Baked Lemon Butter Tilapia

Super easy, delicious, and healthy! And all done in about 20 minutes. Recipe courtesy of damndelicious.net

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, or more, to taste
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 4 (6-ounce) tilapia fillets
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Lightly oil a 9×13 baking dish or coat with nonstick spray.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together butter, garlic, lemon juice and lemon zest; set aside.
3. Season tilapia with salt and pepper, to taste and place onto the prepared baking dish. Drizzle with butter mixture.
4. Place into oven and bake until fish flakes easily with a fork, about 10-12 minutes.
5. Serve immediately, garnished with parsley, if desired.

Sheet Pan Lemon Rosemary Dijon Chicken and Potatoes with Feta Goddess Sauce

  

This was one of the yummiest meals I've had in a LONG time. You can make it with or without the feta sauce. It was really good, but it was also delicious on it's own if you want to cut down on time and ingredients.

SHEET PAN LEMON ROSEMARY DIJON CHICKEN  AND POTATOES WITH FETA GODDESS SAUCE

FROM HALF BAKED HARVEST

INGREDIENTS

• 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 4 cloves garlic, minced or grated (or 1 teaspoon garlic powder)
• 1 medium shallot, finely chopped (or 1 teaspoon onion powder)
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary (or 1 tablespoon dried rosemary)
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• juice and zest of 1 lemon
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 2 pounds boneless chicken breasts or thighs
• 3-4 medium russet potatoes, cut into 2 inch pieces
• 1 tablespoon raw sesame seeds
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 1 small bunch asparagus, ends trimmed

FETA SAUCE

• 4-6 ounces feta cheese
• 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 1 clove garlic grated
• juice from 1 lemon
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh tender herbs, such as dill, basil, or parsley (or 2 tablespoons dried herbs)
• 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes

INSTRUCTIONS

1. 1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. In a medium bowl, combine the remaining 4 tablespoons olive oil, the mustard, garlic, shallot, rosemary, paprika, lemon zest, lemon juice, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Add the chicken and toss well to combine. Let sit 15-20 minutes.

   2. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss the potatoes with 2 tablespoons olive oil and the sesame seeds. Season with salt and black pepper. Roast for 20 minutes, or until tender. 

   3. Remove the potatoes from the oven and push them to one side of the pan. Put the chicken on the other side. Arrange asparagus around the chicken. Drizzle over 1 tablespoon olive oil, season with salt and pepper. Return the pan to oven and roast for 20-25 minutes more, until the chicken is cooked through.

   4. Meanwhile, make the feta. Combine the feta, yogurt, garlic, and lemon juice in a blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Stir in the herbs, paprika, and a pinch of red pepper flakes. If desired, thin with additional lemon juice.

   5. To serve, divide the chicken, potatoes, and asparagus between plates. Spoon the feta sauce over the chicken. Eat and enjoy!

Change Your Life Chicken

 This chicken dinner actually will change your life. It's so easy and so delicious with very little clean-up. It's a complete one-dish meal. And you can use a variety of vegetables, so whatever you have on hand. 

Change Your Life Chicken

Recipe from www.thelazygeniuscollection.com

Ingredients:

Chicken Thighs with the bone and the skin (1-2 per person)

Two handfuls of vegetables per person. You can use whatever you have. Options: onion, carrot, potato, green bean, asparagus, leek, sweet potato, and cauliflower. (Avoid mushrooms, zucchini, squash, and broccoli with this method.) 

Olive oil

salt

pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees

2. Line a baking sheet with heavy duty aluminum foil

3. Cut your vegetables and toss with olive oil, more salt than you think you need, and black pepper. Consider cooking speeds with the vegetables you choose.

4. Peel back the skin from the chicken and season underneath generously

5. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. This is how you get the crunchy crusty layer or skin.

6. Place the chicken skin side up directly on top of the vegetables. 

7. Bake at 500 degrees for 50 minutes.

Variations:

Start with what's above, but once you feel comfortable with how it works, feel free to change it up. Add fresh rosemary or thyme to the vegetables. Rub the chicken (not the skin) with lemon or orange zest. (Rosemary and orange are a heavenly match.) Reinvent the meal with different vegetable combinations: onion, potato, carrot; leek and asparagus; onion and sweet potato, green bean and cauliflower. If you love it, try it. The worst that can happen is it's not great and you won't make it again. Same goes for exotic spices. Go nuts with curry powder, a taco seasoning blend, or whatever you want to try. You won't know if it works until you try. Use chicken breasts with the bone and skin if you must; be sure to bump the time to an hour. I can't vouch that it'll be as good, but I'm not your chicken boss.

Steak Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

 

image 

I have bought the pre-cooked sirloin at Costco a couple of times and love it for a quick, protein-rich lunch or dinner.  However, I was feeling a salad the other night and wanted to use the leftover sirloin I still had.  So, I googled "steak and goat cheese salad" and this one won out...and for good reason.  I made enough for Kate and me and she loved it so much that she made it again for lunch the next day!  

INGREDIENTS

• Extra virgin olive oil
• 1 pound flank steak or skirt steak (or Costco grass-fed pre-cooked sirloin in the refrigerated section)
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 head lettuce greens
• 1 bunch arugula (young leaves), tough stems removed
• 1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced lengthwise and cut into 1-inch long pieces
• 4 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1 avocado, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 4 ounces goat cheese, crumbled

For the dressing:

• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard (smooth), or 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
• Salt and pepper

METHOD

1 Cook the steak: (If using un-cooked steak) Heat a couple teaspoons of oil in a cast iron pan on high heat. Pat the steaks dry. Sprinkle the steaks on both sides with a little salt. 

Sear the steaks in the pan on both sides, just until nicely browned. Remove pan from heat and cover. Let cook for a few minutes more, until the steak is done to your liking.

You can test with a meat thermometer. Remove steak from pan at 125°F to 130°F for rare, 140°F for medium rare, 150° for medium. 

2 Let the steak rest before cutting, then cut thin slices: Remove from pan to a cutting board. Let rest for a few minutes before cutting. Cut thin slices, on a diagonal so you slice wide pieces, across the grain of the meat.

3 Make the salads: Toss together the lettuce greens, arugula, bell pepper, goat cheese, and scallions. Arrange on individual plates. Sprinkle with avocado. Lay on top several slices of chilled sliced steak. 

4 Make dressing: Mix together the lemon juice, olive oil, mustard, and salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle on salad.

Mom's Famous Freezer Bean and Beef Burritos

 With my kids being home all day every day, we have been going through food at an incredible rate.  Why is everyone so hungry all of the time?!  Add soccer practices right at dinnertime to the mix and I had to come up with a fast and hearty meal that everyone would love.  MKC is always my trusted source for meals that everyone in my house can get on board with and this one was no exception.   I just bought the Cilantro Lime Crema Dressing from Costco and it was so good drizzled on top.  I added some riced cauliflower at the end and it bulked up the burrito mix and added nutrition easily making 40 burritos.  Lastly, I bought these pre-cooked tortillas from Tortilla Familia and they worked great, saved time, and are delicious.

pic courtesy of MKC

Mom's Famous Freezer Bean and Beef Burritos 

Mels Kitchen Cafe

• 1 1/2 pounds ground turkey/beef (I used 1 pound of each so it made a lot more)
•  1 cup chopped onion
•  1 teaspoon salt (I use coarse, kosher salt)
•  1/4 teaspoon black pepper (I use coarsely ground pepper)
•  3 cans (16 ounces each) refried beans- I used Trader Joe's
•  3 cans (4 ounces) green chiles (mild, medium or hot, depending on preference)
•  1 1/2 cups (12 ounces) green taco sauce or green enchilada sauce 
•  1 1/2 cups (12 ounces) red taco sauce or red enchilada sauce
•  1/2 cup (4 ounces) salsa, green or red
•  1 teaspoon ground cumin
•  1 teaspoon chili powder
•  1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
•  1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• Frozen riced cauliflower, optional (adds zero flavor, but bulks it up and doesn't have texture once it heats so you can't see or taste it- I probably put 1 1/2 cups in)
•  6 to 7 cups shredded cheese (I prefer using a mix of cheddar and Monterey Jack)
•  20 10-inch tortillas or 30 8-inch tortillas (I used these and they're delicious)
• 
  

1. In a large saucepan, brown the ground beef and onion with the salt and pepper until cooked through, breaking the meat into small pieces as it cooks. Drain excess grease.
2. Add the remaining ingredients (except for the cheese and tortillas) and mix to combine. Heat through, stirring often to prevent sticking. Add additional salt and pepper to taste.
3. Let the mixture cool slightly. Spread about 1/3 to 1/2 cup of the filling on each tortilla (depending on the size of the tortilla and how stuffed you want them). Sprinkle about 1/4 cup cheese (or so!) on the filling. Fold in the sides and then roll the burrito closed (see pictures in the post for a visual).
4. I roll all the burritos and place them on a large sheet pan. After they are all rolled, I wrap each one individually in plastic wrap and then put them in gallon size ziploc bags and freeze.
5. To reheat, unwrap burrito from plastic wrap and microwave for one minute. Poke holes in the semi-thawed burrito with a fork or cut the burrito in half and microwave for 1-minute intervals until heated through. They'll be piping hot! Eat carefully. 🙂

Lomo Saltado (Peruvian Beef Stir Fry)

courtesy

This was just so different and so delicious.  I'm so happy I tried it!  It was hearty, healthy and so fun!  I used our air fryer to make the "french fries" which saves a ton of time.  Can't wait to make this again.  Skinnytaste has a TON of great recipes if you are ever in a rut.  They're all rated by tons of cooks, so you can tell when you've got a good one and when you go to print, you can adjust how many serving sizes you want and it auto-updates in the recipe.

Lomo Saltado

Skinnytaste

For the Baked Fries: (I made these in the air fryer and saved TONS of time)

• canola cooking spray
• 1 medium, 5.3 oz potato, russet or yukon gold, washed and dried
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• kosher salt and black pepper, to taste

For the Beef:

• 1/2 lb lean sirloin, cut into small, thin strips
• kosher salt, to taste
• 1/4 tsp cumin
• black pepper, to taste
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 medium red onion, sliced into thick strips
• 2 mini yellow bell peppers or 1 large
• 1 large jalapeno, ribbed and seeded, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 medium tomato, sliced into wedges
• 1 1/2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce, use tamari for gluten free and coconut aminos for whole30
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro

• Preheat the oven to 400°F.
• Lightly coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.
• Cut the potato lengthwise into 1/3-inch thick slices; cut each slice into 1/3-inch fries. Place on the baking sheet and toss with oil to evenly coat. Season with garlic powder, salt and pepper. Place on a single layer onto the greased baking sheet.
• Bake uncovered on the lower third of the oven for about 25 minutes or until tender crisp and golden.
• Meanwhile, season meat with salt, pepper and cumin.
• Heat a large wok over high heat. When hot add the oil and the steak, cook about 2 minutes, until browned on both sides. Add the onions, bell pepper, jalapeno and garlic and cook 2 minutes. Add the tomato, soy sauce and vinegar and cook 1 more minute. Season with more salt as needed, remove from heat and finish with cilantro.
• Serve immediately with french fries and divide evenly between 2 plates.