Light Flax & Oat Baked Tilapia

I came across a few breading/coating recipes online that used alternatives to flour.

I've tweaked them a bit to come up with this, to add some more flavour and improve the texture. I'm happy with the results, a simple tasty fish with healthy ingredients and low fat.

You could add whatever herbs or spices you like to the flax & oat base. I use my 'magic bullet' for this and it works really well! (have to justify that purchase after all!) Don't try to over coat these, it won't crisp up because there intentionally isn't much oil in this recipe. If your diet doesn't permit eggs you could omit them. Tilapia is quite wet anyway, the coating will still stick, of course not quite as well but I've tried it and it works.

Servings : 8

Ingredients:

2 lbs tilapia fillets (8-9 fillets, each one cut in half)
2 egg whites
1 cup rolled oat (not quick, just regular rolled oats)
6 tablespoons flax seed meal (or add whole flax seeds, they will grind up)
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 teaspoons dried parsley
1/4 teaspoon pepper (to your taste)
spritz oil (optional)

Directions:

1.Put all the dry ingredients into your magic bullet or blender (from oats to pepper in the list), and process until you have a smooth texture.

2.Get 2 large bowls out, add the egg whites to one bowl, whisk them up a bit. Add the coating mixture to the other bowl.

3.Using one hand, add about half of your tilapia to the egg white bowl, mix it up to coat them all. With your other hand, coat each filet one by one in the flax/oat mixture, getting it even on each side and both ends. Transfer to an oiled baking sheet. Do same with the second half of the filets. You may need a second cookie sheet depending on the size.

4.Spritz the top of the filets with oil if you like (ie with an oil sprayer or store bought oil spray).

5.Bake on 375 for about 20 minutes, flipping them half way through. Alternatively you could broil 3-4 minutes per side. Serve 2 pieces per person, with sauce on the side.

Enjoy!