Tilapia with Cucumber Mint Relish and Coconut Rice

Okay, this recipe doesn't use a lot of veggies we have gotten from our baskets lately.  The only thing I used up was an English Cucumber.  BUT, it was SO good that I had to post it anyway.  Amazing, actually.  My dear friend, Kristie, gave it to me several months ago and I finally made it last night.  I'm pretty sure this will be a regular around our house!

Tilapia with Cucumber Mint Relish and Coconut Rice

Coconut, Mint, and Chive Relish:

1 1/2 cups peeled and chopped English Cucumber
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup chopped fresh chives
1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut
2 Tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint
2 Tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro (I used 3 Tablespoons)
1-2 jalapeno peppers seeded and minced (use only 1 if you don't like the heat)!
2 Tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon peanut oil (I just used Olive Oil...it's what we already had)
1 teaspoon mustard seeds (I used ground mustard...again, what we already had)

Fish:
2 teaspoons grated lime rind
1 1/2 Tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon peanut oil (again, I used Olive Oil)
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
6 ( 6 ounce) tilapia fillets (You can buy individually packaged fillets at any grocery store and it's cheap!)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
Cooking spray
lime wedges

Coconut Rice:

***I doubled this recipe
1 cup coconut milk
1 1/2 cups water
1 teaspoon salt

1 cup white rice (not instant)

1 Tablespoon sugar

1.  Preheat Boiler

2.  To prepare Coconut Rice:  Combine 1 cup coconut milk, 1 1/2 cups water, and 1 teaspoon salt in a pot over medium-high heat and bring to a boil, stirring OFTEN.  Once it is boiling, add the rice and reduce heat to a simmer.  Cover and cook 20-25 minutes.  Once rice is cooked add 1 Tablespoon of sugar, sprinkle on top and let it soak in for a few minutes.
3.  To prepare relish:  Combine cucumber, chives, coconut, mint, cilantro, and jalapeno. Stir in 3/4 teaspoon salt, 2 Tablespoons of lime juice, and 1/2 teaspoon cumin.  Heat 1 teaspoon peanut oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.  Add mustard seeds; saute 30 seconds or until seeds begin to pop.  Add to cucumber mixture. Set aside
5.  To prepare fish: Combine lime rind, lime juice, peanut oil, cumin, and red pepper; rub evenly over fish.  Sprinkle fish with 1/4 teaspoon of salt and pepper.  Place fish on a baking sheet covered with aluminum foil (easier to clean up) and broil 7-10 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork.  

6.  Serve fish over coconut rice topped with cucumber relish = YUM!

BBQ Chicken Wraps

 {I'm REALLY sorry for my terrible pictures lately.  I am in desperate need of a new camera, I know!}

Last night we had the most delicious, simple dinner.  It was a perfect dinner in my opinion.  I could eat this dinner a couple times a week.  In fact, I had the left overs for dinner tonight and just might have it for lunch tomorrow!  Maybe I love it so much because it is a variation on one of my absolute favorite meals I've talked about before . . . BBQ Chicken Salad.

Here's what we did:

BBQ Chicken Wraps

Ingredients:

fresh tortillas (the ones you get from BB would be awesome, we buy ours at Costco)

boneless chicken breasts, cut in slices

BBQ Sauce (we use Sweet Baby Ray's.  YUM.  It's the best.)

blue cheese dressing (Maria's Blue Cheese is amazing.)

lettuce

green onions, chopped

avocado, sliced

red bell pepper, sliced

tomato, sliced

cilantro, finely chopped

Directions:

Cook your chicken in a large saucepan.  Once cooked through, add the bbq sauce and let cook for another 3 to 5 minutes.  Assemble the chicken, blue cheese dressing, and vegetables onto tortilla.  Wrap up and ENJOY!

See?  Totally simple.  And I promise the combination of all of the flavors is near perfection.

We had Roasted Parmesan Asparagus like Kim talked about here on the side and it was the perfect addition. Seriously, the perfect meal.

 

Black Bean Pitas with Avocado Salsa

I can't remember for the life of me where I found this recipe, but it's been sitting in my recipe binder for months, just waiting to be made.  And we finally made it last night.  

I had no doubt that my husband and I wouldn't love it because it has all of our favorite things . . . avocado, cilantro, tomato, onion, and fresh tortillas.  Yum!

I didn't love the mayonnaise/chipotle pepper combination so I just used fat free sour cream and added a few canned green chili peppers and it was perfect.  The chipotle pepper in adobo just had a bizarre taste to me . . . and I felt like I got a mouthful of mayonnaise here and there.  Ugh.  Sour cream with some green chili peppers is the way to go!

Black Bean Pitas with Avocado Salsa

Ingredients:

Avocado Salsa

2 large avocados, pitted and diced

1 1/2 to 2 cups tomatoes, diced

4 green onions, chopped

2 tablespoons lime juice

2 tablespoons fresh cilantro chopped (or more!  We used 4 tablespoons)

1/4 teaspoon salt

Combine all the above ingredients in a medium bowl and set aside.

Black Bean Pitas

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1 16 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1/2 - 1 teaspoon chipotle peppers in adobo (can be found by the canned green chilis)

***this is where I substituted sour cream and canned green chilis.***

1 cup chopped lettuce

Pitas, wraps, or tortillas

Directions:

Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook until clear.  Stir in garlic and cumin.  Add beans and salt.  Heat thoroughly.  Lightly mash the bean mixture, cover and set aside.

Combine the mayonnaise and chipotle pepper in a small bowl.  Taste and see how spicy/mild the mixture is and add more mayo or peppers as needed.  ***Or omit this and combine 1/4 cup sour cream with a couple tablespoons of green chilis like I did***

To make the pitas, spread the mayonnaise ***or sour cream mixture*** over the pita/wrap/tortilla, then add the bean mixture on top of the mayo, and top with salsa and lettuce.

BBQ Chicken Salad with tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, green onions, and tortillas

Okay, so this might not be the most original or creative 'recipe' I've ever posted.  Some of you may be thinking, "Duh.  I thought of that a loooooong time ago."  But for those of you that haven't, I hope I am sharing a little treasure with you.

A homemade BBQ Chicken Salad is probably my very favorite meal.  And I like my BBQ Chicken Salad way better than any I've had in a restaurant . . . yes, even California Pizza Kitchen and Chili's.  It's reallllllly good.  And the best part?  My husband loves it just as much as me!

On Saturday morning, when I came home with two more heads of lettuce (making three in our fridge), I knew this would be at the top of our menu this week.  And I have had it three times already (and I'd eat it three more time this week.  It's that good.)

It's simple, simple and delicious.  So here you go . . . 

BBQ Chicken Salad

Ingredients:

(you decide the quantity for how many mouths you are feeding)

boneless, skinless chicken breasts

bbq sauce (we love Sweet Baby Rays)

lettuce

tomato

cucumber

red pepper

avocado

green onion (we used the bulbs of the onion only)

cilantro (We don't skimp on the cilantro.  It adds an amazing flavor!)

tortillas

cheddar cheese

Directions:

Cube your chicken and cook in a pan on the stove.  While your chicken is cooking, chop your lettuce and veggies.  Once the chicken is cooked all the way thru, add some bbq sauce and a touch of water to the hot pan and cook for a few more minutes until the bbq sauce kind of caramelizes the chicken.  Heat your tortilla in a pan on the stove and melt a little cheese on the top.

Once the chicken and tortilla are cooked and the veggies chopped, put the tortilla on a plate (or a shallow soup bowl . . . that's what we use) and layer the lettuce, veggies, and chicken on top.  Add your favorite dressing (mine is Light House Honey Mustard with this salad) and ENJOY!   

I promise your taste buds will be in heaven!