cajun crusted tilapia

cajun crusted tilapia sandwich on sprouted grain sesame Ezekiel bread for one of my meals last week. or two weeks ago.  oh whenever that was, idk. it was good though.  i grew up eating deep fried catfish sandwiches on white bread.  you remember those fish fry fundraisers at church lol!  the best.

  i said on IG that i thought this recipe up while i was on the elliptical.  i get some of my very best ideas and recipes while i'm working out. it's usually in the middle of cardio when i have a lot of time to just THINK.  if that's what i need to do to get my inspiration, so be it!

Cajun Crusted Tilapia

the stuff:

  • 1/2 cup Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free Corn Meal
  • 1 tsp fresh cracked black pepper
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1 tsp sweet dried basil
  • 1 tbsp Bragg's liquid aminos
  • 1 egg white

that's supposed to be sweet basil on top of the onion powder, not curry. sorry.

do this:

combine the egg and the liquid aminos in one bowl, everything else in another bowl.  with your left wet hand, dip the fillet into the egg white/amino mixture, then drop it into the dry mixture bowl.  using your right dry hand, press the fillet into the mixture, flip it over, and ensure it is covered on both sides or to your liking.  spray your low/medium heated pan with Pam (or any no-stick spray)  if you haven't already, and lay the fish on one side to cook until done, then flip it (about 5-7 minutes on each side.) cooking times and temps vary, so watch it!  *s/n: you can add a tsp of coconut oil to your pan as well, but you'll have to adjust the nutritional stats accordingly.*

don't want a sandwich?  plate your fillet up and pair it with some sides.  i made a sandwich cause i had plenty of Ezek bread to spare and sandwiches are fun to make, eat and take pictures of.

now, about these nutritional stats....i tend to make things way more difficult than they should be so there is prolly an easier way to do this.  i know there is.  and someone will comment on this post and make me feel really dumb.  i'm counting on you.  anyway,  i didn't figure out how to do this before posting and didn't want to wait. i totaled the ingredient list up, then divided it by 4 (fillets).  you never really use ALL the breading when you're dipping stuff, you know? at least i don't.  so you can't include that in the total calories.  you really only use about 2-3 tbsp of the breading, if that.  so the stats below are a little higher than they should be cause it's for 1/8th a cup of breading (dry + wet) + the tilapia fillet. i guess i could figure out what 2 tbsp of breading equals but my head hurts already.  so here are the stats for 1/8th a cup (includes both wet and dry ingredients).  did that even make sense?

serving:  1 crusted tilapia fillet

i love finding ways to eat more food!!!

i got wind of these corn thins via Facebook last week and picked some up at WF this past weekend as well.

i switched sides on ya.  rice cakes on the left, corn thins on the right.

 1 serving = 2 cakes

ingredients for both:

corn thins- whole grain popped corn, sea salt. (gluten and fat-free)

rice cakes- whole grain brown rice, sea salt.

verdict: eat 3 corn thins and STILL come out lower in every stat category compared with the rice cakes.  awesome!!  sure they are a little thinner, but still filling after being topped with some PB2, cottage cheese, or greek yogurt.

look what i found. oh just another item i wasn't even looking for, a yogurt maker!!!

 i actually received this as a baby shower gift.  i sure do appreciate it!  perfect timing.

i was reading the instructions and all that and noticed one of the ingredients required to make yogurt is yogurt :shock: huh? so i have to go buy some yogurt to make yogurt. oh, ok.  riiight... SO, after i google a good homemade yogurt recipe, i'll be trying my hand at *drumroll*

 almond yogurt!!!! i saw some at Whole Foods while i was there and had no idea almond yogurt even existed yet.  the nutritional stats were surprisingly high for one serving though.  i'll see what i can come up with.

guess who had banana pancakes this morning? we all did. everybody. duh :lol:

Chiso tackled his three and so did i.

my random lunch sandwich today:

i just wanted to eat my cinnamon raisin Ezekiel bread really bad, lol. i threw some grilled chicken, cheddar almond cheese, avocado and spicy mustard on it and it WORKED.  it fit my macros perfectly, too! that sweet and salty combo can't be beat. i chilled on any fruit butter this time since the bread was already sweet though.

have you ever made homemade yogurt? 

le

winner winner chicken dinner

who loves instagram?! *raises hand* i mean just look at what i have concocted in a matter of minutes:

my husband traded my EVO in for an iPhone4s- just one of my many birthday gifts from him:) but i'll get to that post next, can't wait to share.  anyway, this was dinner tonight- grilled ranch chicken breasts, brown rice and black-eyed peas topped with homemade mango salsa.

if you don't have a grill pan, listen to me- it is SO worth the investment.  i got mine from wally world (walmart) for 17 bucks.

when grilling with this thing, you gotta make sure the fire is high and the pan is HOT.   i turned it on and let it warm up a bit before throwing my marinated chicken breasts in.

throw them in and listen to that sizzle!

i did about 8-10 min on each side.  look @ those grill marks. i like grill marks.

if you are unsure whether it's cooked through, take a knife and just make a small incision in the center. no pink allowed.

 Sonny's plate.. he eats his sides separately.

i grabbed my plate/bowl  and threw everything together. i like a big bite of everything at once.

this will be our lunch for tomorrow, naturally.

i never told you guys about my Easter brunch! this was our menu: salmon fritatta

ranch new potatoes, mini maple-pecan monkey bread, and fresh fruit.

my guys and i then traveled over to my aunt Annette's house for my little one's first Easter egg hunt! she always makes GREAT food, so i made sure to bring my camera. if only i had used it more though-   i was too busy eating and making my to-go plates to take pictures!!  i will so be making some of these appetizers for sure. this was only a super small portion of everything she had.

this one was full of flavor- tart and sweet.  gorgonzola bites with candied walnuts:

i believe i ate like 7, no kidding.  crostini bread, slice of pear, slice of gorgonzola, then topped with a candied walnut and broiled in the oven for a few minutes. you must eat each element in one bite to get the full effect! next (and unfortunately last- booooo, i know), salmon crostini.  will have to get the recipe from her, but they tasted fab. fitfoodiele approved!

what special/traditional dishes did you make for Easter? 

le