Go-To Recipe—Cajun Catfish…or any fish

This Cajun catfish recipe is great and I have used it several times since I came across it.  It is very versatile as well.  I’ve used it with a couple different kinds of fish and it always tastes delicious.  The first time I made this dish I followed the recipe closely, but I doubled it because I wanted a lot of flavor. 
The Cajun coating for the fish consists of…
2T canola oil
1-2 cloves minced garlic
2t thyme
2t paprika
1/2t cayenne
1/2t hot sauce (add more or less to taste)
1/4t black pepper

Spread this on whatever kind of fish you like and bake it in the oven for its normal baking time.  So much flavor!! You will love it! I used this recipe for 2 catfish fillets.

The couscous is Israeli couscous, and one of the reasons this is a go-to dish for me is because I usually have some fish fillets in the the freezer and almost always have couscous in the pantry.  You could use regular couscous as well, but I enjoy the texture of the Israeli type. 

To make the couscous add some butter to a medium sized pot and add whatever vegetables you think you would like.  I really like peppers and garlic in this, but onions or zucchini would also be good.  You can also add any spices or herbs you’d like at this point.

Let the veggies cook a little and then add the couscous.  Let it brown for a minute or two in the pan and soak up the butter.  Then add stock of your choice.  I chose veggie stock and the ratio should be about 2:1 stock:couscous.  Allow it to simmer until the stock has been absorbed and the couscous is soft. 
Voila!  Delicious dinner!

Now, I have used this recipe to make breaded fillets as well.  Make the Cajun sauce as above, but add an egg.  Dip the fish into that mixture and then into some panko bread crumbs.  Then put in the oven and bake.  You may want to season your bread crumbs though, I used a little salt, paprika, and cayenne in mine and it was great!  Give it a try and let me know how you liked it!

Tahini, The New Sour Cream/Mayo/Spread/Dip

I have been using tahini a lot lately, and most people have never heard of it, or may only use it when they are making hummus.  Since I have yet to find a hummus recipe to get excited about, I have tried to incorporate tahini into my diet where I can because it is a good source of protein. 
Made from sesame seeds, this sticky “nut butter” has a powerful, but bland-ish flavor to it (it’s a little difficult to describe).  It has 6 grams of protein, 3 grams of fiber, and 200 calories per 2 tablespoons.  At first I tried it by itself and couldn’t figure out what I would be able to use it for, but my first experiment was a success.
Vegetarian fajitas have become a staple dinner around my house and are a yummy way for me to use up leftover veggies.  I just sauté up a bunch of veggies and heat up some black beans, or pinto beans, maybe some rice, etc.  In the past, I would always spread sour cream on the tortilla before I put on my toppings; so to cut back on the amount of dairy in my diet, I used tahini instead.  To my surprise it added a lot of flavor to the fajitas and I really enjoy using it in this way.
Since that experiment was such a success, I started wondering how I could use it in other ways.  So, I made a sandwich and instead of Mayo (which I love, but is not very good for me) I spread tahini on my bread and also put lettuce, seasoned tomatoes, and raw mushrooms on it.  Delicious!!!
I buy East Wind organic tahini, it is about $8 at Woodman’s.  You could probably get a cheaper brand if you’re just trying it for the first time, but I have enjoyed this one and prefer to buy organic when I can afford to.

I also received two new vegetarian cookbooks for my birthday (Thanks to my wonderful husband) and there is a recipe in one of them for a tahini lemon sauce that can be made thicker for a dip or thinner for a sauce or dressing.  I will be trying that out soon and I’ll let you know what I think!
Do you have any uses for this versatile condiment?  Let me know in the comments!
Happy Eating!

A Delicious Dinner

This veggie pasta was super simple, light, and tasty.  What's really awesome about it is that you can use any vegetables you’d like or whatever you have left in your fridge.
Just sauté the veggies in a little olive oil, salt, and pepper, and cook your pasta.  You can use any long pasta, but I used spaghetti since that’s what was in my pantry.
For the sauce, melt about a tablespoon of butter in a small sauce pan, add juice from about half a lemon and 1/3 of a cup of white wine.  Bring that to a boil and pour over the pasta and veggies.  Yum!!!