Cooking To Turn Back Biological Clock

Dr. Michael Roizen On Preparing Meals The 'RealAge' Way

(CBS)  Dinner: Coriander-Crusted Sea Bass and Asparagus over Sweet Potato Puree
Prep time: 12 min
Cook time: 18 min

2 large sweet potatoes (about 1.25 lbs)
1 bunch (about 14 oz) asparagus spears
2.5 tsps olive oil
4 (4-oz) sea bass fillets cut to 1 to 1.25 inches thick
2 tsps ground coriander
1.25 tsps salt
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsps coriander seeds
1/4 cup low-salt chicken broth or reserved sweet potato cooking water
1/4 cup chopped toasted pistachios

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a simmer. Cut sweet potatoes into 1-inch chunks. Cook in simmering water, uncovered, about 15 minutes or until tender.

Meanwhile, arrange asparagus in a shallow baking dish. Add 1/2 tsp oil, turning asparagus to coat with oil. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until crisp-tender, depending on thickness of asparagus.

Rinse and pat fish dry with paper towel. Rub 1 tsp of the oil over meaty side of fish; sprinkle ground coriander, 1/2 tsp salt, and cayenne pepper over fish. Press coriander seeds into fish. Heat a large nonstick ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add fish, seasoned side down. Cook 3 minutes or until fish is browned and seared. Turn fish over; transfer skillet to oven. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until fish is opaque and slightly firm to touch.

Drain sweet potatoes; return to saucepan. Add remaining 1 tsp oil, remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt, and chicken broth. Mash with a potato masher. Transfer to four serving plates. Top with fish and asparagus. Garnish with nuts.

Substitutions:
Striped bass may replace the sea bass, and boniato (commonly referred to as Cuban sweet potato) may replace the sweet potato. The boniato, which has white flesh, should be peeled. It needs a few more minutes of simmering to become tender, and more chicken broth, than the yellow- or orange-fleshed sweet potato does, but is deliciously filling.

Tips:
Coriander is the seed that gives rise to cilantro, but you might never guess that relationship as their flavors are so different.

For fish, you want to eat about 13 ounces a week, which is roughly a portion the size of a fist, three times a week.

Your stomach is roughly the size of your fist, so you want to eat portions that are about that size. Also, stop eating when you start to feel full, not when you're already stuffed.

In general, you want to avoid "white food" such as pasta, potatoes, and cream sauces. There are three exceptions: cauliflower, fish and egg whites. Everything else, you should avoid.

Fish has healthy fat and healthy protein, though many people don't realize it. It decreases cancer risk and aging arteries, which means you have less chance for heart attack, stroke and impotence.

This dish also has a lot of selenium (pistachios), which are good for reducing, we think, cancer in general, but specifically prostate cancer and breast cancer.

Coriander just gives the dish flavor.

Why sweet potatoes over regular potatoes? Sweet potatoes have a lot more nutrients for the calories. God made them correctly: The brightest color things are more intense in nutrients. Nutrients give them their color. Regular potatoes have magnesium and potassium; sweet potatoes have those plus other things called flavanoids.

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