Pan-fried Tilapia with Jalapeno Sour Cream Sauce

Gotta love those "fridge-scrounging" meals.

The recipe was born out of stale cornbread, expiring sour cream, frozen tilapia and zucchini - mmm mmm. We always have an unnecessary amount of rice in the house so that was a no-brainer side. It actually turned out really delicious. I'm not normally a "bread and fry" kind of girl, but this was super easy and tasted great without feeling oily or heavy. Good for ya too!

Pan-fried Tilapia with Jalapeno Sour Cream Sauce Recipe:

• 2 cups rice (I used half brown, half red Jasmine)
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 1 zucchini, cut into 1-inch strips (kind of like french fry size)
• 1 carrot, (same as zucchini)
• 1 tsp olive oil
• salt, black pepper, cumin
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2 tbsp jalapeno vinegar (a.k.a. the juice in a jar of pickled jalapenos)
• 1 tsp water
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp jalapeno powder
• salt, black pepper
• 4 frozen tilapia fillets, thawed
• about 2 cups stale cornbread, ground into crumbs
• smoked paprika, cayenne pepper
• salt, black pepper
• 1 egg white + 1 tbsp water
• 1 tbsp olive oil

Preheat oven to 400-degrees Fahrenheit.

Combine rice and onion and cook according to preference (I use a rice cooker). 

Coat vegetable strips with olive oil, salt, pepper and cumin and bake in oven for 20 minutes, rotating after 10 minutes. 

To make the sour cream sauce, combine sour cream, jalapeno vinegar, 1 tbsp water, garlic powder, jalapeno powder, salt and black pepper. Mix together very well until smooth and creamy.

Combine cornbread crumbs, paprika and cayenne in a shallow dish. Combine egg and water in a separate shallow dish. Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Salt and pepper fish fillets, dredge in egg mixture then in crumb mixture and place in the pan. I was able to fit 3 fillets at once. Cook for about 3 minutes on each side, or until fish becomes tender and flaky. 

Enjoy with your roasted veggies, rice and sour cream sauce!

Turkey Zucchini Verde Enchiladas

This ain't nothing special, but it sure tastes good. Easy peasy enchiladas and side salad. Enjoy!

Turkey Zucchini Verde Enchiladas Recipe:

• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1/2 lb ground turkey (obviously any meat would work)
• 1 zucchini, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Anaheim chili pepper, diced ( just had it on hand, you could use jalapeno, poblano, serrano, etc.)
• salt, black and cayenne peppers, cumin, chili powder
• 2 tbsp sour cream
• 9-12 corn tortillas, warmed so they're flexible
• 1 can green enchilada sauce (or make your own)
• shredded jack cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a pan. Add the ground turkey and separate into small, fine pieces with a wooden spoon. Add the zucchini, garlic and pepper and stir together. Season liberally with spices. Cook for about 10 minutes or until turkey is cooked through and veggies are tender. Remove pan from heat. Add the two tbsp of sour cream and stir to combine. Pour about 1/4 of the can of enchilada sauce in the bottom of a greased baking dish (this will prevent the enchiladas from sticking). Heat the corn tortillas in the microwave just so they are soft. Fill each tortilla with a spoonful of the mixture, wrap up and place fold-side down in the pan. Finish by pouring the rest of the enchilada sauce over the top and sprinkle with shredded cheese. 

Cover with foil and bake in oven for about 30 minutes. Serve with simple Mexican side salad (lettuce, corn, green onions, fresh tomato and salsa!).