So, the Sunday after Salmon en Croute, I tried another fish recipe. I just made it up based on what I had on hand. I call it, um...how about White Fish Dish? No, no that's terrible, I'm not calling it that. Ok, I got it - Panko Herb Crusted Flounder. Yeah, we'll call it that, because that's what it was. For those of you who follow me on Facebook, you already got a glimpse of the "recipe", but for those who didn't, here's what I did:
Panko Herb Crusted Flounder
Ingredients:
- 2 pieces of flounder (thawed, if frozen)
- 1.5 TBLS. of butter
- About 1 TBLS. of fresh basil (chopped)
- About 1 TBSL. of fresh dill (chopped)
- 1 tsp. of fresh thyme
- 1/4 cup of Panko crumbs
- 1 TBLS of shredded Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 tsp. dried parsley
- Salt & Pepper to taste
- Lemon for garnish
In a small bowl, melt the butter and then add in the basil, dill, and thyme. Then add the Panko crumbs and Parmesan cheese and stir until thoroughly blended. Spray a baking dish generously with cooking spray (I used Olive Oil Pam) and add the fish fillets to the dish. Spread the Panko mixture on top of the fish, then add salt and pepper and sprinkle with parsley.
Bake, uncovered, for about 15 minutes at 425 degrees. Cut up a lemon for garnish, or to squeeze on the fish after it is cooked.
Remember the herb new potatoes and sauteed garlic broccoli that I made to go with the Salmon en Croute? Well, turns out, it's good with this as well. So if you need some quick and healthy sides, these will do the trick. Or you can steam some broccoli florets and season with sea salt and a little cheese, which is also tasty.
***Even with the sides, this meal only takes about 20-25 minutes from start to finish. AND it is totally good for you too! You can't beat that.***
And of course, I have completely forgotten to take a picture of any of these dishes, so I will have to do that next time I cook them and upload them onto here in place of this awesome string of words! YAY! (
Alright, by the time the next Sunday had rolled around, I was tired of making fish and decided I needed to make my own quesadillas. Love them in Mexican restaurants, but I never tried making them at home, so this was my chance!
I'm sure I could perfect measurements and all that jazz, but honestly, some things are just better when you throw them in together and use measurement descriptions like "pinch of," and "fist full," and "tittle," (which is a word I always just thought my mom made up, but it turns out that it is actually in the dictionary, so...I know, who knew?). Also, there is my personal favorite cooking phrase that my grandma uses, "until it looks right." Ok, so here's what I did:
Quesadillas
Ingredients:
- 3 chicken breasts (cut into chunks)
- Olive oil
- 1 sm can of Rotel tomatoes and green chilies
- 1/2 each of Green and Red bell peppers (seeded and chopped)
- Colby-Jack and/or Cheddar-Jack cheese
- Pepper-Jack cheese
- Fresh cilantro (finely chopped - or as small as you want to do)
- 1 sm lime - for juice
- Taco seasoning
- Paprika
- Black pepper to taste
- 4 flour tortillas (or more if smaller than 8")
- Cooking spray
Heat about a TBSL of olive oil in a medium skillet, on medium heat. Add the chicken, a bit of lime juice, cilantro some black pepper, paprika, and a light sprinkle of taco seasoning. Turn as needed, and add more olive oil if needed. Cook until chicken is tender and no longer pink in the center (or you know, 'til it looks right). Remove the chicken and set to the side. In the same skillet add a bit more olive oil and saute the green and red peppers until tender. Add in the can of Rotel (do NOT drain), a bit more cilantro and about a cupped palm-full of taco seasoning. Add the Stir until all ingredients are well blended and add the chicken back into the pan. Remove pan from burner and set aside.
Using the same (already hot) burner, get a large skillet and let it warm up a bit. Get out 2 tortillas and spray one side of each with the cooking spray, and go ahead and spray just a bit in the skillet, but don't overdo it. Ok, once the skillet is hot lay one of the tortillas spray side down. Quickly layer on the pepper-jack, then a little Colby/cheddar-jack, then half of the chicken mixture, then more Colby/cheddar-jack. Place the other prepared tortilla on top, spray side up. When the cheeses on the bottom get melting pretty good, use a wide spatula and slip it under the bottom of the quesadilla.
Now here's the tricky part - you can use your free hand and place it on top to help with the flip, but be careful not to burn yourself...as I have never done many times. I however, find it a little easier to flip the quesadilla by lifting it with the spatula, then tipping the skillet sideways, then in one swift ninja-like motion I flip the quesadilla while bringing the pan down level. Either way, if you have my luck, you will lose some of the filling (just shove it back in there), the tortillas will be cockeyed (adjust it quickly after the flip the best you can), and you are about to set off the smoke alarm because you lost some cheese-covered pepper to the burner, (it's ok, just wave a dish towel around under the smoke detector and it will shut off). Ta-da!
When that side is done, remove the quesadilla from the pan and cut into four's with a pizza cutter. Then make the second one the same way. Only, maybe a little better now since you've had practice with the flip?
***Leave out the chicken to make fantastic veggie quesadillas!***
Serve these with some refried beans and tortilla chips on the side and with salsa for dipping. If you want to make a quick and easy fresh salsa from scratch, see page 44 for the recipe to Sooner Nation Salsa in the University of Oklahoma Cookbook!
More to come about what I attempted to do did for St. Patrick's Day Sunday Lupper!
As always, thanks for reading!
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