Tilapia with Roasted Tomatoes and Cannellini Beans

Having completed 21 days of a cleanse, I must say, I am much more meticulous with reading labels and being a conscientious food shopper. I was beyond surprised when I was planning one of my "transitional" meals to read the ingredients in.....bread crumbs! I had a menu set for me and the hubby and decided that I would treat my husband to some breading on his fish (I was opting out.) To my utter astonishment, upon further examination of the bread crumbs container I was perplexed to find high fructose corn syrup, buttermilk and hydrogenated soybean oil. I quickly decided that it was high time this lil' lady started making her own bread crumbs.


I used Ezekiel sprouted bread for this. Sprouted bread has a plethora of nutrients and vitamins that are lacking in traditional wheat, or even whole wheat, bread. Sprouting even neutralizes phytic acid, which allows your body to absorb the nutrients found in the bread more efficiently. The process of making traditional bread actually requires the removal of the bran and the germ which translates to loss of fiber, loss of minerals and loss of vitamins. The vitamin content you do see on the label of your "enriched" bread were actually added back during the enriching process. If you do go with store-bought bread crumbs, go with a brand found at your natural foods store. Whole Foods sells their own brand which is great!

It is up to you whether you choose to make this dish with breading or without. Either way, it is equally delicious. If you are watching your calories, obviously opt for no breading.

Tilapia with Tomato, Cannellini Beans and White Wine

2-3 Tilapia fillets

1 cup of homemade bread crumbs (see recipe below)

1 egg

1 cup of flour

olive oil

1 carton of cherry tomatoes, halved

1 can of cannellini beans, rinsed

3/4 cup of white wine

1 TB thyme

prepared brown rice

Create three dipping stations in this order: flour, egg and bread crumbs. Dredge the tilapia in the flour, shake excess off. Dip the fish in the egg and then coat with bread crumbs.

In a medium pan, pour a few glugs of olive oil and pan fry the fish for about 4 minutes per side. It really depends on the thickness of the fish. I just keep an eye out for flaking. That is a sure sign it is done. (Alternatively, you can bake the fish in a 400 degree oven for 12-15 minutes.)

In a small, glass baking dish, mix the tomatoes, cannellini beans, thyme, 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil and wine. Add salt and pepper to taste. Bake mixture in a 375 degree oven for 15-20 minutes, or until tomatoes start to prune.

To serve, scoop brown rice on a plate, place the fish on top, and spoon the tomato mixture over. Yum!

Homemade Bread Crumbs

1 pound of day old bread

1.5 TB of oregano

Cube the bread and pulse in a food processor till you get a coarse mixture.

Spread on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes in a 400 degree oven.

Return to the food processor, add the oregano (or any spice you would like to use) and blend until you get the consistency you are looking for. I like mine on the finer side.