Puxa Vida Tilapia

Here's a recipe for tilapia that I found here. It sounds amazing, so will try it soon!

Ingredients:

1 red bell pepper
1/2 onion
1 jalapeno, seeds removed
5 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 (13.5 ounce) can coconut milk
2 (15 ounce) cans fireroasted diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons honey
Juice of 1 lime
2 pounds tilapia
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
4-5 cups short-grain brown rice, cooked

FOR THE BLACK BEANS:
3 (15 ounce) cans black beans
1 clove garlic
1/4 cup diced onions
1 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt

directions:

FOR THE TILAPIA:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Finely chop the red bell pepper, onion, jalapeno, and garlic in a food processor. Drizzle the olive oil in a large saucepan and cook the chopped vegetable mixture in the oil until softened, about 4-5 minutes. Add the coconut milk, diced tomatoes, and honey to the mixture. Bring sauce to a boil, then reduce heat and allow the sauce to simmer until it thickens, about 8-10 minutes. Add lime juice to the sauce and remove from heat.

Place the tilapia in a deep baking dish. Pour the sauce over the fish, making sure it's all well coated. Bake in preheated oven for 40-45 minutes, or until the fish flakes easily when pulled with a fork. Serve over brown rice with black beans on the side. Garnish with chopped cilantro. Enjoy!

FOR THE BLACK BEANS:
Combine all ingredients in a small slowcooker and cook on low heat for 6-8 hours.

Asian Tuna

Chris has been a long time fan of tuna steak. Unfortunately, given my only experience with tuna growing up (aka tuna salad sandwiches...yuck)...I have been very hesitant to jump on board. I've had blackened tuna a few times and liked it, but never think "Hey, I want tuna!"

But, I went ahead and got some at the store tonight, and cooked up just 2 little pieces, along side our regular spicy tilapia! :) That way, if we like it, we can cook again for a meal, if we don't, n0 worries, because we have tilapia! LOL!

It was so good! I need to make this a lot more often!

The original recipe said to broil on high for only 3 minutes per side, but I prefer mine cooked a little more than that...don't want to eat fish that is sushi inside! So, I'd probably go for 5 minutes on each side next time, as I had to recook these once we started eating b/c they were too underdone, even for Chris!

But man, the flavor was awesome!

Asian Tuna 4 tuna steaks, about 1 inch thick (2 lbs. total weight) Salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste 4 sprigs fresh thyme, chopped or 1 tsp. dried 1 tsp. fresh grated or dried powdered ginger 1 sliced clove garlic 2 tbsp. soy sauce 1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice 2 tbsp. olive oil In a mixing bowl blend the salt, pepper, ginger, garlic, thyme, soy sauce, lemon juice and olive oil. Brush the mixture all over the tuna steaks. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand 1/2 to 1 hour until ready to broil. Broil on rack under broiler about 4 inches from heat source, about 3 minutes per side, or grill on high (cover closed) 3 minutes per side. Leftover marinade can be heated and served over steaks.

Pan Seared Tilapia

This is my new favorite tilapia recipe by far! And I LOVED our old recipes!!!!!! I will be making this again very very soon!

I found a recipe very similar to this on www.food.com, but made a few changes so that it would work for our family's tastes. If you can have dairy, use milk instead of the dairy-free cream.


6-8 tilapia fillets
1/4 cup dairy-free creamer
1 1/2 Tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1 1/2 cups cornmeal
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 Tablespoon blackening seasoning

3 Tablespoons olive oil

1. Thaw out tilapia, if needed.
2. In shallow dish, combine dairy-free creamer and lemon juice. Set aside for about 5 minutes.
3. On a dinner plate, combine cornmeal and seasonings. Whisk together well.
4. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat until hot. Dip each piece of tilapia into the milk mixture, coat fully with milk. Then dip each side in the cornmeal mixture, making sure to coat both sides fully. Place in skillet with hot oil. Cook for about 3-5 minutes on the first side, flip, and finish cooking about 3-5 minutes on the other side. Fish should be flaky when fully cooked. Remove from skillet. Repeat if necessary with the rest of the fish fillets.

Pan Seared Scallops & Pasta

This was my birthday lunch today! :) It's become not only my most favorite dish, but also the dish that I crave most often...YUM!!!!

I got the original recipe from recipezaar, but used someone's suggestion that was posted for the sauce & pasta!

Ingredients:
1 lb large scallops
1/2 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp butter
1/4 cup lemon juice
parmesan cheese
1-2 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup white wine
dash pepper
1/2 cup half and half
2 clove garlic, minced
angel hair pasta

Directions:
1. Cook pasta, according to package.
2. Dip scallops in lemon juice, then roll them in breadcrumbs.
3. Put olive oil and 1 Tbsp butter in a large skillet; stir and heat until hot.
4. Add scallops, turning once, until browned on both sides (3-4 minutes); remove scallops from pan.
5. Sprinkle scallops with parmesan cheese.
6. In pan used to cook scallops, add 1-2 Tbsp butter, white wine, pepper, half and half, and garlic. Heat until boiling and continue boiling for about 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly.
7. Serve scallops over pasta, pour sauce on top.

My Own Thai Shrimp Creation

I started out with a recipe, but decided after I thawed the shrimp that it wasn't what I wanted...so I started over. And, this is what we got!
I wasn't sure at first but it turned out really good, and the kids all cleared their plates (Derek even ate 2!).

Thai Shrimp Linguini

Ingredients:
1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 Tbsp panang curry paste
1 1/2 cans coconut milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1 cup water, divided
1 pkg rice noodles
2 small green zucchinis, diced
1 small yellow squash, diced

Directions:
1. In large bowl, cover rice noodles in cold water for about 20-25 minutes to soften; drain.
2. In large skillet, combine coconut milk, curry paste, garlic, salt, and pepper. Heat over medium high heat until bubbly. Add shrimp and cook for about 3-4 minutes or until pink. Add drained, softened rice noodles, squash, and zucchini.
3. Add about 1/3 cup water and stir well. If sauce becomes too thick, add another 1/3 cup water. Continue cooking and adding water as needed, until shrimp are done, and veggies are tender.

Scallops and Shrimp with Linguine

From Better Homes and Garden's Prizewinning Recipes cookbook.

Ingredients:
1 pound fresh or frozen sea scallops
1/2 pound fresh or frozen medium shrimp in shells
2 cups fresh pea pods or 1 6-ounce package frozen pea pods
1/2 cup sliced green onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons olive oil or cooking oil
3 tablespoons margarine or butter
2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes
1 teaspoon dried basil, crushed
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/4 cup oil-pack dried tomatoes, drained and cut into thin strips , or 1 small tomato, seeded and chopped
10 ounces linguine, cooked and drained
3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan or Romano cheese (optional)

Directions:
1. Thaw scallops and shrimp, if frozen. Cut scallops in half. Peel and devein shrimp. In a medium bowl combine scallops and shrimp; set aside.
2. Thaw pea pods, if frozen. Cut in half; set aside. In a skillet cook onion and garlic in hot oil and margarine over medium-high heat for 30 seconds. Add half of the scallop-and-shrimp mixture, parsley, basil, and red pepper. Cook and stir for 3 to 4 minutes or until scallops are opaque and shrimp turn pink. Remove scallop mixture with a slotted spoon; set aside. Repeat with remaining scallops and shrimp. 3. Return all of the scallop mixture to skillet. Add pea pods and tomatoes. Cook and stir for 2 minutes more. In a large bowl toss scallop mixture with linguine. To serve, transfer to a platter and sprinkle with cheese, if desired. Makes 6 main-dish servings.

Parmesan Crusted Tilapia

Ingredients:
3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 tsp paprika
1 Tbsp chopped parsley
4 tilapia fillets
olive oil
salt and pepper

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Combine the cheese with the paprika and parsley and season with salt and pepper.
3. Drizzle the fish with olive oil and dredge in the cheese mixture. Place on a foil-lined baking sheet and bake until the fish is opaque in the thickest part, 10-12 minutes.

Shrimp Scampi with Egg Pasta

An Allport Classic! This is one of our most favorite meals!!!

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds uncooked shrimp
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp thinly sliced green onions
1 Tbsp chopped basil (or 1 1/2 tsp dried)
1 Tbsp chopped parsley
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp salt
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
grated parmesan cheese
egg pasta


Directions:
1. Peel shrimp. Make a shallow cut lengthwise down back of each side of shrimp; wash out vein.
2. Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Cook shrimp and remaining ingredients except cheese in oil 2 to 3 minutes, stirring frequently, until shrimp are pink and firm; remove from heat. Sprinkle with cheese.
3. Serve over egg pasta.