Simple Paella

Paella is a good dish to make if you have friends coming over because you can make it in large quantities.  Also, you don't have to cook too many side dishes- paella has it all: meat, rice, vegetables.

INGREDIENTS:

1/4 cup oil

1/2 chorizo package

1 cup rice

1 onion

1 jalapeno

2 garlic cloves

1 can tomatoes

3 cups chicken broth

1 cup mixed seafood medley

1/2 tsp chilli powder

1/2 tsp seasoning salt

salt and peppter to taste

You can really make paella with any kind of meet.  I've made it with chicken in he past and its quite good.  This time I tried chorizo and seafood medley.  

Start with heating the oil in the pan at medium heat.  Then stir in chorizo.  When it softens, add rice.  Stir constantly to prevent sticking to the pan.  

The rice will start changing the color to yellow and then add chopped onions, garlic and jalapeno.  Stir all together for another 3-5 minutes or untill onions become soft and translucent.  At this point you can season with salt, pepper, chilli powder or your favorite seasoning salt. But don't overdo it, you can always add more later.  

Stir your seasoning well, and add canned tomatoes all together with the juice.  When the mixture boils again, add the broth, lower the hear and cover.  Let it cook for about 20 minutes.  Do a taste test to see if you added enough salt and seasoning.  Don't wait till the end because you don't want to stir up your paella at the end.  When the liquids are almost gone, stir in seafood medley and cover again to allow it to cook for another 5 minutes.  

 

Pick your paella pan:

  

Mahi Mahi with vegetables

Most nutritionists agree that there are numerous health benefits of eating seafood.  Although some fish can be contaminated with toxins such as mercury or PCBs, scientists agree that the benefits outweigh the risk.  Seafood contains Omega-3 fatty acids which helps prevent immune system, protects against hearth disease, prevents the spread of some cancers, help relieve inflammatory diseases and help improve skin condition.  

The intake of Omega-3 fatty acids is important for restoring the balance in our bodies.  Our modern diet consists of foods that are rich in Omega-6 fatty acids which results in overproduction of prostaglandins and leukotrienes that cause many diseases.  Most western diets have Omega-3 to Omega-6 ratio of 1 to 10, and in many cases as high as 1 to 30.  Research shows that excess Omega-6 fatty acids are a serious health risk as they lead to many common diseases.  The ideal ratio should be 1 to 4.  

It seems that this is an easy problem to fix- eat more fish.  It is recommended to eat 2 servings of fish per week.

INGREDIENTS:

1 mahi mahi fillet

2 small tomatoes

5-6 asparagus spears

3 slices red bell pepper

3 onion slices

salt and pepper

3-4 Tbsp soy sauce

4 Tbsp olive oil

Cooking fish is not time consuming.  The tricky part is not to overcook it, because that will make it dry.  However you decide to prepare your fish (grilling, baking or frying), it would only take a couple of minutes per side, of course depending of the size of the fillet, steak or fish you are trying to make.  

Fish doesn't need much seasoning.  Mildly season both sides of the fillet with salt and pepper and soy sauce.  Let the fish marinate while you cut up the veggies.  Separate asparagus in a bowl and steam it or cook in the microwave for 1-2 minutes.  Heat the oil in the frying pan and fry the fish about 2 minutes per side for small fillet and 3 minutes per side for a medium fillet, keeping it covered.  Take the fish out and put it on the plate.  Saute the vegetables in the same oil for 3-5 minutes and spread them over the fillet.  You've got a perfect healthy meal in less than 30 minutes.

  

Happy Easter!

 

Tilapia with Brussels Sprouts

INGREDIENTS:
1lb tilapia fillet
2 small garlic cloves, minced
salt, pepper
parsley, chopped
2 tbsp butter
juice from 1/2 lemon

for Brussels sprouts:
approximately 1/2 lb of brussels sprouts
1 tbsp butter
seasoning salt
1/2 cup water

Preheat the oven to 400F. Sprinkle salt and pepper on both sides of tilapia fillet. Place minced garlic and chopped parsley on top of the filet. Squeeze lemon over it and cover with butter. Bake covered for 10 minutes and uncovered for 5-10 minutes. The fish should be flaky when done.

Cut Brussels sprouts in halves. Heat butter in the frying pan over medium heat. Add Brussels sprouts in melted butter and then sprinkle seasoning salt and mix. When the edges start to get brown, add water and continue to cook until the water is evaporated, about 10 minutes.

Or just buy this 2 in one fish figurine made out of Brussels sprouts:

What to farm your own tilapia? Here is how: