Coconut Fish Cutlets

The Asian diet normally includes coconut daily in different shapes and forms. The coconut tree on the Asian continent must have been a gift from God because of its many benefits. Most houses in small villages are built from its branches and leaves. Dried coconut shells are used for serving food. The sweet white meat and juice of young coconuts are delicious and quench the thirst of the Asian people under the hot sun. However, the most amazing benefit comes from the coconut oil when extracted from the old white meat of coconuts – its positive contributions to good health. Rich and creamy coconut oil helps boost metabolism since our bodies use this as energy rather than storing it as fat because coconut oil is a great source of Omega 3. I try to eat healthy everyday, and the most important thing that I can do is to improve my way of cooking and the ingredients I use in my recipes. Even when everyone is so busy these days, good health should never be sacrificed because of a lack of time.. My simple coconut fish cutlets recipe here will prove that eating healthy doesn't take much time.
Ingredients:
1/2 lb firm white fish, tuna or tilapia, cut into bite-size pieces
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
1/4 cup chopped nuts (your choice)
3 tbs nonfat yogurt
2 tbs mayonnaise
1 tbs Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp cayenne
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
1 tsp garlic powder

Garnish with mix chopped herbs, dill and cilantro
Avocado cream sauce*
Directions:
In a small bowl, mix panko breadcrumbs, garlic powder, 1/4 tsp salt, cayenne, and black pepper
In another bowl, whisk in mayonnaise, nonfat yogurt, and Dijon mustard. Add fish and mix well.
On a small plate, place shredded coconut and chopped nuts.
Using a slot spoon, remove fish and put them into a Ziploc bag. Pour the panko mixture in the Ziploc bag, seal, and shake to coat fish.
Remove fish from the Ziploc bag and coat them with coconut-nuts mixture, making sure all fish are coated. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. In a nonstick pan, add coconut oil and heat until smoking. Drop the fish into the pan and fry for 5 minutes. Turn fish over to brown both sides. The fish is done when the flesh becomes firm and opaque. Sprinkle with chopped fresh herbs.

To make avocado cream:
1/2 avocado, peeled and pit removed
1/2 cup milk or haft and haft
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 tbs  mayonnaise
2 tbs non fat yogurt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
Place all the ingredients in the bullets machine and blend  well. Refrigerate until ready to use

Simple White Bread

For generations of Americans, white bread has been the choice, but recently it has been criticized for its supposed lack of nutritional value compared with full fiber breads. Unfortunately, the commercially-made white bread is tasteless and without substance. I always prefer white bread because of its softness. The recipe here is for white bread with a thin, chewy crisp crust, which makes it still the choice of bread for generations to come. Investing in a bread machine would definitely be a good choice for making white bread everyday.
Ingredients:
3/4 cup water
2 tbs nonfat dry milk
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tbs soft butter or margarine
2 cups bread flour
1 1/2 tsp active dry yeast

Directions:
Place all the ingredients in the pan of a bread machine in the order listed above or follow the instructions of the bread machine manual. Select the dough setting and press start. When the dough has finished mixing, kneading and rising, the machine will beep. Remove the dough from the bread machine and let the dough rest for 5 minutes.
Butter a 9" x 5" x 3" loaf pan. Lightly flour both hands to shape dough. Place dough into the prepared loaf pan and top with 1 tbs soft butter. Cover with kitchen towel and let the dough rise in a warm place for another 40 minutes or until double in size.

Preheat oven to 375° and bake bread for 30 minutes.

Quinoa-Okra Burgers

Quinoa and okra are good sources of protein to replace meat in our diet. If okra is not available, then 1 cup of any kind of canned beans can be substituted. Changing the way food is consumed daily will protect our hearts and improve our health. This recipe is so easy and delicious, it can be served daily without missing any meat burgers.   
Ingredients:
2 cups cooked quinoa
1 cup okra (soybeans left from making soy milk)
1/4 cup rough chopped mushrooms
1/2 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup frozen corn, thawed
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 egg
1 tsp sugar
1 tbs soy sauce
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
In a sauté pan, add 2 tbs oil. Add garlic, onions and stir (cook for 3 minutes or until fragrant). Add mushrooms and continue to cook mushrooms until soft (about 5 minutes). Stir in corn and all spices. Remove from heat and let it cool off.
In a mixing bowl, combine cooked quinoa, okra, egg and the mushroom-mixture. Add bread crumbs and mix well. Form the quinoa mixture into 6 to 10 flat round patties into the desired amount that you like. Cook quinoa burgers 3 minutes on each side. The patties will flip easily when completely correct. Serve with hamburger buns.

Lemon-Dill Butter Fish Fillets

Fresh herbs, lemon and garlic pair wonderfully with fish; almost effortless for preparation but the result is fantastic. The recipe here is a sample of quick,easy and healthy cooking.
Ingredients:
Two-6 oz talipia fillets
3 tbs olive oil
2 tsp lemon juice
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 tsp zest of lemon
1 tsp sugar
11/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1tsp pepper flake or paprika
1 tbs fresh dill chopped or parsley
Top with
2 tbs butter and more  chopped fresh dill
Directions:
Combine olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, lemon zest, dill, sugar, salt, black pepper and paprika and mix well.
Place fish onto a baking dish and pour the marinade over fish. Let marinate fish for 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
Preheat oven to 400° and bake fish for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and top with butter and more chopped fresh herbs

Apple,Oatmeal, Muffins

This is one of my creations using cake mix or any store-bought cake mix will make a healthy, delicious choice of muffins for a quick breakfast.

Ingredients:

1 cup cake mix

1 cup oat meal

3/4 cup skim milk

1/4 cup chia seeds gel

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup raisins

1 apple, peeled, cored, and roughly chopped

1 egg

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°. Line the muffin tins with paper liners and set aside.

Combine cake mix, oatmeal, nutmeg, cinnamon in a bowl.

In a mixing bowl, whisk egg, sugar, oil and chia seeds gel until combined.

 Stir in flour mixture and whisk in with milk just to combine. Add chopped apples.

 Spoon batter into the prepared muffin tins to 2/3 full. Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes.

Amazing Crockpot Italian Chicken

This dish is for busy moms, working women, college students or anyone who just wants to have a good meal without any effort. Try this recipe, and you will be glad that you did. With just a few ingredients and a crockpot, you can sit back and relax .The moist, tender chicken breast will be a sure-fire dinnertime hit, and no one will believe that the crockpot did all the work.
Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts, washed and patted dry
1/2 cup good tomato sauce (any kind of brand)
1/2 cup chicken stock (homemade is preferred)
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp dry Italian seasoning
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbs fresh tarragon
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup sweet white onions, cut 1 inch thick
1 cup mushrooms, slice
2 tbs cornstarch

Serve with hot cooked rice

Directions:
In a bowl, combine tomato sauce, chicken broth, chili powder, garlic, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Mix well.
In a 1 1/2 qt crockpot, layer onions, mushrooms and chicken breasts. Pour the tomato sauce mixture over the chicken breasts.

 Cover and turn the crockpot to the low setting for 5 to 6 hours. After 5 hours or until chicken cooks through, remove chicken and keep warm. Transfer the sauce into the saucepan and stir in cornstarch. Cook until thickened (about 3 minutes). On a serving plate, place hot cooked rice. Top with chicken. Pour sauce over chicken and sprinkle with chopped fresh tarragon

Sizziling Tumeric Fish Fillet

It took me so long to blog this recipe because it requires fresh herbs such as mints, basil, Vietnamese balm (kinh gioi), red perilla (tia to), cilantro, and the main herb that cannot be replaced – fresh dill. This year, I am trying to grow the fresh herbs on my windowsill using a grow light bulb to replace the insufficient amount of sunlight during the winter season in the Northwest. Surprisingly, the result is better than what I had expected. The dill, cilantro, and basil from my windowsill herb garden are enough for serving two people in this recipe. This dish is also very popular in Vietnam and has earned the name, "Cha ca Hanoi", which is the Capital of Vietnam. Tourists flock into the streets because of the gorgeous aroma of this dish that no one can resist. There are so many ways to serve this dish, like the family style with rice paper, red leaf lettuce, rice noodles, roasted peanuts, and all the herbs that are required for this dish. The fish is then marinated with ginger, galangal (same family with ginger), garlic, and turmeric before grilling over charcoal or simply cooked in a cast-iron skillet. Family and friends can get together to drink beer and enjoy this meal, or my version is easy enough to make often as a dinner for two. This is a dish that I am so proud to introduce to Westerners.
Ingredients:
Fish marinade:
1/2 lbs firm-white fish such as Catfish, Monk fish or Tilapia
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt,
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp fish sauce
1/4 tsp shrimp sauce (optional)
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp fresh galangal
1 tsp fresh ginger
2 cloves garlic
1 shallot, chopped
2 tbs nonfat yogurt

Cook with:
1/2 cup fresh dill
2 green onions, chopped
1/2 cup sweet white onions, sliced

Accompany with Vietnamese dipping sauce*

1/2 cup roasted peanuts, roughly chopped
Cooked rice noodles, rice paper, softened with hot water (optional)
Vietnamese vegetables plate (red leaf lettuce and herbs)

Directions:
Combine the marinade ingredients in a bowl with the fish and marinate for 1 hour.

Place the cast-iron skillet over high heat. Add olive oil. When the heated olive oil smokes, saute  white onions until fragrant;Remove from the skillet.

Add  the marinated fish. Grill fish 3 minutes on each side, Bring cooked onion back and add green onion and dill; Sprinkle with chopped roasted peanut. Bring to the table and serve.

To make dipping sauce
1/4 cup fish sauce
2 tbs water
2 tbs sugar
2 tbs vinegar
Minced garlic
Chopped red hot chili
Combine ingredients and mix well