tilapia stew with sweet potatoes, collard greens, chick peas, and cornmeal dumplings

so apparently today is national bouillabaisse day.  i didn't know a stew could have a national day, but apprently it can.  and does.

for anyone who doesn't know, a bouillabaisse is (thanks, wikipedia!):

Bouillabaisse is a fish soup containing various kinds of cooked fish and shellfish and vegetables, flavored with a variety of herbs and spices such as garlic, orange peel, basil, bay leaf, fennel and saffron. There are at least three kinds of fish in a traditional bouillabaisse, typically scorpionfish, sea robin, and European conger, and it can also include gilt-head bream, turbot, monkfish, mullet, or silver hake.  It also usually includes shellfish and other seafood such as sea urchins, mussels, velvet crabs, spider crab or octopus. More expensive versions may add langoustine. Vegetables such as leeks, onions, tomatoes, celery and potatoes are simmered together with the broth and served with the fish.

now, depending on the recipe, bouillabaisse can get a little pricey (as it usually should contain at least three or four different kinds of seafood and shellfish -- and saffron, which i don't have), so i decided to make a fish stew.  not quite a bouillabaisse, but delicious.  and filling, healthy, nutritious, and really pretty simple and easy.

tilapia stew with sweet potatoes, collard greens, chick peas, and cornmeal dumplings

4 tilapia filets, roughly chopped into large bite-sized pieces

a few tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 onion, diced

6 cloves garlic, smashed and minced

2 carrots, diced

1 green bell pepper, diced

2 stalks celery, diced

1 sweet potato, diced

4 leaves (approx.) collard greens, cut in a rough chiffonade

1 can chick peas, drained

1 can diced tomatoes with liquid

2-3 tbsp each of apple cider and red wine vinegar

4 c hot water

spices: paprika, freshly cracked black pepper, chili powder, ginger, cinnamon, old bay, red pepper flakes

4 dried bay leaves

3 tbsp butter, melted

cornmeal

start heating a pot to medium.  toss in all the spices to toast and bloom their flavors.  add olive oil and let it come up to temperature (when you add the onions, you want them to sizzle).

add onions, stir to coat in oil/spices.  cook a few minutes to begin to soften.  add garlic, and cook a few more minutes.  then add in the carrots, bell peppers, and celery (a little cajun "holy trinity," a little french mire poix) and let saute for a few minutes.  and, of course, salt and pepper as you go.

once the veggies being to soften, add the sweet potato and greens, stir, and continue to saute for a few minutes.

add vinegar, tomato, and water (enough to cover everything even after you add the fish and chick peas -- use your best judgment).

bring up to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to simmer for about 15 minutes.

add fish and chick peas, recover, and simmer for another 15 minutes.

during the last 15 min of cooking time, melt 3 tbsp butter.  add a few spoonfuls of cooking liquid.  add cornmeal (and s&p), stirring.  adjust with cornmeal or soup liquid until the consistency is wet but holds a form -- not a loose dough.

add dumplings into liquid, recover, and cook an additional 5-10 minutes.

serve immediately and enjoy.  i served it drizzled with a bit of olive oil and sprinkled with parmesan, although sour cream, creme fraiche, yogurt, parsley, chives... you get the idea.  garnish with what you like, or not at all.  hot, hearty, delicious, and really good for you!  i kind of wish the weather had been a little colder tonight to best-enjoy it, but i was still into it!

easiest delicious baked tilapia!

this is delicious, light enough but still filling, and i love the flavors here.

easiest baked tilapia
2 tilapia filets (or however many you want to cook and will fit in you dish)
1/2 onion, roughly chopped
2 small carrots, roughly chopped
1 c frozen spinach, thawed
1/2 c frozen green beans (sub. brussels sprouts or pretty much anything you want)
1 jalapeno pepper, halved, ribs and seeds removed (if cooking for more, 1/2 pepper per filet)
juice of 1 lime
3 tbsp butter, divided
oil/nonstick spray

preheat oven to 350F.  either spray baking dish or or rub with just enough oil to lightly coat and keep from sticking
mix and spread veggies in dish, season with s&p.  be sure to place jalapeno halves so that they will be centered under filets
season filets with s&p to taste (i like enough salt and plenty of pepper)
layer filets on jalapeno slices.
juice lime over the whole dish.  slice 2 tbsp of butter in half, set two halves on each filet
cover dish semi-loosely with foil, bake for 30 min., then uncover, divide last tbsp butter between two filets, and set to broil for another 15 to 20 minutes.

i served mine sprinkled with a bit of grated parmesan cheese and some cilantro, 'cause that's how i like it.  : )

and here's the best part...  (drumroll, please)

if you up the baking time to about 45 min to an hour, you can put everything in frozen!  that's right, no thawing whatsoever!  just put it in, leave it alone, and enjoy when it's done!

again, you can substitue whatever veggies you have around, but i especially liked the way the carrots added a sweetness and some great texture to the soft (and not the least bit dry, i might add) tilapia.  and for those wary of the peppers, i promise, for once i didn't make something spicy.  the jalapenos under the filet just releases a really nice aroma and you get a lot more of the green, pepper flavor than anything hot.  it's all about some more depth of flavor.  and you could use lemon juice or i might even try grapefruit if you're into it, but definitely don't skip the fresh citrus!  seriously, this one is too easy and too delicious not to try.  this recipe was enough for me, but i eat a lot -- haha! -- but could probably serve two, especially with a nice crusty bread.  and really, that means it's only 1 1/2 tbsp butter per serving for the whole meal.  and lemme tell you how easy cleanup is...

white wine-braised chicken drumsticks with squash, eggplant, broccoli, carrots, and onion

Today was a good day for a braise.  Hearty, wholesome, hot, and heavenly.

a few tbsp vegetable oil
4-6 chicken drumsticks
1/2 red onion, sliced
2-3 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 head broccoli
2-3 squash, chopped
1 med eggplant, chopped
2 tbsp butter, cut into small cubes
your choice of seasonings
white wine -- buy a bottle and eyeball it.  this should be a wine you drink while you cook, not that "cooking wine" bullshit

heat dutch oven (i went with cast iron) on med-high with vegetable oil.
when hot, add chicken drumsticks.  i put salt, pepper, and tony's cajun seasoning with some olive oil in a ziplock bag and shook them around before adding to the pot to season.  substitute your favorite seasonings/herbs/spices, or skip and just s&p.
preheat oven to 350F
rotate every few minutes until golden brown on all sides.  set aside on a plate.
add onions to pot.  stir occasionally for a few minutes, until slightly softened.
add garlic.  stir a few times, then add carrots.  after a few minutes, add broccoli.
after a few minutes, add squash and eggplant.  s&p to taste
add chicken drumsticks back to pot, on top of veggies
add wine until you can just see it, about halfway up the veggies.  add a cup or so of water.
sprinkle cubes of butter over the top of everything.  make sure to put a cube on each drumstick.
last chance to season away -- i went for dried powdered thyme and a bit of paprika.
bring liquid to a bubble, put in oven, uncovered, and allow to cook for about a half hour.  check meat color for doneness -- white=good, pink=bad.
i served mine over a bed of toasted ciabatta slices, about the size of biscotti.
drizzle with a bit of the liquid.  delish.

super-simple, no-fuss, wholesome food.  i've become such a fan of a good braise.  for the quality of the results, it's not much effort.  and the time is easily managed.  and, honestly, who doesn't love an all-in-one-pot meal?!

this one warmed me up on a cold night.  hit the spot, and left me with leftovers, or enough to feed a family.  and of course the veggies could easily be switched out for whatever you have around and/or is in season.

carrot ginger muffins!

i made these a few days ago (and am going to try to remember the recipe as best i can), but they were delicious (if i do say so myself)!  lots of big, warm, spicy fresh ginger flavor, and i loved the sort of background sweetness the carrots provided.  definitely not overly sweet, which is just the way i like it.  and full of protein etc from the oatmeal and whole wheat flour.  so let's see if i can remember this...

1 1/2 medium carrots, grated

1 in. or so of fresh ginger, peeled and minced

1 c whole wheat flour

1/2 c oatmeal

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 egg, beaten

1/3 c brown sugar

1/3 c honey

2 tbsp butter (plus extra to grease pan, if you so choose)

1/2 c milk

1/8 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp dry powdered ginger

1/8 tsp allspice (you could use 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice instead of these last three)

1/8 tsp vanilla extract

1 bag each of black and green tea leaves

opt: 1/2 c raisins or nuts

preheat oven to 350

cut butter into small cubes and let soften

in lrg bowl, combine flour & baking powder with butter.  add sugar/honey, ginger, carrot, milk, egg, vanilla, & spices, and mix thoroughly.

bake 25 minutes in oiled/buttered/lined muffin pan, let cool, enjoy!

this should make about a dozen smaller muffins, or probably 4 bigger ones.  or one loaf.  just remember, the bigger the muffin/loaf, the longer it will need to bake.

so simply, incredibly delicious!  carrots for vit. a, k, & c (plus a host of other vitamins/minerals), ginger is calming for the stomach and possibly anti-inflammitory (and warmyly delicious!), the whole wheat flour and oatmeal provide fiber, protein, and magnesium, as well as having cholesterol-lowering properties.  also, whole grains stabilize blood sugar levels and provide more prolonged, slower-burning energy/fuel for your body!

and as you'll see, i always choose butter over margarine.  as woman-of-many-trades and nutrition expert joan gussow said:

"As for butter versus margarine, I trust cows more than chemists."