dinner tonight: coconut panko sole fillets

I had serious doubts about the frozen dover sole fillets I pulled from the freezer yesterday. "But they're from Trader Joe's," my inner voice of hope exclaimed, "nothing from Trader Joe's has ever disappointed you." "Frozen fish! Yuck! It's been in a deep freeze for months," said my other inner voice of doom and gloom... "when have you ever had success with frozen white fish?!"

Voices in my head aside, I carried on with a recipe I had seen a few years ago *!* in mind for panko crusted sole. After searching and searching, I couldn't find it. Drat! So, true to my "let's wing-it and see what happens (we may be ordering a pizza for dinner)" style I came up with this recipe below adapted from Dashing Dish. And let me tell you - it rocked our dinner table. Even my self-proclaimed "fishes" hating two year old devoured her dinner before she could say guppy.

Take that inner voice of doom and gloom.

PANKO AND COCONUT OVEN BAKED SOLE
{Served with coconut curry barley and steamed vegetables ~ serves 2-3 adults}


Ingredients:
+/- 1 lb. sole fillets
1/2 cup  coconut flakes (sweetened is preferred)
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
dash salt
dash pepper
1 tablespoon tapioca flour (or any flour works just fine)
1 egg white

Directions:
1.  Heat oven to 375 degrees. Set oven rack to the middle or bottom third. Line a baking pan with foil and arrange a wire rack on top. Spray with cooking spray.
2.  Combine coconut, panko, flour, salt, and pepper into a small bowl.
3. Lightly whisk the egg white in a separate bowl.
4. in assembly line style, dredge each fillet in the egg white, then in the panko mix, then lay flat onto the wire rack.
5. Bake for 16-20 minutes until the crust is lightly golden and the fish is cooked through.
*If you notice the crust browning too fast, spray the fillets with a bit of cooking spray to protect then while baking. 



image credit: dashing dish

dinner tonight: quinoa salad

There's something about these late summer evenings that lull me into working less and daydreaming more. Maybe it's because fall is lurking around the corner and a new season with new responsibilities is about to start. Maybe it feels like the last chance for those lazy summer days I remember having as a kid - that precious week before school started and the end to sleeping in. No one sleeps in around here, that's for sure, but my secret in reclaiming some lazy days is to plan simple, light dinners that take little time to put together and yield excellent leftovers for next day's lunch. Quinoa is a new favorite in my house. Once I figured out how to tame it's bitter tendencies and add the right combinations of spices, it has become my go-to grain. Fancy it up with a supporting cast (such as this grapefruit and avocado arugula salad) and you've got yourself a winning combination of taste and nutrition.

Quinoa Arugula Salad

1 cup quinoa
4 cups water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup dried cranberries
Juice of one lime
1/4 cup olive oil or Avocado oil
2 teaspoons honey
1 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tablespoon chopped fresh mint
1 shallot, minced
1 pinch salt and black pepper to taste
4 cups baby arugula leaves, washed and dried
1 avocado - peeled, pitted and diced
1/2 grapefruit, peeled and sectioned

Toast quinoa in a dry skillet over medium heat until it has a nutty aroma. Remove from heat, rinse well and drain in a fine mesh strainer. Bring water to a boil, add salt, and slowly add toasted quinoa. Cook until tender and whitish outer rings appear on the grains, 15 to 20 minutes. Strain and place in a large bowl to cool.

In a small bowl, combine cranberries, lime juice, olive oil, honey, garlic, shallot, mint and 1 tablespoon chopped arugula. Stir into the cooled quinoa and add salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Place a generous handful (or more) of baby arugula on each salad plate. Top with quinoa mixture, avocado, and grapefruit. Additionally, you could add crumbled goat cheese or mild feta.

image 

dinner tonight: mujadara

Muja-da-whaaaat? Mujudara, also known as lentils and rice, is a traditional Lebanese dish. Just thinking about it reminds me of the distinct savory smell in my grandmother's kitchen when she would make a large pot of this deliciously hearty soul-food. My grandmother cooked with a pretty basic recipe - lentils, rice, onions, salt and pepper. I recently discovered this recipe and was inspired to make my own version of an old family classic.

INGREDIENTS
1 c lentils
3 Tbls olive oil
1 tsp cracked peppercorns
1 lg onion, chopped (I like using a sweet onion)
1 c rice
1 tsp cumin
tiny pinch cinnamon
1.5 tsp salt
3 c chicken stock

DIRECTIONS
Rinse the lentils first, then cover with water and cook until tender, but not mushy (about 20 minutes). Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, add the olive oil and cracked pepper to a large, heavy pot. Cook for just a minute and add onions. Sauté until caramelized, about 15 minutes. Next, add the rice, cumin, cinnamon and salt. Cook the rice just until it starts to turn a little tan in color. Immediately add the cooked lentils and stock. Bring to a boil and then lower to a simmer until the rice is cooked through. 

Serve with a sprinkle of freshly chopped parsley.

image via hannaford markets