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

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Posted by Ali B at 11:58 AM

Broccoli and Bacon Mac and Cheese

I've been wanting to make my own mac and cheese for a while.  Once, I tried to make mac and cheese before running off to a work function and just combined shredded cheese with my warm pasta.  That resulted in clumps of cheese, which is not as pleasant to eat as one might think.  I decided to use a real recipe to make my mac and cheese.

When making the sauce, you need to play with it a little bit.  If the sauce starts to get hard to stir, add a little pasta water.  Also, be sure to use freshly shredded cheese.  The pre-shredded cheese you buy at the store is coated and doesn't melt as well as freshly shredded cheese.

I like the combination of flavors in this dish.  To be honest, cheese on top of anything is fine in my book.  I'll definitely be using this sauce as a base to experiment with different cheese and mix in combinations.  Any suggestions?

Broccoli and Bacon Mac and Cheese

Serves 2

Prep time: 5 min

 Cook time: 15 min

Ingredients

-     1 c penne pasta

-     2 slices of bacon, diced

-     ½ c broccoli, diced

-     ¼ c plain yogurt or light sour cream

-     ½ c shredded cheddar cheese

-     Dash of salt and pepper

Directions

In a medium pot, boil the water for the pasta and cook according to directions on the back of the box.  Reserve about ½ c of pasta water before draining.

While the pasta is cooking, fry the bacon in a skillet over medium heat and remove once the pieces are crispy.  Allow to drain on a plate lined with a paper towel.

In a small pot, boil the water for the broccoli and cook for about 3 to 4 minutes, or until tender.  Drain and set aside.

Drain the pasta and pour the pasta into a large bowl.  Add ¼ c of pasta water, the sour cream or yogurt, and about half of the shredded cheese.  Stir continuously until the cheese has melted.  Add the rest of the cheese a handful at a time and stir continuously to prevent clumping.  If the cheese sauce is too thick, add more of the reserved pasta water. 

Stir in the broccoli and bacon and season with salt and pepper.  Serve immediately.

Note: This recipe is best eaten the day it’s served.

Adapted from: Confections of a Foodie Bride

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Posted by Ali B at 6:11 PM

Garlic Chicken Pesto Pizza

I've been on this kick lately in which I've been actually making dinner for you all.  If you take a look at my recipe box, I'm pretty sure it is about 80% dessert recipes.  However, in the past week I have made 3 different dinner recipes.  I've made pizza before, but when I made it last year I had made individual pizzas on the grill.  This time, we decided to make it in the oven.  Including the time it took to make the dough and the pesto, the whole process took about an hour (with help, of course).  Plus, I was able to save about half of the dough to make another pizza later (or to make both at once).

I had been waiting to make this pizza for a long time.  Waiting for the basil plants to grow tall enough, waiting for there to be leftover chicken.  This pizza was definitely worth the wait.  This is also another really great recipe to have on hand during the school year, since you can make the pizza dough over the weekend, freeze it, and then leave it in the refrigerator during the day to defrost.  Then you can come home, preheat your oven, top your pizza, and dinner will be ready in about 30 minutes.  Now that I'm teaching, easy weeknight meals are clutch to have around :)

This dough is for a thin crust pizza, so you can either bake it right away, or let the dough rest and rise for a couple of hours to get a thicker crust pizza.  I made it both ways and both ways were very enjoyable.

Have fun with this recipe!  Have everyone in your family make their own mini pizza.  Or put all of your favorite toppings on one pizza and see how it comes out.  The only thing that needs to stay the same is you need to put your cheese on at the very end and let it bake for about 3 minutes.  The cheese will scorch before the dough is cooked if you put everything on at once.

What are your favorite pizza toppings?

Garlic Chicken Pesto Pizza 

Makes about 3 pies, depending on the size of your pan

Ingredients

For the pizza dough

- 1 ½ c water, lukewarm

- 2 ¼ tsp active dry yeast (1, ¼ oz packet)

- 4 ½ c flour

- 1 tsp salt

For the toppings

- 1 tbsp olive oil

- 1/2 c pesto

- 1 1/2 c cooked chicken, sliced

- 2 cloves garlic, minced

- 1 cup mozzarella cheese

- 1 cup Parmesan cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 500F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or non-stick foil.

Pour packet of active dry yeast into lukewarm water and whisk with a fork until the yeast is dissolved.  Let sit for about 10 minutes to activate the yeast. 

Combine flour and salt in a large bowl and form a well in the center of the flour.  Pour the water into the well and, using your hands or a dough hook on an electric mixer (not a beater!), mix the flour and the water together.  When combined, transfer half of the dough to a floured surface and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, not sticky.  Repeat with the second half.  (Note: at this point, you can let the dough rise for a couple of hours in a cool, dry place, or you can let it rise in the oven while it bakes). 

Take one ball of dough and place it in your baking sheet.  Press the dough down and stretch it out until it fills the pan.  Brush olive oil over the dough.  Spoon your pesto sauce into the center of the dough and spread until it is about ½ in from the edge of the dough.  Pile on the chicken.

Bake the pizza for about 5 minutes and then rotate your pizza 180 degrees.  Bake for another 3 minutes, sprinkle the cheese and garlic on top, and bake for an additional 2 minutes or until the edges are golden brown.   Let cool for about 5 minutes and then serve.  

Dough can be stored in a plastic bag in the fridge for 3 days or in the freezer.

Dough adapted from: The Kitchn

1 comment(s)

Posted by Ali B at 6:30 PM