Sunday, June 28, 2009

Tilapia Poached in a Chipotle Mushroom Broth

Listen, I like gourmet foods. I really do. I love eating at fancy restaurants, I love truffles, I love anything foodie. But the thing is, that's about 8% of what I cook at home on a regular basis.

Money is tight for everyone these days. Everyone's talking about budgets and cutting back and doing without some of those luxuries we once indulged in. Even I am looking at ways on cutting back, especially moving from an apartment with a roommate, splitting expenses, to my own abode.

That's why I love this recipe. It's fancy enough to serve to guests, yet cheap enough that you can serve it without feeling guilty about blowing your food budget. This recipe serves 4 and cost less than $10!

And not only is it cost effective, but it's also dead-easy to make. I love poached fish recipes, because they really are almost foolproof! Since the fish is simmering in a flavorful broth, you'd really have to almost go completely out of your way to overcook it. The 2 chipotles give it a bit of a kick, so if you're sensitive to spicy foods, I'd use 1/2 to 1 pepper. Now go ahead and give this simple recipe a try - you'll have dinner on the table in less than 30 minutes!

Tilapia poached in Chipotle Mushroom Broth

Tilapia Poached in a Chipotle Mushroom Broth
Serves 4

Broth
2 chipotle peppers (I used the canned ones in adobo sauce)
1/4 c heavy cream
2 cups vegetable stock
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp onion powder

4 tilapia fillets
A bit of flour, salt, and pepper
2 cups sliced mushrooms
1/4 c fresh cilantro, minced

In food processor, process chipotle peppers and heavy cream until well combined. Add stock, garlic, cumin, and onion powder, and pulse until mixed. Meanwhile, lightly coat tilapia fillets with flour, seasoned with salt and pepper. Set aside.
In large flat skillet, heat a few tbsp of oil over medium heat. Add mushrooms and saute for 2 minutes. Push mushrooms to the side of the pan and add fillets. Allow to
brown for a minute on each side. Then pour broth over mushrooms and fish and cover pan. Allow to simmer 8-10 minutes, until fish is tender and cooked. Sprinkle fresh cilantro over dish and serve immediately. This would be excellent over rice so not a drop of the broth is wasted.

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

My kind of bracket competition!

I've never been one for March Madness. I mean, I can sit through a basketball game here or there, but I've never gotten into the frenzy of it all.

During my hiatus from this blog, I received an email from a reader who concocted a bracket out of all of the 28 Cooks' hummus recipes they wanted to try. What a fantastic idea! I'm curious to see who takes the entire thing - I know I would definitely have a hard time picking a winner out of a few of those listed.

And if you're a hummus lover and have yet to check out the 18 hummus recipes on this site, I'd suggest you stroll immediately over to the sidebar and give a few a try.

Monday, June 22, 2009

The First Meal

Wow - where have I been, right? It's been over 2 months since I've last blogged, and to me, it seems like much more than that. But it's not because I haven't wanted to get into the kitchen - I just haven't had the time. In short, in the past 2 months I:
*Finally graduated from college with a new degree
*Started a new job in a brand-new city
*Packed up and moved to new apartment in said city

I'm finally starting to get settled in my new home and am loving the quietness of the woods that my dining room and living room windows face. Although I still have to adjust to the lighting and windows for my photos, I thought I'd post a picture of the first meal I made tonight in my new home.

No recipes just yet, but I promise as soon as I complete the final move this weekend, I'll be back to share some recipes for all of that summer produce that is so plentiful.

For my first meal, I just had to use something fresh, so I decided to grab some lovely green beans and sauteed them in sesame oil with onion, garlic, and a few pinches of salt. I also tried this recipe for a vegetarian meatloaf option, adding more horseradish, as well as crushed red pepper, montreal steak seasoning, chopped fresh serrano peppers, and plenty of fresh garlic. It's not too bad, although I'll have to post my most favorite vegetarian meat loaf recipe sometime soon. Here's a look at the entire meal:

The First Meal

(please excuse the quality of the picture - my real camera is packed somewhere and I had to use my everyday one)


Enjoy the rest of your day and I'll see you on the flipside of the weekend!