Blackened Tilapia and Zucchini with Coconut Onion Garlic Rice

Rick had a nice idea for dinner tonight! I have a long-standing favorite recipe for Spiced Zucchini that I like for a side dish (especially good with an all-out baked chicken dinner), and I had mentioned that a friend had recently cooked blackened Tilapia. He put the two together, and said "how 'bout Blackened Tilapia with your zucchini spices?"

And a star was born...

Spiced Zucchini
Slice (and optionally lightly salt) 3-4 zucchini – set aside
Heat olive oil over medium-high heat
Sprinkle over the hot oil (each should bubble slightly when added):
- ground coriander / cumin
- ground cloves
- cinnamon
- ginger
- nutmeg
Add the zucchini.
Sprinkle with cayenne, stir to coat the zucchini with oil, and cover.
Let the bottom zucchini brown, then turn. Cook until almost soft.
Serve immediately.

Blackened Tilapia
Follow the recipe for Spiced Zucchini above, but add one filet of Tilapia at the same time as the zucchini (I also reduced the amount of zucchini by 1/2).

Coconut Onion Garlic Rice
- slice one large onion into half-moons
- roughly chop 3 cloves of garlic
- toss in a small pan with 2 Tablespoons of butter and cook on high, with the lid on (stirring occasionally) until the onion is transparent and a little browned.
- turn down to medium/low heat and add 1 cup of leftover coconut rice
- stir occasionally until warmed through

Coconut Rice
In a covered pot, mix:
- 1 part dry rice
- 1 part coconut milk
- 1 part water
- 1 stick cinnamon
- salt and oil to taste
Bring to a boil, stir, then turn heat to almost off. Cook with the lid on for 20 minutes, then turn off heat. Stir before serving.

The above combination made a very nice dinner for two :-)