Hello friends, I’m so excited to be welcoming Laura Henry-Zoubir to The Energized Body.  She will be sharing her culinary expertise on the blog each month, from the perspective of a busy working mom on a mission to get lean and stay healthy.

I used Laura’s Kale Pesto while vacationing at the lake – big, big hit! Check it out HERE or you can find it in my Healthy Summer Strategies Booklet.

I love learning new recipes, especially when it’s from a different culture.  I have guests coming and can’t wait to prepare Laura’s Moroccan Chermoula Fish. So I’m going to turn it over to Laura now to tell us about herself and show us how it’s done!

— Denise

Hello! Thank you for the warm welcome to The Energized Body family. Wondering who I am? Here’s a little background: I am a Culinary Institute of America graduate and have been working as a chef in Boston for over 12 years. Most recently, I was the culinary director for a small restaurant group, running 4 restaurants including the Regal Beagle, Church Restaurant and Night Club, Union Fish & Rye Tavern in Plymouth. I also had my 15 seconds of fame by appearing on the Food Network’s Chopped! I was really hitting my culinary stride when my husband and I decided to start a family. As my belly grew bigger and bigger, I knew working 7 days a week wouldn’t work for much longer 🙂 In 2012, I took a job at Nestle, in research and development for a pasta company.

When I found Denise’s website, I could see her passion for food. She loves to inspire and share her knowledge of nutrition with people, which was exactly what I needed. I was looking for some inspiration of my own, both at work (the corporate world isn’t like running a restaurant) and in my personal life. After having my daughter, I had been dragging my feet to start an exercise program and a healthier way of eating to shed those last few baby pounds — you can only use the “I just had a baby” excuse for so long. It was time to take action.

I just completed The Energized Body 4-Day Detox and feel great! It is amazing that by changing your nutritional habits for only 4 days, you can lose your sugar cravings and start to retrain your body. I have been following Denise’s recipes and suggestions and have lost 10 lbs so far! I’ve even been inspired to come up with some recipes of my own. It is so important to create flavorful meals and snacks packed with nutrition so you won’t be left feeling deprived.

Did I mention my husband is a chef as well? I know, lucky me! If only he would cook at home 🙂 He grew up in Morocco and has shown me a thing or two about this exotic North African cuisine. Moroccan Chermoula Fish is one of my favorite recipes, especially for parties. All of the preparation happens before your guests arrive, so when dinner is served, you will look like a star! I love the fact that it is so versatile: you can bake it in foil packets, as a casserole, grill it or use a tagine for authenticity.

Moroccan Chermoula Fish
Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1.5 lb skinless cod, haddock, halibut or striped bass, cut into four 6-oz portions
• 1 recipe Chermoula Marinade (recipe below)
• 2 lb Yukon gold potatoes, par-cooked (substitute: sweet potatoes)
• 2 vine-ripened tomatoes, each cored and sliced into 4 slices
• 1 red bell pepper, cored and cut into julienne strips
• 1 large zucchini, sliced in 1/4” slices
• 1 white onion, sliced 1/4” thick
• 1 cup mixed olives, pitted
• 1 lemon, sliced into 12 thin circles
• aluminum foil, 2 layers for each packet

Directions

Prep all ingredients to assemble the dish: Marinate the fish in the Chermoula Marinade, coating all sides of the portions. Set aside in the refrigerator until you are ready to assemble packets. Have the potatoes cooked and cooled. Slice all the vegetables and have everything ready on a tray for assembly time.

Tear 8 pieces of aluminum foil approximately 12” long.  Double stack them so you have 4 foil plates ready to fill.  I double the aluminum so the pack will be more sturdy for the grill and you don’t have to worry about piercing through a layer and losing all the yummy sauce!

Start by layering the potatoes and follow with a few onion slices, zucchini, tomatoes, red peppers and olives. Place a piece of fish on top in each foil pack. Top the fish with 3 lemon slices, salt and pepper.

Wrap each bundle up by bringing the sides together and crimping them together. The goal is to make sure the juice doesn’t run out when cooking. I prefer to cook these on the grill or you can bake them in the oven at 375 degrees until the fish is cooked (30-40 minutes).

Chermoula marinade
Yield 1 cup (enough for 4 fish portions)

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup parsley leaves, packed
• 1/2 cup cilantro leaves, packed
• Juice and zest of 1 lemon
• 2 tsp Harissa (substitute: Sriracha or other hot sauce)
• 1 tsp garlic, chopped
• 3 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp ground turmeric

Directions

Combine all ingredients in the food processor and puree until smooth.

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I’ll be back each month with recipes and tips on the Energized Body blog. They will be from my perspective (and maybe yours, too): a busy mom who works full time and has a few more pounds to lose 🙂

Enjoy!

— Laura