Pecan-Crusted Trout

This was so good. I felt like I was eating at a gourmet restaurant. And it was easy to make, too. I used halibut instead of trout and it was great. The notes also mention you could use cod or catfish as well as halibut.

1/4 cup pecan halves

1/4 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)

1 Tablespoon olive oil, divided

4 (6-ounce) rainbow trout fillets, halved

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Place pecans in mini chopper or food processor; pulse until pecans are finely ground. Combine pecans and panko in a shallow dish. Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle fish evenly with salt and pepper. Dredge tops of fish in nut mixture, pressing gently to adhere. Place half of fish, breading side down, in pan; cook 4 minutes or until browned. Turn fish over; cook 4 minutes of until fish flakes easily with a fork or until desired degree of doneness. Remove fish from pan; cover and keep warm. Repeat procedure with remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons oil and remaining fish. Yield: 4 servings.

recipe from Cooking Light, October 2009, page 84 (subscribe here)

Chickpea Croquettes with Greek Salad Topping

These tasted alot like falafels, but were very tasty in their own right. I had some leftover dill yogurt sauce from making falafels earlier in the week, so I served them with that instead of the Greek Salad Topping and the flavors went really well together. I froze the leftovers to eat for lunches during the week. They're almost like chickpea pancakes, if you can imagine. I liked the soft texture of the cooked batter mixed with the firm, dense texture of the chickpeas.

Topping

1 cucumber, quartered and sliced (1 cup)

1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered

2 green onions, chopped

2 Tbs. lemon juice

1 Tbs. olive oil

1/2 cup crumbled low-fat vegan feta cheese, optional

Croquettes

1 cup chickpea flour

2 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. chili powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 15-0unce can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

4 green onions, chopped (1/2 cup)

1/2 cup diced red bell pepper

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1 Tbs. lemon juice

1 Tbs. olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp.)

To make topping: Toss together cucumber, tomatoes, green onions, lemon juice and oil in bowl. Gently stir in feta crumbles. Season with salt and pepper, if desired, and set aside.

To make croquettes: Whisk together chickpea flour, cumin, chili powder, and salt in bowl. Whisk in 3/4 cup hot water. Stir in remaining ingredients, and season with salt and pepper, if desired. Coat nonstick skillet with cooking spray; heat over medium heat. Scoop four 1/4-cup dollops of chickpea mixture into skillet, and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook 3 to 4 minutes, or until golden. Flip with spatula, and cook 3 to 4 minutes more. Repeat with remaining chickpea mixture. Serve each Croquette topped with 1/4 cup topping.

recipe from Vegetarian Times, October 2009, page 32 (yes, I'm a subscriber)

Greek Pasta with Spinach, Olives, Tomatoes and White Beans

Greek Pasta with Spinach, Olives, Tomatoes and White Beans

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Greek Pasta with Spinach, Olives, Tomatoes and White Beans

Ingredients:
2-3 Tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped coarsely
3-4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
3 (14.5 ounce) cans plain diced tomatoes
1 (14.5 ounce) can small white beans, rinsed well and drained
1 cup olives, pitted (canned okay)
black pepper to taste
About 4-5 ounces (about 4 cups) fresh spinach
1 lb penne or other similar pasta

1/2 to 3/4 cup (3-4 ounces) crumbled or cubed feta cheese

Directions:
1) Saute onion and garlic in olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat for 4-5 minutes, until tender.
2) Add tomatoes, olives and beans, bring to boil, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes while the pasta cooks.
3) Add the spinach to the sauce, combine well, and continue simmering for 1-2 minutes. Let spinach wilt a bit, but not too much.
4) Place cooked pasta into shallow plates or bowls, add sauce on top of the pasta. Crumble feta cheese on top.

Serves 5-6.

We had this tonight, it was super easy and good. We ate it over quinoa macaroni which is actually pretty good. Paired with a greek salad it was perfect. Romaine lettuce, tomatoes, olives, red onion, marinated artichoke hearts, feta cheese, olive oil, basil, and lemon.
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Creamy Breakfast Oatmeal (Rice Cooker)

I usually have oatmeal for breakfast and I like steel cut oats best, but they take a long time to cook, plus they leave my stovetop super messy from all the bubbles spurting out. So I thought I would try some cooked in a rice cooker. They were so good. I just put them in my rice cooker and while I was feeding my kids, they cooked. It was so nice to have a hot breakfast with such little effort. I didn't add the dates or syrup and I used water instead of milk and they turned out great. It would be good served with chopped walnuts and any dried fruit (cranberries, dates, apricots).

2/3 cup steel cut oats
1 2/3 cups milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 pinch fine sea salt
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1/2 cup chopped dates

Place all ingredients, except dates, in cooker; stir gently to combine; sprinkle dates on top.
Close the cover, set on Porridge cycle.
NOTE1: This recipe is designed for a rice cooker with fuzzy logic - use the porridge setting. If you have a regular rice cooker, you will need to watch it to determine when the oatmeal is done, probably 25 to 30 minutes, depending on your cooker.
NOTE2: Steel cut oats vary slightly. With some brands I find I need to reduce the milk to 1 1/2 cup to get the right consistency.
NOTE3: You can substitute vanilla flavored soy milk for the milk plus vanilla extract.

original recipe