Tilapia with Chili Lime Sauce

This is another recipe from The Asian Cookbook. As it gets warmer here in Arizona I like to eat lighter foods like fish and salads, so look forward to more of that on the blog.




The Ingredients...I adapted this to serve one


The steps. I had tilapia so that is the fish I used.



Check out this ultra cheat product from Fresh and Easy. You throw it in the microwave for 90 seconds and you have perfectly cooked rice ready to go. I also got some brown rice. I am all about convenience foods that have quality ingredients and that are tasty. This will be my side dish.



I got the monster sized Lime at my local Mexican grocery store, along with the dried chilis. Dried chilis are a great substitute if you cannot get them fresh.



I like frying in peanut oil as a nice change to olive oil. I use it in most of my stir fries and fried meats.



My garlic started to sprout, but thats ok, there is still good garlic in there!



Brown sugar. The recipe also says you can use Jaggery which is an unrefined sugar from Asia.



I get these fillets frozen and they are so convenient for single serving meals.



I just liked this photo, and hey, this is my blog I can be artsy for a second if I want to be.



Get your fish coated in the corn starch you saw earlier.



Get your garlic all pressed out.



cut your lime. if you absolutely have to use that lime from a bottle stuff go for it, but if you can get fresh limes DO IT you will be so much happier with the results...



Also, you cannot zest a green plastic lime filled with juice. Adding citrus zest to your recipes brings a lot of flavor. You will be amazed when you smell the citrus scents that are emitted when you get those essential oils going by using the zester. You can also use a microplane grater.



OK we are ready to get cooking. Get your oil nice and hot in your wok.



While it heats, run a knife through your chilis.



Get the fish in the oil and let it hang out for a few minutes. Use a spatula to peek underneath it and flip it when it is browned.



It looks good already!



Remove the fish to some foil and fold it up to maintain the heat. Get chilis and garlic in the pan and stir them around. After its in there a bit get your lime juice, water and brown sugar in the pan. Keep a close eye on this so it doesn't burn up. Once again my garlic turned blue! I have to reiterate that blue garlic is not bad, its just a chemical reaction, usually to something metallic.



The chili lime sauce will just have your mouth exploding with flavors. The plain rice is perfect for this because anything else might just be palate overload!




Fish is good food!

Boneless Pork Chops Niagara

This was another dish I made in the crock pot when I was attending a spring training baseball game. It was tasty and filling. The name comes from the fact that you should use a New York wine in the recipe, I didn't.












Get your pork and get it seasoned.




Rub it with the garlic and the salt and pepper.




get it frying, while it browns up, chop up your veggies.












you could use any color pepper you have handy.




Finally a recipe that actually calls for shallots!




Slice them up!




Hooray for garlic!








I used yukon gold potatoes. You can chop all these veggies the night before if you want.

Keep an eye on that pork!




get it out of the pan once its browned and drop it in the crock pot.




I used some albarino wine so I guess these are pork chops portugal?



time to deglaze!




pour in the wine with all the delicious cooked bits from the bottom of your pan.




layer in the peppers




add your shallots




tomatoes




and finally the potatoes. pop on the lid and go do something that makes you happy for 5-6 hours.




When you come home the meal is served and you won't have to do a thing. This is light, tasty, and so filling. There is a lot of broth with this so for leftovers I pulled out the pork and chopped it into bite sized pieces and served it as soup.

Cucumber Raita with Pita Toasts

This recipe comes from The Asian Cookbook. If you have folks coming over for easter tomorrow, this would be a great appetizer to set out. It is tasty and light.
















I used Greek style yogurt, but any plain yogurt will do.




You need a grater, a clean towel and some cucumber




Once the cucumber is grated it starts leaking out water




Putting the salt on the cucumber also helps draw out the moisture. Once you have it salted squeeze the excess water out. This will have a nice cucumber flavor so add it to some tomato juice or into your bloody mary, if you're into that!




All wrung out...




Get your yogurt measured




and into the bowl



I love cumin




sugar




Mix it all up!




drop in the cucumber




give it a stir and get it in the fridge for a few hours, you can even make this the night before.

When you are ready to serve, preheat your oven to 400 degrees for the pitas and add in your herbs. I just don't like cilantro and there was no way the SO would even try this if it had mint in it, so I used parsley.







break off some leaves




and give it a chop. I have a mezzaluna made by Nigella Lawson that I love to use for greens and herbs. It is a fast way to chop with no danger of losing a finger, and its just fun!









Stir in your parsley and let it hang out




I keep my pitas in the freezer as they tend to go bad quickly. I pull them out and then toast them in the oven. Keep an eye on them, they will toast up quickly, just a minute or so on each side.




Get the Raita in a serving bowl and sprinkle on some chili powder. I also added some hot paprika, because I love it.




Serve with some toasted pita chips for a tasty and easy appetizer!