Ginger and Cilantro Baked Tilapia

I know we haven't been posting for a while, but this recipe I found on pinterest is so ridiculously delicious that I had to share.

This is one of my favorite dishes I've tried on Pinterest.  It is delicious.  Lots of flavor, not at all dry, and super fast and easy.  Everyone loved it.  I didn't make nearly enough.  It was a bit spicy for some, so I've toned down the jalapeno a bit, but not cut it out altogether, because it really adds to the yumminess. I'm altering the proportions for my family of 6 (with a little bit of leftovers) and based on my personal taste.

Ginger and Cilantro Baked Tilapia

6 tilapia fillets (or similar thin white fish) - about 2 pounds
1/2  jalapeno pepper
6-7 garlic cloves
3 inch grated fresh ginger (3 tablespoons)
6 tablespoons soy sauce
3/4 cup chicken broth
1 Tablespoon sesame oil
1 cup chopped cilantro
Scallions, chopped for garnish
Extra cilantro, to garnish

Heat the oven to 475ºF. Pat the fish dry and season lightly with salt and pepper. Place in a glass baking dish.
Chop the pepper and garlic, and grate the ginger. Put in a small food processor with the soy sauce, chicken broth, sesame oil, and cilantro. Whir until blended. Pour the sauce over the fish, rubbing it in a little. Bake for about 8 minutes, or until the fish flakes easily and is cooked through (mine took about 12 minutes). It will be very moist and gelatinous, still.
Garnish with scallions and cilantro. Serve immediately.  We had it with cilantro-lime rice and a green salad.

Recipe Source: Faith Durand from thekitchn.com

(Cafe Rio-y) Creamy Tomatillo Cilantro Dressing

I've had a couple of requests for this recipe, so I figured it would be easier to just post it here.

Oh, how I love Cafe Rio, especially their salads. After trying, combining and tweaking, this is the closest thing to Cafe Rio dressing that I have found. It is delicious, and more than 20 girls and leaders at Girls' Camp agree.  If you're looking for some uber healthy dressing that will extend your life and make you able to complete a triathlon, keep looking.  But, if you are looking for absolute yumminess that spruces up even the dullest of salads, this is for you.  At camp we also discovered that it is a yummy dip for veggies and tortilla chips. 

1 pkg. Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing (dry mix)
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 bunch of cilantro with just the long stems removed
1/2 – 1 small jalapeno (remove seeds and membranes)
1 cup mayo
1 generous tsp. lime juice
2  tomatillos (remove outer papery skin)-the key ingredient in my opinion
1 garlic clove-minced

Blend all ingredients in blender. It tastes best if you make it ahead and let the flavors mix together, but if you're not a planner-like me sometimes-it also tastes great right out of the blender. This makes about 3 cups of dressing.

Breakfast Pizzas (for dinner)

As meal planning and cooking have gone right out the window this summer, this quickie meal is one we've had a lot. It's a great one for 6pm when I still haven't nailed down a dinner plan, and I haven't been to the store in weeks, as it uses ingredients I keep in the freezer (ham or bacon, English muffins) or have on hand (cheese, eggs). It is pretty kid friendly also, one of Isaac's favorite meals.

I am just giving my short version of the instructions, as this is a pretty adaptable recipe. If you want the full details the link is here at Our Best Bites.

English muffins of your choice (Costco sells them cheap; we freeze the extras for quick pizzas or breakfast sandwiches)
Eggs (for 6 whole muffins you'll want about 4 eggs)
Milk (2 teaspoons per egg)
salt
Tabasco to taste (be fairly generous, it makes a big difference)
Shredded cheddar or Monterey jack cheese
Toppings (we use bacon or ham and whatever vegetables need to be eaten in our fridge: bell peppers, mushrooms, green or red onions, tomato slices, diced green chiles, even zucchini)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease baking sheet generously or use a silicon baking mat or parchment. In shallow bowl whisk together eggs, milk, salt, and tabasco. Slice each muffin in half horizontally if they are not pre-sliced. Soak each half in the egg mixture (like french toast) and place on baking sheet, cut side up.

Top generously with meat or veggies of your choice and then with shredded cheese. Bake for 15 minutes and serve immediately.

Cold Raspberry Soup

I love crops that grow without me having to do anything. This year our raspberries have, for the first time, produced more fruit than we can eat while standing there picking. I used a big bowl we picked yesterday to make this Cold Raspberry Soup, like the kind they serve on cruise ships. The recipe comes from my Aunt Cheryl.

Cool Raspberry Soup

1 bag (20 oz) frozen raspberries, thawed (or fresh)

1 1/4 cups water

1 cup cran-raspberry juice (Minute Maid Cran-Apple-Raspberry)

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

3 whole cloves

1 TBSP lemon juice

1 carton (8 oz.) raspberry-flavored yogurt (I used peach)

1/2 c. sour cream (sounds strange but it works, so does plain yogurt)

In a blender, puree raspberries and water. Transfer to a large saucepan; add the cran-raspberry juice, sugar, cinnamon and cloves. Bring just to a boil over medium heat. Remove from the heat; strain and allow to cool. Whisk in lemon juice and yogurt. Refrigerate. To serve, pour into small bowls and top with a dollop of sour cream. Yield: 4-6 servings.

Tutu's Lemon Ice Cream

This is one of my all-time favorites, second only to Tutu's Orange Sherbet.  My grandma knew her ice cream.  Is there anything better than lemon in the summer?  Plus it is super easy; the hardest part is juicing the lemons-which is not that hard.  Sorry, no picture.  It's always gone before I remember to take one. 


A couple of tips: If you chill the canister and the ingredients before you put them in your freezer, your ice cream will freeze faster.  I always allow more time than it says in the freezer instructions, because it always seems to take a little longer. If you have a lactose intolerant family member, I use rice milk.  It's not as creamy-more like a sorbet-but equally delicious. I tried soy milk, but it had a weird aftertaste.

I am also including the directions for a mini 1-quart freezer.  Some of the measurements seem a little funky, but they work.

Tutu's Lemon Ice Cream

6-quart freezer version

 

3 quarts half & half

6 cups sugar

Juice of 12 lemons

6 teaspoons lemon rind

Combine the above ingredients and stir until sugar is dissolved.

Freeze according to your ice cream freezer's instructions.

mini version:

(This will make approximately one quart of ice cream)

3 cups of half & half

1 ½  cups of sugar

Juice of 2 ¾   lemons

1½ teaspoons lemon rind

Combine the above ingredients and stir until sugar is dissolved.

Freeze according to your ice cream freezer's instructions.

**We called my grandma Tutu because she was in Hawaii when her first grandchild was born.  Tutu means grandma in Hawaiian-isn't that cute?  My Tutu was adorable.

Berry Angel Delight

 

 

It seems like our recipe blog has been in hibernation for a while. So it’s time for some super summer recipes. Let’s see if we can find something to bring on the warmer weather.

This is a great summer recipe because it requires no cooking at all. I have made it several times and it’s always a hit. It’s a Betty Crocker recipe that I adapted to fit in a 9X13 pan. So it won’t be cut into a wedge like the picture, we just scoop it out with a big spoon.

INGREDIENTS:

2 C heavy whipping cream

1/4 C sugar

4 C vanilla yogurt (sometimes I use strawberry or a mixture of both)

1 round angel food cake, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 C fresh blueberries

4 C quartered fresh strawberries

1 C fresh raspberries

DIRECTIONS:

In a large bowl, beat whipping cream and sugar with electric mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form. Gently fold in yogurt. Add cake pieces gently combine with the yogurt mixture. Spoon half of the cake mixture into a 9X13 pan; press down with a rubber spatula. Top with half of the berries. Repeat with remaining cake mixture; press with spatula. Top with the rest of the berries. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.

I use mostly strawberries, but you can switch up the amount of each berry depending on your tastes. Blackberries also work well in this recipe. There are quite a few fruit/yogurt combinations you could use with this recipe.

Toasted Sesame Seed Sugar Cookies

This recipe comes from McCormick. These cookies were quite tasty. The only problem is that I was too cheap to buy two bottles of sesame seeds, and even though I skipped adding seeds to the batter, I ran out before I could coat all of the cookies. So, I switched to toasted coconut and both versions were delicious.

Note: here is a great article on how to toast sesame seeds.
         here is a great article on how to toast coconut.

Ingredients

2 3/4 cups flour
2 teaspoons Cream of Tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 jars (1.62 ounces each) sesame seeds, toasted (about 1 cup), divided
   and, or toasted coconut
2 ounces bittersweet baking chocolate, melted

Directions

1. Mix flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt in medium bowl. Set aside. Beat butter in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add sugar; beat until well blended, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Gradually beat in flour mixture and 1/4 cup of the toasted sesame seed on low speed until well mixed.

2. Refrigerate dough 2 hours or until firm. (I’m sure I didn’t wait for 2 hours).

3. Preheat oven to 400°F. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in remaining 3/4 cup toasted sesame seed. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets.

4. Bake 6 to 8 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on baking sheets 1 minute. Remove to wire racks; cool completely. Drizzle cookies with melted chocolate. Let stand until chocolate is set.

The recipe says it makes 6 dozen, but I don’t know if I got that many. I may have made bigger cookies though.