Baked Costa Rican-Style Tilapia with Pineapples, Black Beans, and Rice

Prep Time:
20 min
Cook Time:
55 min
Level:
Serves:
4 servings

Ingredients
1 cup long-grain white rice
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1 lime, juiced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for garnish
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon sugar
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 (5 to 7-ounce) tilapia fillets, rinsed and patted dry
2 cups jarred or homemade tomato salsa
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups diced fresh pineapple
2 limes, thinly sliced
Directions
Combine the rice and chicken broth in a pot over medium heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook until the rice is tender and has absorbed all of the liquid, about 20 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
In a mixing bowl, whisk together the orange juice, lime juice, oil, 2 tablespoons of the cilantro, the garlic, and sugar; season with salt and pepper. Add the tilapia fillets to the marinade, turning to coat. Marinate in the refrigerator for 20 minutes, turning occasionally.
Stir together the cooked rice, salsa, beans, pineapple, and remaining 2 tablespoons of the cilantro in a 2 or 3-quart baking dish. Remove the tilapia from the marinade, reserve the marinade, and lay the fish fillets over the rice mixture, overlapping if necessary. Pour the reserved marinade over the fish. Shingle the lime slices over the fish. Bake until the fish flakes easily, is opaque, and cooked through, 25 to 30 minutes. Garnish with chopped cilantro before serving.

Basil Chicken Hash

Serves four.
Ingredients
2 whole (4 split) chicken breasts, bone-in, skin-on
16 basil leaves
Olive Oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
2 pounds boiling potatoes, peeled and large diced
2 red onions, chopped
2 red bell peppers, large diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon paprika
1 tablespoon tomato paste
4 minced scallions, white and green parts
1/4 cup chopped fresh leaf parsley
Sour cream, Cheddar and sliced lemons, for serving

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Place the chicken breasts on a baking sheet. Loosen the skin from the meat with your fingers, leaving one side attached. Place 4 basil leaves under the skin of each chicken breast. Pull the skin over as much of the meat as possible so the chicken won't dry out. With your hands, rub each piece with olive oil and sprinkle very generously with salt and pepper. Bake the chicken for 35 to 40 minutes, until the skin is lightly browned and the chicken is just cooked through. Set aside until cool enough to handle, then remove the meat from the bones. Cut the chicken in large dice pieces and set aside.

Melt 4 tablespoons of the butter in a large saute pan. Add the potatoes and onions, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and saute over medium heat for about 10 minutes, until evenly browned and cooked through.

In a separate saute pan, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Add the red peppers, garlic, thyme, paprika, tomato paste, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and saute over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until the edges of the peppers are seared.

Add the chicken and the pepper mixture to the potatoes and heat through. Add the scallions and parsley, toss together and place on a serving platter.

Dee's Fig Cookies

Dough:
5 lbs flour
dozen eggs
4 cups shortening
8 tbsp baking powder
2.5 cups sugar
2 tbsp vanilla
2 cups milk

Beat eggs, milk, sugar and vanilla. In a large bowl mix flour, baking powder, shortening. Make a well and add the wet ingredients. When the dough comes off your hands it's ready. Cover with a towel.

Filling:
3 lbs figs
2 lbs chopped dates
1 lb raisins
1 container green cherries
fruitcake mix
2 jars orange marmalade
1 jar honey
2 lbs almonds and walnuts
cinnamon

Grind up figs, dates, raisins, cherries and fruitcake mix. Put in a large bowl with a little water.

Roll out dough. Fill with filling and bake at 375 degrees.

Amish Cinnamon Bread

Use a plastic bowl and wooden spoon.
DO NOT REFRIGERATE!
Leave out on the countertop.

Starter:
1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1 cup milk

Day 1: Do nothing
Day 2: Mush bag 2 times a day
Day 3: Mush bag 2 times a day
Day 4: Mush bag 2 times a day
Day 5: Mush bag 2 times a day
Day 6: Add 1 cup flour, 1 cup milk and 1 cup sugar. Mush together thoroughly.
Day 7: Mush and let air out of bag 2 times per day
Day 8: Mush and let air out of bag 2 times per day
Day 9: mush and let air out of bag 2 times per day
Day 10: Pour and squeeze contents into a big plastic bowl. Add 1 cup flour, 1 cup milk, and 1 cup of sugar. Stir and pour (4) 1 cup starters into large Ziploc bags. Give these bags and a copy of the recipe to a friend or loved one. You'll have a little left in the bowl. Add to it 1 cup oil, 1/2 cup milk, 3 eggs and 1 tsp vanilla. Mix well.

In a separate bowl, mix 2 cups flour, 1 cup sugar, 1.5 tsp baking soda, 1 large box instant vanilla pudding mix and 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans. Add to above.

Spray 2 loaf pans with non-stick spray.

Mix approximately 1/2 cup sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon. Sprinkle enough cinnamon-sugar mix to cover the bottom of the loaf pans. Pour in batter and sprinkle top with remaining cinnamon sugar mixture.

Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour.

Jello Jigglers

Cheesy Ham and Potatoes

2 lb bag frozen shredded hashbrowns
1/2 c minced onion
2 cans cream of celery soup
8 oz cream cheese
1.5 cups monterey jack cheese, shredded
1.5 cups cubed ham
1/4 tsp pepper

Soften cream cheese and cream together with soup. Stir in onions, ham, cheese, and pepper. Break apart hasbrowns. Gently stir into cheese mixture.

Bake covered for 1 hour at 350 degrees. Uncover and top with shredded cheese. Return to oven until cheese is melted.

Penne with Broccoli Rabe and Hot Turkey Sausage

Makes 4 servings - 8 points per serving.

2 tsp olive oil
4 mile Italian poultry sausages (casing removed)
2 garlic cloves, chopped or minced
1 cup low sodium chicken broth
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 bunch broccoli rabe, cleaned and chopped (about 8 cups) or use 1 bag frozen and thawed
4 cups hot cooked penne or spaghetti
2 tbsp grated parmesan

In a large skillet, heat the oil. Add the sausages and garlic; cook, stirring as needed until sausages are browned and crumbled about 6-8 minutes.
Add the broth and pepper flakes; bring to a boil; scraping the browned bits from the bottom of pan.
Stir in broccoli rabe; reduce heat and simmer covered, stirring as needed until broccoli rabe is wilted (5-6 minutes)
Add cooked past to the skillet with the broccoli rabe in it. Toss; plate and sprinkle with cheese.

370 calories
11 gm fat
6 gm fiber

Ice Cream Cake

1 box famous chocolate wafers for bottom crust
1 jar Mrs. Richardson's hot fudge
1 - 1/2 gallon ice cream
1 container cool whip

Spray bottom of 13 x 9 pan. Layer cookie wafers on bottom. Top with hot fudge, then ice cream, and then cool whip. Freeze.