Lemon-Thyme marinated sea bass with slow roasted tomatoes

Slow Roasted Tomaotes......

I bought a lot of tomatoes at the grocery store this week, i've been craving them for some reason, so I thought I would experiment with making slow roasted tomatoes! You can just leave them in the oven in the morning and do your morning chores and then come back to a fragrant house. It smells like i've been working hard in the kitchen! If i'm having guests over, what I like to do is pop them in the oven 30-60 minutes before guests arrive, which gives the aroma plenty of time to diffuse in the house, a great backdrop aroma for a dinner party that'll put your guests in the the right mood for some great food!

You can use as many tomatoes as you like. Since it's just me and my sister, Mona, I used two big tomatoes. The oven temperature was 107 degrees celcius, which gives them enough time to rippen nicely, without burning.

2 tomatoes

Olive oil

Basil

Oregano

Garlic

Salt

Pepper

1. Cut the tomatoes into thick rings (as shown in photo below and place on baking sheet)

2. Place tomatoes on a baking sheet (I would normally line a baking dish with aluminium foil for easy clean up, but I didn't have any so I just put them on a baking sheet).

3. Sprinkle basil, oregano, garlic, salt and pepper on the tomatoes ( I didn't have any fresh basil, but it gives it a nicer flavour, so if you've got some, use them!)

4. Drizzle olive oil on top of the tomatoes.5. Put the tomatoes in the oven and leave them in for a good couple of hours.

This is what they look like after!

Lemon-Thyme Marinated Sea Bass

(Serves 2)

Two sea bass fillets

Lemon juice

Salt

Pepper

Thyme

2 Garlic cloves (chopped)

1. Wash fish ( water, then lemon juice and white pepper, then water), pat dry put in a bowl and marinate in lemon juice, chopped garlic, thyme, salt and pepper.2. Brush olive oil on both sides of fish and palce in a pan. Grill in pan on medium heat until cooked through.

3. Serve with lemon wedges
Serve the slow roasted tomatoes as a side dish. Tonight, this dish will be accompanying Lemon-thyme marinated sea bass. Mona and I are trying to incorporate more fish in our diet because of all the health benefits. So this was the perfect, simple, easy dish.Tomatoes are so great because they go with just about anything! I had a few left over so I chopped them up and put them in a tauperware with lettuce leaves and tuna, which will be my lunch for tomorrow! If you feel like pasta, use as a topping!

Who Needs Potato Chips?

Kale Chips: A healthy alternative to Potato chips.Photograph from 28 cooks on Flickr

So, during lunch break at work today, a conversation with two of my ‘favorite’ colleagues :)sparked my interest in posting the following recipe. We were discussing how chips are so oily and fatty, I thought to myself, hang on, there are healthy alternatives that taste just as great! I remember trying this recipe back in good ‘ol England when I was studying. Below is the basic recipe. I will leave it to you and your imagination to come up with mouthwatering variations. Oh, these are great for parties or simply to snack on, nutritious and low in calories!

Ingredients
1 large bunch fresh kale, washed & dried
Olive oil
Sea salt
Black pepper

Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 350°F (approx 170°C).
2. Tear bite size pieces of kale & place them on a cookie sheet. ( You can line a tray with foil for easy clean up)
3. Brush or lightly drizzle each leaf with a coat of olive oil on both sides. Sprinkle salt & pepper on the kale leaves
4. Bake in oven for about 7-8 minutes. Make sure to watch them, they will turn from good to bad in a matter of minutes, so it’s really just trying and seeing what works as I know different ovens vary in cooking time. They should be done when the edges are brown and kale is crispy when moved in pan.

Photograph from: sammyw

Bonne Appetite!

Note: You want these to be light, crisp & airy, if you bake them to long they will turn black & become very bitter (resembling fire place ash!)

Yep, I know what most of you are thinking... ‘They’re a little fish food like’ but they are a healthy alternative to greasy/oily potato chips! The best part is you can season them with just about any herb you like! I made these with Garlic and herb seasoning and crushed red pepper; it really took these to the next level! You can even sprinkle with grated parmesan/asiago cheese. For a barbeque flavored undertone, try tossing with paprika (in addition to salt and olive oil!)

In fact, you can use any starchy vegetable, some could be: Eggplant, Zucchini, carrot (slice into thin coins or long strips) Lettuce, bok choy, sweet potato, etc…

My personal favorite is eggplant! What’s yours?