Spicy Pan-Seared Tilapia with Green Beans

I have less than 7 days until I see my boyfriend, so it's time to buckle down on my exercise and eating habits this week!  I love this dish specifically, because it is packed with lean protein (22g to be exact).  I especially enjoy eating fish because of all the healthy benefits, such as omega-3 fatty acids and lean protein.  My absolute favorite is salmon, either grilled or broiled, with lemon and spices (recipes to follow in later posts!).  Tilapia has recently become one of my favorites this year because of its light flavor and the ease with which it can be prepared.  For all those out there who usually shy away from cooking fish because of the smell or you don't like the taste of fish, this is one recipe worth trying.  It can be cooked in the broiler or a pan and is ready in a matter of minutes.  I usually buy the frozen tilapia loins at Costco, which can last for up to a couple of weeks.

Grocery List:

Frozen Tilapia Loins

Fresh green beans

Seasonings =  cheyenne pepper, paprika, red pepper, cracked black pepper and garlic (dried or fresh) for the green beans

Tomatoes for a tomato salad (I added this to the dish because we had some left over from our farmer's market trip)

Kirkland Frozen Tilapia Loins from Costco

For starters, I place about 2 tbs. of olive oil (or grapeseed oil, depending on my mood that day) into a frying pan on medium heat.  Next, I add my seasonings (cheyenne pepper, black pepper, and red pepper -about 1/2 tps. of each) to the oil and once the oil has heated up, I place my loins in the pan.  On the top side of the tilapia, I again, add more seasonings.  Cook each loin for 4 minutes on each side until a light brown crust forms.  

While my tilapia is cooking, I add 2 tbs. of olive oil to another pan along with about 1/2 tbs. of cracked black pepper and 1/2 - 1 tbs. of garlic (1 - 2 cloves).  Then, I place my fresh green beans (wash and cut off tops & tails first) into the pan  and cook for about 5-10 minutes until desired tenderness is reached - I like my green beans to still have a little crunch to them.  

As a side for this particular night, I cut up some tomatoes and served them on the side with a little cracked black pepper and sea salt.  This dish would also go great with a side of rice or quinoa as well.  

Enjoy!

- L -

Almond Crusted Chicken with Spinach-Tomato Sauté

I am really excited about this dish!  It's one of the those dishes that sends your taste buds into a flavor frenzy.....my mouth was literally watering from the smell of this chicken while it was cooking.  When I came home from work last night, I thought to myself, "Restaurants serve macadamia nut crusted fish, so why not cook almond crusted chicken?" In turn, this dish was born and needless to say, I put a little dent in my Costco size bag of almonds :)  


Ingredients:


2 boneless, thinly-sliced chicken breasts
Grapeseed oil (I like switching off between olive oil and grapeseed oil because of their different tastes)
5 water crackers (unsalted, plain), crushed
2 - 2 1/2 handfuls of almonds, chopped
Yellow and red tomatoes (I buy these from the farmer's market because I love the color and taste of the tomatoes I find there)
Organic spinach (1/2 a container)
Rice blend (brown, red, and wild rice)
2-3 cloves of fresh garlic
Seasonings = Mediterranean spice blend and white pepper for the chicken, cracked pepper for the spinach and tomatoes


1.  Crush 5 water crackers onto a plate.  They do not need to be finely crushed, some chunks are okay.  They will crisp up on the chicken, leaving a nice crust.  Next, add chopped almonds and spices to the plate of crushed crackers.  Rub grapeseed oil onto chicken breasts and roll in cracker/almond mix, coating generously.

2.  Chop up fresh garlic (1 -2 cloves) and place in a frying pan with 1/4 cup of grapeseed oil.  Cook on medium heat until you can smell the aroma of garlic.  Then, place chicken breasts in pan and cook 5 minutes a side or until crust is golden brown.

3.  Meanwhile, cut up tomatoes and place in frying pan with 2 tbs of grapeseed oil, fresh garlic (1 clove), and cracked.  Cook on medium heat until tomatoes are warm and soft.  Once soft, add 1/2 container or more spinach and sauté until spinach leaves are slightly wilted, but still bright green in color (about 2-5 minutes depending on how much spinach you use). 

4.  Once chicken and spinach are cooked, serve over rice and enjoy!   
(I proudly showed off my creation to my boyfriend, who was drooling over skype!)

Happy thought for the day:  Less than 2 weeks until I see my boyfriend! Hun- I can't wait to cook for you when you're here!  

Happy cooking,

L

Chicken & Vegetable Noodle Soup

I thought that I would start my first post by giving my recipe for chicken & vegetable noodle soup, given the recent cooler weather we experienced this past week.  It's perfect for those cool fall days when you want to curl up in a blanket, watch a classic movie (my favorites are anything with Audrey Hepburn, Carey Grant, or Humphrey Bogart), and indulge in a bowlful of warm soup.


Ingredients  
*amounts of each ingredient may vary depending on your preference*


1 - 1 1/2 cups of chopped celery
1/4 - 1/2 onion, diced
2 cups chopped baby carrots
2 tomatoes, diced
1/2 - 2/3 cup frozen organic sweet peas (optional) - I like them for the color and sweetness they give.
2/3 bag of egg noodles
1 container of organic, low-sodium chicken broth (you can make this yourself if you have the time)
2 large chicken breasts, cooked (Costco and the grocery store also have great roasted whole chickens that are perfect for adding to this soup if you are on a time constraint and want to speed up the preparation process)
Seasonings (amounts vary due to taste, but usually I put 1 - 1 1/2 tsp of each):  cracked black pepper, ground coriander, italian seasoning blend, fresh rosemary, paprika and cheyenne pepper (a couple dashes of each)


1.  Place a soup pot over medium heat with 1 - 2 tbs of olive oil and add spices. Next, add the celery and onion. Cook and stir until onions are slightly clear.

2.  Add carrots to the celery and onion mixture. Then, add enough chicken broth to cover the vegetables. During this time, I always add a little more of my spices because I love the flavor. Bring to a boil. Once broth has started to boil, add the rest of the chicken broth and add 2 1/2 - 3 cups water. Boil until carrots are halfway cooked. Next, I add the diced tomatoes and chicken to soup. Let simmer for about 7-10 minutes until carrots are slightly soft. At this point, I always taste the broth to make sure my flavors have all come together.

3.  Add 1/2 - 2/3 of a bag of egg noodles to the soup and let boil until noodles are soft, but not mushy. Serve in a soup bowl and enjoy! 

I always make a big pot of this soup and bring the leftovers to work for lunch.....yum!

Happy cooking,

L