Home Made Breaded Fish Fillets

Hello! I apologize it's been awhile... I've been cooking, just not blogging.

Tonight we ate Breaded Tilapia, with rice and corn.

The rice and corn don't need any explanation - you can even choose any sides you would like to have with your fish. We chose rice and corn due to its speed. It does not take long at all to cook the fish (3 - 5 mins), so if your sides take awhile, get started on them ahead of time.

I love to batter my own fish... I find everyone likes it better than the store-bought pre-packaged fish sticks. We use Tilapia, since it is an easy fish to cook, and fairly cheap. You could also try cod, or another type of fish, as long as the fillets are "skinny".

Make sure the fish is thawed before cooking.

The trick is how you batter the fish. Most people will use an egg wash, and then bread crumbs. The missing ingredient is flour...

I use three dishes: 2 pie plates, and 1 bowl. In the bowl make your egg wash. I use 2 eggs and a splash of water - beat until, well... beated. In one pie plate, place enough flour to coat the number of fillets. In the second pie plate, place your bread crumbs (or substitute). We used a mix of cornflake crumbs and bran. We used the bran, because we didn't have many flakes left. Interesting mix that actually turned out quite well. (And the bran will keep you regular ;-) ).

We used coconut oil (but olive oil, or vegatable oil would work as well). Heat the oil over MED-HIGH heat in a pan. When the oil is heated, take your fillets, and "bread" them in the following order:

1) First, in the flour. Completely cover.

2) Then place in the egg wash, making sure to completely cover both sides again.

3) Then finally into the breadcrumb mix. I like to use my fingers to pack the breadcrumbs firmly onto the fish. This helps make sure it all sticks.

Then fry in the oil. It does not take long - 3 - 5 mins (2 mins per side). It depends on how well cooked you like your fish.

And that's all there is to it!

Enjoy!

Oven Roasted Stuffed Bell Peppers

The following recipe is one of my own creations. I made it up on the fly tonight, so I apologize if the instructions are a bit scattered.

As always - feel free to substitute certain ingredients (for example, try mushrooms in the filling...). Enjoy! And please comment with suggestions.

You will need:

2 tbsp olive oil

1 small yellow onion, diced

1/2 cup basmati rice (uncooked)

1 small zucchini, quartered and sliced into small peices.

2 carrots, skinny, sliced into dime-sized peices

1 tbsp curry powder

1 tbsp chinese 5 spice

2 tbsp of white wine

mozzarella cheese (we used goat)

~12 baby potatoes

bunch of asparagus

Directions:

1.) Cook the rice as per the directions. Pre-heat the oven to 350' F.

2.) While the rice is cooking, cut the tops off each of the bell peppers, forming a lid - similar to a pumpkin. Clean out the insides (seeds, etc.) to make bell pepper bowls!

3.) Meanwhile, heat 1 tbsp of oil in a non-stick pan. Slice the baby potatoes into "dollar" potatoes (do not make them too thick, or they will not cook through). Place the potatoes into the pan and begin to cook - stirring frequently.

4.) In another pan, place the remaining 1 tbsp of olive oil. Once heated, add the diced onion, curry powder and chinese 5 spice. Saute until translucent.

5.) You may add the seasoning salt to the potatoes at any time. Or experiment with your own spices - I have a home-made blackening spice I like to use. Unfortunately I can't remember

what I made it out of! The potatoes are done when they are starting to brown / go crispy on the outside.

6.) Now add the sliced carrots and zucchini to the pan with the onions. Continue to saute until everything is soft. Now add the splash of wine to deglaze the pan, and add a little extra flavor.

7.) Pour in the cooked rice to the pan with the onions, and mix it all together - now you have your stuffing!

8.) Now stuff each of your peppers with the mix. Grate some mozzarella cheese on top (as much as you like), place the lids back on, and place them on a cookie sheet, and into the oven. Place the asparagus on a slightly oiled pan/cooking sheet, flavor with a bit of salt and pepper, and place them into t

he oven as well. It usually only takes about 15 mins - the goal is to have roasted asparagus cooked so the tops are beginning to crisp, and well-heated peppers. Use your discretion, and cook things the way you like them.

9.) Place it all on a plate, serve and enjoy!

The Results Are In:

Olive Oregano Wine-Baked Tofu

You can find the original recipe on www.foodtv.ca.

I have horrible luck on finding 100% of the ingredients, so I have gotten rather good at picking appropriate substitutions. I think this becomes important, especially if you're out shopping with the kids. It speeds the whole process up, and stops you from having to drive around the city all day looking for Agave Nectar. 

Here is the recipe as I cooked it:

1/2 cup white wine

2 tbsp liquid honey

1 tbsp dried oregano

2 tsp dried basil

2 1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1/3 cup olives, roughly chopped - no pits (I used green Italian style olives, from the deli)

1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped (again from the deli)

1/3 cup red, seedless grapes, cut into quarters

1/2 tsp of sea salt

dash of allspice

dash of freshly ground pepper

3 tbsp olive oil

1 pkg of firm tofu, cut into squares (aprox 1" by 1", or whatever size you want)

- you could probably use chicken with great results if your not a fan of tofu...

1. Preheat your oven to 400'F

2. In a baking dish, add all of the ingredients excluding the tofu. Stir them well so they all mix.

3. Add the tofu to the dish, turning it on all sides to coat with the mixture.

4. Bake, covered with foil, for 15 minutes.

5. Uncover, flip tofu over. Continue baking for another 13 minutes (or until the sauce has been soaked up by the tofu). I left some sauce, so it gave me something to poor over at the end.)

6. I cooked some basic white rice, and then served the tofu and mixture on top.

As you can see, one of the greatest things about this dish is its simplicity, and small amount of dishes to clean up afterwards.

I loved this food - it was surprisingly sweet, and salty. The thing I love about tofu is how well it absorbs the flavors of what it is being cooked in. My wife and I accompanied the meal with a glass of the wine we used to cook with (I heard you were supposed to do that...).

I found out afterwards that my wife is not a fan of sun-dried tomatoes, so her comment was "It was great for a dish with sun-dried tomatoes in it...".

My son thought is looked yucky, but tasted great.

Don't be afraid to experiment. It's important to remember that recipes are more like guidelines. Don't stick rigidly to each recipe you try, and you'd be surprised what you can come up with.

If you try this one out, leave a comment about what your family thought...

In the Oven!

So dinner was just put in the oven - and I am extremely excited to see how it turns out. I never thought I would be this excited to eat tofu... yes, I did say tofu!

The recipe I chose for tonight is by Dreena Burton, and was printed off the www.foodtv.ca website. This site is an excellent source for information - be it recipes, or cooking techniques. You can learn all the tricks of the pros by reading up and watching videos on this site. I also recommend watching the Food Network - great inspiration! (No - I don't work for them, or get anything from them... it's just a great resource)

The recipe is:

Olive Oregano Wine-Baked Tofu.

It includes wine, olives, sun-dried tomatoes, grapes, balsamic vinegar, allspice, and more! Oh, and of course, tofu.

I will post the outcome of tonight's meal, as well as the recipe once it is done...

"Dad! I'm Hungry!"

It's now 6:30 at night - and we still have no idea what we're going to eat. My older son is pacing frantically around the kitchen island "I'm hungry... I am Hunnnngggggggrrrryyy!" I wouldn't be surprised if he tries to take a chunk out of my leg. Take-out? Eat out? What's in the freezer?

In our busy schedules it's hard to come up with fresh food ideas every night. We usually end up eating the same thing over and over again - no flavor, no change - no fun! Many people are intimidated by cooking, and tend to place conservative, bland meals on the table. No wonder people eat out more than ever!

I have started to enjoy cooking again, and look forward to challenging myself with a new meal every night. The best thing is: my family loves the food!

Follow me as I try and show that you don't need to be a professional to place great meals on the table.