Over indulgence of Christmas often leads to a January of weight watching and fitness. I am personally going to in the main, follow a lower fat diet and will share my recipes with you as we go. Hopefully I can inspire you to try some of my recipes and you can motivate me to stick to a dry January, low-fat diet and improved fitness.
My first recipe is going to be simple baked Salmon cooked with a medley of Mediterranean vegetables such as aubergines, courgettes, peppers and tomatoes. Salmon is classed as an oily fish so has a higher fat content than say Cod; however it is rich in omega-3 fatty acid which is valuable to our diets. It is also very low in calories but high in protein, so you will feel full for longer; perfect to prevent cravings.
In the recipe I have used half a side of Salmon, but you could use Salmon cutlets instead. Although cost wise, I bought a half side of salmon from Lidl for £5.95 – that’s 3 or 4 portions.
Baked Salmon with Mediterranean Vegetables
Salmon cooked simply in a foil envelope with it's own and the vegetable juices.
Ingredients
- 2 medium Aubergines (peeled, quartered, sliced) (egg plants)
- 1 medium Courgette (cut into 3cm x 1cm strips) (zucchini)
- 1 Red pepper (sliced)
- 200 gm Tomatoes (cut into 2cm x 2cm pieces) I used baby plum but any will do
- 1/2 Side Salmon
- Spray oil (about 6 sprays)
- Salt and papper
- 1 tsp Dried Basil
Instructions
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Pre-heat oven on 180 degrees, Gas 4. If your oven is fan assisted you may need to turn down to 170 degrees.
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Lay a large sheet of tin foil into a baking tray. You need the foil to overlap the tray as you will use it to form an enclosed "envelope" around the vegetables and salmon.
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Use the 1 cal oil spray to just coat the bottom of the foil and then lay over all the vegetables.
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Season with salt and pepper and then lay the Salmon on top. Add a teaspoon of dried basil.
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Fold the extra foil over the Salmon and vegetable so you have completely covered it. Now this will allow the contents to cook within their own juices.
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Pop in the oven and cook for around 40 minutes.
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Check the Salmon is cooked through and your dish is ready to serve.
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I served mine with a jacket potato, which I cooked in the oven alongside the Salmon.
Nutrients per portion, excluding jacket potato
Calories 351, Fat 14g, Carbs 6g (4g net), Protein 30g