Almond-Crusted Tilapia

Over a bed of salad, topped with crumbled walnuts

To repeat myself in so many ways, fish caters to an easy method for whipping up a quick, protein-rich meal.  Why not kick it up a notch and try it 4HB crispy-style?  I feel almost guilty claiming this to be a new recipe; but a new method is certainly worthy of a new post.  And while not quite full-on breaded quality, the almond flour will get you a whole lot closer than you’d expect.  And you’ll feel you’re giving yourself a bit of a treat!

Ingredients:
4 filets, tilapia
1 lemon
Salt
Pepper
1/2 cup almonds, slivered or sliced
2 eggs (or 3 egg whites)

Directions:

• Rinse the tilapia under cold water and pat to dry.
• Season both sides of the fish with salt and pepper.  Squeeze a little lemon juice on both sides, as well.
• In a small food processor, chop up the sliced or slivered almonds until you have a course powder.  Pour onto a flat plate and set aside.
• In a wide-mouthed bowl, whisk together the eggs (or egg whites).  Add any additional seasonings (or just a little extra salt & pepper), and whisk again to combine.
• Place the egg bowl and plate of crushed almonds side-by-side.

• Dip both sides of a filet into the egg mixture.
• Shaking (or letting drip off) the excess egg, dredge the soaked filet into the almond powder to coat.  Set coated filet aside and do the same to your remaining filets.

• Heat coconut oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat.
• Place filets in the pan  and cook for 3-4 minutes per each side of the fish.

• Plate and….Voila! Enjoy your crispy fish.

Rainbow Chard Salad

Lately, I’ve been digging the idea of famers markets.  Usually I just do all of my grocery shopping at the local Trader Joe’s or Henry’s, but there’s just something nice and simple-like about hitting up a local farmers market on the weekend, checking the wide array of vegetables, fruits, etc.  And hey, you get to support local farmers in the process! I guess we’re not really on the fruit train anymore on 4HB lifestyle, but I can definitely go nuts over all the yummy vegetables! One lovely summer’s arrival-tease sort of Sundays, my husband and I decided to check out the La Jolla Farmers Market.  A pretty good one, if I do say so myself! Anyway, several of the vendors had, on their displays, the most beautiful bunches of rainbow chard, and I immediately wanted to find a way to use it.  I swear it was maybe a week earlier that I was watching the cooking show, Chopped, and I remembered they had rainbow chard in their baskets.  So maybe it was on my mind just a little.  But oh so pretty; time to figure out how to work this little culinary riddle! After a little internet dancing, I crossed upon a couple different ideas and landed upon a simple enough recipe.

Now let’s uncover this little pot of gold…

Ingredients:
1 bunch rainbow chard
Water and pot for boiling
Salt and pepper to taste
Extra virgin olive oil
Lemon wedge

Directions:
Bring a pot of water to a boil. Meanwhile, rinse the chard under cool water, making sure to remove any remaining dirt from the stems and leaves.

Separate the stems from the leaves.  The stems are much tougher and firmer than the leaves; therefore, these will naturally take a little more cooking time to soften enough to a level that will ultimately complement the wilted leaves well.

Cook the stems in the boiling water for 2-3 minutes.  Then, add the leaves and continue to cook for another 7-8 minutes.

Drain and rinse with cold water.  Press out as much water as you can with the back of a spoon or put in a salad spinner to release some of the extra moisture.  Drizzle with a small amount of olive oil and toss with salt, pepper, and a few squeezes of lemon juice – then plate it up as a tasty, colorful, and deliciously healthy side dish.

Rainbow Chard Salad with Slow Cooked Chuck Roast

 link to:  Slow Cooked Chuck Roast