Halibut Baked with Tomatoes and Fennel for the Freezer

Note From Cheri: This recipe is meant to make six individual dinners that you store in your freezer until you're ready to heat them up for dinner. The recipe is healthy and low in fat. I like this fish served on a bed of rice (wild rice especially adds great texture and color to the finished dish as well as extra fiber and nutrition for you), but you could serve it on couscous, mashed potatoes or with any other side dish you prefer. If you like dinners like those made by Lean Cuisine®, Weight Watchers® or Jenny Craig®, you'll love this homemade alternative. You'll save money and time (cook once and make twelve dinners), not to mention you can avoid unnecessary sodium and preservatives. And unlike the commercial versions, you can season these meals to suit your taste. For general information about cooking and packaging foods for the freezer, as well as more delicious, low fat freezer recipes, click here.

Prep Tips: When chopping fennel, use only the white portion of the bulb -- the green stalks are usually too tough.

Variations: Any kind of white fish -- cod, flounder, even catfish can be substituted in this recipe, although you may have to adjust the nutritional counts slightly. If you like things spicy, add 1/4 teaspoon or more of crushed red pepper to the sauce. Among a host of other health benefits, the capsaicin in chili peppers has been shown to reduce food cravings and increase metabolism, which helps you use calories more efficiently.

1 1/2 lbs. halibut filets Sauce: 1 tablespoon olive oil 2-3 garlic cloves, minced 3/4 C chopped fresh fennel, white part of bulb only 3/4 C chopped onion 1 can (14 1/2 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained 1/3 C red wine 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper (more if you like things hot) salt and pepper to taste

Makes 6 Servings Preheat oven to 375° F. Prepare side dish, such as rice or couscous, if desired. Prepare sauce by heating olive oil in a large sauté pan. Add garlic, fennel and onion and sauté until soft, but not brown, about 5-7 minutes. Add diced tomatoes and red wine. Simmer sauce for about 20 minutes. Let cool completely. Divide side dish vegetable between six freezer containers. Lay fish fillet on bed of rice, couscous or other vegetable. Divide the sauce over the six containers, pouring over the fish. Cook in oven for 10 minutes. Cool, wrap properly and freeze. When you're ready to eat dinner, here's how to cook your fish: Conventional Oven: Preheat oven to 350°F and place baking dish on a cookie sheet. Bake, covered for 30 minutes, remove cover and continue cooking until heated through and fish flakes with a fork -- about 10-15 more minutes. Microwave Oven: Microwave on high for 5-7 minutes or until fully cooked. Let stand for 1-2 minutes in microwave oven before serving. Nutritional Info Per Serving (not counting side dish): Calories: 175; Calories from Fat 38; Total Fat: 4.3g; Saturated Fat: 0.6g; Carbohydrates: 8.8g; Cholesterol: 36mg; Sodium: 160mg; Protein: 25.4g; Dietary Fiber 2.4g.