Veg 'n Rice "Croquettes" w/ Broiled Cod!

Happy Saturday everyone! I hope your weekend is full of relaxation, joy, and of course — happy tummies:) Things here are pretty quiet, other than cheering on the Cincinnati Bearcats tonight in the Big East Tournament vs Louisville! Woo!

flakey, delicate cod

So tonight, it was just me for dinner. So I threw some leftover rice together with some veggies and made beautiful baked “croquettes!” Croquettes, meaning “crunch” in French, are deep-fried balls of a starch — like potatoes or rice, and meat. I tweaked it to make it tummy-friendly, and healthy!

yummy homemade marinara sauce

You can use any veg you have in your fridge….here’s what I used:

1/2 red onion, minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 red pepper, small dice
5 button mushrooms, small dice
handful of spinach, chopped
dried oregano and basil
salt & pepper
splash white wine
1/4 cup veg stock
3/4 cup leftover rice
2 Tbsp oat flour
2 Tbsp GF breadcrumbs

Preheat the oven to 350. Saute the onions and peppers in 1/2 tsp EVOO with salt, pepper, and your herbs. After they begin to soften, add your garlic and mushrooms, and allow them to release their moisture. After your mushrooms are nice and tender, splash in some white wine, and let that reduce. Then add in your spinach and stir so it wilts.  Once it wilts, stir in your cooked rice and vegetable stock.  Once warmed through, take off the heat and stir in your flour and breadcrumbs.

Set up your breading station while that mixture cools. You’ll need 3 bowls:

1st bowl: GF AP flour – about 1/4 cups
2nd bowl: 1 beaten egg
3rd bowl: GF breadcrumbs — I processed a GF hamburger bun that we keep in the freezer for times like these!

With your hands (this is messy!!) form your cooled veg/rice mixture into balls. I started out using a Tablespoon, but found very quickly that they form much easier if you make them a bit bigger.  Then, the bowl rotation goes 1-2-3 :). Put them on an olive-oil-sprayed baking sheet and put in a 350 degree oven for 15-20 minutes, flipping half way through.

crispy, crunchy, croquettes!!

With the croquettes, I served my marinara sauce.  Here’s what you need:

1/2 onion, minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
salt, pepper, dried oregano and basil
splash white wine
1 can diced tomatoes or tomato sauce–I used sauce this time
fresh basil

Saute the onion and garlic in 1/2 tsp oil, with your herbs and S & P. Splash in a touch of white wine, and let it reduce. Pour in your can of tomatoes, warm through, and sprinkle with basil right before serving!

Finally, with this unique dish, I served broiled cod from Lobsta Bakes! I broiled this wild, ocean-caught AMAZING fish with 1/2 tsp EVOO (since it was just me), lemon zest & juice, and S & P. YUM! So flakey, so wonderful, so healthy!!

fresh, healthy, and 100% delicious!

This meal was awesome.  I wasn’t quite sure how it was going to turn out, so I made it for myself on a night when my parents were at a dinner party (just in case it was an epic fail). And it totally surpassed my wildest dreams! It was SO fantastic! First, anything “oven fried” is completely delectable. The crust on the outside was crunchy, golden, deliciousness. There’s something about Udi’s Hamburger Buns that give the breadcrumbs a subtle sweetness. Then the inside was just outstanding with the wonderfully sweet red bell pepper, and the meaty, earthy mushrooms. Paired with my homemade marinara sauce, it was just phenomenal.  Then top it off with that gorgeous cod — what a beautiful meal.

Time to go watch the game! Go Bearcats!