Asian Inspired Tilapia

As most of my friends, I am also addicted to Pinterest. I found this recipe for Garlic Chicken and decided I could adapt it for the Tilapia I had defrosting. I made just a few minor adjustments to the original recipe. Here's my version of what I'm calling Asian Inspired Tilapia.

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp sesame oil

2 tsp olive oil

3 tbsp brown sugar

1 tsp garlic powder

~ 1/4 c french onions

Preheat the oven to 500 F. I lined a 9x13 with foil and sprayed the foil with cooking spray. I laid three pieces of Tilapia on the foil and seasoned lightly with seasoned salt and pepper. In a small skillet, heat the oils until shimmering, then add the minced garlic. I sauteed about 3 minutes. Remove the skillet from heat and add the brown sugar and garlic powder (side note: I only added the garlic powder because I ran out of fresh garlic, if I had another clove I would leave it out). Mix it up and divide evenly over the fish. It's not a sauce. It will be crumbly. I used my fingers to make sure each piece had an even amount. Take the french onions and crunch them up over the fish. Stick it in the oven for 10 minutes and you're done! Really easy and quite good. I served it over some brown rice (I added some soy sauce to the water while it was cooking) and some stir fry vegetables that I sauteed in sesame oil and soy sauce. Great Sunday supper!

Southwestern Tilapia w/black bean & corn salsa

This year I have again declared that we are going to incorporate more fish in our meals. I said this last year too but I didn't follow through. Hoping to do better this year, I picked up some Tilapia at the grocery store last week. It's been sitting in the freezer ever since. My problem is mostly that I've convinced myself I don't like fish. Probably because my Mom doesn't so we never ate it growing up. And also because I cannot stand the way tuna smells. Gross. I digress. So, the other day I went to a restaurant and decided I'd try Santa Fe Tilapia. It was delicious. It was so good that I decided I'd also try my husbands Mesquite Grilled Salmon. Also delicious. I think the fish aversion may be over. This evening I decided I could recreate my meal on my own. Huge success. Yum.

First, I sprayed a pan with spray oil. I have never cooked fish before so this was all very new. I decided I'd season it like I would if I were using chicken for this instead. I sprinkled it with some Adobo seasoning, added some cilantro, and squeezed half a lime over it. It then went into the oven at 400 degrees for about 13 minutes.

While the fish was cooking, I mixed a can of Rotel (drained) with a can of Black beans (also drained.) I mixed those up and then added some frozen corn until it looked like an even mix. I added about a tablespoon of garlic salt and a handful of chopped cilantro. I put it in the microwave for about 2 minutes (so the corn would thaw.) Then I mixed about 1/4 a cup of ranch dressing with a teaspoon of Emeril's Essence (which is pretty much the best thing on earth, find it at the bottom of this Cajun Jambalaya recipe.)

When the tilapia was finished cooking, I added some dressing to the top.

Then I covered it with the black bean & corn salsa. 

It's wonderful and really easy. My plan is to pair it with a baked potato with salsa and sour cream on top!

Tomato + veggies = Good Pasta

I wasn't quite sure what to call this. I made it up with stuff we had on hand. Here's what we did.
First, saute an onion, green pepper, mushrooms and garlic in olive oil. I did this for about 5 minutes. Then I added some Balsamic vinegar. I don't know how much, I just kind of poured it in until the bottom of my skillet was covered. I continued to saute until most of the liquid was gone. Once that was complete I added a 28oz can of diced tomatoes. I also added thyme, oregano, marjoram, and basil. Mix it up well and let it simmer for a bit. Once it was hot I put it over some penne pasta. I didn't like it. Something was missing. So, I added a cup of tomato sauce and some garlic salt and let it cook another 20 minutes. That did it :-) Yum.

Avocado Tortilla Soup

Today at work we got a really fancy blender. If the thing wasn't so expensive (upwards of $400), I would buy one. Unfortunately, we don't get to use it on anything but corn. Boo. However, the fancy blender came with a cookbook. I was flipping through it and found this recipe. It looked so easy and delicious I had to come home and try it. I adapted it a little (since my blender isn't as hard core) but essentially it's the same.

1/2 avocado, peeled and pitted

1/2 lime, peeled

~ 1/3 bunch of cilantro, stemmed

1 garlic clove

28 oz can diced tomatoes

2 c chicken stock

1 can black beans

1 c corn

I threw everything except the chicken stock, corn and black beans in my blender and let it go until it looked semi smooth. I was actually surprised at how well it diced everything. I imagine a food processor would also work. Once it was done I transferred it to a big pot with the chicken stock, beans, and corn. I cooked it on medium heat for about 20 minutes (until it started to boil). Once done I smashed some tortilla chips and added them to the bowl. It was delicious. Next time I make it I will try adding chicken and cheese. And sour cream. Mmm. 

Breakfast Smoothie

I have finally discovered the very best way to eat oatmeal...in a smoothie!
I've tried to eat oatmeal but every way I fix it I just don't like it. I adapted this recipe from one I saw on Pinterest. I tried to find it again but I'm not having any luck. Here's what I used:

1/2 banana

1/2 c cooked oatmeal

~ 2 tbsp almonds

~ 1/2 c mixed frozen fruit

3 ice cubes

1/2 c unsweetened almond milk

I threw everything in the blender and let it go. I really like the taste of the almonds in the smoothie. I've varied it a couple times this week by using peanuts instead of almonds, peanut butter instead of any nuts, the one thing I do not recommend leaving out is the banana. For whatever reason, when the banana is in there you won't feel the oatmeal. I left it out one day and had to chew :-/. Otherwise, it's delicious and it really hold me over for lunch.