It's hard to imagine life without canned tomatoes. Canned peas, yes-- canned tomatoes, no, especially in January.

Don't get me wrong. August and September are my favorite months of the year because of fresh locally-grown tomatoes. I eat them off of the vine until my mouth puckers. But the hydroponic tomato eyeing me now from the vegetable bin is a different animal than my September friend--not necessarily bad, but better off baked.

Any time of the year, canned tomatoes can be found in dozens of my recipes--soups, bruschetta, casseroles and sauces. And the pre-seasoned diced tomatoes are great time-savers. I simply pour a can of them over meat, fish or chicken, pop in the oven and bake.

I'm beginning to like canned tomatoes more than ever. Surprisingly, they may be richer in lypocenes than fresh. I perused The American Diabetes's website and it states: “Fact: Research shows frozen and canned foods are as nutritious as fresh. In fact, since lycopene is more easily absorbed in the body after it has been processed, canned tomatoes, corn and carrots are sometimes better nutrition choices.”

Canned tomatoes are not created equally. If you doubt me, buy 6 different brands of diced canned tomato, do a blind tasting, and get back to me. So when I see my favorite premium canned tomatoes on sale, you'll see a vacant shelf in my wake.

Wild caught cod is on sale at Busch's this week ($4.99#); tonight's dinnerFeed is a no-brainer.

Fresh tilapia fillets would be a good substitute for the cod. To keep with our resolutions, Richard and I are eating this with spinach and whole grain bread. I have an orange handy so will grate some zest over the dish, though that is not essential.

Think this quickie recipe is still too lengthly? Note 1/2 of the ingredients are optional. Leave them out and you'll still have a tasty catch.

Yield: 4 servings Active Time using fennel: 12 minutes Active Time w/out fennel: 5 minutes Bake Time: 25 minutes Cost: apx. $12.50 (using Busch's ad item cod fillets)

Ingredients

1 1/2-2 pounds cod fillets Extra virgin olive oil 1 small fennel bulb, cored and sliced, optional 3 tablespoons dry white wine or lemon juice 1 (14oz.) can diced tomatoes with Italian seasoning 2 tablespoons chopped basil plus extra sprig for garnish, optional Seasoned Italian Bread crumbs or panko (Japanese bread flakes), optional Orange zest, optional

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 2. If using fennel, in a large pan, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and sauté fennel, with a pinch of kosher salt until just tender, about 3-4 minutes. 2. Select a baking dish large enough to accommodate the fish, tomatoes and fennel. Place the fish, skinned side down, in dish and brush with olive oil. Lightly season with kosher salt, freshly ground pepper and sprinkle with wine. 3. Evenly spread fennel and pour canned tomatoes, including their liquid, over the fish. Sprinkle top with bread crumbs, if using. Bake on middle rack of oven until fish is cooked, about 25 minutes. Fish is done when flesh is opaque and separates easily into flakes when tested with a fork.