Easy Baked Fish & Cranberry Almond Wild Rice

I made up these recipes, inspired by a few different recipes on the internet.  I was looking for a delicious and healthy low-calorie fish recipe.  I served it with a salad, but wanted a healthy grain on the side as well, so I combined a few recipes from the internet for the rice as well. As with most of my recipes, feel free to double or triple for your needs. The fish would also pair well with some green beans (see recipe here) or grilled asparagus (see recipe here), but this is what I had on hand.  I hope you try and enjoy them soon!


Easy Baked Fish
(serves 3-4)

Ingredients:
1 lb. wild-caught white fish (I used Alaskan White Cod Fillets)
Sea salt, to taste
Lemon or black pepper, to taste
Juice of 1/2 lemon or lime
1 Tbsp butter, cut into chunks

Directions:
1. If thawing fish, I suggest removing the fish from the package and placing on paper towels to thaw, but it is not necessary.  When the fish has been thawed, rinse well and pat dry. 

2. Season both sides of the fish with salt and pepper.  Place the fish in a greased cast iron skillet or preheated baking dish (heat dish at 375 degrees for a few minutes). Grease baking dish by rubbing with a little bit of butter (if you have preheated the baking dish, the butter will easily melt).

3. Squirt lemon or lime juice over fish fillets.  Place a small pad of butter on each fillet (totaling 1 Tbsp).

4. Place dish in a 375 degree oven for 8-12 minutes, or until flaky and cooked through.  Yumm!!

Cranberry Almond Wild Rice
(serves 4)

Ingredients:
1 c. uncooked wild rice
2 1/2 c. water
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp butter
3 Tbsp unsweetend dried cranberries
1/2 c. frozen peas
1/4 c. water
3 Tbsp sliced almonds (I use my homemade dehydrated almonds -  see my post on Dehydrating Nuts).

Directions:
1. Cook rice according to package directions or combine 2 1/2 cups of water, 1 c. rice, salt, and butter in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil.  Cover with a lid and drop the heat down to low (simmer).  Simmer for about 40 minutes, until all water has been absorbed and rice is fluffy.

2. Heat up frozen peas in a small saucepan with 1/4 c. water on medium-high heat until thawed and cooked through (about 5-7 minutes) or in the microwave on high for about 3 minutes.

3. Split almonds in half by popping them open with your hands (they will easily pop open with a little pressure). Add heated peas, sliced almonds, and dried cranberries to wild rice and mix well.

Enjoy!!