Cornmeal Crusted Tilapia

Continuing on the fish meal experiments. This recipe is from Martha Stewart.

It was tasty but very heavy and made a bit more of a mess than I wanted to deal with. I also think it would be better if I had made some veggies to go with it. I forgot to separate the thick part from the thin part of the fish so the edges were a bit overcooked so that the middle part would be cooked.

Cornmeal Crusted Tilapia
serves 4

1/3 cup yellow cornmeal
2 teaspoons paprika
Coarse salt and ground pepper
4 (6 to 8 ounces each) skinless tilapia fillets
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup prepared tomato salsa

In a shallow dish, combine cornmeal and paprika; season generously with salt and pepper. 

Separate fillets into thick and thin sides. 

Dredge each piece in cornmeal mixture, patting it on to coat completely.
In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high. 

Cook as many pieces as will fit (without crowding) until golden brown and firm, about 2 minutes per side for thin pieces and 4 minutes per side for thick ones. 

Transfer to a plate; sprinkle with salt, if desired, and cover loosely to keep warm. Repeat with remaining oil and fish. Serve with salsa.

Pasta Sauce: Tomato + Onion + Butter

I started to eat then realized...wait! Picture! :)

I read about this pasta sauce recipe on Smitten Kitchen and since I have an onion lazing about on the counter... I decided this would be perfect for lunch!

I cracked open 2 cans of tomato sauce, chopped the onion in half, cut a hunk of butter and plopped it all into my pot. Let it simmer for 45 minutes and volia! Time to eat!

I will say that I was skeptical to make pasta sauce without any Italian seasoning or garlic...but I gave it ago! Next time I would add it just for the taste test opportunity.

This sauce was very very rich and very very good. I was very surprised at how much onion flavor came through and now I will never feel the need to chop up an onion for pasta sauce again!

Now what to do with the soft, sweetened, tomato sauce coated onion? I tried a nibble of the onion and it was quite tasty. One of the suggestions was to eat the onions on some warm bread.

Pasta Sauce: Tomatoes, Onion, and Butter
serves 3

2 cans tomato sauce (or diced tomatoes or whole peeled tomatoes, plus juice)
5 tablespoons butter (salted or unsalted)
1 medium-sized yellow onion, peeled and halved
Salt to taste

Put the tomatoes, onion and butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat.
Bring the sauce to a simmer then lower the heat to keep the sauce at a slow, steady simmer for about 45 minutes.
Stir occasionally, crushing the tomatoes against the side of the pot with a wooden spoon.
Remove from heat and take out the onion.
Add salt to taste and keep warm while you prepare your pasta.

Corn, Tomato, and Avocado Salsa

Quick, light, and easy summer salsa. I brought this for a work potluck and served with chips. I had the leftovers that night on tacos. I prepared the salsa the night before to let the flavors mingle. Other versions include cumin for some kick. Enjoy!

Corn, Tomato, and Avocado Salsa

1 ear roasted corn, off the cob
1 Red (or orange, yellow, or green) Pepper, diced
2 Roma Tomato, diced
1 cup Cilantro, chopped
1 can Chickpeas (or beans of your choice)
1 lime, juiced
Salt and pepper to taste
1 Avocado, sliced

Combine all the ingredients above except the avocado. Add the avocado right before serving. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

Cheesy Tomato Sauce

You know when you the cooking gods are smiling and you make something really really tasty? Well this pasta sauce was created on one of those lucky cooking days. It is a simple semi-homemade sauce recipe for when you need to make dinner with limited ingredients!

Cheesy Tomato Sauce
makes 4-8 servings

1 lb ground turkey
1 onion, diced
2 big cloves of garlic, minced
1 Thai chili pepper, small mince
3 shakes of Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp dried or freshly chopped basil, oregano
1 jar of pasta sauce (I used tomato basil)/Canned no flavor tomato sauce
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Heat oil in large frying pan. Saute onion, garlic, and pepper together. Once starting to soften add the meat. Season with the worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Cook meat until done. Add spices and tomato sauce and let it simmer until you are ready to eat. If you want to make it cheesy, stir in the mozzarella until it is combined and melted. Let it simmer for another 10 (ish) minutes then serve over pasta!

Crustless Broccoli and Sun-Dried Tomato Quiche

I was going to contribute to a work brunch! My original plan was to make cinnamon rolls, however I soon realized I had no flour, no vanilla, and no butter. I needed a new plan (and to go grocery shopping!). I also figured a better option would to bring something savory since I knew there would be bagels and other tasty but not as healthy options. Eggs are a great protein hearty meal!

Since I procrastinated, it was late and I didn't have time to run to the store for additional ingredients. I researched many different quiche recipes and combinations and this was the brain child!

I assembled this and cooked it before going into work. It took about 10 minutes to cook the veggies, while they were cooking I made the eggs.  It takes about 40 minutes to cook and I was able to get ready during that time! I transported this to work in a 9x13 glass baking dish lined with towels to keep it warm and so I didn't burn myself.

We ate this too fast for me to remember to take a picture. But try it! You won't regret it!

Here are some quiche tips: you make a quiche with crust, be sure you pre-cook the crust or you might have some soggy not quite cooked bits of dough at the bottom. Or you can put the crust on top which my mother does! This ensures it stays nice and crispy. Bacon is another funny issue, if you bake it in the quiche it gets soggy.

Happy eating!

Crustless Broccoli and Sun-Dried Tomato Quiche
Serves 6-8

7 eggs (used only 3-4 of the yolks)
1/4 cup Ricotta cheese
Approx 1/2 -3/4 cup mozzarella cheese
1/4-1/2 cup milk
1 cup broccoli, chopped
1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes, rough chopped (seasoned w/ garlic and oregano)
Splash of water
Salt/Pepper to taste
1/4-1/2 tsp dried oregano/basil/thyme

Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a pie plate.

Saute the broccoli and tomatoes in the tomato oil with salt and pepper and herbs. Add a splash of water to the frying pan if it seems to dry. Cook until broccoli is tender/firm.

Meanwhile, scramble the eggs and combine in the cheeses and milk.

Pour out the broccoli and tomatoes into pie plate. Pour eggs over the top. Put in oven at 350F for 35-40 minutes. If you cook it at 375F it will be more golden on the top.

Citrus Bow Tie Pasta

Warm weather is upon us! This is a light and fresh meal that takes only as long as the pasta takes to cook!

While the pasta is cooking you can slice and chop up the rest of the ingredients. When the pasta is done toss it all together, and dinner is ready!

What did I change? Overall I kept with the main recipe, I just made changes to my preferences. I sliced a couple cherry tomatoes since I'm not a huge fan of raw tomatoes. Since we had cilantro from other recipes, I used some more of that. Parsley is also an option however. You can swap the lemon juice for lime juice as well. I didn't mix the feta into the entire bowl since I'm not a fan, but it was pretty sprinkled on top of the food.

This is great served warm or cold. This will be ok for leftovers the next day, but won't last much longer than that. Once the avocado is turning brown - toss it!

Next time I might try using sundried tomatoes instead of fresh or even try some basil and fresh mozzarella!

Citrus Bow Tie Pasta

recipe adapted from Whole Foods
Serves 2

1/2 pound bow tie pasta
1 ripe avocado, peeled and cubed  

4 green onions, both green and white parts, chopped
3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese (optional)
a couple diced cherry tomatoes
1/2 cup packed chopped cilantro
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon
1/3 cup olive oil

3 cloves garlic
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Cook pasta in boiling salted water according to package directions. Drain, but do not rinse the pasta. Place hot pasta in a large mixing bowl. Add avocado, green onions, feta, tomatoes and cilantro. Whisk together lemon juice and olive oil and drizzle over the warm pasta. Toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper and serve warm or cold.

The Easiest Guacamole

I made nachos with my Guac!

Seriously. The. Easiest. Guacamole. This is great for when you are looking for a quick snack to assemble and don't want to buy or find lots of ingredients.

Avocados are ripe when the skin is
starting darken and when you gently
squeeze it it is soft (similar to a peach!).

Cut in half, remove the pit

Slide a spoon around the edge to separate out of the skin

 


Put the avocado insides into a bowl and then mash it up with a fork.

Add in salsa (little less than 1/4 cup) and continue to mash/mix until combined.

And you are done!! This might not be the prettiest as the salsa juice makes it a little muddy since I didn't/don't bother to strain it. However, get some good quality salsa because that adds the spices and the onion and tomatoes and everything else!

I like the Trader Joe's salsa since it has quite a kick to it. 

Yum!

Stuffed Zucchini with Turkey, Tomatoes, and Basil

I'm on a zucchini kick and I found a new recipe on Pinterest and decided to test it out on my book club! This was called "Pizzucchini" you can find the original recipe here. I must say, this recipe sounded great, and it was good, however it isn't a substitute for pizza. It was zucchini stuffed with ground turkey, tomatoes, onion, covered in cheese and then baked. Tasty, but not pizza.

I heated up a pan with a little oil and then added some onions. I used about 1/3 of a cup diced onion. Then I added some garlic powder and oregano. I let that soften for a few minutes. Next I tossed in the ground turkey and let that cook entirely.

Meanwhile, I washed the zucchini and then sliced them lengthwise to create little boats out of them.

Once the turkey was cooked I added in tomato sauce and the zucchini guts. I let this cook together for about 5 minutes. I used jar tomato sauce it was garlic and onion flavor I believe...I also tossed in some fresh basil that I chopped.

I took the zucchini and placed them next to each other in the baking dish. I tried to fill the boats with the mixture but it spilled all over the dish. Then I thought of making this next time with almost lasagna style... just an idea... So I filled the boats the rest of the way and then covered it with cheese. I put it in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes. I broiled it for the last few minutes so the cheese was golden and gooey.

Verdict? Tasty stuffed zucchinis! This was a very filling meal and would be great for a side dish or part of a potluck.

If I wanted to make these more pizza like I would omit the turkey, use pizza sauce, maybe real mozzarella cheese, fresh basil, oregano... etc.

Stuffed Zucchini
serves 4
2 Large zucchini, cut in half
1 lb ground turkey (I had a little left over)
1/4 cup diced onion
basil
1 tsp garlic powder
salt & pepper
2 cups tomato sauce
1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese

1. Preheat over to 400 degrees.
2. In frying pan soften onion and garlic. Add ground turkey and cook together until done.
3. Make zucchini boats by scooping out the middle of the zucchinis. Put the boats in the baking dish.
4. Add the sauce and zucchini guts into the frying pan and simmer for about 5 minutes.
5. Spoon mixture into the boats. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.
6. Bake for 10 minutes until cheese is melted and turning golden brown.

Pasta with zucchini and eggplant in a basil tomato sauce

I love learning new things! I finally prepared an eggplant as you are supposed to!! What does that mean? It means, there was no funky/bitter after taste, just tender eggplant. Nom!

I followed the directions from here. It is the section called, "Salt for best flavor."

I sliced the eggplant and put it in a strainer, then I poured lots of salt over it, and let it sit for about 45 minutes. Then I rinsed it really well, if you don't you will end up with a few very salty pieces. If it is going into a sauce you'll probably be fine, but if you were going to fry it I'd take more care.

On to the rest of the meal! Inspiration came from this site. Boiled some water for the pasta. Heated some oil in a pan. When the pan was hot I added in the zucchini and the eggplant. This cooks fairly quickly, maybe 5-7 minutes. The zucchini and eggplant start to become so tender!

Without Ricotta cheese

Then I added about 1 cup of tomato sauce (jar, Tomato, Garlic, & Onion), red pepper flakes, and some fresh basil leaves. Yes, I have recently acquired a basil plant. Let me know if you need some leaves!

Because I was being creative and because I had it in the fridge, I also added in a 1/3 cup of ricotta cheese. It was yummy. I made it without the ricotta, still tasty!

If sauce is too thick add some pasta water a little at a time until you reach the desired consistency.

Add pasta to the sauce and voila! Dinner is ready!

Pasta with Zucchini and Eggplant in a Basil Tomato Sauce
Makes 2 servings

1 1/2 cup of pasta
Olive oil
1/2 med zucchini (approx 1 1/2 - 2 cups)
1/2 small eggplant
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 cup tomato sauce
1/3 cup fresh basil leaves

Cook pasta according to directions
Heat oil in frying pan. Add zucchini and eggplant. When tender, 5-7 minutes, add tomato sauce, red pepper flakes, and basil. Combine with pasta.

 Enjoy!

Bruschetta

I was having some of my girlfriends over for dinner the other night, we were all going to bring appetizers.

I had a few tomatoes in my fridge from my CSA and I'm not a huge tomato fan. So what to do with the many tomatoes? Feed them to your friends!

I decided I was going to make bruschetta. I've had brushetta before and I actually don't mind it. Tomatoes aren't so... tomato-y when they are covered in balsamic vinegar and I just adore basil. That said, there was quite a bit of research that went into figuring out the best recipe. I ended up taking elements from a few recipes to create this one.

It is so easy I cannot believe that I didn't make this before!

I prepared the tomato mixture the night before because I wasn't going to have time after work/before people arrived. By making it the night before the tomatoes had some time to marinate and really take on all the flavors of the dressing. I picked up a loaf of bread on my way home from work and then toss the slices of bread under the broiler (crunchy outside, soft inside).

I let everyone assembly their own when they were ready to eat them because I didn't want to get the bread soggy.

Opinions: One of the other girls who was over also doesn't like tomatoes, but we both agreed - bruschetta isn't really tomatoes.
Another said she would have put in more balsamic vinegar, so that is just a matter of opinion, so make sure you test the mix and decide how much you'd like.

 My friends all enjoyed it and we ate all of it!! And this is my go-to appetizer from now on.

Bruschetta 

Approx 6 servings (appetizers)

Ingredients:

1 pint of cherry tomatoes (diced)
1 normal size tomato (diced)
2 tbs sweet onion
1 tsp garlic powder
2 1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar
2-3 tbs fresh basil, chopped
salt & pepper
3 tbs olive oil
1 loaf of bread

Directions:

Dice tomatoes.
Combine garlic, balsamic vinegar, basil, salt, and pepper. Wisk in olive oil.
Combine with tomatoes and onion.

Assembly:
Slice bread, place on a baking sheet and broil for a few minutes. Keep an eye on it though! You want the bread lightly toasty. Top with tomato mixture.

Alternate:

Top tomato mixture w/ cheese & broil (or don't broil); add grated cheese into tomato mixture

Chickpea and Lettuce Soup

I have had the majority of 2 heads of lettuce sitting in my fridge waiting to be cooked into something tasty. However, I'm not much of a salad person. So what on earth can you do with that much lettuce? Luckily, I found this Chickpea and Romaine Lettuce recipe. I also had all the ingredients- it was fate!

I read the recipe a few times and decided I'm going to make a few changes. I have some celery that is nearing the end of its shelf life, I only had one tomato so that was just going to have to work, and I'm trying to add more protein in my diet so a chicken breast would supplement the chickpeas nicely.

I start prepping the ingredients. Chop up the onion, celery, and tomato. I measure out the spices: turmeric, paprika, cayenne pepper, and garlic powder. They are such lovely colors! I was going to take a picture but I spilled the garlic powder over other colors... not so pretty. I've never used turmeric before and I was excited to try it! I defrost the chicken (1 chicken breast, about 20 minutes soaking in cold water before it was soft-ish) and diced that up. Wash and slice up the lettuce into ribbons. Now, I'm ready to cook!

Add the onion and celery into the pot, let it get a little soft, stir in the spices, then add in the chicken.  Now I didn't really know when to add the chicken, but it seemed right. It could absorb the spice flavors, release some of its juices into the bottom of the pot, and be able to saute instead of boil. Once the chicken was mostly cooked I mixed in the tomato and let that cook up for a few minutes.

Then I added in the broth and water and let it cook for a few minutes, then added the lettuce. I dropped several handfuls of lettuce into the pot letting it wilt into the soup. The soup had a nice kick to it (in an Indian food spicy way, not a salsa way) and the broth was a nice rich yellow-y orange color. The lettuce was similar to a cabbage rather than a kale or spinach. I'd make the recipe again and try it with those other green veggies.

I actually had a lot of broth left in the pot that should have been doled out.

The recipe calls for cooking the pasta in a pan, saute style, then letting it cook in the soup for a few minutes. I don't like soggy pasta and made enough of the "base" for several meals so I cooked the pasta separately in an amount that I would be eating for that meal. If I'm bringing soup to work I'll bring rice (rice doesn't get mushy like pasta does...) in a separate container, heat soup and rice up, then combine before eating. That's just me though, I know it doesn't bother most people... :)

Note, I like my food a little spicier, the amounts I used are in parenthesis, but start little and add more. You can always add more, its much harder to take out the spice.

Chickpea and Lettuce Soup
Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

4 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, chopped (1/4 onion)

2 stalks of celery, diced

1 clove garlic, minced (1 tsp garlic powder)

1/4 teaspoon turmeric (1/2 tsp)

1/2 teaspoon paprika (3/4 tsp)

1/4 teaspoon cayenne (1/2 tsp)

1 chicken breast

2 plum tomatoes, chopped (1 tomato about the size of my fist)

2 cups drained and rinsed canned chickpeas (one 15 oz can)

3 cups low-sodium chicken broth or homemade stock

3 cups water (2 cups)

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 pound vermicelli, broken in half

1/2 head romaine lettuce (about 2/3 pounds), shredded (about 5 cups)

1. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil. Add the onion, let it cook, add seasonings (approx 5 minutes), add diced chicken, stir some more, stir in the tomatoes (approx 5 minutes)
2. Add the chickpeas, broth, water, and salt. Boil then simmer.
3. Cook pasta according to instructions (at the same time as step 2)

Happy eating!

Stuffed Cabbage Casserole

Ready to heat and eat!

Tonight I needed to use up the last of my cabbage, the lots of tomatoes, and celery I've been accumulating. I found a Stuffed Cabbage Casserole recipe online. Essentially its layers of tender cabbage and a yummy mixture of rice, ground chicken, tomatoes, and seasonings. So I took this idea and made some changes due to the surplus of veggies floating around my kitchen.

This will probably make enough for a 9 x 13 pan or enough to serve 4-6. I split mine up into single serving containers that I can freeze.

I only had 1/2 a head of cabbage so my ratio was off. I'm going to use the rest of the rice mix in a salad!

Oh...I also ate the baked section and forgot to take a picture... So you'll have to settle for the picture of the unbaked casserole!

Ingredients:

• 2 small Carrots
• 2 stalks of Celery
• 1/4 Onion
• 1 lb Ground chicken
• To taste: Oregano, Garlic Powder, Paprika, Red Pepper Flakes, S&P
• 1 pint halved Cherry Tomatoes
• 2-4 oz Tomato paste
• 2 cups cooked rice
• 1 head of cabbage
• Shredded cheese (I didn't use cheese)

Heat oil in a pot (Use a pot because the mixture gets hard to stir in a frying pan)
Saute carrots, celery, onion (used the lovely, lovely food processor to chop them up!!)
Add ground chicken
Seasonings: Oregano, Garlic Powder, Paprika, Red Pepper Flakes (about 1 tsp each)
Add sliced cherry tomatoes (or whatever tomatoes you have, canned diced tomatoes are fine too)
Add some tomato paste (or tomato sauce, I happened to only have paste in the cabinet)
Stir it up and let it all cook together (tomatoes should sort of dissolve into the mix)
Mix in 2 cups (or so) of cooked rice

In a separate fry pan, wilt the cabbage and season with some salt and pepper

Layer lettuce and the meat/rice mixture twice
Top with cheese
Bake at 350 until it starts to bubble then take off the foil and let it get golden on the top!

Enjoy!!