weed, coarse ground pepper and salt to taste. I usually leave the salt for others to add. Refrigerate and serve within two-three days.

Fried Fish in a Flash: Use catfish, whitefish, tilapia, cod or whiting. Frozen is fine. Just thaw and rinse. Don't pat dry. In a bowl, combine (per pound of fish) 1 c. corn meal, 1/2 c. white flour, tsp. baking soda, smoked paprika, dill, lemon juice powder, garlic and onion powder, celery salt, black pepper, white pepper, cayenne pepper and finely crushed bay leaf. Coat fish with corn meal mix. Melt ghee in cast iron pan. Fry fish on med-high till flesh is white and breaks apart with fork. 

Baked marlin or swordfish: These two ocean fish get our butcher's vote for the fish that tastes and looks the least like fish. Buy them as steak.; they are boneless and very solid. The flesh is dark red in color and resembles beef roast when cooked. They can be a little costly ($5-$7 per pound). Place the rinsed pieces in a baking dish sprayed with cooking oil, skin side down. Cover with enough lemon juice to cover the bottom of the pan. Slice a stick of margarine or butter into thin pieces and dot the fish and pan. Season with dill. Dill is a tasty salt substitute and cuts the fishy taste. Add pepper and paprika. Bake until fish is darker in color, firm and pulls away from the skin with a fork.

Pan-fried lake perch fillets: These small pan fish when filleted, are about the shape and size of a sandwich cut into a triangles. They are sweet and buttery and melt in your mouth. To prepare, rinse each fillet and pat dry. Prepare two bowls, one with seasoned bread crumbs or finely crushed Ritz crackers. In another beat several eggs until golden. Heat a pan or griddle and melt a stick of butter. Dip the fish in the egg, the crumbs and the sauté in the butter. The flesh will go from translucent light pink to white and pull away from the skin when done. Drain on paper towel salt and pepper them and serve immediately. You won' t be able to get them out fast enough to satisfy your family; they're delicious!

Shrimp Cocktail I serve this as a fun treat and the kids love it! Rinse 12-16 oz of frozen ready-to-eat shrimp until thawed. Hang them over a large wine glass. Fill the wine glass half full of cocktail sauce which you can purchase or make by blending prepared horseradish and ketchup. Hold the shrimp by the tail and dip in the sauce. This treat makes the kids feel very grown-up. They like to pretend my kitchen is a bistro; they come in and order the shrimp cocktail.

Seafood chowder: Using pretty much any fish you like: tilapia, trout, salmon, sole, pollock, whitefish, catfish, sauté a pound in butter or ghee with a half cup each of chopped celery and onions. Cook until fish breaks into chunks and celery and onions are tender. Meanwhile pare, dice and boil 5-6 medium white round potatoes and 5-6 carrots in 2 quarts of water. Season the water with a little thyme, dill, pepper, garlic and celery seed. When vegetables are tender, add a cup of milk and a tbsp of flour. Blend and simmer until stock is thickened (about 5 minutes). Add contents of fish mixture and blend.

These are our favorite fish recipes. They get asked for frequently. I feel very satisfied to know that my family is getting the benefits of fish and seafood. 

How to Make Vegan Veggie Burgers for Lent and Weight Loss

Cookouts are great for anyone who isn't on a vegan diet, fasting from meat,  trying to  lose weight or eating gluten-free. Veggie burgers make great alternative protein sources, but they're pricey. $6 for 9 ounces of veggie burger is pretty steep. How about whipping up some delicious veggie burgers from scratch? They're so good that even the omnivores will be demanding seconds. Here are some optional ingredients. 

Beans: The basis of most veggie burgers is beans. Select vegetarian refried beans, garbanzo beans (chickpeas), kidney beans, turtle beans (aka black beans) or lentils. If you use dry beans, cook until very tender. Mash the beans into a nice soft paste.

Avocado, Egg or tofu: As with meatloaf, a veggie burger may contain egg to hold the burger together. You can substitute tofu to create a solid burger for your vegan or egg allergic diners. 

Grain: Grain also holds the burger together and provides a complex carbohydrates. Couscous is a quick cooking grain that you can add to your veggie burgers. Cooked brown or basmati rice can be blended into your burger. Oat bran, coconut, or almond flour work well also. My favorite is gram or besam (chickpea flour). All of these but couscous are gluten-free. You can add mashed avocado as a binder, too. 

Nuts and seeds. Make veggie burgers from ground walnuts, almonds, peanuts or pecans. I like to use up mixed nuts in my veggie burgers. Favorite seeds are sesame, chia, pumpkin and sunflower seeds. 

Vegetables: What would a veggie burger be without veggies? Choose your favorites. Mine are shredded carrots (vitamin A), green and purple cabbage, Portobello mushrooms, sweet or  Vidalia onions (selenium), broccoli, green (red, yellow, orange) pepper, cilantro, celery, radish (daikon and regular), garlic, watercress, cauliflower, alfalfa and spicy (clover, radish, broccoli) sprouts

 

Salsa. No time to chop or dice? Blend in a good natural salsa like Newman's Own (Artichoke-Lime is my favorite) or Muir Glen.

Spices and seasonings: Bragg's Liquid Amino ( healthy salt substitute), pepper, smoked paprika, ginger, cumin, turmeric, celery salt, sage, rosemary, thyme, dill. 

Sub water for lemon or lime juice and blend all ingredients. Fry in light olive oil or avocado oil. 

 

Here are some regional veggie burger variations:

German: Add a touch of sauerkraut, apple, caraway seed and onion to your veggie burger base.

Mediterranean: add pesto, tomato and mushroom into your burger base.

Southwestern: add salsa, corn, colored peppers, cumin and cilantro to your bean base.

Central African: blend beans with ripe plantain or bananas.

Middle eastern: blend in couscous, chickpeas, tahini, besam, cumin, eggplant and garlic. Serve with homemade hummus. 

Creole: garlic, onion, paprika and Tabasco sauce will make your veggie burger dance.

Polynesian: Add molasses, pineapple, pepper, onion, ginger, lime juice and sugar to your veggie burger.

Thai: Blend in peanut butter, liquid amino or soy sauce, ginger, bok choy, water chestnuts, mandarin oranges and brown sugar.

Shape the mixture into patties. Grill or griddle in a small amount of olive or avocado oil. Think "outside the hamburger" and have some fun with these delicious oh-so-healthy veggie burger options! Eating like this was part of how I lost 100 pounds without weight loss drugs or surgery. 

Catholic Easter Lamb Cake Recipes

As a German Catholic homeschool family, Easter for us is about the Paschal Lamb of God, and His passion, death and resurrection. The Catholic Lenten season takes Catholic faithful on a journey to the Easter Triduum and Easter Sunday. Here are Easter brunch recipes featuring Lamb of God cakes. Make these lamb cake recipes as a centerpiece for your Easter brunch table. The Easter Lamb of God cakes are an ancient Catholic tradition. Our youngest son's godparents are Croatian and they brought us an Easter Lamb of God cake. 3D lamb cake recipes are usually made with a quick release 2-piece set such as the Nordic Ware or Wilton Stand Up Lamb Cake Pan set. If you don't have one of those, you can improvise with these lamb cake dessert recipes.

Godmother's lamb cake recipe featured a luscious cream cheese pound cake is perfect for Easter brunch. I've name it Osterlamm Gottes which is German for Easter Lamb of God. Also, in keeping with Polish Catholic Swieconka tradition, several items from Easter brunch or dinner should be brought to church on Holy Saturday for the Swieconka Blessing of the Easter Baskets. Items include eggs, butter, cheese and meat. You might bring ingredients from Easter Lamb of God cakes.

Easter brunch recipes for Lamb of God cakes.

Ingredients:
one 8-ounce package cream cheese

one and 1/2 cups butter

three cups raw sugar (Sucanat, Florida Crystals)

six large eggs (room temperature)

three cups unbleached white flour

one teaspoon almond flavoring

fresh sliced strawberries

whipped topping

coconut

green food coloring

Optional: white chocolate or white almond bark, cream cheese frosting, white mini marshmallows, jelly beans

Easter brunch recipes for Lamb of God cakes directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Spray stand-up lamb cake pan set with non-stick cooking spray and dust with flour.

Cream butter and cream cheese. Blend in sugar. Add eggs one at a time and beat until creamy. Add almond flavoring and blend.

Add flour all at once; blend until smooth.

Use Nordic Ware lamb cake pan set (available from Amazon). Fill one half of pan with batter, almost to over-flowing. Snap the top half in place; secure with clip or use household wire (to prevent the halves from separating. Bake extra batter in greased spring form or regular cake pan. Bake on middle rack for one hour and ten-twenty minutes. Top half may be removed for the last ten minutes. Carefully release pan lock after an hour to check cake. Cook on wire baking rack.

If you don't have a standup lamb cake pan set, use a bread or loaf pan. Trim cake down to oval for lamb's body. Bake one cupcake for the lamb's head. Add extra frosting or curls of white chocolate almond bark to sides of head for ears. Fill in with pink frosting for center of ears or place pink jelly beans in center. You can also bake a sheet cake, use free printable  Easter lamb patterns from Super Worksheets, trace on cake and cut out. Then decorate as you would the standup lamb cake.

When cake is hot, drizzle with thin icing made with warm water, powdered sugar, salt and almond flavoring. Sprinkle with coconut (for lamb's fleece). Or frost and cover with white mini marshmallows. You could also frost and decorate with shaved white chocolate almond bark for curly lamb's wool. Use black frosting or black jelly beans for lamb nose, feet and ears. Use black or brown decorator frosting to draw face.

To make this lamb cake into Easter Lamb of God cakes, draw a small cross near lamb's body with brown frosting. You can design a cross from Popsicle craft sticks painted brown. You can also attach two fudge stick cookies. Arrange eco-friendly Easter grass or green tinted coconut around the base of the lamb. Add a few Whoppers bird's egg candies, jelly beans or foil-wrapped chocolate eggs. Use as an Easter brunch centerpiece.