Slimmer dinner one-dish meal: Ratatouille Fish en Papillote

Nutritious. Delicious. And low-calorie. These dishes work overtime to make you feel full longer. That’s our slimmer dinner guarantee. Your health — and your waistline — will thank you.

Ratatouille Fish en Papillote

Ingredients:

4 tilapia fillets (about 150 g each)
1 cup dry white wine
2 seeded plum tomatoes
1 small Japanese eggplant
1 small zucchini
1 small onion
1/2 yellow pepper
3 minced garlic cloves
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp dried Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp red-chili flakes
1/2 cup dry whole-wheat couscous
2 tbsp water
1 lemon sliced into 1/4 inch slices

Directions:

1. Position rack in lower third of oven. Preheat to 400F. Place 4 tilapia fillets (about 150 g each) in a pie plate with 1 cup dry white wine. Marinate at room temperature for 15 min. Lay 4 sheets of parchment (or foil) twice the size of fillets on counter. Fold each in half crosswise, then open and lay flat. Julienne 2 seeded plum tomatoes, 1 small Japanese eggplant, 1 small zucchini, 1 small onion and 1/2 yellow pepper. Transfer vegetables to a large bowl.

2. Stir in 3 minced garlic cloves, 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp dried Italian seasoning, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp red-chili flakes. Toss until coated. Stir 1/2 cup of dry whole-wheat couscous with 2 tbsp water in a small bowl. Divide couscous among parchment sheets. Divide vegetable mixture and make a nest with each portion on top of couscous. Lay 1 fillet over each portion of vegetables. Discard marinade.

3. Season tilapia with fresh pepper. Slice a lemon into 12 1/4-in. slices. Place 3 on each fillet, overlapping to fit. Fold each piece of parchment in half over the fillets. Double-fold all edges to seal completely and form a packet. Place packets on a large baking sheet. Bake in lower third of oven until vegetables are cooked, 20 min. Place packets on plates and serve. Serves 4.

Per serving: 330 calories, 35 g protein, 28 g carbs, 10 g fat, 5 g fibre, 369 mg sodium. Excellent source of vitamin C.


How to Julienne:
This cutting technique turns vegetables into thin matchsticks or shoestrings. The key it to slice the vegetable into long flat pieces, then stack a few on top of each other and slice again into matchsticks. Vegetables will roast quickly and evenly.

Why it's good for you:
Hot hot heat: Chili flakes are a great way to boost the zip without adding extra calories. Capsaicin, the phytochemical in chili peppers that provides heat, may help lower blood pressure and inhibit growth of cancer cells.

Superhero C: Zucchini is a good source of vitamin C, an antioxidant that helps fight heart disease and some cancers.

Heart smart: Whole-grain foods such as couscous contain phytosterols, compounds that may help prevent heart disease by lowering LDL (bad) cholesterol