Simple Fish Salad

September 18, 2015 / ktbuchs87

Remember that wall of fish in my freezer? Well, it has made me become very creative with cooking fish and I thought that I would share some of my creations with you wonderful people.

I don’t eat fish but my husband, Adam does. I know that fish is a very popular, healthy protein and that many people eat fish. The problem with fish is preparing it. Some people have this perception that it is really difficult to cook and while it can be easy to overcook fish, it isn’t as hard as you might think. Some people think the best way to make fish is to dunk it in batter and fry it up, right mom :)? While this method is tasty, it isn’t the healthiest way to make fish.

Here is a simple and healthy way to make fish that is a nice change from pan or deep frying.

Simple Fish Salad

1 lb of white fish, I used rockfish but halibut, tilapia or cod would work well
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp fresh or dried dill
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
2-3 tbsp homemade mayo (or use your favorite brand)
1/2 a medium zucchini, shredded

Fill a medium saucepan with a little water and then place a steamer basket over the top. Cover and bring to a boil.
While water is coming to a boil, remove any skin from your fish and cut into 1 in. cubes. Place the fish in a medium bowl.
Sprinkle fish with lemon juice and all the seasonings. Mix well to make sure all the fish is coated. Place the fish into the steamer basket and cover. Steam until the fish is cooked through about 5 to 8 minutes.
Remove the fish and place it in a clean bowl. Shred the fish with two forks and allow it to cool a little. Once the fish is cool, mix in the mayo. Use enough that the fish is covered by not drowning in the mayo. Stir in the zucchini shreds.
You can serve this right away or keep in the fridge and serve cold.

That’s it! This is a meal that comes together fast and can be made ahead of time. You can also serve it numerous ways. You can spread it over toasted bread, in lettuce wraps, or you can scoop it up with celery or carrot sticks. So many delicious options! If you’re looking for a new way to eat your fish, give this fish salad a try!

Have an excellent weekend everyone!

Simple Soy Marinade/Glaze

September 5, 2014 / ktbuchs87

When Adam and I first started dating he was the primary cook for himself and his roommate. He is actually a fairly decent cook, but I would have to say he had two main specialties. One was his mostaccioli and the other was his stir fry. While I liked that mostaccioli (pretty sure he fed my roommates a few times with that dish), I loved his stir fry. More specifically, I loved his stir fry sauce. It was like restaurant quality sauce. Growing up we had stir fry, but we usually used those little packets of stir fry seasoning that you add to water and then pour over the meat and vegetables. So I was amazed when he suggested stir fry and then started making his own stir fry sauce. It’s the little things for me…. Anyway, one of the main ingredients in his sauce was hoisin sauce. I don’t know if you have ever seen or used hoisin, but it isn’t the healthiest thing to be eating. I made it my mission to make my own healthy stir fry sauce without the use of hoisin. After many tries, I think I finally got it down in taste and texture. While it might not taste exactly like restaurant quality stir fry sauce, it comes pretty close and you won’t have to worry about any of the ingredients!

Simple Soy Marinade/Glaze

1/4 cup liquid aminos, tamari sauce or soy sauce (coconut aminos would work too)
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1/2 tsp chinese five spice
1 tsp garlic, minced
1 tsp ginger, minced
1 tsp tapioca starch

Mix everything except the tapioca starch together. Add in the tapioca starch and whisk until fully incorporated and there are no clumps.

You can use this as a marinade for fish, chicken, or pork. You can use it as a sir fry sauce, just cook your meat and vegetables and then add this sauce in at the end and cook until it has thickened up. You could also use it as a glaze. Just heat the sauce up in a small sauce pan over medium high heat until it thickens and then pour it over whatever you would like. You can make this ahead of time just store it in an airtight container in the fridge.

Also, if you guys have any requests for recipes that you would like to see on the blog, let me know in the comment section! I want to make sure that you are getting what you need/want from this blog, so please tell me. Have a great weekend!

Herb-Crusted Tilapia

April 11, 2014 / ktbuchs87

I haven’t ever really posted a recipe with meat as the main ingredient mostly because I don’t eat meat. I am a huge supporter of eating real foods that work best for you. For some people that means including meat in their diet, I just happen to feel my best on a non-meat diet. My husband, Adam, on the other hand tends to like having a few meat dishes a week. One of the easiest and simple ways to do this in our house is to make fish. Fish, and tilapia in particular, can be a nice clean slate when it comes to seasonings and flavor. Tilapia is a very mild tasting fish so you can do anything you would like to flavor it. This recipe is one of my go-to’s and I use it every week. It’s simple and quick which are musts for a weekday dinner. We buy big bags of individually wrapped frozen fish so it’s easy to just grab one filet and thaw it in the fridge before dinner. So grab what ever fish is your favorite and give this recipe a try!

Herb-Crusted Tilapia

1 filet tilapia or any other mild fish (sole or cod would work well)
1 egg, beaten
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
small handful of cashews (you could also use almonds or sunflower seeds)
2 tsp oregano
2 tsp basil
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste

1. Beat your one egg in a shallow dish and set aside. In a food processor or blender, pulse cashews (or other nut) a few times until they are broken up into small chunks. You don’t want to pulse it into a powder. Add in the nutritional yeast, oregano, basil, thyme, garlic, onion, and red pepper flakes. Pulse a few times until everything is combined

2. Dump your seasoning mix out onto a plate and spread it around evenly. Line up your egg dish and your seasoning dish next to your stove. In a small skillet, heat a little olive oil and heat over medium heat.

3. Take your tilapia and add a little salt and pepper. Then, dunk it into the egg and make sure it is coated. Transfer the fish over to the seasoning plate and coat both sides evenly.

4. Place the fish into the skillet and cook for about 2-3 minutes and then flip and cook for about 1-2 minutes, until the fish is flaky and opaque.

Serve over some brown rice or quinoa and add some vegetables on the side and you have a great and filling dinner! You can obviously make more than one piece of fish if you are serving more than one person. Just up your egg count to 2 or 3 and make enough seasoning to cover each piece. I hope you enjoy and I will try to include more variety of recipes like this for you guys. Have a great weekend!