geek

Secrets of weight loss revealed

sunchoke gratin with cod

Oh come on, you know the answer…either consume less calories or increase your activity. Do both and you’ll be even more successful. Ah…it’s so easy to write, and yet so very difficult to live. But here I am, at the point that I can no longer ignore the scale. I’ve passed from the fatty-bo-batty stage into unloveable (GH and the boys don’t agree but the clothing does not lie) and I must take it seriously. Since it’s such a simple equation I thought it best to make a commitment. The best way for me to reduce my calories is to write down what I eat and assign it its caloric value. There is a really cool website to help with this. It’s called Nutrition Data and it makes the calorie counting less of a chore and actually fun.

I imagine that the past two months of forced couch-potato behavior due to arctic-like weather conditions may have something to do with the blossoming of my love handles too. Thankfully we’re experiencing a thaw and Lovejoy the dog and I have been hitting the wet and muddy trail. I know it will come off slower than it went on but I guess this is the dark side of food blogging.

Dinner tonight was low on calories but high on flavor. A sunchoke tomato gratin with a piece of cod resting on top. Easy, fast, and delicious…what more could you want (well actually, a chocolate banana but that’s how I got in this mess…isn’t it)?

Sunchoke Tomato Gratin with Cod

8 – 10 sunchokes, peeled and sliced thin
2 – 4 roma tomatoes, sliced into strips
1 small onion, sliced thin
Italian Seasoning
Salt and pepper
2 small cod fillets
2 tablespoons olive oil

Preheat the oven to 375º.

Rub some olive oil on the surface of the gratin pan. Create a thin layer of the sunchokes. Season with salt and pepper. Create a light layer of the onions, and then arrange the tomato strips on top. Sprinkle a tablespoon of olive oil over it all.

Create another round of layers but don’t add the olive oil. Instead sprinkle some italian seasoning on top of the tomatoes and place the 2 cod fillets on top. Rub just a dab of olive oil on each fillet.

Bake uncovered for about 30 minutes. Stick a fork in the gratin to see if the sunchokes are tender. Serves two.

printer-friendly version

Remember this…everything in moderation, including counting calories.

March 13, 2007 | Filed Under beef, fish, poultry, pork, food, low carb, low cal, quick and easy, vegetable 

comments

7 Responses to “Secrets of weight loss revealed”

  1. Jacob on March 13th, 2007

    I feel your pain Vanessa. I walked out of college with a degree and 35 extra pounds. What a deal! Your post looks nutritious and delicious. Now if I could only get the wife to eat fish…

  2. h on March 14th, 2007

    I am sorry for being dumb (and I’m a farmer’s granddaughter so I really thought I knew I veggies), but what is a sunchoke? I can honestly say I’ve never heard of one.

    I really enjoy your site and recipes. Thanks.

  3. vanessa on March 14th, 2007

    h, I forgot to link back to my previous sunchoke post. Check it out here:
    http://www.whatgeekseat.com/wordpress/2007/01/23/spicy-dal-with-sunchokes/

    I didn’t know what they were either until I bought them. They are very tasty and somewhat more nutrious than a potato. Thanks for visiting.

    Jacob, thanks for the link…it’s fabulous. I’m glad you feel my pain just don’t try t feel my love handles ;)

  4. amanda on March 14th, 2007

    vanessa, that fish looks sooooo tender and juicy. mmm! i’m on a fish and veggies kick right now so this is insanely appealing to me. :-)

  5. Lisa (Homesick Texan) on March 15th, 2007

    Nutrition Data is very cool! My clothes are a bit snug so I’ve also started watching what I eat as. Thanks for the tip!

  6. Lisa (Homesick Texan) on March 15th, 2007

    Er…meant to say “as well.”

  7. Ros on March 17th, 2007

    Good luck with this, Vanessa. Since you’re a great cook you’ll probably find that this diet is no hardship at all. As this dish demonstrates, healthy food can be delicious too.

Leave a Reply