Parmesan Crusted Tilapia with Tomato-Basil Sauce

So I just made this tonight and it was awesome! Everyone loved it including the kids. Don't mind that my fish looks a little burnt because my stove cooks very hot. The fish is crusty on the outside and the sauce adds a really great creamy note that puts it over the top.  I  rate it a 9 out of 10.

Parmesan Crusted Tilapia with Tomato-Basil Sauce

courtesy of life ambrosia

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
• 3/4 cup cream
• small handful of fresh basil leaves
• 6 tilapia fillets
• kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper
• 1/2 cup flour
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
• 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
• oil for frying
• Instructions:
  1. Heat olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook 1-2 minutes. Add cherry tomatoes and cook for 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium low and add cream. Let simmer for 15 minutes. Sauce will turn slightly pink and coat the back of the spoon. (Note: It is okay if the sauce boils slightly.) Season to taste with salt and pepper.
  2. Meanwhile, pour enough oil just to coat the bottom of a skillet and heat over medium heat. 
  3. Rinse and pat dry the tilapia fillets. Season both sides with kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper.
  4. Combine Parmesan, panko and granulated garlic.
  5. Dredge the seasoned tilapia fillets in the flour. Shake off excess. Dip in egg. Press into Parmesan/panko mixture.
  6. Place fish in heated skillet, in batches if necessary and cook 3-4 minutes per side. Fish will be golden brown and will flake easily when done.
  7. When you remove the fish, chiffonnade the basil (Note: To do this, simply roll up a few basil leaves and gently chop). Stir the basil into the sauce. Season with salt and pepper if needed.
  8. Lay fish on a serving platter and spoon sauce over the top. Serve. I served this with roasted potatoes and asparagus.

Coconut Red Lentil Soup

Wow! This was so good. Everyone loved it. I served it with Naan bread and a green salad. The only place I have found that sells the red or pink lentils as they are sometime called is a store by me called Sprouts Farmers Market. They don't sell them in Walmart (curse Walmart). They usually sell them in health food store or whole food stores. But their texture is creamier then regular lentils so the texture would be slightly different if you use regular lentils. The regular lentils are found at Walmart if that is your only option.
 courtesy of tastykitchen.com

Ingredients

• 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
• 1 Tablespoon Curry Powder (or Up To 2 Tablespoons If You're A Big Curry Fan)
• ½ teaspoons Cinnamon
• 1 whole Onion, Chopped
• 2 whole Carrots, Peeled And Diced
• 2 teaspoons Fresh Ginger, Grated
• 2 cloves Garlic, Chopped
• 2 teaspoons Salt
• 1 teaspoon Sugar
• ⅓ cups Tomato Paste
• 7 cups Water
• 15 ounces, fluid Coconut Milk
• 2 cups Dry Red Lentils
• 1 can (15 Oz Can) Garbanzo Beans/chickpeas, Drained
• 1 Tablespoon Lime Juice, Freshly Squeezed
• ¼ cups Cilantro, Chopped
• Lime Wedges, Optional Garnish

Preparation Instructions

To a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, add the oil. Once the oil is hot add the curry powder and cinnamon and cook, stirring often, until the spices are fragrant. This should take about 2 minutes.

Add the onion and cook 2-3 minutes, followed by the carrots, ginger, garlic, salt, sugar and tomato paste. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes more.

Pour in the water, coconut milk, lentils and chickpeas. Stir and bring to a simmer. Cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 25 minutes or until the lentils are tender and the soup has thickened.

At the very end, stir in the lime juice. Taste for seasoning and add more salt, pepper or spices as needed. Serve with fresh cilantro and lime wedges.

Adapted from 101 Cookbooks via Scaling Back.

Healthy Chicken Vegetable Rotini

1 chicken breast cooked, diced
2 T all purpose flour
2 T butter, unsalted
10 oz milk , about 1-1/4 cup
1 pinch pepper
1 t Italian seasoning
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
7 oz Rotini pasta, whole wheat, about 1.5 cups uncooked pasta
2 yellow or orange bell peppers, chopped
1 zucchini, chopped, optional
2 heads, approx. 12 ounces broccoli, chopped

1/2 onion, chopped

Directions

Start heating a pot of water for the pasta. In a frying pan heat 1 tablespoon of oil, (I use olive oil) over medium heat. When pan is preheated add onion, bell pepper, and zucchini if using. Saute for 5-10 minutes until cooked. When cooked leave vegetables in the pan and add 2 tablespoons of butter. When butter has melted add the flour to make a paste.Cook stirring for one minute. Don't let it turn brown. Add milk a little at a time to the mixture and continue to stir until the flour mixture absorbs the milk. Continue adding until all the milk is in the pan. When the sauce starts to bubble. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Add pepper, Italian seasoning and parmesan cheese to the sauce. Stir to combine. Cook pasta according to package directions. During the last minute of the pasta's cooking, add the chopped broccoli to the water. Allow to boil for one minute.

Drain the pasta and broccoli. In a large bowl, combine the pasta and broccoli with the chicken. cover with the sauce.

Suzanne's Note:This was a really quick and easy meal. It would be a great one to make when you have leftover chicken to use.

Grilled Chicken Pita's

Ingredients

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 pounds)

3 tablespoons lemon juice

3 tablespoons soy sauce

1 clove garlic, minced

2 teaspoons dried oregano, divided

Possible Pita fillings:

• 1 large Vidalia or purple onion, cut into thin rings

• 1/2 head romaine lettuce, finely chopped

• 1 can olives, drained, sliced

• 12 slices bacon, fried crisp

• Alfalfa sprouts

• Tomatoes

• Ranch

• Sour cream

Rinse the chicken breast and pat dry. Combine 3 tablespoons lemon juice, soy sauce, garlic and 1 teaspoon of the oregano in a glass dish. Add the chicken, turn to coat, and cover with plastic wrap. Allow the chicken breast to marinate for 30 minutes at room temperature or overnight in the refrigerator.

Grill chicken until it is done. Then fill Pitas with desired ingredients.

Lentil Stew

Ingredients

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

2 whole Leeks, Halved, Rinsed And Thinly Sliced (light green and white parts only)

2 cloves Garlic, Crushed

2 Tablespoons Oregano Leaves, or 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning

5 slices of Bacon, Roughly Chopped ( cook the rest and use for Garnish)

14 oz Lentils, Rinsed And Drained

1 can (28 Oz. Size) crushed Tomatoes

4 cups Chicken Stock

1 pinch Sea Salt And Pepper

1 pinch Fresh Oregano (garnish)

hot sauce, garnish

Preparation Instructions

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. When oil gets hot, add in the leeks, garlic, oregano and chopped bacon. Cook for ten minutes until bacon is brown and crispy.

2. Add in the lentils, stock and tomatoes with juice. Season and bring to a boil and cook for 10 minutes. Reduce heat and simmer for twenty minutes.


3. Pour into soup bowls and garnish with some oregano leaves and a slice of bacon and hot sauce.

Suzanne's Note: I have found that a dash of hot sauce does amazing things to boost the flavor of lentils. I am just discovering lentils and love them.If you don't know how to prep leeks they are really easy and you can find how-to videos on the internet. My kids loved this recipe also.

Tandoori Chicken

This got rave reviews from the family. I served it with Hot Stuffed vegetable Couscous and Naan Bread. Which I have also posted. I have been making the Vegetable Couscous for years and loved it so much that I would make it by itself for dinner. It is so good. This chicken is really good and easy and cooks at the same temperature as the Naan Bread.

1 cup plain or vanilla flavored yogurt

1 small onion minced, optional

2 cloves garlic minced, optional

1/2 tsp. Paprika

1/2 tsp. Ground Cumin

1/2 tsp. Ground Tumeric

1/2 tsp. Ground ginger

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. ground pepper

1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

pinch of ground cloves

2 lbs. of Chicken about 5-6 chicken breasts

Mix all the ingredients,except chicken, together in a bowl or large ziplock. Marinate Chicken in yogurt mixture for at least 2 hours or over night.

Preheat oven to 500 degrees F. Bake chicken in a baking dish, uncovered for 25-35 minutes. Until the chicken is cooked through.

Recommended to serve with vegetable couscous, and naan bread.

Potato Gnocchi with Wild Mushroom Sugo

adapted from Michael Chiarello, Foodnetwork

If you are being lazy like me then you can get gnocchi from the store. I found mine at my local grocery store by the pasta. Or Target also carries a few different kinds. I have also heard sometimes they sell them in the freezer section. But if you want to go all out, the homemade gnocchi had rave reviews online I will try them one of these times when I have more time.

For the gnocchi:

• 2 pounds russet potatoes
• Coarse salt
• 4 egg yolks
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Pinch freshly ground black pepper
• Pinch freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 to 1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

For the sugo:

• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 cups mixed wild mushrooms, finely chopped (basic white button mushrooms work just fine)
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1 tablespoon minced shallots
• 1/2 cup tomato sauce
• 1/4 cup red wine
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 generous tablespoon unsalted butter, optional (I left this out)
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley leaves
• Parmesan

Directions

For the gnocchi:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Bake potatoes until very soft on a bed of coarse salt in a baking dish, about 45 minutes. (The salt keeps the potatoes from touching the dish and developing a hard spot.) Cool potatoes until warm, then halve lengthwise and scoop out the flesh. Pass the flesh through a food mill or ricer, or push it through a coarse sieve. You should have about 4 cups.

In a bowl, combine potato, egg yolks, Parmesan, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Work the mixture with a wooden spoon until smooth. Add 1 cup of the flour and knead very gently, patting and pressing the dough with your hands until all the flour is incorporated. Add some or all of the additional 1/4 cup flour if the dough feels too moist, it should be soft but shouldn't stick to your hands. Transfer dough to a work surface and roll into a log about 3 inches in diameter. Cut the log into 8 equal pieces.

Give each piece a quarter-turn so that you are rolling the dough in a different direction, then roll into ropes, a generous 1/2-inch in diameter, as if making breadsticks. Flour the ropes generously, and then cut crosswise at 1/2-inch intervals. You can shape the gnocchi on a ridged butter paddle or on the back of a fork, or you can cook them as is. Let them dry at room temperature for at least 20 minutes before cooking.

For the sugo:

Heat a large saute pan over high heat. When hot, add oil, and then sprinkle in the mushrooms. Don't stir! Let the mushrooms sizzle and caramelize for 7 to 8 minutes. Stir and season with salt and pepper. Add garlic and cook, stirring, for about 1 minute to release its fragrance. Add the rosemary and shallot and cook for about a minute. Cook briefly to release their fragrance, then add tomato and red wine and simmer until almost evaporated. Add the broth or water. Simmer until slightly reduced, 4 to 5 minutes. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and stir in the butter. Sprinkle with the parsley and keep warm.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the gnocchi. They are usually done about 2 minutes after they float to the surface, but test 1 to be sure. Lift them out with a skimmer and transfer to a large platter. Pour the warm sauce over the gnocchi. Grate Parmesan over the top and serve immediately.