Stuffed Sole

So far, the most wonderful thing about being second semester seniors is that friends keep receiving wonderful news! We posted a few months ago about a celebratory dinner for a friend's acceptance to medical school, and tonight we threw another something together to honor our friend, Lara, who received an interview for a prestigious teaching abroad program. Maybe I should rephrase: the most wonderful thing about this semester is the opportunity to celebrate non-stop.

We already had food planned when we heard the news, but we still had time to spruce up the presentation. We did sole with a mushroom and spinach stuffing, topped with pesto. With with a lemon slice and a drizzle of olive oil, they looked beautiful for a weeknight meal. It reminded me of spa food -- healthy, fresh, flavorful, and slightly fancy.

Ingredients (serves 4-5):
10 fillets of sole
8 0z. button mushrooms, thinly sliced and chopped
1 package frozen spinach, drained and chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 lemons
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp salt, or to taste
pepper to taste
1 cup seasoned bread crumbs (ours were low-carb)
1/2 cup pesto
parmesan cheese (optional)

Instructions:
Heat the olive oil in a large pan. Add onions, and cook until slightly browned (3-4 minutes). Add mushrooms and cook for an additional 3 minutes, then add the spinach and cook for two more. Add salt, pepper and juice of 1/2 lemon, stir and remove from heat. Add the bread crumbs and mix them into the filling. Scoop about 1/4 cup of filling onto a fillet of fish, placing it about 1/3 of the way across the fish. Wrap the short side over the stuffing, and then wrap the longer side over the fish and stuffing. Top with a dollop of pesto, a thin slice of lemon and optionally parmesan. Bake for about 25 minutes on 350, or until the fish flakes. Serve with lemon wedges.