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We are in the season of Lent, in the Christian church, and I know that many of you refrain from eating meat on Fridays at this time. Fish is an excellent low-fat food, has a lot of vitamins and minerals and omega-fatty acids (the good fat). In Asian countries, where the diet consists mainly of fish, people tend to have less heart problems and do not seem to get certain kinds of cancer that exist in our country. Medical researchers recommend eating fish at least two times a week because there is evidence that eating fish can help ease the pain of arthritis, whether it is pan-fish, salmon, tuna, halibut, shrimp, etc. It might sound like a lot of fish in one week, but you have 7 days to work with. We have fish every Monday, taking care of the question, "what should we have for dinner?"

So, it's recipes using fish, today. Not your usual tuna and noodles dish.

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THIRTY-MINUTE TUNA CASSEROLE

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1-8 oz. can sliced water chestnuts, cut in half

1 T. instant minced onion or 1-1/2 t. fresh minced onion

1 c. celery, sliced very thin, about 1/8-inch thick

1/4 c. water

1-6-1/2 oz. can tuna, in water, drained (I used 2 cans)

2 c. Chinese rice noodles, divided

1/2 c. cashews, slivered almonds or peanuts

Combine all ingredients except nuts in a large bowl with 1 c. of noodles. Turn into a buttered or sprayed 1-1/2 qt. casserole. Sprinkle with remaining 1 c. noodles to cover. Sprinkle with nuts. Bake uncovered at 375 degrees for 25 minutes or until bubbly.

Makes 4 servings.

Fix a lettuce, mandarin orange and pineapple salad with a poppy seed dressing along with muffins and you have a delicious meal!

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SEAFOOD CASSEROLE

1-6-1/2 oz. can tuna, drained

2-6 oz. cans small shrimp, drained and rinsed, drained

3 c. cooked rise (1 c. uncooked rice)

1 c. light mayonnaise

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1-12 oz. can evaporated milk

1-4 oz. can mushrooms, drained

1 T. lemon juice

1 green onion, sliced, using most of green tops or 2 T. diced onion

1 c. sliced celery, sliced 1/4-inch thick

3/4 c. slivered almonds

1 c. coarsely crushed potato chips

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except chips. Turn into a 3 qt. casserole. Top with crushed chips. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until bubbly.

Makes 6-8 servings.

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In this recipe you may use orange roughly or walleye.

EASY BAKED WALLEYE

1 lb. walleye filets, cut into serving-size pieces

1 beaten egg

1/8 t. each salt and pepper (you may eliminate salt if you wish, especially if you are using saltine crackers)

1 t. lemon pepper seasoning

1 c. crushed corn flakes or saltine crackers

1 T. lemon juice

3 T. oil or melted butter

Put beaten egg into shallow dish. Combine corn flakes and lemon pepper in another shallow dish. Heat oil until hot; dip fish into egg and then crumbs, turning to coat both sides. Put filets in 9x9-inch baking pan (if filets are big, use a 9x13 pan). Bake at 425 degrees 12-15 minutes. Turn after 7 minutes. If filets are thick, bake about 10 additional minutes or until fish flakes easily). Don't bake too long. Serve with lemon wedges and tartar sauce.

Makes 3-4 servings.

You may want to use this tartar sauce recipe to serve with the fish. I know you can buy this prepared in the grocery store, however, it's easy to make and is a low-calorie sauce.

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LOW-CALORIE TARTAR SAUCE

1 c. light mayonnaise or salad dressing

2 heaping T. sweet pickle relish, well drained (I use a small strainer to drain, pressing it with a spoon to get out as much liquid as possible).

Couple dashes white pepper (can use black pepper if you wish)

1/2 t. lemon juice

1 t. minced onion

Combine all ingredients in a bowl; mix thoroughly. Put in small jar or plastic container, covered in fridge.

Makes 1 cup.

How about baking a pan of brownies while the seafood casserole is baking.

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COCOA BROWNIES

1/2 c. shortening

1 c. sugar

2 eggs

1 t. vanilla

2/3 c. flour

1/2 c. cocoa (not chocolate cocoa mix)

1/2 t. baking powder

1/4 t. salt

1/2 c. chopped walnuts or pecans.

In a mixing bowl beat 4 ingredients until creamy. Combine next 4 ingredients in a bowl; add to creamed mixture. Beat on low for 2 minutes. Fold in nuts. Bake at 350 degrees, in a greased 8x8-inch pan for 25-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Makes 16 bars.

TFD: Fishing widow: "You think so much of your fishing that you don't even remember when we were married." Angler: "Of course I do. I was the day I caught seven walleye in 20 minutes".

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