miso glazed spicy honey cod (20 minutes at most)

My mother must have exclaimed 23 times throughout the meal that “Lisi, this is DELICICIOUS, seriously Lisi, delicious.”  And then about 3 minutes later “this is my kind of taste, Lisi, this is so good!”  And then, “Lisi, I need the recipe – please don’t forget to send me the recipe!”  And so on…  It was hard to actually have a conversation!  But I was delighted that she loved it so as she is one tough critic and a terrific cook.  Oh and my dad liked it too!  I made it again for friends Geoff and Nora and they too said delicious – repeating it only (ha) about 3 times.  

I can’t say I did anything but follow the recipe so it is really the blogger of Foodie with Family who deserves the credit.   The hardest part is to make sure you cook the fish to just right.  Undercooked cod is a real turnoff and overcooked can feel dry (although I honestly don’t mind it).  Other than that it’s a breeze to make.  

The recipe calls for white miso and gochujang which you can now find at most supermarkets – and also online.  If you hit the link for Foodie with Family (above), Rebecca provides resources to find.  After you open, refrigerate and both keep for a long time.  

If you are someone who likes things saucy then double the sauce – I did one of the times and really coated it.  I prefer it that way…but if you like a normal coating then cook with the amount below.

I served this with a delicious napa cabbage/mango/mint/pomegranate slaw that I will write up next.  And also a variety of roasted veggies that I had on hand.  This would also be great with rice, steamed broccoli, and toasted sesame seeds.   

Ingredients

  • 4 cod filets – 5-7 ounces 
  • 2 tablespoons mild honey
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons rice vinegar
  • 1/2 tablespoon gochujang (more to taste – I’m not the spiciest person so add more for more!)
  • 1 tablespoon white miso paste
  • 1 teaspoon soy sauce (or coconut aminos if gluten free)
  • 1-2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
  • 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
  • 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
 

Directions

Mix together all of the ingredients and measure out about 2 tablespoons of the sauce.  Brush or use a spoon to coat the cod with the two tablespoons.

  • Set your oven to broil and broil the fish (about 8 inches from heat source) for about 4-5 minutes.  It should look bubbly and a little charred.
  • Change the oven setting to bake 375.  Brush, spoon, pour the rest of the sauce on each filet.  Place in the oven and cook until opaque and easily flaked with a fork.  This can take 5-10 minutes depending on the thickness of your fish.
  • Not in the recipe – but I finished it again for a minute under broil.  I just like that look and taste.
  • You do what you prefer!
  • Sprinkle with sesame seeds or scallions if you like.  
Enjoy – 

simply delicious ground meat/(optional)egg stir fry

This recipe is soooo easy.  Simple.  And you can change it up so easily picking a different protein each time.  Veggies too.  Egg or no egg.  

Everyone loves this.  Mark loved it, Greg and Sarah asked for the recipe the last time they ate it.  Beth said “thumbs up all around.  Will add to the rotation!”  Sylvie was home this week and asked if I could make a lot so she would have enough for leftovers the following day.  I too am a big fan of this dish.  Oh and Rob and Andy too!  (He makes it frequently at school.)

The recipe calls for coconut aminos which is an alternative to soy sauce for those who can’t tolerate gluten.  I find that I like the coconut aminos more (in this recipe) than soy sauce as it is a littler lest pungent or harsh on the tongue.  It sounds hard to find, but it is right there next to the soy sauces. 

I found this in Juli Bauer’s Paleo Cookbook.  I tweaked it a bit and changed the the order of operations and added egg to mine – as well as all the other veggies.  Have fun with this – play around and enjoy – if you add a lot a lot of veggies you should probably double the sauce.  Additionally – I usually double this recipe for my family – then add a lot of veggies, I then triple the sauce.

Serve with brown rice, light brown rice, white rice or cauliflower rice.  Or something else entirely.  As you can see I plated mine with baby spinach, roasted cauliflower, and string beens and it was good!

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons ghee, butter, coconut oil or canola oil.  I like to use butter when Greg isn’t around but really good with ghee and any oil really
  • 1 medium onion – chopped
  • 1-2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 pound ground meat (beef, turkey, chicken) 
  • kosher salt
  • 1/3 cup coconut aminos (gluten free), or low sodium soy sauce 
  • 1-2 tablespoons honey
  • 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (plus or minus depending on your taste) 
  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger 
  • 2 eggs (optional) 
  • chopped scallions for garnish (not me as I taste them through the night)
  • a squeeze of lime juice if it needs it
  • pepper
Other veggies to add/try:
  • diced mushrooms
  • string beans cut small
  • shredded carrot or very thinly sliced carrot
  • red peppers
  • frozen peas
  • frozen edamame
  • baby spinach or baby kale
  • broccoli florets (if you use broccoli blanch first) 
Double the sauce if using a lot of veggies!  (I do) Triple the sauce if using more meat and more veg

Directions

  • Sauté the onions in a large pan (12 inch is good for this) using one or two of the fats above.  I like onions to be nice and golden for my dishes because I find I can digest them better and well, I like them better like that.  But you do you as they say.
  • Add the meat and salt it after you put it in the pan.  Let it sit for two minutes and flip the chunk of meat so that it browns on both sides first.  The onions will get even darker underneath.  Then break it up and continue to cook until no more pink remains. 
  • While the meat cooks, make the sauce by combining the aminos, honey, ginger and red pepper and set aside 
  • and then gently beat the eggs in a bowl and set aside
  • Add the garlic to the meat and onion mixture and stir in for a minute
  • Next add mushrooms if you are using – saute for a few minutes.
  • Add the sauce to the pan and cook until the liquid has reduced by one third – about 10 minutes.  
  • Half way through add the other veggies 
  • Cook your eggs in a separate pan and chunk up with a spatula.
  • Add to the pan when it is just about ready.  
  • Carefully mix up the ingredients and taste.  If it tastes too sweet (you overdid it on the honey) I find a squirt of lime juice helps.  I like lime either way as I like the little zing it adds.
  • pepper it if you like and top with cut scallions (if you like)
  • enjoy –