Firey Tomato-Braised Tilapia

I was really happy when I found this recipe in my Taste of Home magazine because tilapia, while good, can become boring when you are eating it prepared the same ways.  This recipe is very light and flavorful, as well as easy to make!  I did make a couple of changes to spice up the flavor, but it is by no means too spicy!  This recipe is also easy to divide in half if you are only feeding two people.  For this recipe you will need the following:

     4 tilapia fillets (about 6 oz each)
     1/4 tsp of season salt
     1 tbsp of lemon juice
     2 tbsp of olive oil
     1 small red onion, chopped
     1/2 a green pepper, chopped
     1 10 oz can of diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained (I use Rotel)
     3/4 a cup of chopped roasted red peppers
     1/2 cup of low sodium chicken broth
     1/4 cup of tomato paste
     1 tsp of garlic powder
     1 tsp of dried oregano
     1 tsp of dried basil

     Sprinkle the fillets with the season salt and then drizzle with lemon juice.  In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat.  Add the onion and green peppers; cook and stir until it is tender.  Add the diced tomatoes, roasted red peppers, broth, tomato paste, garlic powder, oregano, and basil to the onion and pepper mixture; cook and stir for 2-3 minutes longer.
     Place the fillets over the tomato mixture, cover with lid, and cook for 6-8 minutes or until the fish flakes easily with a fork.  Serve over a 1/2 cup of brown rice or whole wheat pasta and enjoy!

Better than Take Out Chinese Chicken

It has been a long time since I posted on the blog!!!! I have decided to take the blog in a bit of a different direction and show how to make recipes healthier than they might originally be!! And of course Chinese take out is never that great for you, so those recipe is a great way to get delicious Chinese food, without all the MSG's and you know what your are getting!!  I am not lying when I say this is as good as General Tso's take out from your local Chinese place!! This recipe uses one of my new favorite cooking ingredients - Sriracha!  For those of you not familiar with this, it is Chinese hot sauce!! You can find it in any grocery store in the Asian food section!  For this recipe you will need e following:

     3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
     1/2 tsp of salt
     1/2 tsp of pepper
     1 cup of cornstrach
     2 egg whites, beaten
     1/4 cup of canola oil
     1/4 cup of sugar
     4 tbsp of ketchup
     1/2 cup of white vinegar
     1 tbsp of low sodium soy sauce
     1 tsp of garlic salt
     Sriracha (depending on your level of spice, 1-4 squirts)
     Red Pepper Flakes

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  Grease a 9x13 glass baking dish and set it aside.  Make the sauce for the chicken by mixing sugar, ketchup, vinegar, soy sauce, garlic salt, Sriracha, and red pepper flakes together in a bowl; set aside.  Cut the chicken into 1 inch cubes and season with salt and pepper.  Heat half of the oil (2 tbsp) on medium high in a large skillet.  Place the cornstarch in a shallow pie pan and the beaten egg whites in a bowl.  Dip half of the chicken pieces, a couple pieces at a time, in the cornstrach, coating all sides.  Then dip them into the egg whites, and place in to the skillet.  Brown the chicken pieces on all sides and then place in the baking dish.  Repeat process until all the chicken in your first batch is done.  Then wipe out your pan and repeat the process with the second half of the chicken.  Once all the chicken is in the baking dish, pour the sauce all over the chicken; stirrng it around to ensure it is evenly coated.  Bake for one hour, turning the chicken every 15 minutes.  Serve with some brown rice and enjoy!