Citrus & Cornmeal Crusted Sole with Orange-Pomegranate Salsa

I have a disturbing amount of frozen fish in my freezer.

I would show you, but it's kind of embarrassing.

So, after going through my freezer and wondering how in the world I ever thought it was a good idea to buy that much fish, I checked out my favourite food blog (www.howsweeteats.com), and, as the fates had it, a really tasty looking fish recipe had just been posted- Citrus crusted tilapia with blood orange salsa! (http://www.howsweeteats.com/2012/01/citrus-crusted-tilapia-with-blood-orange-salsa/)

I went through my pantry and made a few changes to the recipe based on what I had on hand, and made this lovely dish:

Citrus & Cornmeal Crusted Sole (adapted from howsweeteats.com)

- 4 fresh (or frozen, thawed) filets of fish (I used sole because it's what I had)

- 1/2 tsp salt

- 1/2 tsp pepper

- 3/4 cup breadcrumbs

- 1/4 cup flour

- 1/2 cup cornmeal

- a few dashes of cayenne pepper, depending on taste.

- zest of 2 oranges

- 2 eggs, lightly beaten

- about 2-3 tbsps of lemon/lime juice

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (My oven runs a bit low, so i did 450), and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. (Jessica from howsweeteats.com recommends baking the fish on a wire rack on top of the baking sheets, but I didn't have any that I could put in the oven, and mine turned out just fine cooked on a baking sheet).

Gently beat the 2 eggs and add the lime juice in one bowl. In a separate bowl, combine all dry ingredients and orange zest. Coat each fish filet with the egg mixture, then the citrus breadcrumbs, pressing to adhere.

Bake for about 10-12 minutes, or until breadcrumbs are golden.

Orange-Pomegranate Salsa (adapted from howsweeteats.com):

- 2 oranges, segmented

- seeds from one pomegranate

- about 1/2 of one red onion

- a few splashes of balsamic vinegar

- pinch of salt

- pinch of pepper

(If it's available to you, something like fresh parsley, or a bit of seeded, fresh japalenos would be awesome.)

Combine all ingredients, and allow to sit for about half an hour so flavours marry.

This stuff is seriously good. It makes it much easier to use all the fish in your freezer :)

Cookie Dough Dip

Ok everybody. Get ready for this.

I don't know about you guys, but when I make cookies, about 40% of the batter is reserved for being eaten raw. And, y'know, it isn't healthy because eggs and salmonella and blah blah blah...

But THIS recipe? No eggs. So you can eat this delicious dessert dip guilt free.

... Well, except for the guilt of eating the butter and sugar and cream cheese.

But I digress.

Here is the recipe, taken from Jessica at How Sweet It Is:

(http://www.howsweeteats.com/2010/12/chocolate-chip-cookie-dough-dip/)

-1/2 cup butter

-1/3 cup brown sugar

-1 teaspoon vanilla extract

-1 8 oz. block of cream cheese

-1/2 cup powdered sugar

-3/4 cup chocolate chips

Melt the butter on the stovetop on medium heat. Add the brown sugar, and whisk until it dissolves and combines, and it starts to bubble. Take off heat, and mix in vanilla extract.

Next, cream together the cream cheese and powdered sugar for about 60 seconds. With mixer on low, add in the brown sugar and butter mixture, and mix until combined. Put the mixture in the fridge and allow to cool a bit, then add in the chocolate chips.

You can eat this with graham crackers, animal crackers, apple slices, or pretzels.

And, if you're interested in mixing it up, check out Jessica's cookie dough flavour trio- either snickerdoodle, peanut butter chocolate chip, or double fudge cookie dough dip: http://www.howsweeteats.com/2010/12/cookie-dough-dip-trio-3-new-flavors/

.... OR.

You can do what I did, and make a glorious Frankenstein cookie dough dip creation by combining the best bits of all cookies, thereby making:

Snickerdoodle Toffee-Crunch Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Dip.

Simply follow the recipe above, but when mixing the entire mixture together, add in about 2-3 tablespoons of cinnamon. Then, after you refrigerate the mixture, add in chocolate chips and about a half cup of toffee bits (such as Skor bits).

This is the most delicious little monster I've ever created.

Fish Tacos

I know.

They sound so, so gross. I mean, fish tacos? They sound like something sketchy sold from an unclean food cart.

But hear me out.

These tacos are healthy, quick, and SO SO TASTY.

All you need is:

- deboned fresh or frozen fish, thawed (cod, sole, tilapia, etc), 4-6 filets.

- cumin

- cayenne pepper

-lemon or lime juice

- tortillas or taco shells

- taco toppings (tomatoes, lettuce, avocado, salsa, sour cream, etc)

Take fish and lay on a parchment paper covered baking sheet. Sprinkle with lemon or lime juice, and then liberally sprinkle with cumin and a bit of cayenne pepper (depending on your taste). Broil for 8-10 minutes, then remove from oven and flake fish with a fork. Put in the tacos/tortillas, and top with favourite taco toppings!

Give it a try. You won't regret it.

Broccoli and Cheese Omelette Cupcakes

These little guys sure are tasty.

If you're in the mood for something quick, easy, tasty, and healthy, try out this recipe from skinnytaste.com

Personally, I use full-fat cheese instead of low-fat cheese, and I use about 7-8 whole eggs, instead of 4 whole eggs and 1 cup of egg whites. Also, there are lots of variations you could do instead of just broccoli- like spinach, peppers, whatever you got! :)

Nom. Check it out- http://www.skinnytaste.com/2009/03/broccoli-and-cheese-mini-egg-omelets-2.html

Southwest Bean Crockpot Soup

I love my crockpot.

It is seriously my best friend. I got it in April of 2011, from all my maternal aunts at my bridal shower. I couldn't WAIT to use it, and finally got to in October, after Mr Brown Cow and I moved into our first place together :) Here is the first meal I made in my crockpot:

Southwest Bean Soup:

- a can of red kidney beans (drained and rinsed)

- a can of black beans (drained and rinsed)

- a can of corn

- a can of stewed tomatoes (although I end up chopping the tomatoes before I add them to the soup, not because it contributes to the recipe, but because I'm a freak and I really dislike the texture.)

- a medium sized onion, chopped

- 3 medium carrots, sliced

- 2 cloves garlic, minced

- 2 bouillon cubes

- 3 cups of water

- Chilli powder (2 tsps)

- Cayenne pepper (1/2 tsp)

Now, the recipe I read calls for making cornmeal dumplings and putting them in the soup. They were OK... but they ended up getting kind of soggy and weird. So instead, I normally make cornmeal muffins to have alongside the soup instead. Muuuch better.

Top with cheese or sour cream and chives. Yum :)

Beer BBQ Crockpot Chicken

So, I dislike beer. I know, I know, that's a cardinal sin to most people. But, there's something about it that I just don't like..

... And that something is that it tastes like a boot.

But. I found a recipe on my favourite food blog, www.howsweeteats.com, that was for Crockpot BBQ Beer Chicken. And, since I love everything I've ever made from that site, I decided to give it a try!

I essentially followed her recipe, but:

- used Diana's BBQ sauce (and also used less sauce than she asked for)

- used more beer than she asked for

- added Wosterchire sauce

- added Sri Racha

- added cayenne pepper

And, here's my final product:

Now, I'm trying to eat very healthy, so I skipped putting the chicken on a bun, and ate it with a ton of salad. But, it would be FANTASTIC on a bun, in enchiladas, on pasta... Pretty much any way you could get it in your mouth, it's delicious. It is the most tender chicken I've ever had.

Here is Jessica's recipe: http://www.howsweeteats.com/2011/10/crockpot-bbq-beer-chicken/

Go. NOW. Her website is delicious :)