Simple Grilled Tilapia

Tilapia is a nice, inexpensive white and fairly firm fish that is mild in flavor.  So it's versatile.  I like to use it to make fish tacos and I also like that it grills quickly and with little fuss.  This recipe is really a no-brainer and nothing fancy, just simple and fresh tasting.

Grilled Tilapia with an asparagus, carrot and snap pea stir fry and green salad.  Simple Summer.

Grilled Tilapia
4 tilapia fillets
2 tbl extra virgin olive oil
Juice from ½ a lemon
1 clove garlic, minced
Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper

In a small bowl, whisk olive oil, lemon juice and garlic together.  Place fish in a shallow baking dish and pour lemon juice mixture over, be sure to flip them over to be properly coated with marinade.  Place fish in refrigerator for 10 minutes.  Meanwhile, prepare grill; oil grates and heat to medium high heat.  Season fish with salt and pepper, place on grill and cook for 3 minutes per side until no longer opaque and slightly charred.  Use a good wide spatula to flip the fish, if the grates are nicely oiled it should be no problem to flip, the fish is firm enough to stay intact.  Or if you have a grilling basket and you like to use it, go for it.


Variation- swap lemon juice for lime, add a sprinkle of chili powder or your preferred taco seasoning mix and you have grilled fish for tacos.

Product Review- Newton Fruit Thins

The latest opportunity I was given in the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program was to try Newton Fruit Thins. I was sent a package of the Cranberry Citrus Oat.  I really had no idea what to expect, I actually really like the traditional Fig Newton and some of the other Newton flavors, and I thought maybe it would still be a soft, but thin fruit cookie.  But no, thin means crisp in this case and luckily, I am someone who likes crisp cookies.  In general, I'm not hung up on textures.  I don't discriminate against one texture or another, I guess I like them all.  I digress, anyway...Newton Fruit Thins, are light and crispy with flecks of fruit, in this case; cranberry and it had a hint of orange flavor.  It was also a bit nutty in taste and texture since it contains oat.  I really liked them.  My kids were hesitant, but seemed to like them after trying a couple.  The nutritional information boasts 8 grams of whole grains per serving, which I think is 3 cookies.
I haven't tried the other flavors; Blueberry Brown Sugar, Chocolate Raspberry and Fig and Honey, but I'm thinking the next one I'd try is the Chocolate Raspberry.  These were great to pack as a snack when we were out all day for a soccer tournament.  And I was thinking that crumbled up and sprinkled with some Greek yogurt as an afternoon snack would be very yummy.
So if you pass these by in the supermarket, I would say give them a try and let me know what you think.

Things We Love

This section is devoted to being a comprehensive resource for products and services we love.  Please share with us anything you love and don't see listed here.
Magazines

Bon Appetit- Besides recipes, the magazine features interviews, travel and/or restaurant articles and features about products.
Cook’s Illustrated - Consider this magazine the Consumer Reports for cooking.  No advertisements which means they review and rate both kitchen equipment and food products.  Plus provide excellent articles and detailed recipes.  The website is also full of great information but requires a paid subscription.

Everyday Food - Martha Stewart's magazine for the everyday home cook.  Plenty of easy recipes, often more realistic to make than what you would find in Martha Stewart Living. 

Food Network Magazine- Features a lot of recipes, plus articles, profiles of the network chefs and entertaining ideas.
Real Simple - For everything from home decor to health and finance.

Cooking Light - Very popular magazine that often takes traditional recipes and makes them lower in fat and/or calories.

Shape - Great fitness magazine that also features interviews, fashion and cooking.

 

Cook Books
Paula Deen's My First Cookbook
Williams-Sonoma Kids in the Kitchen: Fun Food
I'm Just Here for the Food: Food + Heat = Cooking
Everyday Food: Great Food Fast
The New Best Recipe: All-New Edition
Joy of Cooking: 75th Anniversary Edition - 2006
Serious Barbecue: Smoke, Char, Baste, and Brush Your Way to Great Outdoor Cooking

Products and Services

Contigo BPA Free Kids Autoseal 2-Pack, Set of 2, Girls Colors

Snapware and Container Store for pantry organization
Reusies- reuseable sandwich and snack baggies
Easy Lunch Boxes- Great re-useable containers that are much less expensive than others on the market.
Get Natured - A blog for living a whole health lifestyle.
Pampered Chef- Outstanding cooking tools, cookbooks and seasonings.

Chef Mark- Remarkable Palate- Personal Chef Services in NYC, plus a great blog with audio cooking tips
Chefs Catalog- Huge catalog of cooking tools and equipment 
 

Food Products

Penzey’s Spices
Trader Joe’s Truffle Brownie Mix- we like to bake from scratch, but this mix is outstanding!

Trader Joe’s Carne Asada or Tri-tip Asada (watch the sodium content, but it tastes great)

Aidell’s Sausages

Aidell’s Teriyaki Chicken Meatballs
Amy’s Organics Bean & Cheese Burritos
Costco Rotisserie Chicken
Everett & Jones BBQ Sauce
Cowgirl Creamery Cheese (SO GOOD!)
Cal Tex Cattle Cooperative (Sacramento area local, grass fed Angus beef)

Farm Fresh to You - Organic produce delivery, commonly referred to as a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture)

Non-Food Related
Chicks-n-Chickens - Lullaby exercises for mama and baby
Etsy - GREAT place to shop for handmade items.  Wonderful for unique gifts, especially for hard to shop people.
Celtic Cloths- Fabric retailer plus all the supplies you need for making your own cloth diapers

Product Review- Magnum Ice Cream Bars

Right off the bat I must confess that I love ice cream. I have a major sweet tooth and baking is my first love, but I never pass up ice cream. I actually love to make ice cream, so look to see some posts from me with recipes this summer.

So, as a member of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program, the new premium ice cream bars, Magnum provided the opportunity to try their product, I jumped at it. I chose their Double Caramel which is vanilla bean ice cream dipped in chocolate, then that is dipped in caramel and then dipped in chocolate again. Yum, right? Right! I am always a fan of chocolate and caramel in combination, so when given a choice I'm always going to pick that over something all chocolate or just chocolate and vanilla. It was delicious; the chocolate coating was not a fake waxy flavor, it tasted like chocolate. The caramel in between did not drip too much, but it wasn't firm and chewy. The vanilla ice cream was not a heavy super premium, which I love, but it was a nice creamy vanilla bean. It worked for this bar and tasted good.
Magnum bars come three in a package, which is not enough if you have a family, you'd have to purchase more boxes. They are $5 or less per box, I saw them for $3.86 at Walmart, which I think is a reasonable price for a good size and higher quality ice cream bar. I hope to see them in a larger "family" package or maybe sold at Costco in larger volume. If you love ice cream and ice cream treats like I do, definitely give these a try this summer.