Summer Meal Idea

At this time of the year in southern Ontario, lots of tasty fruits and vegetables begin to ripen. This is a suggestion for a healthy meal that is really easy to make, tastes great, and doesn’t require a lot of preparation.

The base of this meal is Corn on the Cob, Fish, and Quinoa. You can stick with the basics or spice it up as much as you like!

Shopping List:
– Fish Fillet – Rainbow Trout, Salmon, or Arctic Char (preferably skinless if you are cooking inside)
– Fresh Corn on the Cob
– Quinoa or Rice (Uncle Ben’s Instant rice is the easiest)
– Olive oil
– Butter or Margarine
– Fresh Peaches
– Tin Foil
– Lemon
– A pepper (red or orange)

Preparation:
1) You can cook the fish in the oven or on the BBQ. Preheat either to 425F. Since cooking fish can sometimes create a lingering odour, you may want to consider cooking it outside. It will help if you remove the skin before cooking.

2) Start boiling water for the corn.

3) Spread a little oil on a large piece of tin foil. Put your fish on the sheet, then cover the fish with the olive oil as well. You can spread it around with a fork and use as much as you like. Add salt and pepper, and any other sauce that would go well. I recommend real Maple Syrup in addition to the olive oil, and a little juice squeezed from a lemon helps add flavour. You can even throw some lemon slices on top.

3) Fold the tin foil over so the fish is completely covered, and wrap it together so the steam will mostly stay inside while cooking. Put it in the oven or on the BBQ for 15-20 minutes for fish about an inch thick. You don’t need to flip the fish! This is possibly the best part of this method. It’s done once the fish starts to flake off when you cut through it with a fork.

4) Start the rice or quinoa. If you are cooking quinoa, I recommend adding slices of pepper to add flavour (after the quinoa has been cooked).

5) Cut up some peaches for dessert.

There you have it! I hope this inspires a healthy meal in your household.

by Rick Sturch