Baked tilapia

BAKED TILAPIA

Tilapia is, in my opinion, an easy fish to cook. It is a light fish. It works well with baking but not as hardy for frying as catfish is. That is my personal opinion.

Preheat oven to 350.

Lightly drizzle your tilapia with a little EVOO (olive oil). Make sure both sides of the fish are evenly coated. Sprinkle it with old bay seasoning, a little bit of dill, and some salt & pepper. Go easy on the salt when using the old bay. Squeeze some lemon juice over the top of the fish and into the pan. You can also put a couple pats of butter into the pan. Sprinkle the fish with some garlic powder being careful not to use too much. You want the flavor of the fish to come out and not be overpowered with all your other seasonings.

Place in oven and bake for appox. 15 – 20 minutes depending on the thickness of your fish. Test a piece for doneness before serving.

• Garnish with some fresh parsley and some fresh cut lemon slices or wedges. Serve immediately.

~Teresa

Baked chicken with blueberry reduction

CHICKEN WITH BLUEBERRY REDUCTION SAUCE

Chicken – whatever parts your family likes best

salt

pepper

poultry seasoning

garlic powder

Reduction ingredients:

blueberries – about 2 good handfuls

pancake syrup, ¼ cup

apricot preserves, 2 tbsp.

Applesauce, ¼ cup

apple cider vinegar, 2 tbsp.

Preheat oven to 350.

Drizzle a baking dish with a little Extra virgin olive oil (about 2 tbsp.) Season your chicken and place in oven.

Blueberry reduction

In a saucepan over medium heat, place blueberries and rest of ingredients let heat through stirring occasionally. Do not let it burn. It should begin to thicken pretty quick. You can add a little water if it gets too thick.

Pull chicken out of oven and flip it over. Pour reduction sauce over all the chicken and return to oven. Leave it for remainder of cook time. (approx. 15 min.)

• Total cook time will vary depending on the amount and cut of chicken you have. The reduction sauce should take approximately 15 – 20 minutes total.

~Teresa

Pasta party!

Here is a pasta dish I made recently. I have posted some recipes on my FB page and my good friend, Mary reminded me that I need to post them on here. Sorry to be so lax in posting lately. Enjoy!

Penne Pasta with vegetables and spinach pesto

whole wheat penne pasta

1 onion, chopped

bell pepper – 1 green and 1 red, chopped

cherry tomatoes

2 garlic cloves, minced

olive oil

salt & pepper

pesto

spinach, I used frozen and just gave it a quick rinse to thaw out.

pistachios - a good handful

olive oil

2 garlic cloves

parmesan cheese

basil

salt

I don't measure when I cook so my amounts here are just estimates. Play around with your measurements, using a little at a time, until you get the amounts that taste right to you.

Get a pot of water boiling and salted. Put your pasta in the water and cook for about 7 – 8 minutes. You want it to be al dente.

Meanwhile, put your pesto ingredients into a food processor and blend. Keep blending together until you get a consistency similar to a lightly loose frosting. It should have just a slight thickness to it. Once it is done, set aside.

Put your vegetables in a pan over medium heat to saute except for the cherry tomatoes. Those will go in last so they don't turn into mush. Add the cherry tomatoes when the vegetables are soft and the onions are just translucent.

By now your pasta should be done. Remove from heat, drain, and add it to the vegetable mixture. Mix it all together well. Add the pesto and mix well.

Serve hot with a nice loaf of garlic bread, or whatever bread is your family's favorite.

~Teresa