Lemon Tilapia with Cucumber and Feta Quinoa

I did it!  I finally made quinoa!  I've been reading about it for years and I've finally gone ahead and made it.  This adventure into quinoa came about during Passover, when all other starchy side dishes besides potatoes were off the table.  As you can probably tell by now, tilapia is a fan favorite of ours, so this recipe fit perfectly with what we had and what we wanted to make.

This recipe can be whipped up quickly, which makes it a perfect weeknight meal.  Get your quinoa rinsed and boiling, and by the time it's fluffy the rest of the dish is ready to serve!  Make sure you go lightly when you salt the quinoa (you might not even have to) since the feta cheese will bring salt to the table.  Feel free to garnish with dill and enjoy!

Lemon Tilapia with Cucumber and Feta Quinoa

Serves 2

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

-                ½ c quinoa, rinsed

-                dash of salt and pepper

-                1 lemon, halved

-                2 tilapia fillets, rinsed

-                2 ½ tsp extra virgin olive oil

-                ½ c cucumber, peeled and diced

-                ¼ c feta

Directions

In a small saucepan, bring quinoa and 1 cup of water to a boil.  After the water begins to boil, reduce to a simmer and cover, allowing quinoa to absorb all water (10 – 15 minutes). 

Season the tilapia fillets with salt, pepper, and juice from half of the lemon.   Coat the bottom of a frying pan with 1 ½ tsp of the olive oil and sauté the tilapia over medium heat until the fish is opaque throughout and flakes easily (about 4 minutes on each side).

When the quinoa has absorbed all of the water, using a fork to fluff the quinoa and stir in 1 tsp of the olive oil, cucumber, feta, and juice from ½ of the lemon.  Salt and pepper to taste. 

Serve quinoa  
immediately with the fish.

Adapted from: Martha Stewart

1 comment(s)

Posted by Ali B at 8:56 PM

Thai Curry Noodle Soup

Growing up, my parents always cooked the standard meals.  We'd rotate between steak, chicken, and pork, with pasta and fish thrown in.  I think most of it is because I was the pickiest eater when I was little.  For a while, I went through this stage where I would only eat tan foods.  And then my parents had to put up with me being vegetarian for about 3 years.  Needless to say, I was (and still kind of am) a high maintenance eater.

When I did finally begin to branch out in college and start to eat more diverse foods, I forayed into the world of Asian cuisine.  It started with sushi, and then different types of noodle dishes (my favorite tan food), and now I'll eat bibimbap and curries.  I've attempted to recreate some of these dinners at home, but one of my most recent favorites was this Thai curry noodle soup.  It wasn't based off of something I had eaten in a restaurant, but more or less something that I saw on Pinterest.  This soup combines a lot of my new favorite flavors and can be adapted to fit many different types of pallets.

You need to start with a curry base, which you can buy in mild, medium, or hot.  Then you pick your veggies and protein (we went with red peppers, green onion, and tilapia).  Finally, you decide whether or not coconut milk is too sweet for you (we left it out) and pick out your favorite type of noodle.  Allow to simmer and reduce for about 15 minutes and you have an easy out-of-the-box weeknight dinner.  Even though it is a soup, the meat, vegetables, and noodles make it very filling.  This soup was really enjoyable and made enough for 4 plus some leftovers!

Thai Curry Noodle Soup

Serves: 4

Prep Time: 10 min

Cook time: 20 min

Ingredients

-     2 tbsp vegetable, peanut, or olive oil

-     2 - 3 fillets tilapia

-     ½ tsp sesame oil (optional)

-     1 ½ c Yellow Curry Simmer Sauce (mild)

-     1 ½ c water or coconut milk

-     1 red pepper, sliced

-     2 green onions, chopped

-     1 head broccoli, diced

-     6 – 8 basil leaves

-     1 (3/4 lb) package Lo Mein noodles

Directions

Heat a medium-sized frying pan over medium-low heat and add the oil.  When hot, add the tilapia and fry until both sides are just golden brown.  Set aside.

In a medium saucepan, combine the sesame oil, curry simmer sauce, and water or coconut milk and bring to a low boil.  Add the vegetables and let simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Then, add the Lo Mein noodles, stirring constantly so they break apart.  Add in the tilapia and allow to simmer for about 5 more minutes.  Serve immediately.

Adapted from: Zen Family Habits

0 comment(s)

Posted by Ali B at 11:58 AM

Baked Tilapia with Creamy Basil Pasta

Words honestly cannot describe how much I love Pinterest.  I mentioned in this post from this weekend that Pinterest has saved my life when it comes to organizing ideas for my lessons, labs, classroom management policies, and classroom itself, but I also love my To Make board, where I can answer "What should we have for dinner tonight?" with a simple click of a button.  I actually pinned this recipe because of the sauce.  I tried to make an alfredo sauce in college, and it didn't come out too great.  When we decided to make this dish, I paired it with some pan seared tilapia and it was amazing!  I immediately fell in love with this recipe because of how easy it was and how quickly it came together.  My father had a birthday last week, so I decided to make him this dish for his birthday dinner (since he's not really a fan of sweets anyway).

You need to multitask a little when making this recipe.  To save time, I preheated the oven and set the water for my spaghetti at the same time.  Then, I prepped my fish and the other ingredients while everything was heating up.  I popped the fish in the oven and the spaghetti in the pot at the same time, and luckily they took about the same time to cook.  The sauce itself comes together in a matter of minutes.  It went from fridge to plate in about 30 minutes.  You really can't ask for better than that.

This pasta sauce would compliment chicken as well as a white fish.  Pair it with a salad and you have a quick and easy dinner to make during the week.  The cream sauce is definitely a once a week treat and I highly suggest pouring it over your fish as well as your spaghetti.  However, it's a treat that is certainly worth it, as evidenced by my family's empty plates.

Baked Tilapia with Creamy Basil Pasta

Serves: 4

Prep Time: 5 min

Cook Time: 20 min

Ingredients

-      4 fillets of Tilapia, rinsed

-     2 tbsp olive oil

-     dash of salt and pepper, plus extra to taste for the sauce

-     ½ lb spaghetti

-     1 tbsp butter

-     3 garlic cloves, minced

-     1 tbsp flour

-     1 c milk

-     2/3 c half and half

-     1/2 c basil leaves, chopped

-     ¼ c grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 375F and line a baking sheet with non stick aluminum foil.   While the oven is preheating, boil the water for the spaghetti.  Add in the noodles once the water begins to boil and cook for the time stated on the back of the box.  Coat the tilapia in olive oil, salt, and pepper and place in the oven once it reaches 375F.  Bake for 12 – 18 minutes and remove once the tilapia is white throughout and flakes apart easily when cut. 

While the tilapia is cooking, heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the butter and garlic.  Cook until fragrant (about 30 seconds) and then whisk in the flour until it dissolves.  Let the roux cook for another minute and then add the milk and half and half, stirring constantly.  Allow the mixture to slightly thicken (about 8 minutes) and then toss in the basil and Parmesan.  The sauce won’t thicken completely until the cheese is added.  Add salt and pepper as desired.  When the spaghetti is done cooking, add it to the sauce and toss with tongs to coat the spaghetti evenly.  Serve immediately with the tilapia and pour extra sauce on top. 

Note: if making this recipe for 2 people, do not decrease the ingredients for the sauce.  

Sauce adapted from: How Sweet Eats

0 comment(s)

Posted by Ali B at 11:42 AM