It's the post detox back-lash that's seen us piling on the lbs since we wrapped up all that sanctimonious life-cleansing we were doing back in January. February will from here on out be known as Flabruary. After all the kale and cucumber smoothies, we imbibed in January it was no surprise when our bodies revolted in spectacular fashion come February. We undid all our good work with a single weekend brunch-bender, woke up on Tuesday morning with a raging sugar hangover and vowed never again.
That is the problem with being too good on the diet front, we're bound to rebel. Everything in moderation including moderation is our motto. We seriously need a few healthy dinner ideas to ease us towards the idea of exposing pasty, flabby bodies in the coming months.
Chorizo and fish are a classic flavour combination but unfortunately this spicy sausage gives quite a hefty fat injection, one clever trick to give a dish this rich, spicy flavour using smoked paprika instead for a smokey tomato sauce.
Baked cod with spiced tomato and lentil sauce
Ingredients
Serves 2
A little oil for cooking
½ red onion, thinly sliced
1 clove garlic
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
1 red pepper, seeded and sliced
1 tin (400g) tomatoes
2 fillets cod or hake
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
1 tin (400g) green lentils
Handful of fresh tarragon and parsley
Crusty bread and salad to serve
Directions:
1 Heat a non-stick frying pan over a medium to high heat and add a little spray oil.
2 Throw the red onion into the pan and saute until softened. Add the smoked paprika, the garlic and the red pepper into the pan. Continue cooking or a medium heat until the peppers have softened, adding a little water if the pan is drying out.
3 Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C or Gas 4. Add the tomatoes to the pan and bring to the boil then lower and simmer for about 15 minutes or until the sauce has thickened.
4 Place the fish fillets on an oven tray and squeeze the lemon juice over. Bake for about 10-15 minutes or until cooked through.
5 Drain and rinse the lentils and add them to the tomato sauce along with the lemon zest and season with a little salt and freshly ground black pepper.
6 Place the fish in two bowls and divide the lentil sauce between them. Chop the tarragon and parsley and sprinkle over the top. Serve with crusty bread and salad.
