Cod over Veggie Ragout

It's been a while! Turns out, heading up to another city and commuting long distance while attending grad school leaves little time for cooking and even less time for blogging. However, while the grad school continues the long distance is temporarily gone so hopefully there will be some more healthy, delicious posts coming your way. This meal definitely fits the bill though it appears I'm a little out of practice and forgot to take pictures... of this as well as a few others coming up. Please excuse this lapse in memory!

I'm not usually a big fan of cod but when I ended up with some fresh fillets I decided to dress up this simple fish with a warming veggie ragout that hits the spot when it's cold outside. And, when we sat down to eat, my husband and I ended up devouring this as fast as possible. So make it right away and let us know in the comments if you find other delicious vegetable combinations.

I served this over cous cous, but you can easily substitute your favorite grain. Try some quick-cooking brown rice or perhaps some quinoa.

Difficulty: easy
Time: 30 min



Cod over Veggie Ragout
Ingredients:
2 tsp olive oil
2 c leek, thinly sliced
10 oz exotic mushrooms, sliced
3 c plum tomato, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp black pepper
10 oz fresh baby spinach
1 c basil leaves, chopped or sliced
1 tbsp flour
1 lb cod fillets

Heat a large pan over medium-high heat. Add 1 tsp of olive oil, swirling to coat. When the oil is hot, add the leek and mushrooms. Saute for 5-6 minutes. Stir to keep from burning.

Add the plum tomato, garlic, and black pepper. Stir well and saute for another 2-3 minutes. Then add the spinach, stir it in, and cover if needed. Cook just until the spinach is nearly wilted. You'll have to keep stirring regularly to ensure it wilts evenly. This should only take a few minutes.

Stir in the basil, cover, and keep warm.

As the vegetables are cooking you'll also want to turn your attention to the fish. You can get it going as the leek and mushrooms are cooking to save time.

Heat another pan over medium-high heat. Add the remaining tsp of olive oil, swirling to coat. Dredge each cod fillet in the flour and then put in the pan. Saute 4-5 minutes on each side or until cooked through. The fish should flake easily and turn an opaque white when cooked.

Serve the ragout over the fish. Enjoy!

Servings: 2
Serving size: 1/2 lb fish + 1.5 c ragout
Nutrition: calories 376; carbs 33g; fat 7g; protein 50g; sodium 303mg; iron 43mg