Asian Basa Baby also known as Catfish

Hmm what to cook? Basa in the freezer- 2 large fillets from Vietnam for $6. Are basa oceanwise? Gulp. Nope.  Found this site that is helpful in identifying fish that are sustainable and good for you and the planet at http://www.oceanwise.ca/seafood/catfish/basa-tra. 

For now though let's pretend it's catfish which is the suggested alternative to basa. Last night I needed something quick and found some kind of soy sauce based creation in a bottle in the fridge and some leftover brown rice, red rice, lentil combination from protein goddess salad as well as a huge box of salad, feta and tomatoes. Viola, dinner is done!

You will need:

2 or more pieces of sustainable fish (if you can)

*Soy sauce mix or make your own (soy sauce, water, ginger, garlic, green onions)

Spring mix

Feta

Cherry tomatoes

**Leftover dressing

Leftover or fresh rice, quinoa, mash potato, etc.

Place rinsed fish in the pan on med heat.

Add about 1/2 cup of sauce- see that fish has enough to cook in at least on the bottom.

Cook on low and simmer on one side for a few minutes, flip cook for a few minutes. No rush.

Spread sauce around.

DO NOT overcook fish. Tender, flakey, juicy. Dried out fish is the worst.

Serve fish with hot rice, salad. Ta da!

*Soy sauce is a great marinade for any kind of fish but only marinade for an hour or so. If you marinade it too long it can get very salty.

**I always have dressing in my fridge.  I usually double the batches and have it on hand whenever I need it. The only dressing we buy is blue cheese which my husband is addicted to. It's how he eats his carrots.

Inspirational Meatless Mexican

When my husband and I visited San Francisco we went to a funky Mexican restaurant and for less than $20 were able to stuff our faces with tasty food.  Ok, so my husbands dish here has meat in it but imagine something meatless in place.  This is a nice array of flavors and may inspire a dish to make one evening.

Warm Thai Tofu Puff Salad

I saw some puffed tofu at the grocery store and picked some up not knowing what I would do with it.  I wanted to make a salad and looked online for some inspiration and here is what I found. The dressing is very versatile and can be used with many different ingredients. I love the lime and soy combination.

From -  http://veganforeveryone.com/recipes/tofu-puff-salad/

Salad

• 1 packet of tofu puffs
• 1 tablespoon of uncooked rice
• 1 cup of chopped coriander leaf (cilantro)
• 1 spring onion finely chopped  (optional)
• Salad stuff like coarsly grated carrot, cucumber, paw paw, finely chopped lettuce, baby spinach and bean sprouts.

Dressing

• 2 cloves of garlic ( 1 clove is enough)
• 2 teaspoons of sugar  (I reduced this to less than 1 tsp)
• 1/2 a small spanish onion very finely chopped (about 2 tablespoons)
• 2 tablespoons of soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon of chilli flakes
• 2 tablespoons of lime juice
• 1 teaspoon of peanut oil

Method.

Slice the tofu puffs into bite size pieces and dry fry in the wok until warmed through.

Add all the dressing ingredients and toasted rice together in a jar and shake well.

Toss all the ingredients and dressing in a bowl and serve.

The second time I made this recipe I added bean sprouts, cabbage and omitted the rice.  It 's nice if you can have it warm with the rice but if it's served cold I would add other veggies because the rice tends to harden when cold.