Parmesan Tilapia Fillet

Publix has had crazy amounts of seafood on sale this week!  This recipe was actually printed on the label from the seafood department.  It was really easy to make.  I added some extra seasoning to the breading because that's how Mr. T and I roll.

Parmesan Tilapia Fillet:
(adapted from Publix)

2/3 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon Old Bay
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 cup milk
1 egg
4 tilapia fillets

Preheat oven to 450.

Mix together the bread crumbs, chili powder, garlic powder, Old Bay, and Parmesan cheese.  In a different bowl mix together the egg and milk.  Coat the tilapia fillets in the egg mixture, then the breadcrumb mixture.

Place breaded fillets on a baking sheet that has been sprayed with a nonstick spray.  Bake for 5-6 minutes, turn over and bake for an additional 5-6 minutes.

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter to everyone!

Vegetable Bean Soup

We had an excess of turnip greens at the house and in an effort to use them all before they went bad I decided to make some soup.  I'm glad I did, the recent storms that made their way though the southeast brought some cold weather with them.  There's few things better in this world than having a grilled cheese sandwich and a bowl of soup on a cold night.

Vegetable and Bean Soup:

4 strips of bacon, cut into inch long pieces (optional)
1 large onion, chopped
5 cloves of garlic, chopped
4 carrots, cubed
3 stalks of celery, chopped
5 cups turnip greens
2 large turnip roots, cubed
5 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth
2 cans of diced tomatoes
2 cups black eyed peas
2 cups field peas (acre peas, pink eyed peas, etc)
1 cup pinto beans
1-2 cups black beans
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon rosemary, crushed or chopped
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon Old Bay

Wash your greens and remove the rib.  I wash mine at least 5 times.  Slice them into strips.

In a stock pot on medium heat add the bacon.  Let it cook until the bacon starts to render some fat in the bottom of the pot.  Add the onion and garlic, cook until onion is soft.  Add the celery, carrots, peas, turnip roots, and beans.  Add the chicken stock, tomatoes, turnip greens, and seasonings (salt, peppers, thyme, rosemary, bay leaf, Old Bay).  Simmer for 60-70 minutes or until everything is tender.

Onion Rings

I made onion rings for the first time the other day.  I was worried when I started out but they turned out really good!  (If i do say so myself)


I used a cast iron dutch oven to fry these in.  It's a really heavy pot and I felt like I didn't have to worry about splatter quite as much.

Onion Rings:

(Mom)

3 sweet onions, peeled and sliced

1 cup buttermilk

2 cups flour

1 tablespoon Old Bay

Oil for frying (vegetable, peanut, etc)

Salt

In a wide, shallow dish mix the flour with the Old Bay seasoning.  Pour the milk in a second dish.

In a deep pot or dutch oven add the oil and heat on a medium high until around 360 degrees.

Take each onion ring and toss in the flour mixture.  Then dip in the milk and then toss back in the flour.  Carefully drop the rings into the oil and fry until golden brown.  I only fried 2-3 at a time so the oil temperature would stay hot.

Drain the rings on paper towels or racks and sprinkle with salt while still hot.

If you like spicy onion rings feel free to add some hot sauce to the milk.

Chicken Broccoli Roll Up

We're still using up that broccoli from Mr. T's boss.  This dish is one of Mr. T's favorites.  It uses things that most people have in the house already.  It's easy to make and takes almost no time.  I will warn you to be careful on the salt, it can go from 0 to 60 very quickly.

Chicken Broccoli Roll Up:
(Mr. T)

2 cups chopped, cooked chicken
2 cups fresh chopped broccoli
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 sour cream
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 package crescent rolls (get the ones that aren’t cut into triangles)

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine the chicken, broccoli, cheese, mayonnaise, sour cream, mustard, salt, pepper and garlic. Mix all together. 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). 

Cover a cookie sheet with aluminum foil. Roll out crescent rolls.  Spoon some of the chicken mixture onto one side of the crescent roll. Fold the other side over and press to seal.

Bake in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until rolls are golden brown.

Southern Style Turnip Greens

Mr. T's boss brought us a kitchen trash bag full of turnip greens.  I used some of them to make traditional southern style turnip greens.  This is one of the dishes I was raised on.  If you don't have turnip greens you can use collards, mustards, kale, or anything else.

Southern Style Collard Greens:
(Everyone in the South)

4 pieces of bacon, cut into 1-inch strips
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon Olive Oil
2 turnip roots, cut into small cubes
1 large bunch of turnip greens, cleaned and sliced
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning

In a skillet on medium heat cook the bacon until it's cooked through but not crispy.  Add the garlic and turnip root pieces.  Saute until for 1 minute, making sure the garlic doesn't burn.















Add the greens in batches.  Once all of the greens have cooked down and fit in the skillet add the olive oil, red pepper flakes, and Old Bay seasoning.

Continue cooking the greens for an additional 15-20 minutes or until all of the vegetables are tender.  If the pot starts to get dry feel free to add some chicken stock or water.

Chicken Stir Fry

Mr. T's boss brought him some fresh broccoli and cauliflower from her garden and my mind went straight to stir fry.  Lucky for us Publix had chicken on sale.  :)

This was a really good dish.  There's a lot of ingredients but it's easy to make.

Chicken Stir Fry:
(inspired by allrecipes.com)

4 ounces of chicken breast, cut into cubes
3 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons honey
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
3 tablespoons oil
1 cup broccoli florets
1 bell pepper, sliced into strips
2 large carrots, peeled and cut into strips
1 cup sugar snap peas
1/2 cup bean sprouts
1 scallion, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 chicken bouillon cube

In a large Ziploc bag add the chicken pieces and toss with the corn starch.  In a small bowl mix together the soy sauce, honey, ginger, and garlic powder.  Add the sauce to the bag of chicken and cornstarch.  Make sure everything is covered and store in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

In a large skillet heat up 2 tablespoons of the oil.  Cook chicken for 3-5 minutes, or until no longer pink.  Remove and add the remaining oil.  Add the vegetables and cook for 3-4 minutes, they should be tender but still crisp.

Add the chicken back to the pan.  Add water, Worcestershire sauce, and bouillon cube.  Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly.