Want to learn how to cook healthy? Healthista’s Vanessa Chalmers does. That’s why she is starting a new column, How To Cook Healthy For Beginners. This week’s Vanessa takes inspiration from new book Weight Watchers One Pot
A healthy lifestyle is achievable for anyone. But there are tons of recipes out there that seem to require a light dusting of glitter, the hoof of a unicorn and the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow as ingredients.
In my mind at least, as long as I am cooking from scratch with a variety of beneficial foods from the local supermarket I am one step further to healthy living. That’s why, every Friday I will be bringing you an easy, affordable and simple recipe – for the busy everyday woman who is nothing more than an amateur chef, but loves food and to cook.
This week I took a look inside new cookbook Weight Watchers One Pot, as a warming hearty meal is exactly what I need on a cold winter night. Little washing up and fuss-free home cooking is an added bonus. There were plenty of recipes to excite me but I went with Mediterranean cod for a light dinner. Any fish can be used instead, so I would recommend oily fish for its huge list of benefits, such as containing vitamin D, which many of us are deficient in this time of year.
I thought it was a good place to start when learning to cook with fish, as from what i know, cod doesn’t ask for much expertise. The mozzarella on top was a great ingredient to zhoosh up such a delicate fish, and fish always goes well with Mediterranean flavours (which are easier to create than I expected). See the recipe below.
MORE: How to get more vitamin D (the sunshine vitamin) during the winter
Mediterranean cod bake
Serves 4
Ingredients
Calorie controlled cooking spray
1 yellow and 1 green pepper, deseeded and sliced
2 garlic cloves, sliced
400g tin chopped tomatoes
3 heaped tablespoons shredded fresh basil
4 x 125g skinless cod fillets
125g reduced-fat mozzarella, torn
200g sugar snap peas (or veg of your choice. I used mangetout).
Method
- Preheat the oven to 200°C, fan 180°C, gas mark 6. Mist a shallow ovenproof casserole dish with cooking spray.
- Heat the casserole dish over a gentle heat, add the peppers and garlic and cook for around 5 minutes until browned and starting to soften. Add the tomatoes and basil to the dish, season to taste and allow to simmer for 3-4 minutes until slightly thickened.
- Remove from the heat, put the cod fillets in the sauce and scatter the torn mozzarella over the top.
- Bake for around 15 minutes until the fish is cooked.
- While the fish is cooking, microwave the sugar snaps with 2 tablespoons of water in a covered microwave-proof dish on high for 1 minute.
- Serve with the cod bake.
MORE: Let’s Do Lunch: Falafel and Hummus Quesadillas
Buy Weight Watchers One Pot, £5.99
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