Dinner 10/23/2010- Parmesan Crusted Tilapia Fillets!

For dinner tonight my kids have asked that I make fish. I have some tilapia fillets in the freezer. I got a big bag of them at Wal-Mart on sale I think for about $6.  I will use 6 fillets for dinner tonight. The first thing to do it to defrost them. Now the way I am preparing them is a way that I learned while in the Navy. I just put a twist on it to give it a little more flavor. It is called Parmesan Fish. If you want to get fancy you can call them Parmesan Crusted Tilapia Fillets!

I use grated Parmesan cheese (I prefer Kraft Parmesan in the container that you get in the pasta isle)
I pour about 1 cup of the cheese into a paper plate and add about 2 tsp fresh cracked black pepper, 1 tbsp garlic powder, about 1 tbsp Italian seasoning and a little bit of paprika for color.You mix this all together I then melt a little bit of butter, about 2 Tbsp (or you can use olive oil). Put the butter or oil in another paper plate.  I dip the fish in the butter and then roll in the Parmesan cheese mixture. Put the fish fillets on a baking sheet and put into a preheated oven at 325 for about 15 minutes or until done. You can tell the fish is done when it is flaky.

I serve this with a homemade rice pilaf using brown rice. For the rice pilaf, I use about 1/2 of a big onion and dice it up. I saute the onion in a little bit of olive oil until cooked. I then add chicken broth and bring it to a boil. Once boiling add the rice and cook according to directions on the rice. (For the measurements of the broth and the amount of rice, please refer to the package of rice that you are using. The amount of water is the amount of broth that you need.)

I serve the fish and the rice with some veggies. You can use whatever your family likes. Since the fish and rice are pale in color, I try to use a nice bright vegetable like something red or green. I think for tonight I am going to make grilled veggies! I have some fresh zucchini squash, red peppers, and onion in the refrigerator. I slice the zucchini on a bias (that mean cut it in slices at a angle). I thinly slice the onions and seed and thinly slice the red pepper. I add just a touch of salt and pepper to the veggies and then put them in a heated grill pan with just a touch of olive oil. I also have some fresh sliced mushroom that need to be used up, so I am throwing them in the mix as well!

From what I have figured adding all the ingredients together, for this whole meal, fish, rice, and grilled viggies you are looking at about 379 calories and about 7 grams of fat!!!