Breaded Fish with Rice Pilaf

We don't eat a lot of fish at our house - but when we do - this is one of the ways we like it. I like to use cod but when it is too expensive - any white fish should work. As for the Rice Pilaf - this recipe comes from Mom and Dad Dysart. Not sure where they got it from - but Russell really likes it. That's all that matters at my house.

Breaded Fish
desired amount of fish to feed your family
1-2 eggs, beaten
salt and pepper
1 1/2 cups fine bread crumbs - either homemade or storebought
parmesan cheese
Italian seasoning

Cut fish into serving pieces. Coat in beaten egg. If you have a lot of people in your family - 2 eggs are the better option.
Combine bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper and Italian seasoning in a food processor and mix well. I just eyeball the cheese and seasonings.
Coat the fish pieces in breadcrumb mixture and place on a baking sheet that has been sprayed with vegetable spray. Bake at 500 degrees for about 15 minutes or until fish is flaky when you go to separate it with a fork.
Serve with tartar sauce if desired.

Rice Pilaf
2 cups long grain white rice
2 1/2 TBSP oil
4 cups boiling water
4 tsp boullion
3/4 cup thin pasta (such as angel hair or spaghetti)

Combine rice, oil and pasta in a skillet. Over high heat brown the rice. Pour into a 2 qt casserole dish. Add boullion and boiling water. Mix. Cover casserole and bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes.

Rice with Onion

UmmBinat was my team mate with this tasty recipe for the April 2010 recipe swap. She is from Canada. She modified this recipe from The Complete Middle East Cookbook by Tess Mallos. I modified it even more as we don't have basmati rice. This recipe is also called Mashkoul. Russell really enjoyed this rice as it is not sticky. A big plus for him!

Rice with Onion

2 cups long grain white rice

cold water

1 TBSP salt

1 large onion, finely chopped

1/4 cup butter or margarine

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Bring 6 cups water to a boil in a large pot. Add rice and salt and return water to a boil. Stir occasionally to keep grains separate. Boil for 8 minutes. Strain in a large sieve. (I used my ricer that I use to make applesauce since the holes are super tiny. Didn't want to lose the rice!)

Heat butter in a heavy pan. Add onion. Fry gently until transparent. Increase heat and fry until crisp and light colored. Careful though - they will cook quickly!

Grease a 9x13 baking pan. Add 1/2 the onion and the strained rice. With a fork mix well. Sprinke remaining onion over rice mixture. Sprinkle rice with water if necessary. I did as the rice wasn't quite finished cooking. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Creamy Crock Pot Chicken

Creamy Crockpot Chicken
I am part of the March 2009 Aussie/NZ recipe swap. This means I make at least one recipe from each of my team mates. Chef Buggsy Mate from the East Coast, USA has this recipe and I picked it to make. Her original recipe calls for only 4-6 chicken breasts but I used a whole bag of frozen chicken breasts as I wanted leftovers on purpose.

4-6 boneless skinless chicken breasts (I used a whole bag)
3 (10 3/4 oz ) cans cream of mushroom soup
1 (1 oz) envelope dry onion soup mix
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 small onion, sliced thin
1 cup sliced mushrooms, canned or fresh
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups chicken stock
2 TBSP parsley flakes for garnish

Grease the inside of a large slow cooker. Place chicken in first. Combine the remaining ingredients except parsley in a medium pot and heat on medium high. Stir occasionally until cream cheese is incorporated. Pour sauce over chicken in crockpot and heat on low approximately 4 hours. I put my chicken in frozen and let it cook on low from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sprinkle with parsley flakes. I obviously forgot to do this. Oh well. It tasted wonderful anyway. Serve over pasta, egg noodles or rice. We had this over rice.

Kung Pao Chicken

I love a really good Chinese dish. I really don't like them hot and spicy. This dish is a little hot and spicy but I can control the heat.

Kung Pao Chicken
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 TBSP cornstarch
2 tsp light sesame oil OR vegetable oil
3 TBSP green onions, chopped with tops (I also have used regular onion)
2 carrots, sliced 1/2 inch thick
1 small zucchini sliced and quarted 1/2 inch thick
2 stalks celery sliced 1/2 inch thick
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 - 3/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (you can make it more spicy if you like)
1/2 tsp powdered ginger
4 TBSP rice wine vinegar
4 TBSP soy sauce
4 tsp sugar
1/2-1 cup dry roasted peanuts ( I like the crunch factor)
hot cooked rice

Combine chicken and cornstarch in ziploc bag. Smoosh around and put in fridge for a couple hours before cooking. Combine vinegar, soy sauce and sugar in small bowl. Set aside. Heat oil in large non-stick skillet or wok on medium heat. Add chicken. Stir-fry until no longer pink. Add remaining ingredients except vinegar sauce, peanuts and rice. Stir-fry until vegetables are desired doneness/crispness. Add sauce. Stir until mixture thickens. Add peanuts. Heat thoroughly and serve over rice.

Serves: 6