Recipe Review from 10/1/2018

So I started the week with the menu below, made a loaf of zucchini bread, and the next day my oven died.Fortunately, the range-top still works and I still have one slow cooker (my small one died), so it's a small inconvenience. We are debating between new stove or repair existing.

Meal plan went out the window due to a bit of a wonky week for both the Husband and I, so one recipes were shuffled into the coming week.

The Meal Plan:
Sat (L) out (S) Butnut Squash Soup
Sun (L) Pasty (S)leftover soup
Mon (Yoga) soup
Tues - Tilapia Out
Wed (evening meeting) Broccoli and rice leftover lunchs
Thurs (yoga) leftovers
Fri -Tilapia

Lunches - Vegetarian Chili


Classic Zucchini Bread (Two Peas and Their Pod) 
This was quite tasty, easy to assemble, used less oil than most recipes, but had a higher amount of sugar. And it only makes one loaf. This was a bit on the dense side (I did squeeze the liquid out of my zucchini), so more cake-like than bread like. I would consider making this again, but it wasn't quite what *I* envision zucchini bread to be. Still, recommended.

2 cups grated zucchini (about 2 medium zucchini)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda

photo from Two Peas and Their Pod

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
1/4 cup canola or vegetable oil
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature1
1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon turbinado sugar, for sprinkling on bread (optional)
I added 1/2 cup chocolate chips

Grease a loaf pan (8 x 4 x 2 1/2-inch) with nonstick cooking spray** (see my note below) and set aside.

In a clean linen-free kitchen towel or paper towels, squeeze out the excess water in the shredded zucchini. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves. Set aside.

 In a large bowl, combine the melted butter, oil, brown sugar, granulated sugar, egg, and vanilla. Stir until smooth. Stir in the grated zucchini. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until just combined. Don’t over mix. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Sprinkle turbinado sugar evenly over the batter, if using.

Bake for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let the bread cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Carefully remove the bread from the pan and cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.

**My note - I just replaced my bread pans because the last three loaves of bread I made stuck something horrible. My new pans (OXO) had a "warning" to avoid use of aerosol sprays - including "Misto" type pump sprays - as the oil builds up on non-stick pans and will make your baked goods stick. Interesting.


Spiced Tilapia with Coconut Rice (Ckng Light, Sept 2018)  gluten free
I subbed ocean perch for the tilapia (I don't know why), and the fish wasn't my favorite.  It cooked up nicely enough, but I had really small fillets so it was more rice than fish. I wouldn't even call it "spiced" fish, as the tumeric flavor was lost against the fish. 

However, the rice was delicious!  I did sub regular basmati rice - the flavors of the dish seemed to call for basmati, so I had a bit of extra cooking on the front end.  Not a biggie.  I loved the coconut milk with the basmati and lime juice.  I could have eaten just that combination and skipped the fish.

I would make this again, but use tilapia, or even halibut.  This would be awesome with grilled halibut...

Serves 4

photo from cookinglight.com

1 tablespoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1 1/2 pounds tilapia fillets
2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
2 (8.8-oz.) pkg. precooked microwavable whole-grain rice (such as Uncle Bens)
1 cup well-shaken and stirred light coconut milk
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, divided(skipped, wish I hadn't)
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 cup matchstick-cut carrots
1/4 cup toasted unsweetened flaked coconut(skipped)

Stir together turmeric, pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a small dish. Sprinkle fish with spice mixture.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium. Add half of fillets; cook until golden brown.

Wipe skillet clean with paper towels. Add rice, coconut milk, sugar, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt to skillet; bring to a simmer over high. Cook, stirring often, until thickened, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in 1/4 cup cilantro and lime juice. Divide rice mixture among 4 plates. Top evenly with carrots and fish. Sprinkle with coconut and remaining 1/4 cup cilantro.