Sweet, Spicy, and Citrus Tilapia

I love tilipia. It's low in calories and fat and high in all of those good omega 3 fatty acids. But here's the thing with tilapia: it's boring if not properly seasoned. We're all for healthy eating over here, but it has to be flavorful. So when I saw this recipe in the August issue of Cooking Light I knew we had to try it. Well low and behold, it's now one of our favorite meals!

This is perfect for one of those nights when you really don't know what you want to have for dinner. As long as you have orange juice on hand you can whip this up in no time. Not a fan of spice? Cut back on the red pepper flakes just a bit. It's really the perfect combination of flavors. 

Sweet, Spicy, and Citrus Tilapia 

adapted from Cooking Light magazine

Ingredients

4  (6-ounce) tilapia fillets
Cooking spray
1/2  cup  fresh orange juice (about 1 orange)
3  tablespoons  fresh lime or lemon juice (I've used bottled juice before, too)
1  tablespoon  brown sugar
1/2  tablespoon  extra-virgin olive oil
2  teaspoons  lower-sodium soy sauce
1/2  teaspoon  salt
1/2  teaspoon  ground cumin
1/4  teaspoon  black pepper
1/4  teaspoon  ground red pepper
2  garlic cloves, crushed
1/2  teaspoon  paprika

Preparation

1. Arrange fish in a single layer in a shallow roasting pan coated with cooking spray. Combine orange juice and the next 9 ingredients (through garlic); pour over fish. Let stand 15 minutes.
2. Preheat broiler.
3. Sprinkle fish with paprika; broil 10-15 minutes or until desired degree of doneness. Drizzle sauce over fish.
Serve with rice or potatoes and a veggie! Enjoy. 

Zuppa Toscana

The weather in Georgia has been on the warm side lately, but this morning was so chilly I think I really heard autumn knocking on our door, telling us fall had finally arrived. And so I bring you a tasty, cold-weather meal!

A couple months ago my husband and I ate at Olive Garden. He ordered a delicious pasta meal and I choose their soup and salad combo. The second I tasted their Zuppa Tuscana I knew I wanted more, so I told him right then and there that I was going to learn how to make it at home.

I scoured the web for a good recipe and found one that looked almost identical to Olive Garden's version, I tweaked it to make it a little healthier. Not only does this taste better than the restaurant's version (my husband even said so!), but it freezes well. (Note: when you unfreeze it or even take it out of the fridge then next day, the half and half and water separate a little—don't worry! Just nuke it in the microwave for a couple minutes and then mix it all together; it'll be fine, I promise.)

 {Olive Garden's} Zuppa Tuscana

makes around 8 servings (~4 WW points)

adapted from Tuscan Recipes

Ingredients: 
1 pound ground Italian turkey sausage
1½ tsp crushed red peppers
1 large diced white onion
4 Tbsp bacon pieces
5 minced garlic cloves
10 cups water
5 cubes of chicken bouillon
1 cup fat-free half and half
1 pound sliced Russet potatoes
2 cups of chopped kale*, stems removed 

Directions:
Sauté Italian turkey sausage and crushed red pepper in large pot. Drain excess fat; refrigerate while you prepare other ingredients. In same pan, sauté bacon, onions, and garlic over low-medium heat for approximately 15 minutes or until onions are soft. Add chicken bouillon and water to pot; heat until it starts to boil. Add sliced potatoes; cook until soft—about 30 minutes. Add fat-free half and half; cook until thoroughly heated. Stir in sausage and kale; heat thoroughly. 
   
Enjoy :) 

A Tale of Amanda

Jess being the wonderful writer she is did a fabulous job of introducing herself. And despite my want to just hide behind my recipes I feel I owe it to the blogging world to write a bit about myself. I am also extremely excited to be apart of this blog. I wouldn't do something like this on my own, so I am very grateful to Jessica for getting this all going.

I've been experimenting in the kitchen for as long as I can remember. With my American Girl Cookbook in hand you could find me every Saturday morning mixing up breakfast in bed for my parents. More than half of the time it was terrible. My parents suffered through burnt pancake after burnt pancake. My family to this day still gives me a hard time for the cloud of smoke I whipped up every weekend. I finally got the hang of it somewhere around middle school, and it's a passion I will never give up.

I loved having a reason to make "special" dinners. This usually meant hours in my mothers kitchen and a tornado of smells and tastes covering the countertops and stove. When I met my husband I started turning out the food more than ever. There is nothing I love more than cooking for a sweet man who loves my food. My dad was always happy when Chris came for dinner because that meant something extreme! At the time I was in culinary school here in NM. Although I didn't finish the program I really learned alot from it. I started a cake business with the help of my husband in 2008. However I love to cook just as much as I bake.

I struggle to follow recipes, I always end up putting it aside and improvising. I love to experiment and try new foods. I really enjoy a good challenge, spending days sometimes weeks to perfect something. I like adapting old family recipes and finding new things online. Well enough about me and on to the FOOD!

A Tale of Jessica

I am so excited to start this blog with my sister-in-law, not to mention I'm really happy to have a place to share recipes we've been trying over here. My first several posts will be recipes I've posted on my personal blog and then I'll start adding new ones.

But before I start posting recipes I figured you may like to know a little more about me. When I was younger I never really cooked or baked. I would much rather take a nap instead. When I would attempt to create something in the kitchen it would typically come out horribly wrong (like putting salt in place of sugar in sugar cookies). I tried, tried, and kept on trying, but eventually gave up.

But then I met my husband and he encouraged me to get back in the kitchen and try again—and I saw that in a completely non-demeaning way, I promise. My husband loves to try new things and is fantastic in the kitchen. Seriously, the man can cook, and bake, and eat!

We also like revamping recipes and tweaking them to make them healthier, so be on the lookout for tips and tricks in my posts. As for food, I like making and trying out just about anything. I use cookbooks and websites a lot, and I'll give you all the sources when I can. I also like taking favorite foods and meals from restaurants and making them into something healthy I can eat at home.

Well, that was a lot of talking for me. I promise from now on my posts will have less words and more pictures of food! 

Citrus and Herb Salmon

I went back and forth all day trying to figure out what my first post should be. From muffins to soup to pasta. Then I decided I'll post whatever I decide to make for dinner. This just happens to be a household favorite and quite bold, a fantastic combination! I’m always looking for ways to change the “usual” way of cooking something. Most prefer Salmon grilled. And while I’m not against grilling I wanted a new spin. In this dish every bit gets used up, with the drippings reduced into a smooth rich sauce. It goes great with steamed broccoli, I wish I had some on hand tonight!

4 Tbsp Olive Oil

½ White Onion minced

5 cloves of garlic minced

2 salmon fillets

2 tsp dried parsley

3 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp dried rosemary

2 chopped green onions

1 medium lemon- thinly sliced and seeded

For Pan Sauce:

½ cup dry white wine (such as Pinot Grigio)

1 Tbsp olive oil

1/3 cup low fat sour cream

¼ cup Grated Parmesan Cheese

Salt and Pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over low to medium heat. Add onion and garlic, cook until translucent. Turn heat to medium and place salmon in skillet skin side down. The skin will easily peel off after the fish is cooked. Season fish with parsley, oregano, rosemary and green onions. Add salt, and pepper to taste. Place lemon slices on fillets and scatter the remaining in the skillet. Cook 4 minutes on each side, turning once. It should be firm with some give to it, not squishy. Once the salmon is cooked take out of the pan and place it in foil to keep warm. Turn heat to high and remove any really burnt bits and lemon slices. Pour in wine and scrape the bottom of the skillet. Bring to a boil. Stir in sour cream and parmesan. Once incorporated add 1 Tbsp olive oil and turn off heat. I like this Salmon served over rigatoni (I love Dreamfields) or with roasted new potatoes. Poor the sauce over the fish or the pasta or both! YUM!! And if you're like me you'll steam a couple pieces for the dog too :)

Hello, world!

Oh, hello there! I'll most likely delete this post once we get other stuff up and running, but for now, this is a good starting off point!

I can't wait to start sharing all the things we're whipping up over here.