FoodFash

Adventure Begins in the Kitchen

Simple Nut-Crusted Fish

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I’m fairly certain that nut-crusted fish is one of those dishes that’s supposed to be difficult and unhealthy.  But if blogging has taught me anything, it’s that difficult and unhealthy are two things I am fully capable of transforming into easy and healthy.  And over time, I’ve found that the easier I make a recipe, whether it be by taking out ingredients or reducing steps, the healthier it becomes.

Baking over frying and almond meal over flour were the two major changes I made to what I can only assume a restaurant recipe would be.  Baking the fish turns cooking time from active to inactive, drastically reduces clean-up, and eliminates the need for excess oil.  Almond meal adds protein, fiber, and several vitamins, whereas regular flour just adds… white?  Ohhh just kidding, regular flour, if enriched, adds a teeny amount of vitamins.

FoodFash Walnut Crusted Halibut (yields 2 servings)

2 halibut fillets

1/2 cup California Walnuts, chopped

1/2 cup almond meal

1 egg

your favorite fish seasoning to taste

Place oven rack on the 2nd highest level and preheat to 400 degrees.  Mix chopped nuts and almond meal in a shallow bowl.  Beat egg in a separate shallow bowl.  Remove as much moisture from the fish as you can with a paper towel.  Dip one fish fillet into the beaten egg until well coated.  Gently place the egg coated fish in the nut mixture.  Flip the fish to coat the other side and gently press nut mixture into the fish to ensure that it is evenly coated.  Repeat.  Spray a foil lined cookie sheet with olive oil spray.  Place nut crusted fish fillets on the cookie sheet and sprinkle with seasoning.  Bake for 15 minutes or until fish is completely cooked and nuts are browned.

Adding nuts to fish makes for a protein-a-licious dinner.  And since nuts are inherently crunchy, the baked nut crust gives the illusion that you’re eating something breaded and fried.  An illusion that would also hold true with pecans, almonds, and coconut or another fish/chicken.

Weekday Eggs

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I am way boring when it comes to weekday breakfast.  Greek yogurt or flax oats have been my staple sit-at-my-desk-and-eat-while-I-work morning meal for entirely too long.  And since I’ve cut out Greek yogurt in an effort to get back to the land of non-dairy (gasp!), I had to come up with an oatmeal alternative, stat.

I dabbled in weekday eggs a few months ago, but baking breakfast (along with dinner) every other night and dirtying up a ton of Pyrex dishes is about as far from realistic as it gets.  But now that I finally have a muffin pan again, it dawned on me that weekday eggs can be a thing.  An awesome, un-boring, AM veggie kind of thing.

FoodFash Weekday Eggs (yields 4 servings)

14 ounces of veggie sausage (or 1 lb of turkey sausage)

6 eggs

1 cup of broccoli floretts, chopped (or any green veggie)

hot sauce to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Slice sausage into 12 equal parts and smoosh a piece into each muffin hole.  Bake until sausage is cooked all the way through (about 10 minutes).  Remove sausage from oven and set aside.  In a medium sized bowl, beat eggs.  Add veggies and hot sauce, noting that salt is unnecessary due to the saltiness of the sausage.  Spoon about 2 tablespoon of eggs over each piece of sausage.  Place back in oven and bake for 15 minutes or until eggs are cooked all the way through.  Put three frittatas to a sandwich bag and store in the refrigerator.  Reheat for 30-45 seconds in your office micro and enjoy!

If you’re looking for a way to make your co-workers and Instagram followers drool in a jealous stupor, eating these bad boys for breakfast will surely get you there.  And a bonus?  I found myself much more energized during my lunch-hour spin class.  I can see myself making these weekly, subbing with other greens and “meats” to keep it interesting.

What veggie/meat/non-meat combo would be your favorite?

Patty Pan, Patty Pan…

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If you were shopping at the downtown Austin Whole Foods today after work, half of me sincerely apologizes.  Not only did I arrive without a list, but I decided to stay on the phone with my mom as I headed to the produce department.  And since I’m one of those people that paces like a crazy person while talking on the phone, I lapped around veggies at an abnormal grocery store pace, empty basket in hand, getting in everyone’s way for a solid 15 minutes.  That part of me apologizes.

The part of me that enjoyed talking to my mom after going days without a phone call, that part doesn’t apologize one bit.  That part is actually thankful because if I hadn’t lapped around produce a gazillion times, I wouldn’t have spotted the cutest little squash ever.  And then I wouldn’t have had an almost perfect recipe that became perfect when I found a box of California Walnuts waiting for me at my doorstep.  Talk about luck.

FoodFash Patty Pan Squash

2 tablespoons coconut oil

3/4 lb patty pan squash, sliced

2 tablespoons garlic chives, chopped

1/2 cup California Walnuts, chopped

1/4 teaspoon white pepper

salt to taste

Warm coconut oil over medium heat and then add squash, garlic chives, and walnuts.  Stir until mixed and then add salt and white pepper.  Continue stirring so that the veggies don’t stick to the pan.  Cook until the squash is softened but not mushy (about 5 minutes).

I just recently cooked with chives for the first time and fell in love.  They’re an excellent way to add oniony flavor without the bulk of onions or any chance of overpowering a dish.  As far as patty pans go, other than the cuteness factor, I couldn’t really tell much difference between them and regular yellow squash.  What I could tell, is that squash, chives, and walnuts are a solid combination.

Quinoa Meatless Balls

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Ever since the grape leaves and quinoa recipe, I’ve become a ton more confident cooking with quinoa.  Quinoa tabbouleh, truffled quinoa and cheese, and now… Quinoa meatless balls.       

I’ve also become severely addicted to using my food processor to “chop” veggies.  Shredded, chopped, same difference to me if it means tear-less eyes.

FoodFash Quinoa Meatless Balls (yields 12 balls)

2 cups water

1 cup quinoa, rinsed

1 Not-Chick’n Bouillon Cube

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 garlic cloves, chopped

1 yellow onion, shredded

1 green pepper, shredded

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried basil

2 eggs

1 cup whole wheat panko breadcrumbs

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  In a small pan, bring water, quinoa, and bouillon cube to a boil.  Cover, reduce heat to low, and cook for 15 minutes.  While the quinoa is cooking, brown garlic in olive oil over medium heat.  Add shredded onion and green pepper and continue to cook over medium heat until the onions are wilted and transparent.  Stir in seasonings and quinoa.  Pour mixture into a bowl and stir in the eggs and breadcrumbs.  Form into 2″ balls and place on greased cookie sheet.  Bake for 20 minutes and serve.

I was super happy with the way these meatless balls turned out.  I had tried a couple store-bought varieties over the years and was never happy enough to buy them again.  In this recipe, the egg and veggies keep the quinoa moist and held together, while the bread crumbs add a crispness to the outside and texture throughout.  And there aren’t 16 unpronounceable ingredients in these, which is a huge plus.