Tilapia on a Bed of Vegetables

Tilapia is mild in taste, and easy on the wallet. This dish is simply delicious; low in carbohydrates and fat, and a decent serving of protein. Plus it makes a great presentation, as long as you have a gentle touch, as Tilapia is a thin, flaky fish, and may fall apart when you transfer it to your plate.

Ingredients
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup red pepper, cut into strips
1 cup yellow pepper, cut into strips
2 medium zucchini, cut into strips
1 cup red onion, thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 lb Tilapia
Salt & Pepper, to taste

Directions
1. Heat olive oil in skillet, saute vegetables for 2 or 3 minutes, stirring frequently.
2. Lay Tilapia on top of vegetables.
3. Sprinkle fish fillets with salt and pepper.
4. Cover pan, turn burner down to low and steam fish and vegetables for about 10 minutes, or until fish is flaky.
5. Transfer vegetables to plate and top with fish fillet.

Sesame Shrimp with Citrus Dipping Sauce

I love shrimp; in fact no holiday really seems complete without shrimp cocktail. For dinner last night I tried something a little different. We had sesame breaded shrimp with a spicy citrus dipping sauce. The original recipe called for several other ingredients and was meant to make enough shrimp for a banquet party, so I had some fun switching up some things to make it work for my needs. We had this as a entree, but you could certainly make this into a fancy salad, lettuce boat style for an appetizer.

Ingredients
Dipping Sauce
1 tangerine, juiced
1/2 lemon, juiced
2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
1/4 cup chicken broth
3 tablespoons light corn syrup (or honey, or agave, or cornstarch mixed with water. Basically anything that will thicken it up)
2 tablespoons sugar
dash hot sauce (or Oli's Sweet 'n Spicy Sauce)

Shrimp
2 egg whites
2 Tbsp cornstarch or potato starch
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 lb uncooked shrimp, peeled, deveined, tails on
1/2 cup sesame seeds
1/2 cup bread crumbs (I ground up some glutino crackers)
1/4 cup vegetable oil

Directions
1. For glaze: Bring all ingredients to boil in medium saucepan. Boil until slightly syrupy and reduces, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Rewarm before using.)
2. For shrimp: Whisk first 7 ingredients in medium bowl until well blended. Add shrimp; toss. Mix bread crumbs and sesame seeds in shallow dish. Dip shrimp into breading, coating both sides.
3. Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add half of shrimp; sauté until golden outside and opaque in center, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to plate. Repeat with remaining shrimp.

Tweaked from Bon Appetit Magazine Dec 2000

Tarragon Mayo Salmon

When I was a kid my mom used to put mayo on halibut, and I thought it was the darnest thing. However as I got older I learned to love it, and started using her "recipe" for salmon and cod. I say "recipe" because the amounts depend on your taste. This might sound strange to you, but the mayo has a great creamy taste when it gets hot. In fact, the other day I heard someone say they use mayo instead of butter when making a toasted cheese (grilled cheese) sandwich, and it makes it more creamy, and I may have to try that, but I digress.

Ingredients:
2 Salmon Fillets
Mayonnaise
Salt
Pepper
Garlic powder
Tarragon

Directions
1 Line pan with foil.
2 Put Salmon in pan and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and garlic to your taste,
3 Spread mayo onto of the fish.
4 Generously sprinkle with Tarragon.
5 Bake covered in oven at 400 degrees for 20 minutes; uncover and broil for 10 minutes.
6 Serve and Enjoy!