Pan Sauteed Tilapia w/ Braised Celery

Life has been crazy lately 

and unfortunately the blog 

content has suffered the 

last few weeks.

But this week I finally found 

some time to whip up a nice 

meal of Pan Sauteed Tilapia 

with Braised Celery and Roast 

Potatoes.

I picked up some fresh Tilapia on

our latest trip to Joe Patti's and 

decided to do a quick pan saute'.

Just a lite coating of seasoned

flour and then saute' for a few

minutes on each side.

Another tip is to not cook it 

completely through and place

it on a baking sheet in the oven 

to hold it until the sides are 

ready.

As for the sides, it was braised

celery and roasted potatoes.

Braised Celery is one of my 

favorites.  As you read the 

recipe it sounds a little strange 

but trust me, give it a try and 

you won't be disappointed.

French Culinary Basics

While some people enjoy relaxing and eating cake on their birthday, I decided to get up early on a Saturday morning and head downtown for a 5 hour cooking class on French Culinary Basics.    Does that make me weird?   Nevermind I know the answer.

So this was my second class at the 

Viking Culinary School.  After getting 

my feet wet on Knife Skills, I decided

to step up the difficulty and went for 

the French Culinary Basics course.

The course instructor Brianna was 

outstanding.  She had worked for 

3 years at a Michelin 2 star restaurant 

in Paris, so yeah, she knew what she 

was doing in the kitchen.

We were lead in the preparation of Cheese Souffle',

Seafood Crepes, French Baguettes, Beef Bourguignon

and Apple Tart Tatin.

I learned a lot, got some great recipes and got to play with all the Viking toys in the process.

You'll definitely see some of these items popping up on the blog soon.

Grilled Chicken Pasta

I guess you could say I've been pandering to my constituency here lately.  Due to the fact Colleen does most of the marketing of the blog a large majority of the readers are dietitians. And in an effort to keep you coming back, I give you more healthy goodness.

Today was Grilled Chicken Pasta.  

This is my own creation; so here is the recipe.

Thin Sliced Chicken Breast- Grilled

Pasta (something large like Rotini)

Sliced Cherry Tomatoes

Sauteed Zucchini

Shallots (Thin Sliced)

Parsley

Toss with a nice coating of lemon (1 lemon zested & juiced) and very good olive oil.

Greek Pita & Tabbouleh

So I have to give props to my friend Jennifer for introducing me to Tabbouleh a few years back. It's a traditional Lebanese/Middle Eastern salad that I like to pair with my Greek Pita's.  

I love Greek food, but due to Colleen's decree that our kitchen be a lamb-free zone, Greek Pita's and Tabbouleh are as close as I get to real Greek food at home.

My recipe for Tabbouleh

is pretty traditional.  It has 

Bulgar Wheat with fresh 

chopped parsley, mint & 

chives; as well as, sweet 

grape tomatoes cut in half,

a lemon zested & juiced and 

some nice extra-virgin olive oil.

The Pita's are actually my invention.  Roast Chicken tossed with Greek Seasoning and sliced cucumber.  My "secret recipe" yogurt sauce consist of plain yogurt, more fresh chopped mint, another lemon zested and juiced, and a little sesame oil.

Peanut Chicken Pasta

Peanut Chicken Pasta is another staple dish in our house.  I've recently augmented my recipe and started grilling my chicken.  

Along with the Chicken I add mushrooms, onions, peanuts, pasta and peanut sauce.  It's garnished with cilantro, green onions, chili sauce and a lime wedge.

As you can see I went lite on the Chili Sauce but more could be added if your looking for that "crying while you eat" Thai flavor.

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Pineapple Upside-Down Cake is

one of my favorite deserts.  I'm 

drawn to it like Homer Simpson 

to a Doughnut.

This recipe came from Alton Brown's baking book.

 

It is done in a cast-iron

skillet; and it's not for those 

on a diet.  

The recipe calls for cherries 

on the pineapple slices but I 

left those out.  If your not in 

the know on why, then I 

won't ruin them for you.

Notice my expression during the inversion process.  I have total concentration, all the while hoping this thing doesn't turn to goo and go down my arm when I remove the pan.

The finished product in all it's piping hot glory. 

Ummm, Cake