Peppered Tuna Steak Salad

Chef’s Notes: On a recent Fresh excursion, I decided to splurge. You know how it happens: The stars aligned, the lighting was just right and they were 25% off. I grabbed just one and knew just what I wanted to do with it. Thanks again to Nadia G. and her accursedly named show for another great inspiration! I know that some of you are oogied out by the fact it is still rare in the middle (MOM), but it is the ONLY WAY! Overcooked tuna is dry and sad. Don’t make your $13 tuna sad.

Plan of Attack:

1. Make Teriyaki

2. Grill

3. Assemble

Ingredients for 2:

1 lb Tuna Loin Steak

Freshly ground black pepper

1 Tbsp canola oil

Teriyaki-

¼ C red cooking wine

2 Tbsp low-sodium tamari soy sauce

1 Tbsp honey

1 tsp sesame oil

2 garlic cloves, crushed

½ tsp ground ginger

Salad-

Greens of choice

Tomatoes

Red onion

Bell pepper

Instructions:

1. In a small saucepan combine teriyaki ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer about 4 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside
2. Heat canola oil in a skillet to high heat until the oil begins to smoke.
3. While heating oil, pepper both sides of the tuna steak liberally
4. Cook tuna for 1-1:30 minutes on each side while basting with the teriyaki sauce(tuna should be left rare in the middle)
5. Enjoy on your bed of salad!

Food for Life,

the SupperSmiths, forging one meal at a time

Curried Tilapia Tacos

Chef’s Notes: Talk about a fusion of flavors! This is a perfect blend of East meets South with a mixture of sweet and spicy! All that could be heard was the sound of mmms during dinner.

Plan of Attack:

1. Season

2. Grill

3. Assemble

Ingredients for 2:

6-8 oz fresh tilapia filets

1 tsp olive oil

½ tsp curry powder

¼ tsp turmeric

¼ tsp ground cumin

Salt to taste

4 Tortillas

2 Tbsp Mango Chutney

Shredded Napa Cabbage

Red onion

Sriracha Sauce

Instructions:

1. Heat skillet to medium heat
2. Brush both sides of the tilapia with olive oil
3. Sprinkle with salt, turmeric, curry powder and cumin; repeat for remaining side
4. Cook 2-3 minutes on each side. Use a fork to flake the densest part to ensure doneness.
5. Smear mango chutney on one side of a tortilla. Top with shredded cabbage, ½ a filet of fish, red onion and top with sriracha sauce; repeat for remaining tortillas.
6. Enjoy!

Food for Life,

the SupperSmiths, forging one meal at a time

Wednesday- Tuna Pita Paninis

Chef’s Notes: To keep within my cheap ways, I don’t often allow waste of edible food. Last week when we headed to our reunions, I packed us hummus, pita chips and veggies for dinner. This has to be my new favorite way to use up pitas! If you can keep them from falling apart while stuffing them, once you press them Panini-style, they crisp up nicely and stay together! Yeah for no oozy pitas!

Plan of Attack:

1. Make avocado sauce

2. Assemble

3. Press

Ingredients for 2:

4 pita halves

1 (6.4oz) package White Chunk Tuna packed in water

1 avocado, mashed

¼ C yellow onion, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

¼ tsp garlic powder

¼ tsp salt

1 roma tomato, thinly sliced

Instructions:

1. Preheat Panini press, grill pan or broiler
2. In a bowl combine the mashed avocado, onion, garlic, garlic powder and salt
3. Heat your pita halves in the microwave 30 seconds to soften
4. Spread avocado mixture in pita half, top with tuna and tomato; repeat until all have been stuffed
5. Panini Press for 3-4 minutes
6. OR grill for 2-3 minutes on each side
7. OR broil on a baking sheet for 2-3 minutes on each side or until browned
8. Enjoy!

Food for Life,

the SupperSmiths, forging one meal at a time

Stay tuned for the final installment of the Mega Reunion Weekend tomorrow!

Wednesday- Tilapia and Mashed Purple Cauliflower

Chef’s Notes: Wondering all day what I was going to do with the purple cauliflower? Me too; I debated all day with what to do with it. We recently bought some so-so dates, so I thought I could use them and roast the cauliflower. Or, I could be adventurous and mash it. Adventure beckoned (and SmithCale encouraged).

Plan of Attack:

1. Simmer Cauliflower

2. Mix & Mash

Ingredients for 2:

1 (2 person serving) recipe Blackened Tilapia (minus basil & oregano)

1 head purple cauliflower, cut into florets

2 ½ C water

½ C veggie broth

¼ C buttermilk

1 oz romano cheese, shredded

1 oz gouda, shredded

½ tsp fresh thyme, chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Bring cauliflower, water and broth to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to medium; simmer 10 minutes until cauliflower is softened
2. Strain cauliflower into stand-mixer or bowl. Add buttermilk, cheeses, thyme, salt and pepper and mash until smooth (remembering it’s cauliflower…not potatoes)
3. Reheat pot back to medium heat and return cauliflower mixture to pan and heat for a few minutes just to thicken.
4. Enjoy!

Food for Life,

the SupperSmiths, forging one meal at a time

Tuesday- Tilapia Bundles

Adapted from Clean Eating

Chef’s Notes: I’ve been avidly trying to keep our fish consumption to once a week, but you can only make tilapia filets in so many ways. This recipe intrigued me; at first I just thought it looked beautiful. Then I realized that they were filled with cheesy tilapia. Hmm… some of you know my personal struggle with wanting only marinara/tomatoes in my pasta. I’ve never been a huge alfredo fan, but I thought I’d put on my big girl cheese pants and give it a curdle! Also, the recipe had a green onion portion that was too hard and didn’t really work, so I’ll save you the frustration. The flavor is light and the cheese will delight!

Plan of Attack:

1. Boil lasagna noodles

2. Prep carrot/ Cook tilapia

3. Melt cheese sauce

Ingredients for 4:

8 oz lasagna noodles (we opted for regular over whole wheat, have to say, twas a good choice)

Cooking spray

1 carrot, shredded

1 tsp olive oil

12 oz tilapia filets

4 oz light cream cheese

½ C 1% milk

1 Tbsp fresh thyme (or 1 tsp dried)

½ tsp salt

2 oz Gruyere cheese, shredded

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8x8 baking dish with cooking spray; set aside
2. In a large pot boil enough water to cooking the noodles according to package directions; drain and set aside
3. Heat a skillet to medium heat. Add olive oil and heat about a minute
4. Add tilapia filets and cooking about 1 ½ minutes on each side, then break fish into pieces using your spatula. Continue cooking until fish is cooked through; remove from heat
5. Heat a medium pot on medium heat and add cream cheese, milk and salt. Whisk until fully melted. Then add ½ of the shredded cheese and whisk until smooth again. SET ASIDE ½ C of the cheese mixture (for the top of the dish), then pour the rest of the mixture into the tilapia and mix in the shredded carrot.
6. Assemble the bundles by laying the lasagna noodles on a cutting board a few at a time and placing about 2 Tbsps of the mixture at one end and rolling. Place in the prepared 8x8 dish and repeat until all are stuffed and rolled. (I really had the jam the last few in, but they did fit!)
7. Top the bundles with the reserved cheese mixture and shredded cheese
8. Bake for 25 minutes
9. Enjoy!

Food for the Brain,

the SupperSmiths, forging one meal at a time

Had to share this gooberific picture of me. SmithCale was playing with the setting on our camera and found a smile detector. Obviously you have to roar smile REALLY big to get it to work.

Tuesday- Blackened Replay

Whenever SmithCale actually recommends something he'd like to eat for dinner, of course I make it! On the menu: Blackened Tilapia using naan bread as a wrap

We had a heated debate in the grocery store about what kind of bread to make our tacos on. I hate to buy tortillas, I alway end up wasting some. I HATE wasting food. So I was going to buy pitas because I could use those fairly quickly.

SmithCale threw a little man fit disagreed about eating his Blackened tilapia on a pita. So we reached a truce: Naan bread.

Well played, sir.

I topped my fish with arugula, avocado and chipotle ranch!

Look at that smug face enjoying his blackened tilapia on the bread of his choice. Only kidding, he was right.

Food for Life,

the SupperSmiths, forging one meal at a time

Wednesday- Blackened Tilapia

Adapted from GroupRecipes.com

Personal Note: I have to confess something else. I’m a people-pleasers. Whew! That’s so cathartic to say out loud. I can only hear so many times that fish is a great brain food and source of omega 3’s before I start to feel guilty about not eating enough. So, here’s to your Cajun brains!

Plan of Attack:

1. Mix spice rub/heat pan

2. Melt butter

3. Coat fish

4. Cook for 5 minutes

Ingredients for 2 servings:

2 tilapia filets

1 ½ Tbsp melted unsalted butter

Spice Rub-

1 Tbsp paprika

½ tsp salt

1 tsp lemon pepper

½ tsp garlic powder

½ tsp ground red pepper

½ dried basil

½ tsp onion powder

½ tsp dried thyme

Instructions:

1. Heat a dry, nonstick skillet to high heat
2. Mix together all spices in a small bowl
3. With either your fingers or a silicon brush rub melted butter on one side of the fish and sprinkle with spice mixture. Repeat on other side until fish is fully coated
4. Place fish in the hot skillet and cook for 2 minutes on each side or until the thickest piece of the fish flakes easily and is fully cooked
5. Enjoy!

Side Options:

Balsamic Baked Asparagus

Serving Options: We also really enjoy these wrapped in flour tortillas with a little ranch!

Tuesday: Broiled Tilapia Gyros

Adapted from Cooking Light

Personal Note: So as promised I used the last of the Naan bread! I love seafood by SOMEONE else in the house is allergic to shellfish, sort of. He refuses to go to the doctor and taint his perfect non-attendance for the last decade? He has tummy reactions to shrimp and most fish. We’ve found he can eat tilapia and tuna, so this is what I make! If you love Greek food like we do, you’ll enjoy this. You won’t even have to put Windex on it. (Big Fat Greek Wedding, anyone?)

Plan of Attack:

1. Make the Tzatziki (yogurt spread)

2. Broil Tilapia

Ingredients for 2:

Tzatziki-

½ C greek yogurt

1 tsp dill

½ tsp lemon juice

¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/8 tsp salt

1 garlic clove (or more if you prefer), minced

Fish-

2 tilapia filets

½ Tbsp olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Old Bay Seasoning to taste

Gyro Topping-

2 Flatbreads/gryos/Naan

½ English Cucumber, sliced thinly

4 tomato slices

2 thin slices of red onion

Instructions:

1. Preheat Broiler to high (if available)
2. Prepare fish: place fish on a foil wrapped baking sheet. Brush with oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper and Old Bay Seasoning on both sides
3. Broil for 6-7 minutes or until fish can be easily flaked with a fork at the thickest part.
4. While the fish broils, mix the tzakziki. In a small bowl combine yogurt, dill, lemon juice, black pepper, salt and garlic; stir. OR for a smoother consistency combine ingredients in a food processor and pulse until smooth.
5. Spread Tzakziki onto a flatbread, top with fish and other toppings
6. Enjoy!

Nutrition Facts:

479 calories

16.8g total fat (3.7 saturated)

46.1g protein

39.7g carbohydrates

9.4g fiber

88mg cholesterol

538mg sodium