Oatmeal Encrusted Tilapia, Quinoa Salad with Tomato, Feta and Toasted Pine Nuts and Banana Cream Pie with Gingersnap Crust!

Last night was so grody out, rainy and cold and a perfect night to make a home cooked meal! I looked in the kitchen to see what I already had and then came up with, If I do say so myself, a KILLER dinner! I already had Tilapia in the fridge, quinoa in the cabinet and pine nuts and tomato. As per usual I went to Foodgawker.com to see what came up for Tilapia. I really did not want to fry it, so was looking for something really different and I certainly found it! Baked Oatmeal Crusted Tilapia courtesy of Kohler Created!

Now I will say this, I followed the recipe exactly as far as the mixture went to top the fish. I will say I am not sure how big her filet's were but I had an abundance of topping left...but not to worry, I kept it for another time as it was really quite tasty! So I would say if you try to make this, you should kind of eye ball how much you use of the dry ingredients as it calls for 2 cups of oats and honestly I could have used maybe one cup. I wish I took a picture of the fish on the pan, but I forgot and so on the plate next to my quinoa, you don't really get a good view of it, sorry:(. I think also if I were to make it again, I would add in a little olive oil and lemon to the dry mixture, just to help bind it a little and crisp it a bit when it cooks. As it still looks dry and if you look at the blog I got the actual recipe from, hers did not look like mine, it looked crisper...but again, it did have great flavor.

Oatmeal Crusted Tilapia- courtesy of Kohler Created

INGREDIENTS

• 4 tilapia fillets (fresh or frozen)
• 4 tbsp. low-fat mayonnaise, you may need a little extra if your fillets are bigger
• 2 cups quick oats
• 1/3 cup bread crumbs
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tbsp. fresh chives (***I actually did use green onion as I could not find chives)
• 1/2 tsp. grated lemon rind
• 1 tsp. lemon juice
• 2 tsp. parsley
• Salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees
2. Line baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone liner. Defrost/rinse fish and pat dry. Place fish fillets on baking sheet.
3. In a bowl, mix together oats, bread crumbs, grated Parmesan, chives, parsley and salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly. In a separate bowl measure out mayonnaise before adding lemon rind and juice. Stir
4. Brush tops of fish with mayonnaise.
5. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until fish flakes when forked.

Now on to the Quinoa! I have only made this once before, quinoa that is, not this particular recipe. Last time I made it, it was served at room temperature, as it was more of a summer salad. So I based this recipe based on what I had in my kitchen and from reviewing recipes over time.

Recipe for Quinoa salad with tomato, toasted pine nuts and feta:

I used a little under a cup of quinoa and about a little over a cup of water based on the directions on the box.

1. Cook the quinoa based on the directions on the box.

2. Add in diced tomato ( I used one vine ripe tomato)

3. Add in toasted pine nuts- I think how much you use depends on how much you like them...I again used what was left in my bag, maybe 1/4 cup and toasted for about 5 min on the stove top.

4. Add in about 1/4 cup or so of the Feta- I will admit, I really did not measure that out- guess that is the Italian in me, I tend to eye ball a lot! So basically just put in enough to mix throughout to you liking.. I love feta, so I put a good bit!

I also drizzled with olive oil and a big squeeze of lemon before mixing everything together!

I have to say quinoa is becoming one of my favorites, it is so easy to make and really you can put just about anything in it to flavor it up!

I also made my asparagus again as it is my boyfriends favorite and it came out yummy just as I thought;)

Now, on to dessert. So since the New Year, I have been trying to eat healthier and cook more, but I must admit, I have a horrible sweet tooth. While at the store, I had to get the ingredients for a key lime pie I am making for a friends birthday tomorrow. So I thought to myself, what could I make that would not be too fattening using the gingersnaps I bought for the key lime crust....and then it hit me, a pudding pie and what would go better with gingersnap than banana cream!!! So I got two boxes of pudding (sugar free and fat free) and some lite cool whip, so not only somewhat healthy, but easy too! Now I will say, it did not help that I ate TWO pieces, there went the somewhat healthy, but this was so good, I could not help myself.

Unfortunately, I do not have a picture of it, but please don't let that deter you from making it, it rocked!!!

Recipe for banana cream pudding pie with lite cool whip:

2 boxes of sugar free, fate free banana cream pudding

1 container of lite cool whip

About a cup and 1/2 of crushed gingersnaps

6 tablespoons of melted butter

2 tablespoons of sugar

Mix gingersnaps, butter and sugar together and pat down in pie dish.

Cook at 350 for about ten mins (depends on oven)

Once completely cool, add in the pudding (directions on the box)

Slice and serve with cool whip!

ENJOY!!! I know we did!