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Recipe: Lemon-Garlic Tilapia and Spinach

14 Mar

tilapia_spinachTime: 20 minutes to prep, about 30 minutes to cook

Ingredients

  • 4 tilapia fillets
  • 5-8 cloves of garlic, sliced
  • 2 tablespoons butter, separated
  • 4 cups fresh spinach
  • half of one lemon
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Procedure

  1. Clean the fillets and pat dry. Lightly season with salt and pepper.
  2. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a saute pan over medium heat. Saute half of garlic for about 3-4 minutes. Add fillets to pan and cook for about 3 minutes on each side. Set aside in oven at warm temperature
  3. Melt second tablespoon of butter in saucepan and saute rest of garlic to desired crispiness. Add spinach and salt and pepper. Saute until wilted.
  4. Squeeze lemon juice over both spinach and tilapia. Serve tilapia atop spinach.

Verdict

This is one of the few dishes I make that I don’t need a recipe for. It’s very simple to make. I allowed extra time for prep and cooking, but it shouldn’t take more than an hour to prepare this. I love it because it’s light, it’s delicious and it takes no time to prepare. I serve it with brown rice.

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Recipe: Pepper and White Bean Soup With Rotini

8 Jan

Pepper and White Bean Soup With Rotini

Time: about 15 minutes to prep, 25-30 to cook

vegetable_whitebeanIngredients

  • 2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
  • 8 ounces frozen bell pepper and onion stir-fry
  • 1 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise, then sliced crosswise
  • 1 cup quartered cherry tomatoes
  • 1 tablespoon dried basil, crumbled
  • 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • 6 ounces dried rotini pasta
  • 15-ounce can no-salt-added navy beans, rinsed if desired and drained
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil (extra-virgin preferred)
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

Preparation

  1.  In a Dutch oven, bring the broth to a boil over high heat. Stir in the bell pepper and onion stir-fry, zucchini, tomatoes, basil and red pepper flakes. Return to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, prepare the pasta using the package directions, omitting the salt and oil. Drain in a colander.
  3. Stir the beans into the bell pepper stir-fry mixture. Cook for 5 minutes, or until heated through. Remove from the heat. Stir in the olive oil and salt.
  4. Put the pasta into soup bowls. Ladle the soup over the pasta.

Courtesy of American Hear Asssociation Low-Fat, Low-Cholesterol Cookbook (third edition)

Verdict

This is one of my go-t0 recipes. It is so simple, so quick to make and so tasty. If I don’t have the frozen stir fry in the freezer, fresh onions and green pepper work jut fine (and taste better). I also don’t have a dutch oven, so a regular sauce pan does the trick. Spicy food is my thing, so sometimes I can go overboard with the red peeper. And don’t forget the olive oil and salt at the end, unless you have high blood pressure. Those two ingredients at the end really help, though.

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Recipe: Mexican Bean Dip

27 Dec

Mexican Bean Dip

Time: about 20 minutes to prep and cook

image

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
  • 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/3 cup vegetable broth, or water
  • 1-2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
  • Baked tortilla chips

Procedure

  1. Saute onions and garlic in lightly greased skillet until tender, about 3 minutes
  2. Process black beans, cheese and salt in a food processor or blender until almost smooth, adding enough broth to make desired dipping consistency.
  3. Mix in onion mixture and cilantro.

Courtesy: 1,001 Low-Fat Vegetarian Recipes

Verdict

On game day, nothing beats a good bean dip, this one proved that. It was very flavorful, but not very appealing to the eye. I added a dollop of non-fat sour cream, sliced green onions and sprinkled about a tablespoon of shredded cheese on top to make it prettier. It didn’t add many more calories, but who’s really counting when you’re digging in the dip?

Recipe: Bourbon Street Red Beans and Rice

18 Dec

Bourbon Street Red Beans and Rice

Time: 30 minutes prep; a little less than 2.5 hours (but well worth it)

redbeansandriceIngredients

  • 1 cup dried red beans
  • 2-3 cups reduced-sodium vegetable broth
  • 1 cup chopped onion
  • 1 cup chopped green bell peppers
  • 1 cup chopped celery
  • 1 finely chopped jalapeno chili
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 teaspoon oregano leaves
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried sage
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1/4 teaspoon red pepper sauce
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 4-6 drops liquid smoke
  • salt, to taste
  • 4 cups cooked rice, warm

Preparation

  1. Cover beans with 2 inches of water in large saucepan; heat to boiling and boil 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand 1 hour; drain and return to saucepan.
  2. Add two cups broth to beans and heat to boiling; simmer, covered, 30 minutes.
  3. Add vegetables and herbs; simmer covered, until beans are tender, 30-45 minutes, adding more broth if necessary (beans should be moist but without excess liquid). Discard bay leaves.
  4. Stir in red pepper sauce, cayenne pepper and liquid smoke; season to taste with salt.
  5. Serve over rice.

Courtesy of 1,001 Low-Fat Vegetarian Recipes, Fourth Edition

Verdict

I’ve always made my red beans and rice the quick way: from the directions on a side of a can of Goya beans. I have to say that this way, while a little more complicated and with a longer cook time, is so much better. The flavors are so full. I used a bullion cube to make my broth, but I made it while the beans were soaking, so as not to add to my cook time. Also, while the beans are soaking, you can make other things. There’s no sense in watching beans soak when you could be adding to your meal. I never wanted to cook with dried beans before because it just takes so long, but I understand why now. Good things take time. I highly recommend this one, especially in these frigid temps.

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Recipe: Greek Eggplant With Feta

4 Dec

Greek Eggplant With Feta

Time: 20 minutes to prep; 40 minutes to cook

image

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds eggplant, unpeeled
  • 2 cups each: sliced red and yellow bell peppers and onions
  • Olive Oil cooking spray
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons dried rosemary leaves, crushed
  • 3/4 teaspoon each: dried marjoram and thyme leaves
  • 1 cup (4 ounces) crumbled feta cheese
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

  1. imageCut eggplant into 1/2-inch slices; cut slices into fourths. Arrange eggplant, bell peppers and onions in single layer on greased foil lined pans.
  2. Spray with cooking spray and sprinkle with herbs.
  3. Roast at 425 degrees until browned and tender, about 40 minutes.
  4. Toss with cheese, season to taste with salt and pepper.

Courtesy of 1,001 Low-Fat Vegetarian Recipes (fourth edition)

Verdict

We didn’t eat a lot of eggplant at my house growing up. It was something I developed a taste for in adulthood. It’s one of my favorite veggies, but I’m always looking for quick, easy ways to cook it. I used actual olive oil instead of spray for this recipe, which wasn’t the best idea. A spray will evenly distribute and go on lighter. Using actual olive oil caused things to cook a too fast. My dish was overcooked, but the flavors were still there. Next time I think it will be better.

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