Japaleño-Lime Tilapia with Coconut-Ginger Rice

Marinated Tilapia with Coconut-Ginger Rice

as (barely) adapted from The Wednesday Chef and Steven Raichlen
(Serves 4)
To Make the Fish:
-1/3 cup fresh lime juice (I mixed in Meyer Lemon juice, too)
-1 large jalapeno, with seeds, minced
-4 tilapia fillets (the original recipe calls for grouper or red snapper. Red snapper works well too, but tilapia can be easier to find and cheaper.)
-chopped fresh cilantro (or not. We didn’t use cilantro because I’m not such a fan and it was fine without it)

*Serve with steamed zucchini and sugar snap peas (or snow peas), extra lime juice, and chopped scallions or green onions (as pictured below in their individual containers, ready for steaming).

Make the rice first! (Recipe below)

Combine the citrus juice and jalapeño in a shallow glass dish. Add the fish and coat with the marinade. Let stand for 20 minutes, turning once.

After you’ve made the rice, preheat the broiler. Remove fish from marinade and put it on a baking sheet or broiler pan (oil this pan! Otherwise your fire alarm will go off according to the recipe). Broil until fish is just cooked through, about 6 – 8 mins total. Season with salt and pepper.

To Make the Rice:
4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
4 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
1 cup rice
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
1 cup water

Sautee the ginger and garlic briefly in oil, just until not raw (like a minute or two. You might not even have to do this step…but the ginger and garlic might be overpowering)

Put the rice, milk, and water in to the rice cooker. Add the garlic and ginger. Turn on the rice cooker and cook it!

This might not be the most gorgeous meal I've ever made, but it's one of the most impressive for the amount of flavor it packs given how easy it is to make!

Freezer Burritos

Hello!

This is the second time I have made these spectacular freezer burritos from Shutterbean. They are great because 1. they actually reheat well (unlike many frozen burritos, in my opinion), 2. you can customize them, and 3. you can make them in different sizes.

Check out my assembly line above clockwise from the top:

-a mix of black beans and low-fat refried beans (1 can of each) plus a bunch of spices (cumin, salt, pepper, cinnamon, cloves, and tumeric, I think)

-homemade corn salsa

(-water--for me, not the burritos)

(-remotes since I tend to watch food network while I cook)

-tortillas. I use enchilada size tortillas since I don't like eating an entire burrito at once. This way they're smaller and you can eat half for a snack or all for a meal

-nonfat greek yogurt which I use instead of sour cream

-fresh lime, tomatoes, and onion

-tin foil, 2 sheets, ready and waiting

-cheese -- this time I got a pre-shredded "mexican blend" because I hate grating cheese

-rice made with a pinch of chili powder, a can of chopped tomatoes, 1 glove of garlic (minced), and a pinch of cumin. This was the coolest thing that I learned from Shutterbean: add things to your rice cooker! SO. EXCITING. And more on that soon.

A close up. You can really add whatever you like/dislike. I don't really love cilantro, but most people would have that nicely chopped on their cutting board. Other things to add: hot sauce, veggies (I may try corn and zucchini next time), meat, etc!

Ready? Set? Go! Proportions are the hardest part of this for me--I tend to over-fill my tortillas. Still, I got the hang of it, mostly, by the time I was finished. Also: I got I think 8-10 burritos out of all of this (with bigger tortillas you wouldn't make as many) but I have lots of leftover salsa.

Burrito time! I spared you the photos of my horribly rolled burritos. I can't roll them. Sad, sad story for me. Luckily, freezing them mostly solves this problem.

Once frozen, remove tinfoil, wrap in a damp paper towel and heat in the microwave for 2-3 min. Enjoy with more nonfat greek yogurt and salsa!