Tilapia-Kale Soup

I'm posting a lot today, but I made this for dinner and I had to share, it was absolutely delicious!

It's a little but of chopping, but I think it's worth the work and it cooks lightening quick!

Picture doesn't do it justice, it was delicious!

Tilapia-kale Soup
2 servings, 6P+/serving*

Ingredients
2 tsp avocado oil
1 shallot thinly sliced
1 celery stalk, thinly sliced
2 garlic clove thinly sliced
2 carrots, thinly sliced
2 large leaf green kale, chopped
4 small leaf red kale, chopped
2 sm-med potatoes (7oz), diced
2 cups chicken broth (I made with better than bouillon)
Salt, pepper, cumin to taste
9-10 oz Tilapia, cut in chunks

Heat up a deep pan over medium-high fire add avocado oil and sauteed shallots and celery for a minute or so, add garlic and sauteed until fragrant, add carrots and cook for a minute or two. Add kale (both color) and toss well until slightly wilted. Throw in potatoes, broth, salt, pepper and cumin and bring to a boil. Cover and cook 5 minutes.

Add tilapia chunks and cook another 5 minutes or until the fish is done (I cooked it 5 minutes and it was perfect!).  Adjust seasoning.

Serve hot, could work over grains, but makes a rather large serving so it's not necessary.

*PointsPlus value does not include 0 P+ vegetable in the recipes as I count the recipes by hand.

So there, I'm on a seafood streak! Hang on everybody!

Happy Cooking!

Shrimps and Kale

When I left my meeting yesterday, I decided to run, but after only 1 block I realized that was not going to work. My backpack was too heavy and unbalanced for me to safely run. Drats!

I was walking toward the bus stop and thinking back on what I had heard during the meeting. The idea of thinking back to what I used to do, and eat, kept going around in my head. Lunch time was coming, and I didn't know what to have. What's one lunch that was easy, quick and healthy that I used to do an enjoy? Shrimps and veggies!! I used to have that almost every day. It was either shrimps or scallops! 

I decided to swing around by Whole Foods (I needed a few things anyway) and see what I could find. Greens were on special, Kale was 2 bunch for 3 dollars, so I grabbed a green bunch and a red bunch, colors! I also absentmindedly grabbed a head of garlic and some big shelled raw shrimps.

I got home and got started:

Shrimps and Kale

1 serving 3P+/serving

1small shallot, thinly sliced

2 clove garlic, thinly sliced

2 big leaf each green and red kale, de-veined and chopped

1/4 cup (or so) chicken broth

15 medium-large shrimps

Salt & pepper

Cooking spray

Sauteed shallot until slightly browned add garlic and cook until fragrant. Add the kale, toss well, add a little chicken broth if it gets too smoky in there, cover it all up for a few minutes until the kale is wilted. 

Then I added the shrimps and a bit of chicken broth and cover and cook for 2 minutes or so. Open and turn the shrimps, cook another 2 minutes or until the shrimps are done. 

Shrimps cook really quick so cooking time vary a lot. Cook until not translucent anymore.

It's simple, it's delicious, it's pretty! I served over 1/2 cup of cooked bulgur (2 P+) that I had leftover. See? 

Lobster Desperation Soup

This is the kind of simple but delicious lunch I make when I'm home and I got nothing quick to reach for. Thinking about it, I'll stop buying quick things to grab cause this is delicious! ;op

I walked around the kitchen a few times trying to figure out what to eat and finally made this up.

Lobster Desperation Soup

1 serving, 2 P+ (not counting the veggies)

1 french shallot, halved and thinly sliced

2 sm celery stalk, chopped

1 sm zucchini, diced

1 sm red bell pepper, diced

1 can lobster (or crab would do) undrained

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp oregano, dried

1/4 saffron threads

Pepper to taste (no need of salt really*, taste at the end and adjust)

Heat up a Dutch oven and spray with cooking spray. Cook shallot, celery for about 1 minute, add remaining veggies and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add spices, cook for about 30 seconds, add the brine of the lobster (not the flesh yet!) and boil for 1 minute or so, add broth and cook for about 5 minutes (until the veggies are cooked to taste).

Add lobster, adjust salt and pepper and heat through (about 1 minute).

*The brine is plenty salty!

Scallop and Vegetable Stir-Fry

One of the many things Weight Watchers has always been good at is coming up for ways of making cooking quick and easy. A few years ago, the cookbook "Shortcuts" came out, and my husband and I have used it extensively. Still do!

Those are not Foofy cuisine, but quick and easy satisfying meals for those days when you just don't have time for anything else.

Scallop and Vegetable Stir-Fry

4 servings, 4 P+/serving

Ingredients

2 tsp canola oil

1 1/2 pound sea scallops

1 tsp dark asian (dark) sesame oil

1 12 oz bag assorted fresh vegetable cut for stir-fry

1 TBSP minced, peeled fresh ginger

2 garlic cloves minced

1 1/2 TBSP reduced-sodium soy sauce

1- Heat a large nonstick skillet or wok over medium-high heat until a drop of water sizzles on it. Add the canola oil and swirl to coat the pan. Add the scallops and stir-fry just until opaque in the center; about 3 minutes on each side (do not overcook!). Transfer to a plate.

2 Heat the sesame oil in the skillet. Add the vegetables and stir-fry just until tender; about 1 minute. Add the ginger and garlic; stir-fry just until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in 1/4 cup water and cook, covered, until the vegetables are crisp-tender; about 1 minute. Stir in the scallops and the soy sauce; cook, uncovered, stirring frequently, until heated through, about 30 seconds. Serve at once.

Note: It always cracks me up when a recipe says to serve "at once", I feel like I have to run to the dinning room as soon as I turn off the fire. "Quick, quick! It has to be served AT ONCE!" ;o)

Source: Shortcuts, Weight Watchers, p. 27

Tilapia Miso Soup

This is a very basic version of a soup I make regularly. I sort of made it up as I went, and change if frequently. Feel free to switch vegetables and proteins around to fit whatever you have on hand :o)

Tilapia Miso Soup
2 servings, 4 P+/serving

Ingredients
Cooking spray
1 shallot, sliced
1 carrot sliced
6-8 asparagus, sliced
2 cup French green beans
2 cup chicken broth
1 packet Dashi mix (optional)
Dash soy sauce
12 oz tilapia, cut in chunks
1 TBSP white Miso Paste


Heat up a saucepan, coat with cooking spray and sauteed the shallot, the carrot, and the asparagus. In the meantime, mix the Dashi mix (if using) with the broth.

Add the broth and the soy sauce and the green beans and cook at lower fire for 5-6 minutes.

Add the fish chunks and cook until the fish is cooked (5 minutes or so). Take about ¼ cup of broth out of the pot and mix with the miso past in a little bowl, put back in the pot, turn off the fire and mix well.

Add on: you could add a tsp of dark sesame oil to each bowl (1 P+ added).

Note: Miso (and fish for that matter) does not reheat very well this recipe isn’t the best for leftovers. If you are making a bigger batch, I would not put in the Miso in the whole thing; add it to your bowl instead.