Healthy and Delicious

Jiffy Pop for black bass. Jean-Georges Vongerichten, the chef at Jean Georges

These days, after the busy holiday season and the upcoming bikini season, I want to make sure I'm doing my best to eat healthy but still hearty. With the upped amount of exercise I'm doing, I must make sure to get the proper amount of fuel each day. At night, when I'm famished, it's easy to blow the whole day and pig out, but I've found ways to stay on the right track by preparing healthy and satisfying meals.

When I opt for a healthy dinner, fish or chicken is usually on my brain, and I always fill in with plenty of vegetables to round out the meal. My favorite healthy cooking technique is called "en papillote," or French for "in parchment." Each person gets his or her own little packet filled with perfectly cooked fresh fish and colorful veggies. In my kitchen, it is the fastest and most delicious way to get a healthy meal with minimal clean up.

This superb cooking method allows you to create a flavorful dish without adding loads of fat and salt and gives you room to amp up the healthy ingredients. The purpose of the the packet, and this cooking method, is to hold in moisture allowing the food to steam itself and cook in its own juices therefore elimintating the need for excess oil or butter. The final result is a moist and juicy piece of poultry or fish and bright, tender vegetables.

This dish is definitely one of my most favorite meals and is a longstanding go-to meal in my recipe book. For this rendition, I used tilapia and a combination of summer and winter vegetables, but it can really be adapted to what's in season and specific tastes. I happen to love onions, zucchini, carrots and mushrooms so that's what I used. I also used tin foil instead of parchement because that's what I had in the pantry. Be careful though, you run the risk of overcooking the meat in foil. Once you try this method of cooking, you'll come back to it often, and when you relish in how healthy it is, you won't feel as guilty for sneaking that little piece of chocolate.

Tilapia and Veggies en Papillote
Serves 1

One piece of tilapia
1/2 lemon, sliced into 1/4 inch rounds
1/2 zucchini, sliced into 1/2 inch rounds
1/2 carrot, sliced into 1/2 inch rounds
1/2 small Vidalia onion, chopped into big chunks
5 button mushrooms, quartered
olive oil, for taste
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Place tilapia on the lower third of an aluminum foil rectangle and top with lemon slices. Pile vegetables on and around fish. Drizzle with a small amount of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Fold remaining foil over fish and crimp together making a packet. Place packet on a baking sheet and bake for 20 to 30 minutes, depending on thickness of fish. To serve, place whole packet on a plate and open it after it is served to release all the steam. Makes a beautiful presentation.