Turkey Tortilla Soup

So I was sitting here on the porch a couple of days ago, working on my laptop, and a movement outside caught my eye. I grabbed my camera, which was conveniently on the table beside the computer, and took this photo.

There have been a couple of turkeys hanging around the house lately. They hear the squeaking sound that the birdfeeder makes as I screw apart the top to refill it, and they come running out of the field. I’ll be weeding outside, hear a rustling and a “cluck-cluck” from the holly hedge, and know that I’m being watched. This amuses Jack considerably since the minute he steps outside they run, but I have to be careful that they don’t get too close to me. In their little beady turkey-eyes, I am the provider of meals. They like me.

It was raining, and I had not yet gone outside to refill the bird feeder on that day, and apparently one of the turkeys decided to remind me of my neglectfulness. Or stop by for a drink from the fish-pond. In either case, Spooky was not particularly happy since he considers himself the King of our farm and he has not given these interlopers permission to be here as well. He stares at them very fiercely. He hisses as they walk past. They do not care a bit.

I felt a little badly because in the kitchen, simmering on the stove, was a pot of turkey stock. I had roasted a large turkey breast a couple of days previously and had planned to make a turkey-veggie-rice soup on this rainy day. However, before I got the chance, I found a Cuisine At Home recipe which called to me.

Turkey Tortilla Soup.

I have made several versions of tortilla soup, both chicken and vegetarian, but this one was different and not just because of the turkey. Every other recipe I have made uses baked tortilla strips either as a garnish, or piled in the bowl with the soup ladled over it. This recipe used corn tortillas as a thickener, with no crunchy strips added.

And it used some cream (although we know that I substituted for that!) to make a creamy soup rather than a brothy one.

Now, as I mentioned, I made changes.

• I subbed lowfat half & half for the heavy cream (and I whisked 1 tablespoon of cornstarch into it to thicken the soup even more)
• Decreased the amount shredded cheese and "reassigned" it to being a garnish (rather than melting it into the soup)
• Added avocado, tomato, and chopped fresh cilantro as a garnish.
  
• I also (inadvertently) forgot about the sour cream. :)

This soup was so very good and it will now be our favorite tortilla soup. I’m thinking that I could add cooked black beans next time, but I will keep my garnish of tomato, avocado, and cilantro because those flavors really did well with the soup. And maybe I'll remember to add the (light) sour cream, too.

I used my immersion blender to puree the soup while still in the pot. I love my immersion blender, though I do not use it often. But it saves me having to clean the blender!

Turkey Tortilla Soup


2 T. olive oil
1 1/2 cups onion -- minced
2 T. garlic -- minced
3 corn tortillas (6 inch each) -- cut into 1 inch pieces
1 can diced tomatoes with green chilies (101/2 oz.)
4 cups chicken broth
1 t. ground cumin
1 t. ground coriander
1 t. dried oregano
1/2 t. cayenne


2 cups cooked turkey or chicken -- shredded or cubed
1 1/2 cups frozen corn kernels
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup Monterey Jack cheese -- shredded
2 T. fresh lime juice
Salt and pepper
Sour cream


Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high; add onions and garlic, and sauté 3 minutes. Stir in tortilla pieces and sauté until they are no longer crisp. Add tomatoes, broth, and spices, and bring to a boil. Remove from heat; let cool 5 minutes, then puree soup base in batches in a blender or food processor until smooth. Return soup to pot.


Add turkey, corn, and cream. Bring to a boil and simmer 5 minutes, or until beginning to thicken. Reduce heat to medium, sprinkle in cheese, and stir until melted. Add lime juice and season with salt and pepper to taste.


(Cuisine at Home, December 2005, Issue 54, p. 36)
Makes: 8 Cups

Soft Chicken Tacos with Lime and Avocado

So many recipes, so little time…

For the past 3+ weeks, as I have been recovering from an asthma attack and have done only as much in the kitchen as I felt like doing, I nevertheless continued to peruse food sites and blogs. The result is a sheaf of recipes that I want to try, yet there are only so many meals in a day. I could pretend that we are on a cruise ship and serve 6 or 7 meals a day; but then both Jack and I would become quite round, and that is definitely not a good thing.

So I have a binder, my “to try” binder, where I place all recipes until I’ve tried them. It is very full now, and I have to start working from this. After I initially try a recipe, I will then write down my changes/ comments, and if there are a lot of them I will retype the recipe into MasterCook, and then file this recipe into one of my huge mega-binders. Unfortunately, the mega-binders become a final resting place for many recipes since there seem to be too many new ones that I want to try and I neglect to return to the favorites. I have to figure out how to remedy this (I did try making a list, but that didn’t work; any comments from those who read this are welcome!).

Tuesday, May 5, was Cinco de Mayo. An excuse for me to plan a Mexican meal, although I really don’t need an excuse.

As luck would have it, I was gone from 10am to 5pm on that day and thought that the recipe I chose would be easy to put together quickly. Well, it was, but I printed it from the AllRecipes website without reviewing it.

Now, I know that we eat healthier meals than many people, and it has become second nature for me to increase the veggies in a dish while decreasing the amount of meat and full-fat dairy. I forget about that sometimes, and when I arrived home and started to cook from the recipe for Lime Chicken Soft Tacos, I was reminded.

After saying “what’s this?” several times, I sat down with a pen and started to write in the numerous changes. The person who submitted this recipe said that it made 10 servings, but there was only one taco per serving, each containing 2-1/2 ounces of chicken, and 1-1/4 teaspoons each of shredded cheese, lettuce, and a single medium-sized chopped tomato divided between the 10 tortillas. This made absolutely no sense to me at all. There was also a procedural error where the recipe instructed to sauté the cubed chicken breast over high heat for 20 minutes. Chicken breast is very lean, and to sauté over high heat for such a long time will surely dry it out.

These tacos, as the recipe directs, are heavy on meat and way too light on vegetables. And only one taco would not satisfy me, let alone my husband. Even though it was getting late, I made some notations then started on my own version which, no big surprise, we enjoyed very much.

I used 8 ounces of chicken breast to divide between the tortillas, and used more lime juice than the recipe called for, plus added ground cumin and chili powder for more flavor. To the recipe I added additional cheese (not a lot, because I used queso fresco and it is not lowfat), tomato, onion, avocado, and lettuce. I also added light sour cream mixed with skim milk to add a creamy and smooth note to the spicy meat, this is similar to the Mexican crema.

The final result is a wonderfully delicious soft taco. The chicken has a decidedly lime-y taste, and all of the other flavors combine and will make your mouth very happy indeed. :)

Now, the recipe calls for 4 tortillas, although I actually used 5 (Jack had one more than I did) and we definitely had enough filling for the extra one. I also sautéed diced red bell pepper, then added frozen corn and edamame and a splash of lime juice for a side.

* Exported from MasterCook *

Soft Chicken Tacos with Lime and Avocado

Recipe By: Vicci

Servings: 2

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method

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4 whole corn tortillas -- heated until soft, per package directions, and placed in a

tortilla server or wrapped in a clean dish towel to keep warm

1 small tomato -- diced

1 cup shredded lettuce

2 ounces queso fresco -- crumbled (or sub shredded Monterey Jack)

1 large green onion -- thinly sliced diagonally

1/2 medium avocado -- chopped

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro -- optional

3 tablespoons light sour cream

2 tablespoons skim milk

2 teaspoons olive oil

8 ounces boneless skinless chicken breast -- cut into 1/4" wide strips

2 tablespoons water

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

3/4 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/8 teaspoon powdered chipotle pepper -- optional

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 large garlic clove -- minced

Prepare the tortillas and keep warm. Prepare the vegetables and cilantro and place in separate serving bowls. In another small serving bowl, stir the sour cream and skim milk until smooth. Set these aside.

In a medium nonstick skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Sauté the chicken strips until they turn opaque and very lightly browned, about 6-7 minutes. While the chicken cooks, mix the water through minced garlic in a small cup. Add to the chicken and stir. Simmer for a few minutes until there is barely any liquid remaining.

Transfer chicken mixture to a covered serving dish. Place on the table along with the tortillas, vegetables, cilantro, and sour cream. Make your own!

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Per serving: 445 Calories (kcal); 18g Total Fat (4g Saturated); (35% calories from fat); 36g Protein; 38g Carbohydrate; 77mg Cholesterol; 466mg Sodium

Posole with Eye of the Goat Beans and Shredded Chicken

Not too surprisingly, since I was raised and still live in southwestern Pennsylvania and did not even taste a taco until I was a junior in college, I had not tried posole until this past winter. I saw a recipe, and it looked very interesting, but I had a difficult time locating hominy until I finally found it at… WalMart. This was canned hominy, and I posted about the Posole Rojo a month or two ago.

Since both Jack and I really enjoyed it, when I saw this recipe for Posole with Eye of the Goat Beans and Shredded Chicken, and it used dried hominy, I decided to give it a try.

But, first, from those (like myself) who are uncertain about what posole really is, a Wiki-definition:

Pozole (from Spanish pozole, from Nahuatl potzolli; variant spellings: posole, pozolé, pozolli) is a traditional pre-Columbian soup or stew from Mexico and New Mexico. It is made from hominy, with pork (or other meat), chili pepper, and other seasonings and garnish, such as cabbage, lettuce, oregano, cilantro, radish, avocado, lime juice, etc. There are a number of variations on pozole, including blanco (white or clear), verde (green), rojo (red), de frijol (with beans), and elopozole (sweet corn, squash, and chicken or pork meat).

Hominy itself is pretty interesting—corn kernels soaked in a lime-water solution, then dried and reconstituted. I initially didn’t know what to expect from the canned hominy, but I liked its chewy texture. I found dried white hominy at a Mexican grocery and it looked like the cracked corn in the birdseed mixture we put in the bird feeder. :)

Now this recipe is simple in its preparation, but it also takes some time. The hominy took only 2-1/2 hours to cook, but add in the toasting, soaking, and pureeing the chili peppers, then the actual preparation of the soup itself, and it was a bit time-consuming. Well worth it, mind you, but I am glad that I had my laptop in the kitchen so I could spend the downtime working.

Here is the dried, and cooked, hominy. Really, the cooked version is not as gloppy as it looks. Once the cooking water is drained, or in the case of this recipe added to the posole along with the hominy, the kernels are more... individual.

In my pantry is a package of dried New Mexico chili peppers, some of which I have used ground to in a recipe or two during this past winter, so I used them again for this soup. I find that it’s easy to toast dried peppers when, after they are split and the seeds are removed, they are toasted in a dry skillet with a small, heavy lid to weigh them down and press them flat to the heat.

The shape of the dried chilies indicated that I should soak them in a loaf pan.

I followed the recipe almost to the letter, except (and, yes, there is always an “except”!):

1) I used canary beans instead of those wonderfully whimsical-sounding Eye of the Goat beans.

2) Instead of purchased rotisserie chicken (which contains a lot of fat), I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts which I had poached, cooled in the broth, and shredded

3) I added ½ tablespoon of sugar at the end (the chilies seemed to be a little bitter)

4) I thickened the broth with 1½ tablespoons of arrowroot

We loved this! It was worth every bit of work. The broth is thick and rich and flavorful with the pureed chilies and all of the other ingredients blend together very well. I find that I really enjoy the texture of the hominy, which makes the soup vary hearty. Don’t forget the garnishes because they make the posole. We used shredded cheese, chopped tomato and avocado, and cilantro. This recipe made about 10 cups, so we are looking at a couple of more days of this wonderful stuff. No problem, there!

Also, if you cannot locate dried Anaheim or New Mexico Chilies, I think that Ancho chilies would work as well.

Following is the recipe as I copied it from Laura's post at The Spiced Life

Posole With Eye Of The Goat Beans & Shredded Chicken
Adapted from Heirloom Beans, Steve Sando

For the hominy:
1/2 medium onion, chopped
2/3 cup dried hominy
water

For the soup:
1 medium onion, chopped
4 dried Anaheim chile peppers (New Mexico is fine too)
boiling water to cover the chile peppers
2 T olive oil
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 t Mexican oregano
4 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
1 15 oz can tomatoes, chopped or whole, drained (or if it is summer use 4 plum tomatoes)
2 cups drained, cooked Eye of the Goat beans (or any pinto type)
1 1/2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
salt and pepper to taste

For the garnishes:
chopped cilantro
fried or soft corn tortillas, to taste (we like the crunch of the fried)
1 avocado, diced
1 lime, sliced into wedges
diced monterey jack or crumbled quesco fresco
sweet tomato relish or maybe some honey and chile pepper flakes
finely chopped onion

Cook the hominy by combining the chopped onion, dried hominy and water to cover by 2 inches in a small saucepan. Bring it to a simmer on medium low heat and cover, reducing the heat. Simmer for 3 hours, adding water if necessary to keep covered, or until the hominy is chewy tender. Season with salt toward the end of cooking. Set aside undrained.

Slit the dried chiles and remove the stems and seeds. Flatten them and toast them in a skillet over medium high heat, about 15 seconds per side. They will blister and lighten in color and become aromatic--but be sure they do not burn. place in a small bowl and cover with boiling water for 20-30 minutes.

Place the chiles into a blender with enough of their soaking water to puree to liquid the consistency of buttermilk.

Chop the onion for the soup. Heat a large soup pot or dutch oven over medium high heat. Add the olive oil and heat it to shimmering. Add the chopped onion with a pinch of salt and cook until translucent. Add the garlic and oregano and cook an additional minute, stirring. Add the chicken stock, chile puree, and tomatoes and bring to a boil. Add the cooked hominy with 1 cup of its cooking broth to the soup. Return to a boil. Add the beans and reduce the heat to maintain a simmer for 20 minutes. Add the chicken and simmer an additional 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add a squirt of lime if you think it needs it.

Ladle the soup into deep bowls and add the garnishes.

Sweet Potato Sopa De Lima

I cannot seem to get enough of soups and stews lately, and looking through my blog posts, this is quite obvious. But soon the grey clouds will go away, the temperatures will warm, and I will be making almost every meal on the grill. That’s just how it goes, here. :)

I found a recipe for Sweet Potato Sopa De Lima on The Spiced Life. I had only one sweet potato in the pantry and wanted to be rid of it, so I decided to give this a try. With a few alterations, of course (noted below in green type).

Laura used a combination of chicken and pork stock and, since I omitted the chicken to make this a vegetarian meal, I used vegetable broth. I subbed tomatillo salsa verde for the tomatillos, and where Laura used lemon juice, I used lime. And I thickened the final soup with a cornstarch and water mixture (Jack being the kind of guy who prefers his soups to be thick and “not dribbling down my chin”…)

The recipe didn’t indicate how many servings it made, and I would estimate that to be at least 8. But we ate it for 3 days, each time for lunch and with different garnishes, and each bowlful was enjoyed.

Now, I have to say that this tastes better the day after it is made, when the flavors have the opportunity to meld in the refrigerator a bit. The first day, I served the soup with steamed corn tortillas; the second day I served it over cooked brown rice; the third day I stirred the cooked brown rice directly into the soup. We preferred the rice additions. As for garnishes we used chopped fresh tomato and cilantro one day; chopped avocado, cilantro, and cheese the next; and a squiggle of thinned sour cream and some shredded lowfat cheddar on the third day. A nice way to add variety to the same soup when you enjoy it three days in a row!

This soup had a wonderful spicy-and-sour taste, and I do look forward to making it again before these cool, rainy days of spring are over.

Sweet Potato & Tomatillo Sopa De Lima

1 large red onion, chopped
1-2 T olive oil
6-8 garlic cloves, minced
1 large sweet bell pepper, chopped (I used orange bell)
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
2 t ground cumin
1 t ground coriander
1 t ground New Mexico Chile powder
1 large sweet potato (the orange kind), diced (I peeled it as well)

64 ounces low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
8 oz chopped tomatoes (or about half a can of diced tomatoes, drained a bit)
1 cup roasted and pureed fresh tomatillos (I used 1 cup of salsa verde)
2 -15 ounce cans of beans (I used one can of black beans and one can of green pigeon peas, drained and rinsed)
1 bag frozen corn, preferably organic, or equivalent fresh
1 1/2 cups shredded roasted chicken (I eliminated this)
1/3 - 3/4 cup fresh lemon juice (I used lime juice; start with the smaller amount and add to taste)

cooked brown rice, optional (I would estimate cooking 2/3 cup of brown rice)

For garnish (any or all):
sour cream
monterey jack cheese
salsa verde

chopped tomatoes

chopped cilantro

chopped avocado

Heat a large soup pot or dutch oven on medium high heat and add the olive oil to heat it to shimmering. Add the onions with a pinch of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes.

Add the garlic, jalapeno and bell pepper and cook another 3 minutes. Add the spices and the sweet potatoes and cook, stirring, for about 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and cook for 3 more minutes. Add the tomatillos (or salsa verde) and cook another minute or 2. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cover and cook until sweet potatoes are tender (10-30 minutes, about, depending on how cooked the sweet potatoes got from the frying and how big the dices are).

Add the lime juice and taste for saltiness, sourness, and seasoning in general. Add the beans, corn, and shredded chicken and return to a simmer. Serve with garnishes.

Stuffed Poblanos with Cinnamon Rice Pilaf

Mention was made of stuffed poblanos on the Cuisine At Home community website, and after I requested it, Jean was kind enough to post the recipe. It has sat patiently in my notebook since then, waiting for me to remember to buy poblano peppers; when I went to the Strip last week, I picked up a package. They were nice-sized, well-shaped, shiny green, and perfect. And half the price of the ones (in a much sorrier state) which I saw in the grocery store.

I almost never follow a recipe exactly as written. I substitute according to what our tastes are, and what I have on hand so I was fairly surprised to realize that I had followed this recipe almost exactly. It was absolutely delicious!

Broiled, peeled poblanos were stuffed with a very tasty mixture of ground meat, onion, tomatoes, apple, almonds, and spices, then covered with a slightly spicy tomato sauce. These were baked, then served with a drizzle of walnut cream sauce. Good heavens, they were delicious!

The recipe suggested serving with cinnamon rice pilaf, and of course I waited until the peppers were in the oven before realizing that I didn’t have the recipe! So I "googled", and was fortunate to come up with a winning recipe on the first try. From Southern Living, it was a very simple pilaf of rice, shallots, chicken broth, and cinnamon. Very fragrant and a perfect side to the poblanos. I also put together a quick side of diced zucchini, red bell peppers, onion, and corn seasoned with Mexican oregano and lime.

Because of the wonderful fragrance and beautiful colors, Jack was a bit more impatient than usual as I photographed the plate prior to our eating (I tell him to start eating without me, but he doesn’t).

He took his first bite, then another, looked at me and demanded to know just why I had never made these before! :)

A few comments:

The changes which I made were to the stuffed poblanos were:

• Substitute ground turkey for ground pork, since we do not eat pork
• Use an equivalent amount of canned, diced tomatoes for fresh (since fresh tomatoes are so abysmally awful at this time of year)
• Omitted the raisins. Not a fan.

The original recipe called for blistering the peppers then placing in a plastic bag to steam. I never do this because, in my opinion, it is a waste of a plastic bag (who bothers to rinse it, dry, and reuse afterward? And throwing it away after one short use is such a waste.). I place peppers, when I prepare them this way, in a large saucepot and cover it. They steam just fine…

And, for the walnut cream sauce, I used almonds (since there were almonds in the poblano stuffing) and lowfat ingredients (neufatchel cheese, light sour cream, lowfat half-and-half) where I could. This took the total fat per serving from 11g to 7, and saturated fat from 5g to 2, without losing its wonderful, nutty, creamy flavor. Also, the nutritional info is for the stated recipe servings. The next time, I will cut it in half because there was too much sauce left over.

Next time I will make more of the tomato sauce (about 50% more) and less of the walnut (actually, almond-)-cream sauce (also, about 50%)

Oh, and Jack said that there was no way he would eat only one pepper. He had two.

* Exported from MasterCook *

Turkey-Stuffed Poblanos

Recipe adapted from Southern Living

Servings: 8 (but maybe not!)

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method

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8 large poblano peppers

1 pound ground turkey

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium onion -- chopped

1 large garlic clove -- minced

1 teaspoon ground cumin

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper

2 large tomatoes -- chopped

1 small apple -- chopped

1/3 cup raisins

1/3 cup diced almonds -- toasted

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup tomato sauce

1 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper

Broil Chile peppers on an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet 5 inches from heat about 5 minutes on each side or until peppers look blistered.

Place Chile peppers in a saucepan, cover and let stand 10 minutes to loosen skins. Peel peppers. Gently split Chile peppers open lengthwise, keeping stems intact; remove and discard seeds. Set aside.

Cook ground turkey in hot oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until it crumbles and is no longer pink. Add chopped onion and next 4 ingredients; cook, stirring often, 7 minutes or until onion is tender. Stir in tomato and next 4 ingredients. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes. Stir in 1 teaspoon salt.

Stir together tomato sauce and next 3 ingredients in a small saucepan over low heat 5 minutes.

Spoon about 1/2 cup pork mixture into each pepper, and place in a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish. Pour tomato sauce mixture over peppers.

Bake, covered, at 350° for 30 minutes.

Top with Walnut Cream Sauce.

Garnish with cinnamon sticks, if desired, and serve over Cinnamon Rice Pilaf.

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Per serving: 177 Calories (kcal); 7g Total Fat; (32% calories from fat); 12g Protein; 19g Carbohydrate; 45mg Cholesterol; 580mg Sodium

Food Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 1 1/2 Lean Meat; 2 Vegetable; 1/2 Fruit; 1/2 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates

* Exported from MasterCook *

Walnut Cream Sauce

Serving Size : 8

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method

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3 ounces neufchatel cheese -- softened

1/2 cup walnuts -- toasted

1/2 cup light sour cream

1/4 cup lowfat half & half

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

Process all ingredients in a food processor or blender until smooth stopping to scrape down sides.

Yield:

"1 1/2 cups"

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Per serving: 82 Calories (kcal); 7g Total Fat (2g saturated); (74% calories from fat); 3g Protein; 2g Carbohydrate; 9mg Cholesterol; 113mg Sodium

Food Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 1/2 Lean Meat; 0 Vegetable; 0 Fruit; 1 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates

For the cinnamon rice pilaf, I eliminated the butter in the original recipe and used butter-flavored cooking spray to sauté the shallots. Because I wasn’t too keen on breaking up vermicelli into ½” pieces (really, do I need to vacuum the kitchen again?!?!), I just added more rice and broth. The recipe called for baking the rice, but I steamed it on top of the stove because I had put the stuffed poblanos in the toaster oven to bake and there was no room for the rice. Again, having all of the recipes on hand and reading them through before starting would have been a good idea. :) But the stovetop method worked just fine.

* Exported from MasterCook *

Cinnamon Rice Pilaf

Recipe adapted from Southern Living

Servings : 4

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method

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2 medium shallots -- minced

1 cup basmati rice

2 ounces vermicelli -- uncooked, broken into 1/2" pieces.

If not used, increase rice to 1-1/4 cups and broth to 2-1/3 cups.

2 cups low sodium chicken broth

3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Spray a skillet with butter-flavored cooking spray. Over medium heat, sauté the shallots for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add rice (and vermicelli, if used) and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add broth and cinnamon; stir.

Bring to a boil, cover tightly, and reduce heat to simmer for 15 minutes. Without removing the lid, turn off the heat and allow the rice to sit undisturbed for 10 minutes.

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Per serving: 234 Calories (kcal); 1g Total Fat; (4% calories from fat); 11g Protein; 45g Carbohydrate; 0mg Cholesterol; 290mg Sodium

Food Exchanges: 3 Grain(Starch); 1/2 Lean Meat; 0 Vegetable; 0 Fruit; 0 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates

Voila! The resulting meal:

Tilapia with Roasted Pepper and Tomatillo Sauce

Today I traveled into Pittsburgh to soak up some city life. :)

First stop was the Strip District where I stocked up on some beautiful, and rather inexpensive, red bell peppers, snow peas, zucchini, scallions, and other veggies that are a bit pricey in the grocery store just now.

Next, Trader Joe’s for the usual (wonderful) stuff.

Then I browsed through a couple of gift shops for no particular reason than to see what is out there. I found a few decorative items that I think may go on my birthday wish list (can’t start too early now, can we?).

Then lunch at an Indian restaurant, Petco for a new scratching post for Spooky, TJ Maxx for a few items, Michael’s to figure out an unusual way to present and gift wrap a necklace which I bought my Mom for her birthday next week (thanks, Jan—before I met you I would have wrapped the store gift box, and that would have been that), Sam’s Club, grocery store,… it was an exhausting day and all I did was drive and shop!

After the car was unloaded, I had several bags and 2 coolers to unpack. I changed back into my alter-ego farm clothes, washed the makeup from my face, decided on wearing slippers for the rest of the evening (am I getting old or what???), and unpacked stuff. Lots of stuff. It was 7pm before I even thought of dinner.

Before unpacking, I placed a package of tilapia fillets in a bowl of cold water in the sink to thaw. Looking through the refrigerator, I took note of a couple of key ingredients, and decided to pan-fry the tilapia and serve with a quick sauce.

Salsa verde is a cooked salsa made from tomatillos. We enjoy it more than the traditional tomato-based salsa. I have also seen salsa verde made with green chili peppers, and this recipe may be good with that type but I won't make any recommendations until I can try it myself.

The fish would actually be quite good without the sauce, as the coating is crunchy and spicy. But the sauce is very flavorful, with the smokiness of roasted red pepper and the tang of tomatillo.

I served with steamed corn tortillas and corn (I love the frozen shoepeg variety) and edamame.

A cilantro garnish would have been nice, but I was too tired to chop! I also forgot the lime wedge...

* Exported from MasterCook *

Tilapia with Roasted Pepper and Tomatillo Sauce

Recipe By: Vicci

Servings : 2

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method

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1 1/2 ounces roasted red pepper -- roughly chopped, about 1/4 cup

1/3 cup salsa verde

1 teaspoon rice vinegar

3/4 teaspoon honey

1/8 teaspoon ground cumin

2 tablespoons flour

2 tablespoons cornmeal

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/4 teaspoon ground chipotle pepper -- optional

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

10 ounces tilapia fillets

1 tablespoon canola oil

1 tablespoon chopped cilantro -- optional

1/2 medium avocado -- diced

1 medium tomato -- diced

2 lime wedges

Place the red bell pepper pieces in a small food processor and pulse a few times. Add the remaining sauce ingredients (through 1/8 teaspoon ground cumin) and pulse a few times until the mixture is still a bit chunky but well mixed. Transfer to a microwave-safe bowl and set aside.

In a shallow dish, combine the flour through ground black pepper.

Heat oil in a large nonstick sauté pan until it shimmers. Dip the tilapia fillets in the flour mixture, pressing the mixture into the fish, then turning and pressing more. Place in the pan and cook over medium-high heat until lightly browned and done--depending on the thickness of the fish, around 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 minutes per side).

While the fish cooks, warm the sauce in the microwave.

Serve the fish with the sauce. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro, if desired. Garnish with diced avocado and tomatoes. Squeeze some fresh lime juice over all.

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Per serving: 220 Calories (kcal); 15g Total Fat; (58% calories from fat); 3g Protein; 21g Carbohydrate; 0mg Cholesterol; 292mg Sodium

Food Exchanges: 1/2 Grain(Starch); 0 Lean Meat; 1 Vegetable; 0 Fruit; 3 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates