Coconut Tilapia, Orange Brussel Sprouts 1/30

I wanted to do a white fish dish this week and there was some Tilapia on sale at wegmans so I picked it up.  I hadn't done something tropical in a while so I figured I could put together a coconut fish.  I had to finish up the brussel sprouts, so I figured something citrusy would go best, and I had some Golden Jewel blend rice mix from Wegmans.  The meal was amazing!!

Coconut Tilapia
Dip a piece of tilapia in an egg wash.  Mix together 1/2 cup panko crumbs, 1/2 cup of very lightly packed coconut flakes.  Dip the Tilapia into the mixture and pat some extra mixture into spots that didnt get coated. Place the Tilapia on a baking sheet and bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes.
While it is cooking, in a food processor mix together 1/8 cup of coconut cream, 1/4 cup pinapple chunks, 1/8 cup greek yogurt.  Remove fish from oven and spoon the sauce over the fish.

Orange Brussels Sprouts
I started with the idea from this recipe. However I have gotten addicted to roasting vegetables lately so I twisted it a little.  Cut brussels sprouts in half and spread on a cookie sheet.  Drizzle a little sunflower oil over them, crack some fresh salt and pepper.  Zest an entire clementine over the brussels sprouts, then cut it in half and squeeze the juice over the sprouts.  Cook at 400 for 15 minutes, then toss them and sprinkle with hazelnuts.  Cook for another 15 minutes until done.  While they are cooking, you will make a sauce.  Finely dice a shallot and cook it over medium heat in 2 Tsps sunflower oil. Add in 1/2 cup of orange juice and allow it to cook down until slightly thickened (~7minutes).  Remove from heat and add in 3 Tbsp of Citrus Champagne vinegar.  Spoon the sauce over the Roasted Brussels Sprouts.

Golden Jewel Blend
Wegmans had an interesting rice mixture that I thought I would try.  Unfortunately it boiled over very quickly and we lost some of the water to the bubbling.  It came out a bit chewy - a tad too al dente, and could have used a bit more water/time.  I toasted some sesame seeds and chopped up some parsley and mixed it into the rice.  It added some decent flavor, but the texture just needed to be a bit better to really be able to tell if it went well.

Overall an excellent meal.  The Fish was such a perfect tenderness with the nice crunchy panko and coconut, and the sauce tasted like a creamy pina colada poured over it!  And the Brussels sprouts were near perfection.  The tang of the orange with the zip of the vinegar and richness from the roasting really made this side pop.  Mmmmmm another full belly!

Maple Mustard Chicken 1/18

Another Cooking Light Recipe that looked simple but good.  I don't often do recipes with chicken, as to me it is the "boring" meat and its sort of my fall back when I am bored or lazy.  But this time I decided it was time to try out a recipe.  This one had a ton of flavor and was rather simple to cook.  The cleanup was a little sticky, but well worth it!  Check out the Maple Mustard Chicken.  I'm in love with the full seed Dijon mustards these days, so this was perfect!

As mentioned in a previous blog, I got into BJs vegetables, and had bought a huge bag of brussels sprouts.  I love roasting them, but decided I wanted something that went along with the chicken, but stood as a side dish and didnt overpower the chicken.  So I chopped up some thick slices of carrot to go with them and tossed it all on a cookie sheet with olive oil, salt & pepper and some herb de provence. Yet another mention of Sandy & Sarah, as they first turned me onto this herb blend when they brought me back a grinder of it from Paris many years ago.  Since then, it has completely replaced Italian seasoning as my herb blend of choice.  Roasted them for probably 20-30 minutes at 400.

Lastly for something quick, I threw together a lemon raisin couscous.  A cup of chicken broth, two tablespoons of lemon juice, tablespoon of olive oil, a quarter cup of raisins and bring to a boil.  Once at a boil, remove from the heat and add a cup of couscous.  Cover and let sit for 5 minutes, fluff with a fork and serve!

By the way, the leftovers for this meal were equally amazing! It held up well for a couple days!

Balsamic Roasted Brussels Sprouts 1/13

Another BJ's thing, I had a giant package of brussels sprouts, and was looking for some creative ways to cook them.  I've found just roasting vegetables in the oven lately with olive oil and salt is a great way to really get a lot of flavor out, but I thought I'd go a little farther this time.

Balsamic Roasted Brussels Sprouts
I started with this recipe.  But I simplified it a bit.  I cut the brussels sprouts in half and roasted them in the oven at 375 for ~20 minutes with some olive oil, salt & pepper.  In the last 10 minutes, I put a half cup of balsamic vinegar and 1/8 cup of brown sugar in a pan on the stove and cooked it down on low heat for about 10 minutes.  I then drizzled the mixture over the sprouts and tossed to coat.  Mmm flavor!

Bon Appetit!