Tilapia Oreganata

Ok enough with all the cookies...

I've been attempting to incorporate more white fish into my world. It took some researching to convince myself I could make white fish even the least bit appealing. I realized, however, that the beauty of fish is that it is a blank slate. You can make white fish in so many different ways that "boring" isn't really an excuse for not including it in your diet. 

Try this great recipe I found at Clean & Delicious. It uses tilapia instead of your usual cod or sole, which perked my interest. I bet after tasting this dish you'll warm up to the idea as well. White fish has possibility, my friends.

Serve up this meal with a good salad or some garlic green beans. Yum!

Tilapia Oreganata

From Clean & Delicious

Ingredients

1 pound tilapia filets
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
The zest of one lemon
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoon whole wheat bread crumbs
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil and lightly coat with olive oil.

Place tilapia on the baking sheet and season with salt and pepper.

In a small bowl combine garlic, lemon zest (not the juice), oregano, and olive oil. Using a pastry brush (or your hands) rub the herbed oil on top of each filet. Finish by sprinkling the breadcrumbs evenly on top of the fillets.

Place in the oven and bake for 8-10 minutes or until the fish is opaque and just cooked through.

Serve with fresh lemon wedges and your favorite veggie. Enjoy!

Makes 4 servings.

Crab Cakes and Coleslaw



Photo by Rachel Dedrickson





Raise your hand if you like crab cakes! Anyone? Come on. Work with me.

I ran across a healthy crab cake recipe in the April/May edition of Clean Eating. Wait. Back up. I used the word 'healthy' and 'cake' in the same sentence. If I haven't caught your attention yet, then I don't know how I am going to.

Yes, I am cheating a little bit because I am not here to tell you about the fluffy, frosting covered kind of cake. But who can resist crab cakes? Seriously.

These little guys were quick to make and delicious to consume. The only tricky part I will point out is how you pick out the crab meat. You can visit the seafood case at your local grocery store and go the fresh crab route, but I decided to avoid the mess of cracking shells and control the price a bit by opting for canned crab.

The magazine recommended topping these crab cakes with a honeydew-strawberry salsa, but I was too anxious to eat! I just grabbed some fresh pico de gallo from the store and dolloped it over the top. Then, I quickly whipped up a coleslaw salad for the side. And ta-da! Dinner is served.

Crab Cakes
Recipe by Clean Eating Magazine

Ingredients:

1 lb crabmeat, drained and picked over for shells (or 3 cans of crab meat drained)
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
4 tbsp whole-wheat panko bread crumbs
2 tbs chopped fresh parsley
4 scallions (white and some green parts) thinly sliced
Zest 1/2 lemon
1 1/2 tsp salt-free chile or Cajon seasoning blend (Try: Mrs. Dash Extra Spicy Seasoning Blend)
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/8 sea salt
1 large egg
1 large egg white
1/4 cup white whole-wheat flour
Fresh ground black pepper, to taste
2 tbsp safflower oil, divided
Lemon wedges for serving, optional


Instructions:
1. Prepare crab cakes: In a large bowl, combine crabmeat, Dijon, panko, parsley, scallions, lemon zest, chile seasoning, paprika, salt, egg and egg white. Gently fold mixture with a rubber spatula to blend.

2. To form patties, firmly pack crab mixture into a 1/4 cup measuring cup. Invert the crab into your palm and press into the shape of a disk, about 1 inch thick. Transfer to a plate and reapeat with remaining crab mixture, making about 10 patties. Cover patties with plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes or up to 24 hours to firm up crab cakes.

3. Line a plate or baking sheet with parchment paper. Put flour in a wide bowl or pie plate and season with black pepper. Gently dredge each crab cake in flour and transfer to parchment. Add 1 tbsp oil to a large, heavy skillet and heat on medium. Add half of crab cakes and cook until golden brown, 4-5 minutes per side. Transfer to plate or sheet, cover with foil to keep warm and repeat with remaining 1 tbsp oil and crab cakes. Serve immediately with salsa and lemon wedges if desired.


Coleslaw
Ingredients:
Half a Napa cabbage
Dollop of Veganiese mayo
1 can of crushed pineapple, drained
Sugar
Salt
Pepper

Directions:
Cut half a Napa cabbage lengthwise and shred into thin pieces. Add a large dollop of Veganiese mayo (or real mayo if you prefer). Next, add one can of well drained, crushed pineapple. Sprinkle sugar, salt, and pepper over the top of the salad to desired taste. Mix well and let set for 20 minutes in the fridge before serving.

Photo by Rachel Dedrickson

Give Me That Filet O' Fish

Photo by Rachel Dedrickson

Give me that filet o’ fish, give me that fish!

Don’t you love that McDonald’s commercial?

Me too.

That’s not what this post is about though, but I think the jingle is fitting. This post is about fish. Do you like fish?

I don’t recall caring much for fish as a kid, but this fish in foil recipe always seemed to be the exception. I believe Mom used cod or halibut for this recipe, which seemed to taste more ‘neutral’ than other varieties of seafood. White fish must be the key.

The other fun thing about this dinner is the presentation. I remember thinking it was so fun to get dinner wrapped up in my own personal foil packet.

The recipe also reminds me of summer camp, when we’d sleep outside on blue tarps and cook dinner over the fire. Meat and veggies wrapped in foil and held over the crackling flames. Yum! Fish in Foil gets me the same tasty meal without the bugs and creepy crawlies.

Best of all, I can easily recreate this recipe just like Mom made it.  I don’t wonder about this dish the way I used to wonder about how to make Aunt Julie’s “rock” matzo balls, and there is no secret, unspecified ingredient like I discovered there is in sweet kugel (*cough* apricot jam). Fish in Foil is more like a “what you see is what you get” kind of meal.

The fresh green beans, carrots, onions, and potato come out buttery and perfectly tender. The fish comes out just right--not too dry.  And best of all the steps are a no-brainer, which I love.

Put all the ingredients on top of a foil square, wrap them up, put the packets on a baking sheet, and stick them in the oven. It’s just so fun to get dinner rolled up neatly in your own personal container. Peel open. Devour.  So simple!

Fish In Foil

Ingredients:

4 fish fillets (1 lb.) (cod, perch, white fish, etc.)
2 tbsp. melted butter
Salt & pepper to taste

Dill to taste2 carrots, sliced lengthwise and then halved
1/2 med. onion, sliced

1 potato, peeled and diced2 cups fresh green beans, trimmed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix butter, salt, pepper, and dill together in a small bowl.  Cut a large square of foil for each fillet. On each square, place fillet, top with butter mixture and divide the carrots, potato, and green beans evenly between each packet. Place a sliced onion on top of the filet. Fold up ends of foil and seal. Place packets on a cookie sheet and bake for 30 minutes. Serves 4.

Photo by Rachel Dedrickson