Pan-Fried Tilapia, Roasted Flower-Pepper Asparagus, & Soy-Teriyaki Dipping Sauce

A break from pizza variations already!


Pan-Fried Tilapia, Roasted Flower-Pepper Asparagus, & Soy-Teriyaki Dipping Sauce

A savoury, not-too-difficult dinner perfect for a romantic evening with your significant other ooorrr for Me, Myself, and Netflix (which may or may not be how I enjoyed it.) And trust me, if it seems like a lot of work in words, it's not nearly as much as it seems and your taste buddies will thank you. I also had a cup of miso soup with my meal, but it was an instant packet, sadly)

2 tilapia fillets (I used frozen, though I'm sure the fresher the better)
1 cup flour
2 eggs
1/4 cup vegetable oil
Salt, pepper to season

Bundle of asparagus spears
2 tbsp olive oil
Flower-pepper (I use Trader Joes brand)
1/4 cup Teriyaki sauce
2tbsp soy sauce

Roasted Asparagus Spears

Preheat oven to 420 degrees
Line an oven tray with foil and coat with olive oil
Arrange aparagus spears in whatever creative pattern your heart desires
Drizzle olive oil across the asparagus
Season with Flower Pepper (this gives the spicy peppercorn flavour with a hint of freshness from lavender and rose petals to match the fruitiness of the olive oil, all atop your heart-friendly asparagus. [Clearly I really like Flower Pepper])
Cover tightly with foil
Bake in oven. (if I were to guestimate a time duration I would say twenty minutes, but I usually just plop my veggies in the oven to roast while I cook the rest of my meal and they are almost always done when the rest of the food is.)

Prepare your fish

Cut fillets into appx. 2" by 4" pieces (finger food sizes)
(After washing hands) Add flour to a medium-sized bowl. Sprinkle in salt and pepper to season and mix with a fork.
Crack eggs into a seperate but similar sized bowl and wisk to scramble.
Take each fillet portion and submerge in egg, coating the entire piece.
Move egg-coated fish to flour bowl and coat each side with flour. Repeat the egg and flour coating process once more for a thicker batter on the fish.

Frying the Tilapia

Add vegetable oil to skillet (depeding on your skillet size varies the amount you might need, basically a 1/4"-1/2" deep of oil is plenty.)
Turn burner on to medium-high heat, allowing the oil to gradually heat up using caution.
After about two minutes place a 'test fish' into the skillet using tongs. If the oil sizzles but doesn't spray you, you're set to fry. (If nothing happens, your oil probably isn't hot enough and just allow it to heat a bit longer; you can leave the fish in the pan.) (If when adding the fish the oil spurts out explosively like Mt. Vecuvious, your oil is too hot* and turn your burner down immediately.
*Why over heating vegetable oils are dangerous for our health.http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1035047/Jane-Clarke-Overheating-oil-harms-heart.html
When oil is ready add three-four pieces at a time and allow to cook three minutes on each side or until golden brown crust forms.
Remove fish from pan and allow to dry on a rack above paper towel or your oil-absorbant substance of choice.

Dip, Dip, Hooray!

Mix teriyaki and soy sauce in small bowl or mug.
Dip fish in sauce, nom, smile.

Here I am! I'm here! I think I'm more astonished, myself, that I've found time to type out these recipes to post. I've still been doing a fair share of cooking, but as for translating meals into measurements and proportions is a task I have yet to become very comfortable with. But hey, we all have to start somewhere, eh?

All righty-o here we go:

Oven-Roasted Zucchini Pizza Bites

These fun, simple, and 'bite-sized pizzas' are not only convenient for time, but conveniently healthy & delicious! The longest part of making a pizza is making the darn dough, and while I have days where I love spending the whole day kneading and waiting for it to rise, there are times when I just want pizza for a snack! I was inspired to make these just by a picture I saw of them someplace on the 'blogosphere' (gosh never thought I would actually use that term), original credit unknown.


WHAT YOU NEED:

1 Zucchini
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1/2 Cup Tomato Sauce (or your pizza sauce of choice)
1/2 Cup Shredded Mozzerella (or slices of mozzerella equivelant to slices of zucchini, if you prefer [it's definitely creamier and my personal preference ;).])


WHAT TO DO:
Pre-heat oven to 350
Slice zucchini into 1/4"-1/2" pieces (I recommend a mandolin for consistancy)
Paint the olive oil across the bottoms of your zucchini 'crusts'
Dollop 1TB sauce chosen on each crust
Add cheese to each slice
Bake on cookie sheet for 9-12 min.


Cool, pop in mouth, savour. :)

Sorry for the lack of posting, I will add more soon hopefully! Life is a whirlwind of business!

Leftovers Pizza

Two nights ago I took myself to dinner at a local Indian/Thai cuisine restaurant called Full Moon Cafe. I enjoyed a mildly spicy Green Curry that comprised of broccoli, zucchini, green beans, carrots, onions, tofu, and basil all nestled among a creamy green curry sauce. The curry paired nicely with the side of Jasmine rice as a relief from the heat. Though delicious, I was unable to eat the full portion and had my leftovers saved in a take out box for perhaps my lunch the next day.

Last night, I was digging through my fridge for an idea of what to make for dinner. I saw the little white carton sitting lonely on the top shelf, but wasn't craving the same dinner as the night before. Still, I hate wasting edible food and so I pulled the leftovers out to re-heat. As I reached for the box, I saw beneath it, laying silently below were flour tortilla wraps. I grabbed them as well. My creative neurons activated, I began shuffling through various jars and condiments for ideas. The result, an idea for leftovers pizza.



Ingredients:
Two large flour tortillas
Last night's dinner
1 cup Shredded cheese of choice (I used swiss and cheddar)
1/2 cup Pasta/pizza sauce of choice

Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 350°
Assemble pizzas: 1/4 cup sauce, 1/2 cup cheese, top with left overs
Cook in oven for 7 minutes
Remove, let cool, enjoy!

Bienvenido!

Hello!

First of all, thank you for visiting!
Second off, a bit about myself:
My name is Amanda, I am 20 years old, and I reside in Hilo, HI. My passions in life are adventure, culture, cooking, and learning. I currently work for our local Starbucks as a Shift Supervisor & am saving for culinary school (hopefully Fall 2013). In the meantime, I spend hours on the internet researching recipes for different diets (ie: vegan-ism, various cultures around the World, or recipes for food allergies), baking or cooking for my friend's reviews, or just experimenting with what ingredients are left in my cupboards.
Lastly, the reason for this blog:
I created this website so I can save recipes I use, create, or simply wanted to share. If the recipe is not my own, I will always link credit to where I found it as well as note any changes I made in the recipe. For anything I cook, I generally always take photos throughout the process & I wanted a location to share/save all of the pictures!

So, browse through, leave your comments if wanted, and enjoy what I love doing most! :)

Mahalo!