Do you ever go through periods of time where you completely forget about {or outright ignore} certain items in your pantry?
You buy something without a particular purpose in mind and the next thing you know it travels to the pantry abyss, only to see the light of day when you go through one of your mad cleaning fits and declare that you will not rest until your kitchen looks like one of the pages of Real Simple magazine?
No? That's just me then? Oh.
A lot of the things that wind up in this area of my pantry are given to me by my Mom. She is known for giving away almost entirely full bags {or wholesale club sized boxes} of perfectly good stuff because she tried it and didn't like it, bought too much of it, or couldn't eat it because it wouldn't work with her diet du jour. {A lot of times I think she's just being nice and stocking my pantry since she knows I go through the basics so quickly}.
Such was the case with a bag of organic coconut sugar I {re}discovered earlier this week. I know I've seen it a bazillion times since she gave it to me, but it somehow fell into the "I have no idea what to do with this, but it looks interesting, so I'll figure it out later" category.
Well, I figured it out.
Used in place of brown sugar, this little gem sweetened up a pretty yummy glaze for a fish dinner that would have most likely been pretty blah otherwise. {Incidentally, coconut sugar has a low glycemic index and is supposedly better for you than other sweeteners. Who knew?}
I'm kinda glad I ran out of an ingredient and was forced to scavenge through my pantry. You should go check out what you've got in yours. It could lead to the next great culinary discovery. Or just a really delicious dinner.
Soy-Glazed Fish with Sauteed Zucchini & Rice
Adapted from Real Simple
2 tablespoons brown sugar {or coconut sugar if you happen to have it}
1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
¼ teaspoon fresh grated ginger {or ⅛ teaspoon ground ginger powder}
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon onion powder
kosher salt
1 to 2 10-oz. package{s} cod loins {thawed}
Optional sides:
White or Brown Rice, Quinoa, Couscous, etc.
Zucchini {2 medium or 1 large, cut how you like it}
Prepare your choice of starch {some suggestions listed above}.
For Fish:
Set oven to broil. {500 degrees}
In a small bowl, combine first 6 ingredients. Mix to form a thick paste. Set aside.
{If you'd like sauteed zucchini as a side, this is the time to make it because the fish cooks in under 10 minutes. I usually just cut it up and add it to a hot pan with 1 tbsp olive oil on medium high heat, sprinkle lightly with kosher salt, and sautee until slightly browned & caramelized in parts. Easy & one of my fave ways to eat zucchini. But you choose whatever veggies make your heart sing.}
Place fish on a foil lined {broiler safe}, baking sheet, and brush fillets with about 1 teaspoon olive oil. Lightly sprinkle with salt & pepper if desired.
Broil until the fish is opaque throughout, 5 to 7 minutes. Baste with the soy mixture twice during the last 2 minutes of cooking.
Serve on a bed of rice with sauteed veggies.