Ginger Soy Tilapia

At our house, we are always looking for new ways to enjoy fish prepared at home. Recently, I found a new alternative for Tilapia, which is one of our go to fish. We like that tilapia is a nice mild, white fish. It works well in many recipes and is not 'fishy' tasting. Both of the kids enjoyed this preparation and I was told I could make it again.

With the preparation inside of foil pouches, this meal could also be prepared on the grill. We enjoyed it with a side of corn and rice.

Ginger Soy Tilapia

Ingredients:
4 fillets (4 oz each) tilapia fillets
1/4 cup ginger soy sauce (or 2 Tbsp freshly grated ginger and 1/4 cup soy sauce)
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 pepper

Preheat oven to 425F.

Tear off 4 pieces of foil. Place a tilapia fillet in the center of each piece. Drizzle each with ginger soy sauce and sesame oil. Season with pepper.

Fold the top of the foil and crimp to seal. Arrange packets in a single layer on a rimmed baking stone.

Bake until fish is opaque, 10 to 12 minutes if thawed, 18 to 20 minutes if frozen.


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Chilled Plum Oatmeal Pudding

I enjoy oatmeal for breakfast. I usually make due with a simple packet of oatmeal, but in reality, my favorite is the good, goopy, slow-cooked kind that you have to add milk to. I typically get to enjoy that type when I am traveling and the hotel has it as an option on their buffet, or when I go out to Bob Evans or Panera for breakfast or occasionally at the cafeteria at work. I have pinned a few recipes for overnight oatmeal and crock-pot oatmeal, but haven't yet tried any of them. As I was reading through Martha Stewart Living this weekend (no idea which month), I found a recipe for oatmeal pudding. I thought that this sounded very interesting, as we are big fans of rice pudding. I also liked the idea that this could be a dessert or a breakfast option.

Her recipe indicated it made one serving, so I decided I needed to increase it so that I could make enough for the family to enjoy. I settled on tripling the recipe. I also decided to use unsweetened vanilla almond milk instead of plain. Even so, I had to add vanilla to the mix, because there just really wasn't any flavor outside of the plums that you serve on top. That being said, the oatmeal pudding, with vanilla extract added, is a great back drop for the juicy, tart plums that are made slightly sweet with the addition of maple syrup.

With the recipe tripled, I would say that it easily provides 6 servings if you are serving it as a breakfast, probably more like 12 if you are having it as a dessert. I definitely would make this again, I might even play with the flavors and try an almond extract or a maple extract instead of the vanilla next time I make it or even try sweetening it with a bit of brown sugar or honey. I also think it could be with other fresh fruit - cherries, blackberries, raspberries, etc. - although the tartness of the plum helps contribute to the flavor impact. Guess I will have to make this a bunch to try out all of the other options I have in mind.

Chilled Plum Oatmeal Pudding
Serves: 6

adapted from Martha Stewart Living Magazine

1 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
3 cups unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1 pinch coarse salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons maple syrup
3 plums, pitted and chopped
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Combine oats, 2 1/4 cups of almond milk and 2 1/4 cups of water and salt in saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until oats are tender, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and let cool slightly. Stir in remaining 3/4 cups of almond milk, the vanilla and 1 tbsp of maple syrup. Chill overnight.

Toss plums, 1 tbsp maple syrup and cinnamon in a bowl. Let stand 5 minutes.

Serve oatmeal topped with fruit and juices. Sprinkle with cinnamon, if desired.

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Grilled Chicken and Peaches with a Curried Tomato and Shallot Vinaigrette

As I was reading through a stack of magazines this weekends, I found several recipes that I was anxious to try. One recipe that I saw was for grilled chicken with curried peaches. It caught my eye because of the use of fruit in it. After actually reading the recipe, I knew I had to change it up because in the recipe I clipped, the peaches were not grilled. I am a fan of cooked fruits in my main dish, so I simply had to modify. My husband was a little bit skeptical of the peaches (and maybe the word curry), but after trying one of the peaches decided that he liked it even better than the tomatoes (have I mentioned that he is a huge fan of fresh tomatoes in dishes). I liked the idea that the vinaigrette gets added to the cooked chicken, rather than serving as a marinade. It really helped make the chicken tender and flavorful. We served it over brown rice, which absorbed the vinaigrette and also had a nice flavor.

This recipe is a definite keeper for my family.

Grilled Chicken and Peaches with a Curried Tomato and Shallot Vinaigrette
Serves: 4

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3 tablespoons olive oil
salt
pepper
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
2 peaches, pitted and cut into wedges
2 tomatoes plum
1 shallot thinly sliced

Directions:

Preheat gas grill.

Brush 1 tbsp of olive oil on peaches and chicken. Salt and pepper the chicken.

Grill chicken until cooked through. At the same time, grill the peaches, offset from the heat (on shelf or side of grill opposite flames). If you want to give it some grill lines, you can put it directly over the heat for the last couple of minutes but they get warmed through and tender offset from the heat.

In a large bowl, whisk together vinegar, curry and the remaining 2 tbsp of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Add tomatoes and shallots. Set aside.

When the chicken is done, arrange on a platter. Add the peaches to the vinaigrette and toss gently to coat. Spoon the mixture on top of the chicken.

Top with chopped parsley or cilantro, if desired.

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