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Sweet and Sour Tilapia

Can you spot the purple rice?

I've been cooking my way through the excellent blog Pinch of Yum, and yet again, it's led us to a super delicious and healthy dinner. I might need to turn my blog into a Pinch of Yum fan site.

This sweet and sour sauce tastes just like I wanted it to... a fresher version of the sweet and sour sauce you'd get at a Chinese restaurant. And who needs fried fish? I mean, I guess now that I think about it, fried fish here would have been kind of amazing. But I'll stop thinking about it, because this pan-seared version was great too.

I'm excited to keep making this with vegetables from the garden throughout the summer. All I grew in tonight's version was the kale, but my zucchini and bell peppers will be here soon enough.

Update:
Sometimes you cook for people and they do unintended things with the leftovers. My dad put his leftover fish on a pumpernickel bagel.

He claimed this was a good idea.



The Recipe:
2 lb tilapia, cut into bite-size pieces
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp cayenne pepper
salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 c cider vinegar
1/3 c ketchup
1/4 c sugar, or more to taste
1/2 tsp salt
juice and pulp from half of an orange
1/4 c chili-garlic sauce
3 tb cornstarch
1 can pineapple chunks, juice reserved
vegetables (I used 2 yellow onions, 2 bell peppers, 1 zucchini, and a bunch of kale; all cut into bite-sized pieces)
rice (I used a mixture of brown and black rice), for serving
sesame seeds, for serving
  • In a sauce pan, combine the vinegar, ketchup, sugar, salt, orange juice and pulp, pineapple juice, and chili-garlic sauce. Simmer for 10 minutes. 
  • Dissolve corn starch in 2 tb water and mix into the sauce. Bring to a low boil while stirring, then simmer until sauce is thickened.
  • Mix tilapia with cumin, cayenne pepper, and salt and pepper. Pan-sear in a few tablespoons of canola oil over high heat, turning occasionally for about 10 minutes or until fish is cooked through. Set fish aside.
  • Add vegetables to the hot pan and saute until slightly softened.
  • Add pineapple, fish, and sauce to the sauteed vegetables. Mix to combine.
  • Serve over rice, topped with sesame seeds.


The Verdict:
Overall grade: A-
Overall reason: A tasty way to eat healthy ingredients. The sugar content prevents it from getting a straight A.
Time to prepare: 40 minutes
Husband quote: Me: "Look at your dinner! It's beautiful." Husband: "Look at my wife! She's beautiful."

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