Dinner Impossible?

If you watch Food Network, then my title would ring a bell. It is one of my favorite shows where the Chef, Robert Irvine, is sent on a mission : to see what gourmet dishes he can can come up with given an extremely limited resources and time. The food is usually to be served to a large crowd.

Well, I felt like him today -- in a microscopic kind of way except that I'm not preparing my food for 300+ guests. I was on a mission when I went to the grocery. Without no idea nor plan on what to prepare, I proceeded to go to the supermarket to look around and see if something will strike my fancy, so to speak.

My feet somehow carried me to the fish section where I saw these beautiful, very fresh tilapia filets. I stood by the counter contemplating on what to do with them. With just a second of deliberation, I went home with 2 pieces.

At home, still not knowing what to do, I surveyed what I have on hand. Finally, I decided that tonight's theme would be: Herbes de Provence.

Tilapia is a fresh-water fish, its flesh is firm but bland, so it needs a bit more seasoning for flavor. The idea that I came up with was simple. It is just to bread the fish using Egg Beaters (egg-whites) and store-bought breadcrumbs with a dash of my Herbes de Provence. (You can totally omit the breading for a healthier version).


Then as topping for the fish, I decided to sautee some onion, garlic and grape tomatoes with, of course Herbes de Provence, in extra-virgin olive oil and a tablespoon of butter until the veggies sweat. I then added a splash of white wine and chicken stock to it for reduction, popped the pan into the oven for about 15 minutes or until the tomatoes were roasted and soft, the onions caramelized.

I didn't have the desire to do rice (I had it for lunch) nor pasta for side dish. I found a pack of store-bought gnocchi in my pantry and so I decided to cook this with a simple alfredo sauce (cheese sauce made with mixed italian cheeses, heavy cream, finished off with parmesan cheese). I wasn't sure about the combination, but hey, thank God we have food. Hahahah....
So, I'd say this was a successful mission... my Dinner Made Possible........My husband enjoyed it, especially the roasted grape tomatoes. The fish was tasty and light and to keep it this way, I served only a little bit of the gnocchi on the side (gnocchi, being made from potatoes, can settle heavily on your tummy).

Note: food was garnished with fresh thyme