Tilapia with Herbs and Lime

I've only had tilapia once in my life until tonight. The first time was at a Mexican restaurant - a whole fish filleted and either deep fried or grilled with a batter than created a crisp brown crust. Although it tasted quite good, I was sick all night. Not sure if it was the fish or something else, but I've been reticent to eat it again, until now.

This time, we bought tilapia at our favorite seafood market. I prepared it in my own kitchen following the recipe in Raman Prasad's Recipes for the Specific Carbohydrate Diet on page 128. This recipe is extremely simple (5 minutes to prepare) and the cook time is between 10-15 minutes. Because this fish is soft, overcooking will cause it to break apart and be tough, but cooked right, it is succulent and tender to the point of melting in your mouth. Gently lift from the pan with a wide spatula.

Tilapia is mild flavored. Herb seasonings and lime bring out the delicate flavor of the fish. An excellent choice for a light home-cooked meal.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/8 teaspoon dried thyme
1/8 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 pound tilapia fillets
1/2 lime, juiced

Directions:

1. Rinse and pat dry the tilapia.
   
2. Mix together the dry ingredients.
   
3. In a stovetop frying pan, heat the olive oil on medium heat.
4. Sprinkle the dry mixture on both sides of the fillets.
5. Place the tilapia in the hot pan and cook for a total of 10-15 minutes, or until cooked through.
6. After you place the fish on the dinner plate, sprinkle each fillet with some of the fresh lime juice. Serve with a dollop of mango salsa.

Serves 2

Learn about tilapia at Seafood Watch.

Like to see my mussels?

I thought I'd show you my mussels... all 2-1/2 pounds of them.

Following Aunt Jo's recipe from Recipes for the Specific Carbohydrate Diet by Raman Prasad on page 126 and directions from the Internet about preparing the mussels for steaming... this is how I adapted the recipe with detailed directions for cleaning prior to cooking and when to remove them from the pot.

Rinse the mussels several times in water, but do not soak them, as fresh water kills them and if they are already dead when you go to steam them they will not open up. If their is a beard (fibrous string) attached, gently pull or cut it off before steaming.

Ingredients:

2--1/2 to 3 pounds of washed mussels, or clams or a combination of both
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon oregano
1/4 cup vegetable or olive oil
Pinch of red pepper flakes
Melted butter, for dipping (optional)

Directions:

1. Placed the washed mussels in a large, deep pot.
2. Add the remaining ingredients, except for the butter, and toss with the mussels to coat.
   
3. Cover and cook on medium-high heat with the lid on, until the mixture begins to boil. Note that there is little water in the pot, but the mussels release more liquid as they begin to cook and open.
4. As soon as the water is boiling, creating steam, lower the temperature to medium and simmer until the mussels are open, approximately 3-5 minutes. I recommend that you remove the lid and begin to pull individual mussels out with tongs as soon as each one opens to prevent them from getting tough.
5. Discard any mussels that do not open.
6. Serve the mussels while hot with melted butter for dipping (optional).

Serves 2-3

Broth with herbs, garlic and olive oil.

Toss mussels in mixture to coat before steaming.

Serve hot. Set out an extra plate to collect the shells.

My Mother's Day Breakfast, Lunch and Family

What a wonderful Mother's Day!

First off, I awoke to the taste of a fresh strawberry dipped in honey on my lips. Sweet!

While I was getting ready for church, my husband cooked up a batch of french toast on our griddle adapting the following recipe he found online at PKU Recipes blog, using Angelina's gluten-free Outrageous Orange Cinnamon Swirl Rice Bread. Yumtastic!

Rice Dream® French Toast

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups Rice Dream Original
4-6 slices whole wheat bread
3 Tablespoons arrowroot powder or 2 eggs
3-4 Tablespoon oleic safflower oil or butter
1 teaspoon cinnamon powder

Directions:

1. In a wide bowl, whisk together Rice Dream, cinnamon, and eggs (or arrowroot).
2. Cut bread into triangles and soak in the Rice Dream mixture until softened (1-3 minutes).
3. Heat portions of the oil or butter in a frying pan or griddle, over medium - high heat.
4. Add several pieces of the soaked bread; do not overcrowd the pan.
5. Cook evenly on both sides for 2-3 minutes or until each is browned.
6. Serve immediately with your favorite fruits, jam or maple syrup.

Right after church, we followed our daughter, Effie, and granddaughter, Sephira, home for Mother's Day lunch. Effie's family loves my spoon bread. Sorry Dirk had to work and was unable to join us. While the spoon bread baked in the oven, Effie warmed up the pre-made Chili Verde she buys from Trader Joe's on the stove top and together we put together a crisp, crunchy salad of fresh greens and vegetables. The combination of flavors and textures were delish!

They day before Mother's Day, Effie and Sephira came out to visit us at Le Roost Lorane wearing matching jackets. A number of years ago, I bought Effie the jacket she's wearing. A while back, one of her neighbors put this toddler jacket in her garage sale; Effie snapped it up, looking forward to the day they would be 'twinsies' - so adorable!

Sunny afternoon.

Such a serious face.

This is priceless!

Sephira Lee clumpin' about in Nana Lee's old hiking boots.

I am so blessed to have such a wonderful family! I only wish my other daughter, Skye, and my grandson, Max, lived closer... so we could enjoy these good times together! I heard they had a great play day chasing giant bubbles and being silly. As Max says, "Awesome!"

Angelina's - "Baking to the Rythm of Life"

This time, I was away for six days visiting my family in Central Oregon, including a one-day round trip to Portland with my daughter in a blizzard. Snow conditions on the passes hindered the return trip I had planned for earlier in the week, but by waiting a couple more days I was able to celebrate Mother's Day early with my mom (video) and oldest daughter, and enjoy a beautiful drive home with sunshine and blue sky all the way.

I arrived in Sisters before 2:00pm, and took the time to stop by Angelina's Bakery to pick up a couple of my favorite gluten-free baked goods and have a quick bite of lunch to fuel up for the two hour drive back to Eugene on Santiam Pass.

While the staff was reheating my slice of gluten-free Polenta Pizza layered with marinara sauce, a medley of vegetables and vegan cheese, and preparing my salad of fresh greens, feta and balsamic vinaigrette, I ordered gluten-free baked goods - a freshly-baked Marionberry Morning Muffin and a 2-pound loaf of Angelina's "Outrageous Orange Cinnamon Swirl Rice Bread for treating us to french toast on Sunday morning, which will be Mother's Day breakfast at our house. Now, that was a mouth full of healthy gluten-free goodiness. Yummers!

Angelina's Bakery, a local newspaper review rating it "a little slice of heaven", has been in business since 1997. For more information about their history, stories, staff, events, dedicated gluten-free bakery, menus and baked goods and bake-at-home products, visit Angelina's online.

Wishing mothers and grandmothers everywhere a very Happy Mother's Day!

Best Ever Gluten-Free Banana Bread

The past couple of weeks, I've been quite caught up in working with my friend Rita Golden Gelman and her non-profit organization Let's Get Global - an awesome movement to spread the Gap Year mentality, inspiring it to become a cultural norm, a popular practice to send kids between high school and starting college abroad to have cross-cultural experiences.

My husband and I have also been in the midst of showing our home and negotiating the sale of our property. We have an offer and should know sometime today, if the potential buyer has accepted our counter offer.

I said all that to say that my/our cooking has been of a rather minimalist nature. My husband has been great about fixing us some simply delicious meals.

My daughter, Effie, is baking up a batch in the kitchen again - this time making the best-ever banana bread (really), and wonder of wonders it's also gluten-free! Effie shares her recipe, her photo and writes:

"I'll be making up a GF loaf for this weekend...but here is the recipe and picture for your blog!

From "The Big Book of Breakfast" pg. 292 (printed in 2003)


Banana Bread

Use very ripe bananas to make this moist bread. Serve as a side bread for breakfast or with afternoon coffee or tea. It is best made a day before serving. This bread also freezes well.

Ingredients:

1/3 cup melted butter or margarine
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 to 1-1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas (3 or 4)
1/3 cup water
1-2/3 cups all-purpose flour (or substitute rice flour to make GF)
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup chopped pecans or other nuts

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar. Add eggs, bananas, and water and beat for 30 seconds. Add flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt and mix until blended. Stir in nuts.
2. Pour mixture into a lightly sprayed or oiled 4-1/2-by-8-1/2-by-2-1/2-inch loaf pan. (Makes 1 loaf.)
3. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 55 to 60 minutes. (I baked for 55 and may reduce time to 50 so as not to over-brown the crust.) Cool in pan on a rack for 10 minutes. Run a knife around edges and remove bread from pan. When cool, wrap in foil to store.

Thanks again, Effie! Looking forward to your next batch with all those bananas in your kitchen ripening and getting sweeter as I write!

Raw, Vegan Gluten-Free Macaroons

My youngest daughter, Effie, is always considering what she can make for me that is gluten-free. One evening when we were invited over for dinner, she made raw, sugar-free vegan macaroons for dessert. It took her only a few minutes to make. The recipe comes from Jolinda Hackett.

As you can see, macaroons go great with ice cream drizzled with dark chocolate! The second image is a close-up so you can lick your screen. Better yet, get in the kitchen and make yourself a batch.

Ingredients:

8 medium sized dates
1 banana
1-1/2 cups shredded coconut

Directions:

Remove the pits from dates. Place ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth. Depending on the size of the dates and the ripeness of the bananas, you may need to add more or less coconut to get the right consistency. Mixture should be moist, but not too gooey.

Bake at 325 degrees for 10-15 minutes, until done. Cookies will be soft, but should cook enough to have a golden brown bottom and hold together well.

Note: Dates do contain a fair amount of natural sugar, but this recipe contains no refined or white sugar. Also, to be truly sugar-free, make sure the coconut flakes you are using do not have any added sugar. You may need to shop for sugar-free coconut flakes at a natural foods store.

Sweet & Sour Citrus Salad

What! The last time I blogged was March 2nd! Where did the time go... let me tell you.

I haven't spent much time in the kitchen coming up with new, tasty and exciting delectable dishes, because we've been doing some traveling about the west coast, flew to the east coast, and once home we were off again to Central Oregon to visit family.

While visiting Bristol and Newport, Rhode Island, I enjoyed some of their freshest and finest seafood I've ever tasted - lobster at DeWolf Tavern, the best ever fish & chips at Via Blue Ocean, and scallops at Scales and Shells (also at Ray's Boathouse in Seattle, Wa). Clam poppers were new to me. Crab cocktail and grilled oysters in Port Townsend and The 3 Crabs in Sequim, Wa.

Here's just a taste...


Since I've been back, I've been bogged down with the cares of life, getting ready for a garage sale and putting our house back on the market.... all this seems to have sucked away any drops of culinary inspiration these past few weeks.

I must say though that watching episodes of Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution is lighting sparks under my damp fire. And today, I mustered up enough enthusiasm to vote for my favorite dish in Oliver's Virtual Recipe Club- 20 Minute Meals/Cookbook Contest.

So, I'll begin again with a quick meal/side salad, something vegan, basic and sour, then sweeten it up to refresh and cleanse our palate!

I'm going to kick the blocks out from under my lethargy in the kitchen to kick-start an new wave of culinary enthusiasm, by sharing a healthy, zesty citrus salad with you!


Ingredients

1 large pink grapefruit, peeled and sectioned
1 large navel orange, peeled and sectioned
1 tablespoon sugar
1 large red pepper, julienned
1 small red onion, sliced and separated into rings
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar, or to taste
2 teaspoons grated onion
2 tablespoons poppy seeds
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground mustard
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel
4 cups torn salad greens
2 cups fresh mushrooms, sliced

Directions

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the citrus sections and sprinkle with the sugar.
2. Add the red pepper, red onion and toss lightly.
3. In a blender, combine the honey, vinegar, poppy seeds, grated onion, lemon juice, salt, mustard and lemon peel. Cover and process until blended.
4. Pour over fruit mixture and toss to coat.
5. In a large serving bowl, toss the salad greens, mushrooms and fruit mixture.
6. Option - top with some slivered almonds or tasty candied pecans!
   

Yields 6 servings