Out with the Sweet Treats and in with the Good Eats

I started by posting a dessert last week, and while I am certainly a fan of desserts and will likely be sharing quite a few more on this blog, unfortunately we cannot survive on sweets alone. So this week I'll be sharing a delicious and simple meal to prepare with you all.

As I am sure, many of you have already made the well intentioned, although seemingly difficult to follow through with New Years resolution to lose weight and/or get healthy or as I like to say "Get it Right and Get it Tight". Unfortunately, the prospect of eating salads everyday all day is what leads many of us to abandon our well intentioned plans to eat better by week three in January in favor of that burger, chicken wings, big bowl of pasta(my personal weaknesses), or whatever your personal food vice is that you've been craving in the quest to get healthy. Well I'm here to share a little something with you all, you can eat healthy without having to subscribe to eating only salads. You can eat real food, with real flavor and lose weight. To prove this I'm going to show you how to make a simple and delicious healthy fish dinner that will leave you feeling satisfied. Since this blog is all about simple cooking, I will put out a disclaimer now that while the meal is simple to make in terms of cooking techniques, it does have a quite a few steps involved to produce the final product, but I assure you it is well worth it.

Sweet Chili Glazed Tilapia w/ Orzo and Sautéed Zucchini

 

Ingredients:

For the Tilapia:
4 Tilapia Fillets

1/3 cup of apricot preserves

1 tbsp of chopped garlic

2 tbsp of low sodium soy sauce

2 tbsp of chili garlic sauce

2 tsp of grated ginger

2 tbsp of canola oil


For the Orzo:
1 1/2 cups of orzo

1 small onion diced

2 tbsp of chopped cilantro

1/4 cup diced red or green bell pepper

1 tbsp of chopped garlic

2 cups of low sodium chicken broth

1 1/2 cups of water

1 tbsp of canola oil


For the Zucchini:
3 medium to large zucchini sliced into ribbons(use a potato peeler)

1/2 a large onion sliced

1tbsp of chili garlic sauce

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp of Goya salad and vegetable seasoning

1 tsp black pepper

1/2 cube of chicken bullion

1 tbsp of oil


To Make:

For the Tiliapia
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Season the Tilapia fillets to your taste (be mindful of amount of salt used). Heat 1 tbsp of oil in large frying pan. Place tilapia in pan and cook on one side for 8-10 mins or until mostly opaque in color, flip fish and cook on the other side for 4-5 mins. While fish is cooking in a small saucepan heat the tbsp of oil, then add the garlic, ginger, chili garlic sauce, soy sauce, and apricot preserves. Cook until sauce starts to bubble lightly. Place tilapia fillets on a baking sheet brush tilapia with sauce and place in oven for 2-3 mins.

For the Orzo: *Tip start the orzo before cooking the fish*

Heat the tbsp of oil in a medium saucepan on medium high heat. Add the diced peppers, onion, cilantro and garlic to the oil, cook for 2 min until onions start to become translucent. Add the orzo and stir to coat the orzo in the oil let orzo toast for 1 min continuing to stir to avoid burning. Add the chicken broth and water, let it come to a boil then lower the heat and cover. Cook for 15-20 min (you have to continue to stir the orzo while cooking to prevent sticking). If there is any water not absorbed drain the orzo and return to pot.

For the Zucchini: * Tip, I would also prep the zucchini ahead of time for smoother cooking process*

In a medium frying/sauté pan heat 1 tbsp of oil. Add the onion let cook until it starts to become translucent. Then add the chili garlic sauce and bullion cube and stir until bullion cube disappears. Add the zucchini ribbons and season with the Goya seasoning and black pepper. Stir and cover and let cook for 8-10 mins until zucchini starts to wilt and become translucent.

Put all components on a dinner plate and serve.

Optional: Serve a little pineapple salsa over the fish

Combine 4-5 slices of pineapple(fresh or canned) cut into small cubes, 1/2 tbsp chopped garlic, 1/2 a small jalapeno diced, 1/4 cup of diced bell peppers, 1 tbsp of chopped cilantro, 1 tsp of Goya salad and vegetable seasoning, 1 tbsp of olive oil, and 1 tbsp of lime juice in a medium bowl. Serve over fish. Tip: the longer you let the salsa sit the more the flavors marry together.

Hope You Enjoy and Keep SIMPLY COOKING!!!