Yoghurt and Parmesan Baked Basa and Iced Oatmeal Cookies

This week has had some easy meals, hamburgers with chips(fries) and salad, macaroni and cheese with chorizo sausage, beef and bean enchiladas with salad and apple slices, and oven baked Basa with roasted potatoes and carrots.  Dessert for the week is spiced iced oatmeal cookies with vanilla ice cream. The burgers and enchiladas were fast day meals so I skipped the bun, the chips and the tortilla.  I put my enchilada toppings on salad instead. Yummy!  

I'm going to share the recipes for the Basa and the cookies.  The original Creamy Crunchy Baked Basa recipe and photo are from Kara at Kara's Favourite Recipes.   Basa is a member of the catfish family and is very mild flavoured.  If you can't find it you could substitute regular catfish or any thin white fish fillets you prefer.

Photo credit to Kara Heald

I changed the recipe up a bit because I hate mayonnaise, which I may or may not have mentioned a time or two before.  Here is my version:

Yoghurt and Parmesan Baked Basa

1 pound/500 grams Basa fillets 

1/4 cup plain Greek yoghurt

1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan plus 1 tablespoon reserved

2 tablespoons softened butter, I used my homemade spreadable butter

1/4 teaspoon dried basil

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon black pepper, I used freshly ground

2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest

1/2 cup panko bread crumbs

2 teaspoons olive oil 

Preheat oven to 400f/200c

Line a baking dish or tray with foil.  Oil the foil using olive oil or pan spray. Lay the fish on the foil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  I used garlic and chilli salt that comes in a grater and no extra pepper.  Mix the yoghurt, 1/4 cup parmesan,  butter, basil, garlic powder, black pepper, lemon juice and zest together.  Spread the mixture evenly over the fillets.  Sprinkle the reserved parmesan over the top.  Mix the bread crumbs with the olive oil and sprinkle evenly over the fish.  Bake in heated oven until fish tests done, about 15 minutes.  You can then place the pan under the broiler/grill for a few minutes if you want the crumbs crispier.  

Spiced Iced Oatmeal Cookies 

Preheat oven to 350f/170c

Cookies:

2 cups porridge oats

2 cups flour

2/3 cup dessicated coconut, medium

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup (8 ounces) butter, melted

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

2 large eggs, room temperature

Icing:
2 cups powdered/icing sugar
5 tablespoons milk (or enough to make the icing drizzleable . . . yes that's a word)
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

In a food processor, pulse the oatmeal until it is a coarse meal, not finely ground.   You want to be able to tell it's oats.  Mix the processed oatmeal with the flour, coconut, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Set aside.  In a large bowl, beat butter and sugars together until smooth. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating each addition until fully incorporated. Beat another couple of minutes until pale golden.  Beat in the dry ingredients. Drop rounded balls of dough, about a heaping tablespoon, onto a greased cookie sheet/baking tray.   I use a reusable liner instead of greasing the pan.  Leave plenty of room between the cookies as they will spread a lot.  Bake for 14-16 minutes or until lightly browned.  Let sit on the pan for a few minutes before removing to a cooling rack to cool completely. Once the cookies are done cooling you can ice them.  Don't overdo it, you just want a thin layer of icing that will harden.  Once the icing dries, store the cookies in an airtight container.  Because we like fresh cookies, and since I allow the boys only two a day (along with a scoop of ice cream), I usually bake up half the batch and freeze the rest of the dough for another time. Put the remaining icing in a separate bag in with the cookie dough.  Thaw completely before baking.