Thursday, October 1, 2009

Graham crackers for dinner

Graham crackers for dinner. It's not something one normally thinks of (unless of course, you're 4 years old).

Graham crackers for a snack before dinner? Sure. For lunch? Sure, I'll confess: I have caved on occasion and just served graham cracker and peanut butter sandwiches. As part of the main course for dinner? Not so much.

But the other night, I was stumped. I had some random items and no idea what to do with them.

I started out with some mahi mahi, which I'd splurged (OK, got as a steal) on at the grocery store. I had no idea how to cook it, and googled some recipes.

Then I came up with Oven Baked Mahi Mahi With Orange and Graham Cracker Crust. Having stumbled across some graham crackers that were feeling their age (going a bit stale), I was sold.

You can read the original recipe here, but I had to adapt given my pantry limitations and a few customers of discerning tastes.

Here's what I came up with.

Ingredients
3 pieces mahi mahi
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice

For Marinade
2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
4 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons coriander, chopped
1/2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Directions
Preheat oven to 375.

Add all ingredients for marinade and marinade fish for 15 minutes.

In another bowl, combine orange zest, brown sugar, lemon juice, orange juice and graham cracker crumbs until thoroughly mixed.

Coat fish with graham cracker mixture and place on non-stick baking tray.

Drizzle with olive oil. Cover with aluminium foil and place in oven and let bake for 20-25 mins until tender and cooked thoroughly.

The verdict? Surprisingly good. One gobbled up the topping, the other loved the fish. (So in reality, it worked out.)

But what really got the kids excited was the Peach Cobbler I whipped up after the farmers market. I sliced up our peaches (about four), supplemented with a drained can of peaches, and topped in a casserole dish with 3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs, a few tablespoons of butter, a bit of brown sugar, 1/2 cup of oatmeal and some cinammon. (And as I am writing this, I know understand my high blood sugar later!) I microwaved it for seven minutes. It was a success. Both kids couldn't get enough of it.

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