Cilantro Ginger Tilapia

So I vowed not to do any grocery shopping this week. It's easy for me to get carried away with fresh fruits and vegetables and I wanted to make sure I use up what I have since I will be traveling over the weekend. So I planned to have a steak last night which I managed to prepare simply on the George Foreman Grill paired with leftover mashed cauliflower.

I haven't been feeling very inspired with my menu this week, so tonight when I arrived home I didn't have a clue what I would prepare. I only knew I should get something out of the freezer stat. It's been awhile since I've made tilapia, so that was it. In a 4oz serving, it defrosts quickly. I also pulled out a half cup serving of cauliflower rice.

After sitting around for another hour playing online and watching old episodes of Chopped on the Food Network, I was all of a sudden very hungry and knew it was time to figure out once and for all What's For Dinner. I threw the packaged tilapia into a sink of cold water for twenty minutes to quickly finish the thawing process.

I decided I was going with a clilantro ginger flavor, so I mixed ginger and garlic with my almond flour to coat the tilapia. I threw the still partially frozen cauliflower rice in a pan with sesame seed oil and a cup of chopped frozen broccoli and once it was well on it's way, I added coconut aminos (this tastes like soy sauce) and ginger and as a last thought threw in diced roasted red pepper. Which really made the pilaf.

I pan fried my tilapia. Toasted a few sesame seeds in the pan as the tilapia finished cooking. Then deglazed the pan with a mixture of lime juice, coconut aminos, and cilantro. Half a plate of tilapia and half a plate of the  Broccoli pilaf. (Just the way it is supposed to be! Look at me go on day 30!)

The first side of the tilapia got a little overdone, but developed a lovely almond flour crust. 

1 Tbsp sesame seed oil

1/2C cauliflower rice

1C broccoli

1 Tbsp coconut aminos

1/8 tsp ground ginger

1 Tbsp roasted red peppers, diced

salt & pepper to taste

1/8C almond flour

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp lite salt

1/8 tsp black pepper

4oz tilapia

1 Tbsp sesame seed oil.

dash of sesame seeds

1/8C lime juice

1/2 Tbsp dried cilantro

1 tsp coconut aminos

1. Toss cauliflower rice and broccoli in the sesame oil in a pan over medium high heat. Cover and cook for about five minutes.

2. Meanwhile, in a shallow bowl whisk together the almond flour, ground ginger, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Set aside.

3. In a small bowl, combine lime juice, cilantro, and coconut aminos for sauce. Set aside.

4. Place the tilapia in the shallow bowl and turn to coat with the almond flour mixture. Heat the sesame seed oil in frying pan over medium high heat.

5. Remove the lid from the pilaf. Add coconut aminos, ginger, roasted red peppers, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir to combine.

6. Place tilapia in the heated sesame seed oil and cook for 2-3 minutes. Flip. Toss sesame seeds into the pan  to toast. Cook another 2-3 minutes on the second side.

7. Remote tilapia filets to a plate. Pour the sauce into the tilapia pan and stir around to scrape up all the brown bits from the bottom. It will reduce quickly. After about  a minute, drizzle the sauce over the tilapia filets.

8. Add pilaf to your plate and enjoy a sweet and savory dinner for one.