An Angry Birdie and grilled fish with roasted pumpkin seeds for dinner

 

A while ago, on a Friday morning of a long weekend, a little birdie’s husband  announced, ” Mr X and his family are coming to dinner. I was speaking with them, and realized we haven’t met in a long time, so I invited them over.”

“When?”

“Today evening.”

In response, a long, lengthy silence ensued. Then, a laptop closed with a snap. The door banged. Footsteps thundered around the house, and a few drawers threatened to go off the hinges in protest of being mercilessly opened and shut. A cabinet full of china shook and rumbled, but stayed in place with determination.

 

 

In other parts of the house, remote controls were furtively but efficiently getting tucked away, lest they started flying next. All breakable little goods were also being removed from vision with deft, practiced hands. 

A few people even remarked that they could see fumes coming out a certain pair of very angry ears.

 

 

“OK, I will tell them not to come,” said little birdie’s dearest husband.

More banging noises.

Then a long sigh. The antsy little angry birdie’s not so little hands had found something she could munch on (this particular little birdie has a peculiar habit of munching when angry).

It was a packet of pumpkin seeds. As a few little crunchy seeds made their way into her mouth, she started to calm down. Slowly, she started making an inventory in her mind. Floors to be polished, clothes to be folded, furniture to be dusted, dishes to be washed, wiped and put away, windows to be cleaned, table to be set……..

And a dinner to be cooked.

 

 

“I can get something from the restaurant,” came the helpful offer from the contrite husband, only to be subjected to another round of baleful glares.

Now one thing this little birdie positively detests is to feed her dinner guests, even the ones on such a short notice, restaurant bought food. With so little time on hands, and so much to get done, she needed a quick recipe. Something that would not engage her precious rest of the morning and afternoon. With freezing temperatures outside, BBQ was out of question.

She picked at the pumpkin seeds in her palm, and looked deeply at them, willing them to give her some instant dinner ideas. Maybe even give her a recipe if possible.

Viola!!! They heard. No, they read the angry birdie’s mind, and came up with a recipe. Instant. One that would take her less than 20 minutes to cook, and not need a closet full of utensils to wash, wiped and tucked away.

Little birdie’s mood improved instantly. Much to the surprise, and delight of her now very abashed husband, she started humming under her breath, and made a list of things to be done.

 

They had a lovely dinner that evening, and no one noticed anything amiss. Wine flowed freely and the guests all agreed that the food seemed like it had come off a restaurant menu.

 

 

This little birdie is a part of this exceptionally talented blogging group that showcases a Power Food each week. The Power Food ingredient each week is based on the book Power Foods: 150 delicious recipes with 38 Healthiest Ingredients from the editors of Martha Stewart’s Whole Living Magazine. It’s amazing the kind of food that fall under the purview of Power Foods. You can find these ingredients in everyday kitchen. They provide an outrageous amount of nutrients – fiber, vitamins, iron, calcium, magnesium, minerals, phytonutrients, fatty acids – and anything else that you can think of that aids in promoting good health and healthy food habits.

 

 

So when this week’s Power Food came up to be Pumpkin seeds, she was tickled pink with delight. Unlike last week’s ingredient – Flax seeds – this week’s ingredient is absolutely adorable. It is on one hand majestic in the nutrition department, and one of those few foods which delight the taste buds on the other. To know more about the highly complex nutritive value of pumpkin seeds, please visit here.

 

 

For more amazing recipes and information on Pumpkin seeds this week, do check out the little birdie’s fellow group members:  Alanna – Kitchen Parade Veggie Adventure – Alyce – More Time at the Table, Ansh – Spice Roots,  Casey –SweetSav Jeanette – Jeanette’s Healthy Living, Jill – Saucy Cooks Martha – Simple-Nourished-Living, Mireya- My Healthy Eating Habits

 

 

So what is the recipe? It is Tilapia fillets rolled in balsamic vinaigrette and coarsely chopped pumpkin seeds served on a bed of pan grilled vegetables that have been marinated with the same sauce as the fish. Pair it with a side of your choice – pilaf, mashed potatoes or bread.  This recipe was a hit then, and has been a hit since. Not only it’s very quick to make, it’s also delicious, AND healthy. What more can you wish for?

 

 

Yesterday the happy little birdie made it again, and averted another crisis – a major sugar rush for her kids that would have come from  a dinner of donuts they wanted. She promised to make them the tastiest fish they had ever eaten. She served them with dainty little Quail eggs and mashed potatoes with sour cream. The kids licked their dinner plate clean, and settled for donuts as dessert instead.