Broiled Tilapia with Parmesan and Herbs, Roasted Potatoes with Rosemary and Sweet Summer Salad

It's been awhile.  I know.  My apologies!  Life happened (highs and lows).  But, finally, on a long weekend, we had a bit of time to make something new and amazing.  And surprisingly easy.  Win all around, really.  And with hints of beautiful weather coming, a summery meal is in order!

I hadn't thought to take pictures as we were cooking (and it went so fast, really), but after we started tasting things we realized it was going to be awesome.  Therefore, here is a recommendation of this meal as a whole.  A tasty, easy, nutritious, and lovely summer meal!

Broiled Tilapia with Parmesan and Herbs
(from Whole Foods)

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided
2 tablespoons light mayonnaise
2 tablespoons Greek-style yogurt or sour cream
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Juice and zest of one small lemon (about 2 tablespoons juice)
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
4 (6- to 8-ounce) tilapia fillets 

Combine 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese with remaining ingredients (except fish). Coat fillets with mixture and place in a baking dish or shallow platter and let marinate for 15 to 20 minutes. Preheat broiler. Transfer fillets to a foil-lined broiler pan. Spoon a few tablespoons marinade on top and sprinkle with remaining Parmesan. Broil 4 to 6 inches from heat until topping is lightly browned and fish flakes easily with a fork, 5 to 8 minutes.

Rosemary Roasted Potatoes
(adapted from Epicurious)

2 pounds medium boiling potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch-thick wedges
3 tablespoons olive oil
5 to 6 large rosemary sprigs (about 5 inches long)
4 large garlic cloves, smashed and peeled (optional)

Preheat oven to 450°F with a 4-sided heavy sheet pan in upper third.
Toss ingredients with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Spread in 1 layer on hot pan and roast 20 minutes. Loosen potatoes with a metal spatula and turn, arranging pale potatoes around outer edge of pan and golden potatoes in center (for even roasting). Roast 15 minutes, then loosen and turn potatoes over again. Roast until potatoes are golden and cooked through and edges are crisp, about 10 minutes more.


Sweet Summer Salad
(dressing adapted from my Mom's recipe!)

Spinach
Shredded carrot
Sliced mini sweet peppers
Strawberries
Slivered almonds

Dressing:
2/3 cup light mayo
1/2 cup evaporated skim milk
4 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
3 Tbsp agave nectar or sugar (more, if it's too sour for you)
3 Tbsp poppy seeds (optional)

Prepare veggies (however much you want) for salad and toss together in a large bowl.  For the dressing, mix all ingredients and add to salad (to taste).

Enjoy!

Acorn Squash, Pear, and Adzuki Bean Soup with Sauteed Shiitakes (vegan)

For my birthday, the fiance gave me a snazzy new vegan cookbook!  I've been itching to try something from it (I have bookmarks all over it with the things I want to try).  Finally, we made something, and it was fantastic!

The fiance was intrigued by the shape of the end of the squash, he just had to take a picture.

It was such a pretty colored soup!  The recipe says to puree just half of it so there are still some chunks in it, but I just decided to puree all of it for a smoother texture.  Either would work!

I love mushrooms, so I'd recommend adding a few more than the recipe calls for.  They add a really interesting texture and umami flavor to the soup!

(If you were wondering, we ate this soup with naan.  Not the most culturally accurate addition, but it was really tasty!)

Acorn Squash, Pear, and Adzuki Soup with Sauteed Shiitakes

(from Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook)

Serves 6

2 Tbsp peanut oil

1 large onion, cut into 1/4 inch slices

1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/4 inch slices

2 tsp minced ginger

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp Chinese five-spice powder

2 acorn squashes, seeded, peeled, and cut into 3/4 inch chunks (the best way to deal with prepping the squash is to cut it in half, seed it, and then cut it into chunks.  Use a paring knife to slice off the skin)

2 firm Bartlett pears, peeled, seeded, and sliced into thin (not paper-thin) slices, roughly 1 inch long

4 cups vegetable stock

1 - 2 (15 ounce) cans or 2 - 3 cups (cooked) adzuki beans, drained and rinsed

1 Tbsp fresh lime juice

Mushrooms:

4 - 6 oz. fresh shiitakes, slice in half

2 tsp peanut oil

1/2 tsp toasted sesame oil

1 Tbsp soy sauce

Preheat a large stockpot over medium heat.  Saute the onions and peppers in the oil for about 10 minutes, or until the onions just begin to brown.

Add the ginger and garlic, and saute for 1 more minute.  Stirring often, add the salt, five-spice, acorn squash, and pear, and cook for another minute before adding the vegetable stock.  Cover and bring to boil.  Once the soup is boiling, lower the heat to medium-low and simmer briskly for about 20 more minutes, or until the squash is tender.

Puree half (or all) the soup, using either an immersion blender or by transferring half the soup to a food processor or blender, processing, and pouring it back into the the rest of the soup.  Be careful if using a blender - let the soup cool a bit before blending it so it doesn't explode!

add the adzuki beans and lime.  Cover and simmer over low heat until the beans are heated through - 7-10 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the mushrooms:

Preheat a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the oils and saute the mushrooms for about 7 minutes, until the are soft.  Mix in the soy sauce and stir constantly until it is absorbed (about 1 minute).

Ladle the soup into bowls and top with the sauteed mushrooms.

Enjoy!

Green Tea Crème Brûlée

I've had a packet of matcha (powdered green tea) sitting in my cabinet for awhile now, just asking to be used for something tasty.  I'd been considering a few things, but finally settled on a crème brûlée for a friend's birthday.  She liked it so much, she went out and bought a torch so she could make her own!

If you're not familiar with matcha, it's a fine-ground, high-quality green tea powder that is used in the Japanese tea ceremony, but has many other culinary uses.  It also has health benefits due to its high antioxidant content.  Bonus!

The original recipe called for only 2 egg yolks, but the result was too runny for my preference.  Although it tasted great, I didn't love the texture, so we tweaked it, and 3 eggs was perfect!

Now, I know you readers have seen plenty photos of the various crème brûlée I've made in the past, so I didn't exactly feel the need to photojournal every step!

This dessert was tasty, and pleasantly not too sweet.  It would pair perfectly with any Asian-inspired meal!

Green Tea Crème Brûlée
(adapted from Amy's Food Adventures)
Make 4 four-ounce servings

3 egg yolks
1/4 cup sugar
1 Tbsp matcha powder
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup milk
white sugar for top


Preheat oven to 325 degrees F with the rack in the middle position.
In a bowl, cream the yolks using a hand whisk. Gradually add in the sugar and whisk until well-incorporated. The mixture should be pale and creamy.
Heat the cream and milk in a pan on the stove. Be careful not to boil it.  After it's warm, mix in the matcha powder until the matcha has fully dissolved (and try to break up the little chunks)
Temper the cream/milk into the yolk/matcha mixture. Ensure that you whisk continuously as you add the cream, and add only a little at a time to slowly bring up the temperature. If you add the cream all at once, it’ll cook the yolks and scrambled eggs with matcha is not the goal.
Pour the mixture into ramekins evenly and remove the bubbles on top.
Place the ramekins into a roasting pan and pour enough hot water into the pan to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins.
Bake just until the crème brûlée is set, but still trembling in the center, approximately 40 to 45 minutes.
Remove the ramekins from the roasting pan, let cool on a rack for 10-15 minutes, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.
When the crème brûlée has been cooled, sprinkle white sugar on top and caramelize the sugar using a blow torch.

Enjoy!