Lenten Recipe - Cilantro Tilapia

I am going to try and post a Lenten recipe each week.  I love cilantro.  I can eat it raw, I love it on my tacos, in my dips, on my salads, I make my own cilantro dressing, etc, etc.  I always have it in my fridge.

Since it was the first Friday of Lent, I bought some Tilapia.  I didn't want to make anything extravagant - I knew I was going to make some Quinoa and I had two bags of fresh spinach.  This dish is super easy to make and very filling/flavorful.  This is an original recipe.  Enjoy!

Cilantro Tilapia (or any other white fish could be used)

Ingredients:

1 bunch fresh cilantro, finely chopped
juice of 3 limes
3 pieces Tilapia
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
kosher salt to taste
black pepper to taste
1/4 cup olive oil

Directions:

In a large bowl combine all ingredients and toss to mix.
Place Tilapia in bowl to marinate in refrigerator for at least 3 hours.
Preheat saute pan to medium heat.
Add entire bowl into pan and cook for 5-8 minutes, turning fish once.
Serve hot with quinoa and sauteed spinach or anything else for that matter!

RIP Nunni

My Nunni passed away 2 years ago today.  As in my earlier post about her, she was/is a major influence of my love of food, cooking and eating great meals with family and friends.  I love and miss her so much.

Clean Eating Shrimp Awesomeness

Clean Eating Shrimp Scampi
(Googled "clean eating shrimp" and came to http://www.thegraciouspantry.com/)

1 pound package of frozen, small salad shrimp (I used a 1 1b. bag of frozen shrimp from Trader Joe's)
zest of two lemons
juice of two lemons
2 tbsp dried parsley (I omitted this for really no reason, I think I just forgot) 
1 tbsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp olive oil
1 lb whole grain pasta (I used gluten free, wheat free, lactose free pasta by Schar)
1 bag fresh, wild arugula (I added this myself, you could use spinach too)

Directions

Step 1 – Place frozen shrimp into a non-stick skillet with oil. Cook shrimp until they are mostly cooked and there is a nice bit of liquid in the pan (this will become your sauce)
Step 2 – Add everything else except the pasta.
Step 3 – When the shrimp is done and the flavors of your sauce have melded nicely, remove from heat.
Step 4 – Serve over pasta with a little parmesan, salt and pepper for taste.

My notes: This dish was VERY easy to make and VERY, VERY tasty!  The mix of the lemon zest and lemon juice with the garlic powder was so light and flavorful.  My home quickly filled up with a fabulous aroma!  It took me all of 15 minutes to prep this meal.  I added the arugula for some color and get some veggies in.  I have never cooked arugula but it was quite good.  For those of you who think arugula is too bitter for you - cooking it in the lemon sauce quickly gets rid of that bitterness (acutally cooking anything in lemon juice will reduce bitterness).  It adds great color and texture! 

My husband said...."You have outdone yourself with this meal!"  He is never one to really go crazy about my cooking (he likes it, he's just a man of few words).  I was thrilled to hear him say that.  So it must be tasty!

I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did!

Shrimp and Cholesterol

Do you like to eat shrimp?  I sure do.  Especially grilled on skewers on a warm, lazy, summer night with some fresh lemon juice and a piece of corn and grilled veggies.  Haven't we always heard that shrimp is "bad" for you because of how high in cholesterol they are?  Well, there is some great new information that has come out of some recent studies about how the cholesterol in shrimp is actually GOOD for you!  Read below!  This info is from the "livestrong.com" website.
__________________________________________________________________________________

Many people who are watching their cholesterol intake are told to avoid shrimp because it contains quite a bit, up to two-thirds of your daily recommended intake, according to CNN.com. However, research indicates that consuming shrimp may be safe and could even contribute to a healthier heart in some cases. If you have high cholesterol or are at risk of developing it, talk with your doctor about whether shrimp has a place in your diet.

Types of Cholesterol

HDL cholesterol, or high-density lipoprotein, is considered the good cholesterol, and many medical experts believe its function is to carry cholesterol out of your arteries and back to your liver for removal from your body. In contrast, LDL, or low-density lipoprotein, is the bad cholesterol and should be limited because it can clog your arteries and increase the risk of a heart attack. Increasing your HDL cholesterol intake can counteract the effects of LDL cholesterol in your body.

Cholesterol Ranges Get Advice On Cholesterol Ranges. Find Expert Tips & Tricks Now! ChewOnIt.com

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HDL Levels

According to MayoClinic.com, lowering your LDL levels may not be enough to protect your heart. Adding foods to your diet that increase HDL cholesterol is also important. A healthy HDL level is 60 mg/dL or higher, which can be achieved, in part, by making dietary changes, which may include adding shrimp to your diet in moderate amounts. Your doctor can order a blood test to determine your level of HDL cholesterol.

Shrimp

Your dietary cholesterol intake should not exceed 300 mg, and a 3-oz. portion of shrimp contains about 107 mg. Despite this, researchers at The Rockefeller University found that eating shrimp raised HDL cholesterol enough to counteract the increase in LDL cholesterol that occurred with shrimp consumption. HDL increased about 12 percent among participants of the study, while LDL increased only about 7 percent, the university researchers report. They conclude that shrimp can be part of a heart-healthy diet, and the results of the study are likely because shrimp is low in fat and contains omega-3 fatty acids, which support a healthy heart and may even increase HDL cholesterol levels.

Considerations

Eating shrimp may offer you heart-healthy benefits, but you must eat it in moderation. The way you cook shrimp also has an effect on its ability to raise HDL cholesterol. Shrimp that is deep-fried or smothered in butter is not going to have the same benefits because the fat content will be much higher, which may increase LDL cholesterol. Steaming or grilling shrimp are two cooking techniques that preserve the health benefits. If you have lipid problems, you may not get the same benefits from eating shrimp, report the scientists at Rockefeller University.

How To Lower Bad Cholesterol Dealing With High Cholesterol? Cholesterol Truth You Need To Know! fibroids.com

5 Foods you must not eat: Cut down a bit of stomach fat every day by never eating these 5 foods. Beyonddiet.com

Food To Lower Cholesterol It's Easy To Eat These Foods Get Cholesterol List. DiminishDiabetes.com

Low Cholesterol Foods Need To Lower Your Cholesterol? Learn About Foods That Can Help! StayingFit.com/low-cholesterold

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References

• The Rockefeller University; Shrimp OK for Heart Healthy Diets; October 1996
• CNN.com; Shrimp's High Cholesterol May Not Be So Bad; Eugenia Halsey; October 1996
• Cleveland Clinic: The Power of Fish
• MayoClinic.com; HDL Cholesterol: How To Boost Your Good Cholesterol; June 2011
• USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference: Shrimp, Raw
• MayoClinic.com; End the Guesswork with These Nutrition Guidelines; February 2011

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/488963-shrimp-and-hdl-levels/#ixzz1nAGl10WY

Simple Salad

This recipe was from a salad I made for myself back in October.  The girls were napping and I was starving.  I often make this.  It is very high in fiber, protein and the flavors mix so well.  You can find this at a lot of restaurants and it is so easy to make at home.

Strawberry Spinach Salad

Half a bag of spinach
6 strawberries, chopped
1/4 cup taosted pine nuts
1 tbsp reduced-fat feta cheese
1 tbsp my famous balsamic dressing


Easy, delicious, filling and very good for you!  The flavors in this salad are so good.  My favorite part is the pine nut flavor.  Mixed in with the cheese and the strawberries - DELISH!

Another Smoothie Recipe

When I make my smoothies, I often just throw stuff in the blender without a recipe.  Sometimes they are delicious and sometimes not so much.  I made this one yesterday and wanted to make sure I posted it because it was very good and very filling.  I shall name it Bananas for Blueberries, corny I know.

Bananas for Blueberries

1/2 cup frozen blueberries
1 frozen banana (I will usually take bananas that look a lil over ripe and chop them up and put them in the freezer).
1 scoop plain Whey protein powder (my favorite brand is "Now Sports" because it only has THREE ingredients)
1 cup plain Kefir
I cup unfiltered, pure apple juice (Trader Joe's makes a GREAT one)
1/2 cup oat bran (this will give the smoothie a little texture, but is a great ingredient to keep you full)

ENJOY!

Updates

I am a horrible blogger, I know.  I am not happy about my lack of posting, but the last few months have been a little heartbreaking, busy, challenging, stressful, crazy and some good mixed in too.  I have been cooking and taking the pictures, just have not found the time to acutally post!

So - get ready for a barage of recipes!  Sorry for the overload but I hope you enjoy them!