Copy cat cooking

Last night it gave me great pleasure to use recipes by Jen (http://jensfoodjourney.blogspot.com/) and (don’t know her name: http://fortheloveofcooking.blogspot.com/). I did a slight modification of Jen’s, baking instead of grilling the tilapia. Also, her marinade called for tequila, of which we had none. I substituted vodka, with which we are always well-stocked. As for the zucchini-crust casserole there was a more significant modification.

We pulled up all the mustard greens from the garden yesterday and Peter labored mightily to clean, blanch, and freeze them. I reserved some for the casserole and used our arugula on the top. Any of you who garden know how satisfying it is to eat your own goodies!

Four zucchini was more than I needed. If you use four, buy the smallest ones you can find. I ended up using probably three.

Basil & Lime Tilapia
2 tilapia filets
1 tbsp lime juice
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp fresh chopped basil
½ tsp salt
2 tsp vodka
pepper to taste

Aioli
3 tbsp finely chopped basil
2 tbsp mayonnaise
1 tbsp lime juice
1 ½ tsp Dijon mustard
1 garlic clove, minced
½ tsp olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a small bowl, mix together all ingredients except fish. Place fish in a ziplock bag and pour the marinade over it. Seal the bag and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Mix together all ingredients for aioli. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Place fish filets in foil packets that have been lubricated with cooking spray. Seal, place on a baking sheet, and bake for 14 minutes.

Since the casserole that follows bakes for longer than the fish, time the baking of the fish to coincide with end of casserole cooking time.

Vegetable pie with a zucchini crust
4 zucchini, shredded and squeezed in a towel to remove moisture
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 ½ cups mozzarella, divided
2 tomatoes, diced
1 1/2 cups blanched and squeeze-dried mustard greens
4 oz. mushrooms, sliced
2 green onions, chopped
½ cup parmesan, grated
1 1/2 cups arugula, tossed with olive oil to coat
dried oregano, to taste
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Coat a casserole dish with cooking spray.

Combine zucchini with eggs and 2 cups of the mozzarella. Push the zucchini firmly into the casserole to form a crust. Season with salt and pepper and bake for 10 minutes.

Allow to cool for a few minutes. Then layer in mustard greens, mushrooms, green onions and tomatoes. Top with remaining ½ cup mozzarella and the parmesan. Sprinkle with oregano to taste. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes. Scatter the arugula on top of the casserole. Bake 5 more minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes and then serve.