Fish (or Chicken) with Veggies & Green Sauce

I couldn't decide what to call this so I enlisted the help of some facebook friends. They suggested "Halibut Fishatore," "Pesce Verde" and, inevitably, we wound up at "Green Fish." Call it what you like, it's yummy!
I had thawed some halibut to make another dish, but when I got ready to begin cooking I realized I had forgotten one of the parts of the recipe (which involved marinating the fish for two hours prior to cooking!). So I had to scrap that recipe and just threw this together on the spot. It may look a little complicated because it has several parts, but really they are all pretty simple. The only thing that's complicated is the sauce (which can burn), but so long as you keep an eye on it and stir it a lot you should be fine.
For those of you who for whom halibut isn't your 'cheap, always-on-hand' meat, you can use tilapia or another white fish, or chicken will also work nicely.

Serves about 6
Prep time--about 30-60 min, depending on whether you use canned/frozen veggies, and whether your meat is thawed.

MEAT

• About 2-3lbs thawed halibut (or chicken breasts/tenders/pieces)
• olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• Breadcrumbs

Put about 1/4inch of water in the bottom of a baking dish (1/2" if using chicken since it will cook longer). Put the fish in the dish and shake a little olive oil onto the fish. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and breadcrumbs. Put in the oven to bake (about 15-20 min for halibut, 30-45 for chicken, depending on size of pieces...just check it periodically)
Once the meat is in, start on the veggies.

VEGGIES

• 2 potatoes, chopped into 1/2in cubes (peel first if they have tough skins)
  
• 3/4 c peas
• 3/4 c chopped carrots (I used a frozen pea/carrot mix)
• other veggies if you prefer (asparagus, bell peppers, broccoli, etc)

Put everything in a little water and steam it until soft/warm. (About 7-10 min should be plenty.) Once that's in, make the sauce. 

SAUCE (this is a homemade version of Costco's spinach-artichoke-parmesan dip, so you could use theirs, just warm it up and thin it with a little milk...but of course homemade always tastes better)

• 4Tbs butter
• 4Tbs flour
• salt, pepper, garlic powder (I did about 1/2tsp salt and 1 Tbs garlic powder...I don't measure.)
• 1 1/2-2 cups of milk (whole is best of course, or cream would be good...)
• 3/4-1 cup of grated cheese (parmisan is ideal, but I didn't have any so I used monterey jack and it was good)
• 2/3-3/4c chopped spinach (I used frozen)
• 1/2-2/3c chopped artichokes (I used canned)

Mix the butter and flour in a saucepan over medium heat to make a rue. Be careful not to let it burn! Mix in spices. Slowly add about 1/4c of milk at a time, mixing after each addition. Add the cheese a little at a time, mixing often. Reduce heat to med-low. Add the chopped veggies and mix well. Let it sit on low heat if the other parts are not ready yet, otherwise bring it all to the table and serve immediately.

Serve the meat and veggies side by side, with the sauce poured over the top of everything.
It's pretty much awesome. All my kids liked it and the four-year-old asked for thirds.

Indian-ish Chicken

This isn't a true Indian recipe in that I didn't get it from a cookbook or anything, but it's a combination of traditional Indian spices, even if not traditional cooking methods, so I surmise that it's 'authentic' in that it's the sort of thing an Indian housewife might throw together...
The flour in the coating is merely to spread the spices around evenly. I used rice flour and it was gluten free. ☺


1/4 c butter
Cut up butter into a 9x13inch pan and put it in the oven to melt as the oven preheats to 350* (don't forget to get it out as soon as it's melted!)
Set aside.

COATING (mix in a shallow dish or pie tin)
(all amounts are approximate, I just dump stuff in)
1/2 c flour (or rice flour ☺)
1 Tbs salt
1 tsp pepper
1 Tbs onion powder
1 Tbs garlic powder
1 Tbs turmeric
1 Tbs cumin
1-2 tsp cardamom
1/2 tsp cloves
(1 Tbs cinnamon would also be authentic, but I forgot it, so either way...)

8 chicken pieces (I used thighs because they were on sale, but any pieces would work) I skinned them but left the bones in.
Press each chicken piece into the coating and get it fully covered on both sides. Then lay the pieces in the melted butter in the pan.
Bake for about 20 min, then turn each piece over and bake for another 20 min. (Meanwhile cook the rice and veggies)

RICE
1 chopped onion
3-4 cloves chopped garlic
1 tsp salt
*2 cups white rice
4 cups broth and/or water and/or coconut milk (I used about 2 cups homemade broth then the rest water)
Put a little oil in a pan and saute the rice, onion, salt, and garlic until the onion and rice get glassy. Then add the liquid and let it simmer (without stirring) until all the liquid is absorbed (about 15min for white rice)

*adjust the amount of rice accordingly if you use brown or a white/brown mix

VEGGIES
I just used some frozen peas/carrots/green beans and steamed them, which is very not authentic. If you want something more authentic, try peas, carrots, potatoes, or tomatoes. You can steam them or saute them in a little oil or cook them in with the rice.

Serve everything together in a heap. Or not. However you like it. ☺

Couscous with Veggies

I love couscous. I'm not exactly sure why...maybe it's because it's pasta (but seems like a grain), maybe it's because it feels exotic, maybe it's because it is so SO easy to cook. In any case, I ♥ couscous.
I tried this recipe today with saffron--a middle eastern spice to go with a middle eastern pasta. ☺
1 cup boiling water
1 cup dry couscous (or follow the directions/proportions on your couscous--some is different)
3/4 cup (or so) of veggies (I used chopped carrots, frozen peas, and canned corn...it was what I had on hand)
2-3Tbs butter
seasonings as desired: salt & pepper, lemon pepper, basil, rosemary, marjoram, thyme, or even saffron if you're feeling adventurous (or wealthy!)

Set the water to boil. If you're using fresh veggies and want them softened, put in an extra 1/4c of water and put the veggies in the water as it heats up.
Once the water is boiling, take it off the heat, dump in the couscous and stir until all liquid is absorbed and the couscous gets soft (about 2 minutes). (Most couscous sold in western groceries is pre-steamed, so cooks very quickly...but double check the directions on your couscous because if it's not pre-steamed it will need a little longer and different cooking method.)
Add additional veggies if applicable. Add butter and seasonings and stir in until butter is melted.

Savory Pie

Last night we held our annual pie night. Since I didn't feel like veering off my pie-making binge for dinner, I made a savory pie for dinner.


uncooked pie shell
1 lb ground sausage
2c gravy (can use bullion or from a package if desired)
1/2 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic
2+ cups assorted veggies (we used carrots and cauliflower, but anything's great)
salt and pepper
grated cheese (I used monteray jack)


Fry sausage until well crumbled. As the juices come out, add in onion and cook until soft and golden. Add garlic and other veggies, as well as salt and pepper to taste. Cook until everything starts to soften a little. Pour all into pie shell, pour in gravy, and sprinkle top with 1+ c cheese (depending how much you like!)
Bake at 350 for around 20 min--long enough to cook crust and get cheese melted and golden.

This one was really popular at pie night! I'll have to make it again!