SUSTAINABLE DIET RECIPE REVIEW

Baked Cod with Creamy Pesto

I posted before about Eat Forum’s Sustainable Diet, check out: A SUSTAINABLE DIET DESERVES A LOOK. To give a brief recap of this diet, it is one that promotes health, has low environmental impact, is affordable and is culturally acceptable. The recipes are largely plant-based with some small but optional amounts of dairy, poultry, eggs, fish, and red meat.

On Eat Forum’s website is a SAMPLE OF A ONE-WEEK DINNER MENU made by Norwegian chef, Lise Finekenhagen, which aligns with the Sustainable Diet. To show that this diet is not ALL plant-based, I selected Day 2 from the dinner menu:

BAKED COD WITH CREAMY PESTO

Ingredients 

1 1/2 to 2 lbs cod fillet

1 c bulgur wheat

2 red peppers

1 yellow pepper 

1 lb cherry tomatoes

3 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp lemon juice

1 clove garlic

1 tsp fresh ginger, grated

1/3 c fresh cilantro, parsley and/or basil, chopped

2 tbsp fresh mint, chopped

6 tbsp feta cheese

4 tbsp basil pesto

salt and ground pepper

Instructions

Cut the cod into four evenly sized pieces. Pour about 2 cups boiling water over bulgur and let it stand for 30 minutes. Drain any excess water when done.

Tomatoes & peppers ready to be roasted in oven. In steel container is bulgur standing in boiling water for 30 minutes

Clean the peppers and cut them into rough pieces. Cut the tomatoes in half. Then mix them in a suitable oven-proof dish. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil on top and seasoning lightly with salt and pepper. Roast the vegetables at 400° for about 15 minutes, or until they are soft and lightly golden.

Vegetables & bulgur mixed together with dressing to make a "salad"

Mix the cooked bulgur wheat with vegetables. Mix together 2 tablespoons of olive oil, lemon juice & zest, finely chopped garlic, ginger and herbs to make the dressing season with salt and pepper and mix it into the “salad”.

Cod is placed on top of salad and coated with pesto, salt & pepper before roasting another 12 minutes approximately

Place the pieces of fish on top, season with salt and pepper and spread a tablespoon of pesto on each piece to coat, put the oven-proof dish back in the oven and roast for another 12 minutes or until the cod flakes easily. Sprinkle feta cheese on top and perhaps garnish with a little more of the herbs. Enjoy!

TAKEAWAYS

An MSC sticker signifies that this type of fish meets a standard for sustainable fishery. As luck would have it, I was able to purchase this cod for 30 percent off. 

I was surprised at the large portion of fish in this recipe. I try to buy as locally-sourced as possible. As I live in western Canada, I try to buy cod caught off the Pacific coast, and this MSC sticker helps as well. Counting just the cod and bulgur, each serving contains approximately 40 grams of protein. The price was approximately 5 Canadian dollars per fillet regular price and, as mentioned above, I was able to purchase for 30 percent off on this occasion.

The bulgur I used in this recipe was imported from Turkey. In addition to being a source of protein, bulgur is a good source of complex carbohydrate. fiber, and iron. Going into making this recipe I did not think there was enough bulgur for four servings. However, both my guests and I were satisfied with the amount provided in the recipe. Speaking of guests, I made this recipe for an impromtu dinner party on a weekday night! The recipe did not require a lot of pans and utensils to prepare, so cleanup was pretty straightforward.

Most of the vegetables and fruits used in this recipe were grown locally in Canada. The one exception was a lemon grown in Mexico. Going into making this recipe I did think there were enough vegetables for four servings.

The sustainable diet tries to limit processed foods. Store-bought pesto, which was used to coat the cod during cooking, is the one processed food in this recipe.

In summary, this protein-forward, vegetable-rich recipe proved to be a delicious meal. In addition, the recipe was simple to follow and contained limited processed foods. Athletes will likely find this recipe to be very satisfying and will likely help meet their sports nutrition needs. In addition to athletes, I would definitely serve this recipe to other family members and guests.

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Thanks for reading! 

For more on sports nutrition and recipes, check out the Sports Nutrition & Healthy Living sections in the EOOC TABLE OF CONTENTS.

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Experiment of One Coaching covers topics ranging from running, strength training, health & wellness, sports nutrition to travel. I usually post once or twice a month.