Roasted Garlic Red Pepper Pesto Tilapia

As you may have noticed from previous posts, I really like my roommate Laura. She's super good looking, so I hang around her to look cooler. She also has a fascination with food blogs like me. Let's just say, she has her sh*t together. Well Laura and I have been friends for 5 or 6 years at this point, we've lived together in 2 different households, and we've seen each other go through many boyfriends. By boyfriends I mean emotional instabilities filled with chocolate rampages and funfetti cake splurges. Ok, let's be realistic, I'm talking about myself here, but she has been supportive throughout all of it. She will always go to the grocery store with me during these scenarios. The grocery store is my happy place. I'm not even kidding.

Anywho, Laura and I have shared a lot of personal space throughout the years. While living together for the past couple years and with me walking around naked 17 hours out of the day, she really has no choice in the matter. Well, in our new house, Laura and I have have to share a VERY small bathroom, and when I say small, I mean SMALL. We have no counter top, so our make up goes in the sink, meaning I brush my teeth in the kitchen, meaning our dishes smell like mint and trash, meaning you want to gag while walking through our kitchen. Or maybe not if you like rancid mint meat. Why does it smell like rancid meat in the first place? Because I suck as a roommate and tend to put off doing my dishes. I'm very aware of this fact. Reason #35 why I will be single forever. Maybe I'll invest my love in cats. Kidding. I hate cats. No seriously, hate. Sorry for all you cat lovers. They just really suck.

Fire hazard if I ever saw one.

What you need:

• 1lb tilapia
• 1/2 cup blanched almonds
• 1 bundle cilantro, stems removed
• 1/2 7oz jar of roasted red peppers
• 6-8 garlic cloves
• 2 zucchini, chopped
• 1 red onion, chopped
• 1 orange pepper, chopped
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• roughly 7-8 tablespoons olive oil (I really have no idea because I just poured)

What you do:

1. Ok let's get set up and ready to go. Season your fish on both sides with 1 teaspoon paprika, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. You'll cook this later so set aside.
2. Now start roasting your garlic. Get a deep pan and toss in a ton of olive oil along with your garlic cloves over medium heat. Let those garlic cloves roast, tossing them often so they do not burn. After about 6 minutes or so, they should be soft to the poke and roasted to garlic perfection.
3. When your garlic cloves are done roasting, add the cloves along with your cilantro, roasted red peppers, and blanched almonds to a food processor. Once all the ingredients are incorporated, slowly start pouring in around 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil and salt, pepper, and onion powder until you get the right consistency and flavor. Think pesto consistency. That's why it's in the title.
4. Now let's cook your chopped veggies. Use the pan you roasted your garlic in. Genius. You may have to remove some excess fat but NBD (no big deal, duh). Add your veggies to the pan, toss with a bit of salt and pepper and add HALF of your garlic red pepper pesto to the veggies. Cover, place on low heat, and let simmer for 7-9 minutes until veggies are soft.
5. While the veggies finish cooking, cook your fish. Add just a little olive oil to a pan over medium-high heat and cook the tilapia for 3 minutes per side. 
6. Once fish is done cooking, add veggies to a plate, top with your tilapia and add a bit more of the leftover garlic red pepper pesto on top of the fish. I topped everything off with avocado but I do that with everything. EVERYTHING. Seriously.