Tilapia chowder with fresh tarragon

I used to buy those frozen packages that contained several fillets of tilapia; they were cheap, and what did I know? I've come to find it's worth spending an extra few bucks to get fresh fillets. Not only do they taste much more delicious, but they are much meatier than those flimsy frozen ones that have very little flavor until you add a bunch of stuff to them.

The idea for this recipe came from a recipe I saw a long time ago. It sounded so wonderful, but it had bacon and heavy cream. I think those ingredients are great for special occasions, but I wanted to make an everyday kind of soup that I wouldn't feel guilty about. I think part of what's so great about fish is that it's so healthy low-cal, and tilapia in particular is super lean. I also wanted a recipe I could throw in the crock pot and forget about for a while -- especially this week because I've got a lot on my plate (hee-hee).

Here's what I came up with. The fresh tarragon is very important, so don't consider leaving it out! It's a favorite herb of mine, and if you've never had it, take a taste to make sure you like it. It's got a hint of anise (slightly licorice-y).



Tilapia chowder with fresh tarragon (serves about 5)

1 pound tilapia fillets, cut into bite-sized chunks

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

3 celery stalks, chopped

2 potatoes, chopped (I left the skins on)

2 carrots, sliced

1.5 teaspoons chicken broth powder

1/2 cup frozen peas

1.5 cups frozen corn

2 cups water

coarsely ground salt and black pepper, to taste

1.5 cups soy milk

about 4 tablespoons fresh tarragon, torn

1.) Put all ingredients except 3 tablespoons tarragon and the soy milk in a crock pot. Stir gently to blend, and cook on low for about 3.5 hours.

2.) Sprinkle the leftover tablespoons of tarragon on top of the chowder just before serving. I sprinkled a little on each individual bowl.



"I believe that if I ever had to practice cannibalism, I might manage if there were enough tarragon around." (James Beard, as quoted at Timeless Quotes)

Roasted asparagus with parmesan crisps

I thought I'd try roasting asparagus the same way I do broccoli -- super hot and super fast. It turned out great. I made parmesan crisps to go with them, and I ground them coarsely and sprinkled them on top of the veggies. The general consensus about the crisps: They rocked. (I got that recipe from Domino magazine.)


Roasted asparagus with parmesan crisps (makes 4 side servings)

1 bunch asparagus
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt and black pepper, to taste
1 cup grated parmesan (I recommend buying a nice, aged chunk and grating it yourself)
1 teaspoon all-purpose flour



1.) Pre-heat the oven to 450 degrees. While that is heating, mix your parmesan with the teaspoon of flour by hand.

2.) Heat a non-stick skillet medium-high, and drop tiny amounts of the parm mixture into it. As soon as they start to bubble and turn golden, flip them with a plastic spatula and let them sizzle on the other side. Cool them on a plate.

3.) Toss the asparagus with olive oil and roast for 5 minutes. Turn them once, and roast another 5 minutes.

4.) When the parm crisps are cool, grind them coarsely. Sprinkle the asparagus with salt and pepper, to taste, then sprinkle the crisps liberally on top. (You might have a few crisps left over...)

Up next: Tilapia chowder with fresh tarragon

Today's question: Can you help me find a really good broccoli recipe? I'd like to make it more often.

Olive oil dipping sauce

I mentioned in this post that Dan and I had a tasty meal at Grazie Italian Eatery recently. I love places that serve olive oil with bread... So I decided to try to copy Grazie's dip, which was very good. The server told me it had thyme and crushed red pepper, and I noticed there was some rosemary in there, too.

Here's what I came up with, and I cheated on the dried herbs -- I used herbes de Provence, which is a mixture of dried herbs you can buy. I didn't include measurements here because it's much easier just to put your dried stuff in a little bowl and swirl some olive oil on top... There's no need to worry about quantities; it's easily fixable if you feel there's too much or too little of anything.

My favorite bread to dip into this is La Brea's whole grain loaf.

Olive oil dipping sauce

extra-virgin olive oil

crushed red pepper

freshly ground black pepper

herbes de Provence*

granulated garlic

coarsely ground salt

*By the way, this would be delicious with just rosemary, garlic, oil, salt, and pepper. But be sure the rosemary is dried; it can be a little bitter when it's fresh.

Today's question: Do you have any favorite dipping sauces for bread?

A healthy breakfast: Barley cereal with fruit

It sure didn't sound too exciting to me, either, but it wasn't bad. I like warm cereals, and this one reminded me quite a bit of brown rice. Needless to say, the toppings were key, and next time, I'll use fresh apple, cinnamon, and walnuts. I'll never tire of that combo.

I had never bought or cooked barley before, though I've enjoyed it when I've had it in soups. I thought I'd try it as a breakfast cereal because I get bored with my usual whole-grain options -- flaky cereal, oatmeal, 11-grain, etc.

Barley cereal with fruit (makes 1 large serving)

1/2 cup barley

about 1.5 cups water

1/4 cup blueberries (fresh is best, for sure, but I only had frozen) OR 1/2 banana, sliced, 3-4 sliced strawberries, or 1/4 apple, chopped

1/2 cup yogurt

drizzle of honey -- by the way, I love Hunter's Honey from Martinsville

optional: dash of cinnamon with the apple

sprinkle of toasted almonds, walnuts, or pecans, chopped

1.) Boil the barley, covered, with the water, until the water is soaked up. (This took me about a half-hour, I think.) It will cook like rice.

2.) Put the grains in a bowl, and top with fruit, nuts, yogurt, and honey. Brown sugar would taste good, too.

Corny cornbread

I decided to make this last-minute the other night, with blackened catfish and zucchini slaw. It went so well! It would also go great with the Jamaican pumpkin vegetable curry stew and the spicy white bean and sweet potato stew with collards.

When I need a basic recipe for something typically American -- meatloaf, zucchini bread, chocolate chip cookies, brownies, etc. -- I turn first to the Better Homes and Garden New Cook Book (mine is from 1989, and there are newer versions being released all the time it seems). It's a trusty source, with loads and loads of recipes, pictures, info about cooking time for poultry and cuts of meat, and the like.

So that's where this cornbread recipe comes from, and there are alternative options, too, such as corn muffins and green chili corn bread. I opted for the one with kernels in it.

Corny cornbread (makes 8 large servings)

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup cornmeal (any color)

2-4 tablespoons sugar (I used 3)

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1 cup milk

1/4 cup vegetable oil

one 12-ounce can of corn, drained (I used 1.5 cups of defrosted frozen kernels)

1.) Combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt.

2.) In a separate bowl, beat together the eggs, milk, and oil.

3.) Combine the two mixtures, stirring just until smooth.

4.) Stir in corn kernels.

5.) Bake in a non-stick or greased round pan -- or a 9x9x2-inch pan -- for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown, at 425 degrees. Serve with butter on the side!

Heaven (must be missin' a pumpkin stew)

It's true, I did just add music in my head to this one. It's absolutely yummilicious! The photo does not do it justice.

I was a little worried about how it would turn out, but I thought the ingredients sounded really tasty and interesting... Could have been a disaster, I guess, and I would have felt really terrible because I made it for my friend Stefanie and her family, who just welcomed a baby boy.

I know that Stefanie, her husband Dyvan, and their 2- and 4-year-old boys like spicy food, so I took a chance on this new recipe. I thought pumpkin was fitting for this time of year, and we have lots of habaneros in our garden.

The recipe is from "Lucinda's Authentic Jamaican Kitchen," which I found -- once again -- at my public library (which has a positively humongous cookbook section, by the way). The only changes I made were using a little less oil and a little less salt.

I am a fan of Jamaican food. I went to Jamaica once, with my mom, back in '98. We had an amazing time, eating fruit that tasted sweeter than I would have thought possible, spicy jerk, raw sugar cane, perfect coffee, giant sweet potatoes that were white, not orange... The sights were incredible, too; we biked down part of the Blue Mountains in the rain -- in the rain forest, literally -- and it was just awesome. (This is the exact tour we took.) On the way back to our hotel, our bus was trapped on the mountain by a mudslide, and for a moment, we thought we might die on that bus, with Bob Marley music playing on the speakers. People who lived in small huts on the mountain came out to help dig out the bus. Definitely surreal.

Well, this stew is so good, I wish I had made even more, so we could have kept some at home! I will make it for my own family this fall, that's for sure. Maybe for Alice's first birthday, which falls on Halloween (though she'll probably just have some plain, cooked pumpkin...).

I used fresh, local, organic pumpkin from Bloomingfoods, and I do believe it was my first time cooking with fresh pumpkin. A super-cute pumpkin at that, as you can see below.

Jamaican pumpkin vegetable curry stew (serves about 6)

4.5 tablespoons vegetable oil

a 2-pound pumpkin, peeled, seeded, and chopped

2 onions, finely chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

4 tablespoons curry (I like Madras curry)

1 teaspoon ginger

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1.5 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon pepper (I used black)

4 chopped tomatoes

1.3 cups water

2 carrots, sliced

2 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped

2 green bananas, chopped

2 whole green Scotch bonnet peppers (habaneros will do)

1.) Heat the oil medium-high in a soup pot. Add the onion, cook about 2 minutes, then add the garlic, and cook another minute. Add the curry, cinnamon, ginger, salt, and pepper, and cook for 2 minutes, stirring.

2.) Add the tomatoes, and stir. Add the water, scraping the pan bottom.

3.) Add the rest of the ingredients, bring to a boil over high heat. Cover and simmer, medium-low, for 20 minutes.

4.) Remove the Scotch bonnet or habanero peppers before serving.

Today's question: Where have you traveled where the food just delighted you?

Super low-calorie zucchini slaw

It's time to get serious again about watching what I eat. I mentioned in this blog that I had 5 more baby pounds to lose. Sadly, I still have those 5 pounds. But, hey, at least it's not more!

Anyway, it hasn't been easy to diet with visitors here -- I want to make good meals that they will remember -- and I think I've indulged for good reasons (my dad's birthday and my parents' anniversary).

I'm pretty good at finding recipes that are fun to make AND low-calorie and low-fat. I guess it's become sort of a mission in my life. You know, it's easier to make delicious meals with lots of bad ingredients, such as butter and cream. And who doesn't love deep-fried things like fried chicken or donuts? To make delicious meals that are also good for you, well, that's a real challenge.

Here's a recipe that has just 31 calories per serving! Sure, it's just a side dish, but how many side dishes can you say that about? 31 calories is nothing.

Also: It's got no fat, 2 grams of protein per serving, and 6 grams of carbs per serving. Oh, yeah: and it tastes really good! I like it with blackened fish. (FYI, I got this from Eating Well.)

Zucchini slaw (makes 6 servings)

1.5 pounds zucchini, grated

1 medium sweet onion, such as vidalia, very thinly sliced

1.5 teaspoons coarse salt

1/4 cup cider vinegar

1 small red pepper, diced

3 tablespoons frozen apple juice concentrate

2 tablespoons fresh basil

salt and pepper, to taste

1.) Toss the zucchini and onion with the coarse salt, and set in a colander to drain for a half-hour.

2.) Squeeze them to get rid of the juices, and place them in a bowl.

3.) In a separate bowl, combine apple juice concentrate, cider vinegar, salt, and pepper. Add the zucchini, onion, red pepper, and basil to the dressing.

4.) Add salt and pepper, and toss to coat.

Coming up this week: OK, I know, I know, I've slacked again... I promise I will post the olive oil bread-dip recipe this week. I will also post a warm barley cereal recipe, corny cornbread, and Jamaican pumpkin curry stew (I'm most excited about that one!).

Today's question: What's your favorite diet-worthy meal, side, or snack?