Spicy Sichuan Noodles

I have increased my exercise so much, I have been too exhausted to cook. Imagine that.....it almost seems unbelievable. (I am NOT however too tired to eat..LOL)  Combine that with the fact that I STILL cannot get over my "cooking performance anxiety" from last week, and what do we have?  A serious LACK OF CREATIVITY.

About my exercise.  I am trying to run 4 (you heard me) 5K's on my treadmill each week with weight training, fitness ball work and cycling.  This week I ran BACK TO BACK 5K's (my first time since I set this goal) !!  I did it, but almost  DIED the second day. But I do  feel like I am FINALLY scratching  and clawing my way out of that depressed, out of shape blob I have been over the last few years.

Because of this increase in exercise, I am HUNGRY all the time.  So lunch time (2 hours before the run) needs to be light and healthy, but have enough protein and carbs to see me through the exercise.  I NEED a balanced, low fat, and healthy lunch but I WANTED a tasty, filling, flavorful and satisfying lunch at the same time.

A couple of days ago, I was on a VERY LONG conference call and I WAS HUNGRY.  All I had to do was listen and not say much so I muted my phone, went into the kitchen and made this recipe.  I did it so fast, I rushed the pictures, but Cest la Vie.  Can you picture me?   Head set on...listening, all the while furiously making this dish AND taking pictures!  And once and a while I would take the mute off and say "ah huh" - put the mute back on and continue. 

NOW THAT'S MULTI-TASKING right there ladies and gentleman! 

I ate half for lunch that day and half the next .  I can tell you it was good both days with no real benefit to letting it sit the second day, other than it was super cold...which was refreshing!

Spicy Sichuan Noodles
2 servings, each serving 8 points

1 6oz can chicken

3 Tablespoon Sichuan, Spicy Noodle Sauce ( I used Lee Kum Kee brand)

3 tablespoons water

1-1/2 cup chopped spinach, fresh (or other veggies like chard, bok choy, cabbage, kale, other greens)

3 OZ  uncooked whole wheat spaghetti or Asian pasta (I used regular instead of whole wheat...that's what I had)

1/2 regular cucumber (remove seeds and skin or use 1whole Persian or snacking cucumber so you don't have to) - DICED

1/2  red bell pepper, DICED

A  tablespoon or so of Sliced green onions, optional

A bit of fresh chopped cilantro (optional)

Soy sauce, Sesame oil, salt and pepper – all to taste

Gather all ingredients

Measure 3 oz of pasta

boil until desired doneness.  Drain and  cool with cold water…..set aside

Meanwhile, put spinach into a microwave safe bowl and sprinkle with a bit of water – microwave for 30 seconds until wilted.  Set aside

Drain Chicken and add to bowl with wilted spinach.  Mix up to break up the chicken. 

Add pasta, cucumbers, red peppers and other optional items.  Mix the Sichuan sauce and water together and add to the pasta dish.  Toss to coat.

TASTE!  If you like the taste, enjoy.

I found it needed a TAD bit of soy sauce, Sesame oil and salt and pepper.

The result?  A FAST, EASY lunch, dinner or anytime, that will give you a good balance of veggies, carbs and protein.  Since it's a dish meant to serve cold, it's perfect for our hot summers!  I'[ll be making this (and variations of it) a lot!

From my home to yours, ENJOY!

Sesame Crusted Ahi Tuna

Here is some advise.  DON'T GET SICK.  It's just that simple.  I came down with a cold on Tuesday...which really meant that my taste buds were off, I didn't feel like eating or cooking (I KNOW!  can you believe that?) so consequently I decided to be selfish for a few days.....Sorry about not writing, but I had to recover.

When I felt a bit better and was hungry again.....I wanted AHI TUNA in the worst way.  You may not like raw fish or AHI for that matter ( although I cant imagine) So if you don't like AHI or are politically against AHI, you can used Tilapia (see posting for Sesame Crusted Tilapia) or try Shark, Halibut, swordfish, or any other nice meaty fish.  But really, the cool experience is from the AHI.  That absolutely GORGEOUS pink or should we say rather raw center, is such a beautiful color and it perfectly tender...LOVE IT!    UMMM...drizzle it with some wasabi sauce and you are good to go.

 Beautiful, delicious, elegant, fast and HEALTHY.

The recipe title says SESAME CRUSTED.  But don't stick yourself in a box.  Use your imagination!  Try sesame seed with dried ginger and red pepper flakes together.  Use White and black seeds.  Add sun dried tomato bits with your sesame seeds. You can use finely chop almonds, hazelnuts or pumpkin seeds for an alternative and equally delicious coating. It depends on your fish, but adding Parmesan cheese  is not out of the spectrum!  (on tilapia - that would be great!)

Me?  I just love the fish lightly salted and peppered and dipped in a sesame seed mixture.  This time I used a pre-mix of Sesame seeds, dried ginger, black and red peppers. OMG!  What a great mix - I promise you will not be disappointed.

Now lets talk AHI.  I did an experiment,  I purchased individually frozen sashimi grade Ahi fillets at Sprouts...wild caught and GREAT PRICE....about $4-5 per sashimi grade AHI fillet.  I made the seared tuna and it was DELICIOUS - REALLY, REALLY good and you would NEVER have believed it was ever frozen.  But how much more delicious would it be if I spent a billion dollars at Whole foods for fresh, wild caught fillets?  So the NEXT day, I bought gorgeous fillets at about 26.00 per pound....(I know...i winced also!)  So instead of 8-10 dollars, I spent a bit more than 26.00 bucks!  BUT THEY HAVE GOT TO BE BETTER, RIGHT???  For Cryin out loud.....I watch TOP CHEF after all!!!

But alas, they were equally, if not a teensy bit inferior to the Frozen AHI!!!  Yep that's right.  It was good (gorgeous in fact) but really at more than twice the price, It wasn't BETTER and believe me, I would have known.  To spend that kind of money I expected the fish to be A LOT better.....why would you spend that kind of money consistently if it wasn't?   The moral of the story my friends, don't be afraid of the individually frozen fillets.  Just make sure it's SASHIMI grade.

**  NOTE The secret with frozen fish is to defrost in some luke warm water, take them out of the individual packs and blot the fish dry with paper towels.  BLOTTING the fish is the most important step.  You would be surprised at how much moisture is in there!  If you don't, the fish can be a bit mushy and instead of a nice sear, the fish will steam and your coating wont have that crisp texture.

Sesame Crusted Ahi
WW calls this 8 points.....for a 6 oz fillet
Serves 2  (obviously you can make how ever many you want!)

2 Sashimi grade Ahi Tune Fillets (or other fish of choice)
3 tablespoons of toasted sesame seeds, white and black is pretty.(mixed with a bit of red pepper flake, dried ginger (optional), black pepper)
olive oil (for searing)
salt and pepper

If your sesame seeds are NOT toasted, toast them now.....you know the drill - hot dry pan over high heat, put in the seeds, shake a bit and toast to your liking. Remove immediately and let cool.

This is the time to BLOT your AHI (or other fish) - put the fish on paper towels and lightly press.  I like to turn it over and do it again. (and maybe again....if is has a lot of water) the fish should feel fairly dry.

While you are crusting the fish.  It's a good idea to PREHEAT your pan.  Take the pan you will sear the fillets in and Heat it on high...make sure the pan is DRY - do not add oil

Now it's time to "crust" the fish.  Salt and pepper your fillets.  Just put your sesame seeds (or whatever you are using) on a flat plate. (can you see the white, black sesame and the red pepper flakes?)

 Put in one fillet  press and turn it over and coat the other side.  Repeat with the other fillet.  If you need to scoop up the coating and lightly press it into the fish. - this takes just a minute and VOILA! Crusted fillets!!

This is one recipe where HIGH HEAT should NOT scare you.  Don't be afraid to preheat that pan....it's essential.  to a "cooked" or seared outer edge and a gorgeous raw center.  If you are doing other fish, you still preheat, you still sear but you do it for longer so your fish is cooked.

Add your oil....about 2 teaspoons.  You can save some calories by using spray....but the olive oil gives such good flavor....it's worth it.

Your oil will likely "shimmer" immediately as the pan will be very hot.  IT WILL NOT SPLATTER - since you were heating a dry pan. 

Add your fillets:

I wish the pictures could show you how HOT that pan was.

NOW BE CAREFUL.....they only need a couple of minutes on each side - REALLY.  Don't over cook your fillets......you will be sad.  If you are cooking other fish cook longer on each side. 

This is a close up of what it looked like when I flipped it.  See the pink (raw) line in the center?  This signals it's time to get them of the pan.



****During the searing time you may want  to quickly throw together the wasabi sauce....I squeeze wasabi in a little dish...(a teaspoon? less if you are sensitive to wasabi), add a couple tablespoons rice vinegar and some soy to taste.  Set aside.

Remove the fillets to a plate:

I served this delicious fish with my super easy fresh cucumber salad (I think I posted about it - check archives) steamed white rice and a bit of melon.

The result?  A gorgeous, seared, but very rare (ok...it was raw in the center), AHI fillet.  FAST, FAST, FAST to make. So easy and so delicious.  You wont need to go to a restaurant and drop big bucks to have this dish, but you will want to make it often.

From my home to yours, ENJOY!

Shaking Beef Steak Salad

I hope everyone had a great Memorial Day Weekend!  I was off for 4 days (first 4 days in a row since starting my new job!!).   I want to give a big shout out to my Son-in-Law, Patrick who is serving in the ARMY!  Thanks for everything you do for our country!

If you've been reading the blog for a while, you have read I am on a weight loss plateau.  I don't know what else to call it as I have been trading the same two pounds back and forth for 2 months!  UGGHHH.  So frustrating!!  For a while, I felt like giving up and yes, I cried each week. Poor Steph who goes with me and has to listen to me WHINE my butt off about it.  But I have lost inches, I do feel better and I am working out 6 days a week....OH! and get this!  I am JOGGING now (OK don't laugh) but it's true.  I just jogged 2.5 miles yesterday morning STRAIGHT without stopping.  I felt so good!  I NEVER thought I would say that.  I would have ran the entire 5K (3.1 miles) but My foot was killing me (YEP, I am going to the running store today to figure that out) but I did it!  2.5 miles!  What an accomplishment. SOOOO, I know good things are happening to my body and  I have decided to STICK IT OUT with Weight Watchers for a bit longer.  The alternative is not much better!

I lost my pictures as I told you on the Onion Balsamic Glaze.  The pictures of this salad were with those.  I am so frustrated., but again, it's so good I didn't want to hold up the recipe.

I have a list of blogs that I like to read, you can see those on the right side of this posting.  One of those blogs, is  WWW.SKINNYTASTE.COM.  Her name is Gina and she works hard to provide healthy and Points friendly recipes!  Plus her photos are AMAZING.  I usually make and post my own recipes, but once in a while, something in hers looks so good I must try it.

She recently posted a recipe call Vietnamese Shaking Beef Salad (Bo Luc Lac).  It looked amazing, healthy and refreshing, I made it and it was just that.  I tweaked he salad portion of the recipe (just a bit) but the dish was pretty true to recipe.  If you want to see the original recipe and her awesome photos, please visit her blog and check out some of the other awesome recipes she has.

The changes I made were to use Skirt steak instead of top Sirloin (yes, a bit higher points) I think for quick cooking and marinating skirt steak is tender, tastes great and cooks fast.  It's much thinner which I like, so you feel like you get more meat.  I have to trick myself like that!  Also, instead of salad greens or arugula I used lightly sauteed spinach. It just suited the meat better, I thought.   The meat should marinate overnight  or for a least a few hours.  I let it marinate overnight which I feel was worth it.  There is also this SUPER salty and limey "dipping sauce" which I thought was not worth making.  It did nothing for the meat and was so salty and potent, it was distracting.

See what you think:

Shaking beef Steak Salad
WW PP 9 pts if using skirt steak, less with other cuts
This recipe will serve 4 - make sure you have a TON of spinach when making

Steak Marinade:
1-1/2 pounds of skirt steak (Her recipe calls out for top sirloin - use either)
6 cloves garlic, minced (or equivalent out of jar)
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 Tablespoon oyster sauce
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tsp of what's called THICK or BLACK soy (This is VERY special soy and it's not available in the average grocery store, if you don't have it, call me for some or use regular SOY)

Salad Vinaigrette:
1/2 cup seasoned rice  vinegar
1-1/2 tablespoons sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons salt

SALAD:

Fresh baby spinach - I used one of those big plastic tubs it probably has about 8 cups in it.
Red bell, pepper finely, sliced
2 whole Roma tomatoes, sliced
About a 1/3 of a can of water chestnuts, chopped (optional)
Cucumber. sliced thin

Mix the marinade together and add the cubed steak.  Put it all in a plastic bag, remove most of the air and put in to refrigerator overnight or for a few hours.

When ready to make salad lightly saute spinach in batches (Don't over saute and really cook the spinach - it will reduce but you want some leaves barely sauteed also) and put onto large platter.  Top with sliced tomatoes, cucumber, red-peppers and water chestnuts.

Mix the vinaigrette together and set aside.

If you are going to want white rice, start it now.....(we ate it with some rice)

Heat a saute pan VERY hot.  Add a bit of olive oil and put in about a 1/3 of the meat in a single layer- DO NOT CROWD THE PAN...as Julia Child's would say.....heat until VERY darkly browned and start shaking the pan back and forth to turn meat and deeply brown  the other side.  When done put meat on top of salad and repeat again and again until all meat is done and on the salad.

Top the salad with the vinaigrette and serve with rice on top or on the side.

The result was a SUPER fresh and authentic meat salad that is sweet, tangy and vibrant.  I apologize for the lack of pictures, but make the salad, it's worth it!

From my home to yours, ENJOY!

Singapore Chili Crab

What a busy week!  Work, babysitting, exercising, hair and nail appointments, along with Blogger being "buggy" after a major mal-function with their main frame, all left me with little time to blog.  For that I apologize. But let's get to it...this is a long one, BUT SOOOO WORTH IT.

I talk about treating yourself and your family special....it's important.  We deserve what our guests have; the best food carefully put together, your best or favorite wine and the time to give that to yourself or your family.

Tonight I was blissfully alone (sorry honey, it was great...but I still love you!! LOL).  You might have thought "she should just relax.....pick up dinner instead of making it....take a hot bath...watch a movie, sleep or ANYTHING BESIDES COOKING???"  But here is the funny part.  I could not wait to get home to cook myself a gorgeous meal!!  Yep, that's right....just little 'ol me.  Why?  Because my favorite food is what I prepare, and my favorite way to relax is in my kitchen making something wonderful, having a glass of wine and listening to my favorite music.  Ahhh.  The peace of that.....

It helps me realize how good my life really is.  How losing weight FAST is not everything. How life's perceived disappointments are really blessings.  How much I need to appreciate the things I have accomplished instead of those things I have not. 

WOW,.  All that from cooking ONE meal?  It's truer than true.  It's how I stop, be still, listen and pray.  It's my love language towards others and myself.

This dish is not just ANY meal.  It's THE meal.  The one, that if I had to choose, would likely be THE favorite meal I have ever eaten anywhere in the world.  And I have been around the world.  This meal evokes such pleasant and happy memories.  I can LITERALLY feel the endorphins being released at the moment it crosses my mind:  Singapore Chili Crab.  I remember where I was, what time of day, what the day looked like, who I was with, and that first incredible bite of those wonderfully soft rolls all sopped in the most delectable  sauce.   It quite possibly was the freshest crab I have ever had the pleasure of eating. Ummm. Did I mention that SAUCE?  If I am not mistaken, it's one of Singapore's most famous dishes.

It's darn near impossible to replicate the seafood that SINGAPORE has.  It's the best seafood I have ever had, anywhere, period.  I have never had crab in the states as good as in Singapore, it pales in comparison.....but unless you have been to Singapore, thankfully you wont know what your are missing.   

It doesn't sound that sexy does it?  Singapore Chili Crab.  Well....not so fast!!  Think about this, perfectly cooked crab in a sweet spicy, tomatoey sauce with the PERFECT Asian rolls to SOP it all up.   YES....it's "finger food" at it's finest.  To me?  That's Sexy!

I took this recipe out of my dearest and most treasured ASIAN cookbook.  It's called "The Essential Asian Cook book" by whitecap books....it doesn't even have an author's name.  It's like those TIME books, I guess.  But it's the best "textbook" on Asian cooking I have found.  EVER.  ** I will try to add it to my store, if it's still in publication.  It's an absolute MUST HAVE...period.  I think I paid less than 10.00 at a bookstore on sale. 

I pass by the recipe in this book all the time and I LONG for it every single time I pass it.  I've always wanted to make it...but frankly after eating it in Singapore many times, I was flat out intimidated to make it!!  I mean, what if it was bad? What if the feeling wouldn't be the same?  What if I failed, or the recipe failed? What if it messed up my vision of what it was like??   I was scared! 

But I had bought crab, red Chile's, and what I thought were the perfect "rolls" for this dish a while ago.  I stuck them in the freezer. Why? Well for such a time as this!  One night....alone in my kitchen to have my Chili Crab, all by myself....after all if It was bad, nobody would have to know....no worse for the wear, right? It would be my little secret.

But it was absolutely perfect.  I am so happy to share it with you.

Singapore Chili Crab

(I haven't figured the calories, but they are not high.  I will re-post with that info later.
If you have the cook-book...I made changes to the recipe to get the taste I remembered - see below.)

1 pound or more SNOW crabs legs (or whatever crab you like...you really should use Fresh Blue swimmers if you want to be completely authentic) Try not to use frozen crab - use fresh...trust me I used frozenn..Enough said.
Flour (less than a 1/4 cup)
Oil (I used peanut, but Vegetable will be fine)
4 large shallots, finely diced
2 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and minced on a ginger grater (see picture) or bottled
6 large cloves of garlic, Minced (I used a huge clove of elephant garlic-probably equal to 6) or bottled
3  Red Chile's, seeds and membranes removed, finely diced
2 cups CHEAP, traditional flavored, canned spaghetti pasta sauce (I know-this is weird..  Go with it)
1 cup water
4 tablespoons soy sauce, or more to taste
2 tablespoons sweet chili sauce
2-3 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
3 tablespoons brown sugar (light or dark)  To be more authentic, use palm sugar.
Sambal Olek (chili paste/sauce) (I used 2 teaspoons)
Rolls - get sweeter rolls.....preferably from an ASIAN store.....tell them what you are making and they will point you in the right direction! Hawaiian rolls will work though.  I bought these ones:

WINE  for you to drink- I prefer sweet Riesling for spicy food....my fave:  Pacific Rim, Sweet (or dry) Riesling , but sparkling Apple cider will work beautifully too (same sweetness).

Please prep all ingredients BEFORE you start making this.....Don't try to chop and cook...it's a fast recipe once everything is prepped. 

First wash and scrub the crab shells and dry....set aside.

Grab your shallots, skin then and dice fine  -  not sure what a shallot looks like? Check it out:

Then grab your red chili peppers ( I buy them fresh and freeze them...hence the "cold icy look"),  Remove seeds, membrane , then dice them fine:

GRATE the ginger on a Ginger grater ( or use bottled ).....(not your regular cheese grater):

Mix your sauce in a large bowl:  Add pasta sauce, water, soy sauce, sweet chili sauce, rice vinegar and brown sugar ( or palm sugar).  Set aside.

Mince your garlic (if you use elephant garlic....grate it on the ginger grater) - set aside

Set your crab out and dust it with flour.

You should be completely prepped!!

Now - you want heat a large bottomed pot or WOK and add oil (about 2 tablespoons) and "fry the crab just until the shell is pink and the tops are a bit browned. Remove and keep frying until all the all crab is done.

To make sauce - Add shallots, garlic, ginger, red Chile's and saute for 5 minutes.
Add "red" sauce to the pan and boil uncovered under med-low heat for 15 minutes.  TASTE.  It's at this point I thought I needed the sambal olek (chili sauce).  Add it if you need a little more kick. 

This picture of of all the steps:

After 15 minutes, add the crab back to pot and cover.  Simmer for 5 minutes covered, then uncovered for another 5 minutes, turning crab in sauce.

During this time, make your vegetable of choice and set out your bread (you might want rice as well, )I dont because I have that bread!

Serve crab on plate smothered in sauce:

The result?  For me, it was a trip back in time.  The sauce was what I remembered and it soothed my soul.  For you?  Be prepared, you may feel as I did and remember every, blissful and delicious mouthful.  Don't be surprised if you feel as if you just bathed in it - You should bathe in it.  It's that good.

From my home to yours, ENJOY!

Cream Cheese Wonton's

Yesterday was a very fun day.  Almost perfect if you minus the absolutely debilitating Migraine.  I rested, took meds and then felt a bit better for the afternoon....I had to feel better!  You see, my thirteen year old twin nephews, Kyle and Cameron, popped in to help me create this tasty and fun recipe! We love to cook together and they are becoming pretty accomplished at it!

I love to eat with my fingers.....seriously....who doesn't?? Admit it...you know who you are!   SO much easier, less to clean up and somehow the food just tastes better. That of course, is my opinion!  what's funny is when I was a kid I used to dangle my  left hand in my plate all the time!  Funny, I loved the way food felt in my hands even way back then!!  But my mom would always tell at me to stop by saying "stop doing that! how will you ever find a husband ??"  Now this is SOOO funny because I was the first of the 4 to get married, so maybe that wasn't such a bad thing after all!  I still love to play with my food...it's just something that I will likely NEVER stop doing! But again, I digress....

Cooking and eating should be fun.  But, just because we are on a lite and healthy eating plan doesn't mean we need to forego fun!   Finger Food is just that, it's fun, it's creative and it feels like youre eating a lot !  And really, for me what better finger food is there than a cream cheese won ton?  OK.  For you cheese haters out there, this might not be the recipe for you.  But it's cream cheese!  That doesn't really count as "real cheese" does it?

Here is my disclaimer.  We made them and the family thought they were really good.   But don't get excited.  They are not Pick Up Stix cream cheese won tons (those are like a million calories/points).  But they satisfied the craving and they were fun to put together!

This recipe was a tough one.  It took us a while to figure out just how to go about it.  Normally when the boys and I cook together, I make up the recipe and type it up for them or I download a recipe before they get here.  But this time we created it together!  Adding this or that and deciding when the filling was perfect.  This was a new experience for them and one that brought about really good results! 

The filling is yummy, creamy and (i think) a perfect balance of creamy cheesiness with some OOMPH! But getting that won ton to crisp up without deep frying it was much harder than we thought. 

At first we wrapped them like a present, sprayed them and baked them...

and they looked so pretty!! 

But they had a doughy after taste that we all agreed "had to go"!  So we opted for a different shape and cooking method - FRYING!  Now frying without a good amount of oil is tough also.  The recipe calls for spray, but if you have extra points, I would definitely use a little oil.  The taste and texture were acceptable, so we left oil out. But oil would have been good (but not lite!)

Enjoy the fun of making these with the kids (big or little) in your life!

Cream Cheese Won Tons
WW recipe builder says 3 points for 4 won tons.

1 8oz package light cream cheese (don't use Fat Free) - room temperature
1/4 cup egg substitute
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
3 tablespoons green onions, thinly sliced (green parts only)
Bottled hoisin sauce (this is like chinese bbq - if you dont like it, leave it out or try plum sauce)
salt and pepper (just a pinch of each)
1 package Won ton wrappers
bottle sweet chili sauce or try the Orange-Sesame Glaze recipe (see archive post)

If you haven't purchased toasted sesame seeds, toast them now.  (hot dry pan, "saute until golden" pour onto plate and cool).

In your food processor or mixer, add cream cheese and egg substitute and process/mix until very well combined.

Add sesame seeds and green onions and salt and pepper to taste.

Remove won ton skins from the wrapper (be very sure you only have ONE - easy to grab two) and lay 4-6 down on your work surface.  Prepare a small finger bowl of water and set next to wrappers.

Heat a non stick pan with low to med heat.

Put a dab of hoisin sauce closer in center:

(That is an "eensy" amount of sauce, but it's a close up so it looks like more...be careful, it's a strong flavor)

Add about a teaspoon of the cream cheese mixture:

Dab two sides with water (make sure the water goes all the way down each side of the won ton).  This will be your glue.

Fold the dry corner (opposite the two wet sides) and touch won ton wrapper together and press a bit to seal.  Spray the pan, raise the heat and spray the wontons, when the pan is very hot, put the won tons in to "fry" on each side, being careful not to burn them (although I like them kind of burned!).

When browned, Turn them over and fry the other side.

While these are frying, start on your next 4 to 6 and put the fried ones in the oven to warm (about 225 degrees)  You should be able to make about 24 to 30 of them.

Serve with sweet chili sauce or the orange sesame glaze (see recipe)

The result?  A nicely creamy, tasty and fun finger food that is crispy enough to be satisfying without breaking the calorie bank.  Get your kids (or ANYONE) to help you do the work for extra fun and free kitchen SLAVES (Hey!  Food bribes WORK!) 

From my home to yours, ENJOY!

Sesame Crusted Tilapia

Do you ever have those days where you just feel AWESOME?  Today was one of those days.  I slept well, stayed on plan today, ran errands, work was productive, the house got picked up and my car got a beautiful detail (she is all ready spring and summer)!  Even my hair had a good day (now THAT is saying something!!!)

Yep, this healthy eating and exercise is finally paying off.  People aren't kidding when they say every 10 years is harder and harder.  Boy, I thought I was never gonna feel like I was getting in shape.  But I can tell there is a difference, just this week.

Thankfully the residual effects of the Mother's day extravaganza were nowhere to be seen (or felt) today! 

I worked out HARD.  Abs and jogged/walked over a 5 K (it sounds so much better than saying 3.5 miles) and I was NOT absolutely dead for the first time. 

BUT boy was I hungry..  AND WHAT DO YOU THINK I WAS CRAVING?   FISH !!! 

Really? 

Who the heck craves FISH..?  People crave steak, potatoes, bread, dessert, but fish?  Seriously? 

OK...FISH IT WOULD BE.....But as usual, I NEEDED something YUMMY, satisfying and SUPER FAST!!!  I was famished, starving, the opposite of full - well, you get the picture!

I opted for Sesame Crusted Talapia with Asian cucumber salad.  FAST, YUMMY, ON PLAN, healthy and  PERFECT.

This will feed feed two (or one hungry person) but can be made for a crowd if you want. TRUST ME.

Take out a couple nice size talapia fillets (usually they are frozen individually in plastic) put them (plastic and all) in warm water to thaw (NOT HOT WATER)

Meanwhile get a 2-3 small seedless cucumbers (Persian, baby, etc) or one hot house (English) cucumber and dice small.

Then it's super simple:
2 Tablespoon light soy sauce
2 Tablespoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoon

Mix it into the cucumbers and let sit until the rest of the meal is done (stir up periodically)

If you are making rice to go with it...start it now (too late for brown rice unless its the fast kind)

I know I am weird.  I have HUGE choices in my pantry.  That's because frankly, I never know what I will want.  So I have both black and white untoasted sesame seeds ( I know you are thinking...WHO HAS THAT??)  I use a mixture of both.  DO NOT rush out to buy what you don't have.  Just use all white or all black, toasted or untoasted.

Put several tablespoons of seeds on a plate and mix them together.

Take fish out of plastic.....dab with paper towel to absorb any water.  SALT AND PEPPER YOUR FISH....(do not be shy!!)

Now press the fish into the sesame seeds and turn over and press again until coated - set aside and coat second piece of fish.

Voila!  Sesame coated fish - it's almost done!!!   go, go, go !!!

NOW THIS IS SUPER IMPORTANT.  HEAT YOUR NONSTICK SKILLET VERY HOT and use olive oil  - NOT spray.

When oil is shimmering, add the fish to skillet - you NEED TO HEAR SIZZLE.

Cook a few minutes on one side

Then FLIP over carefully and cook until fish is completely done.

In the mean time, mix a couple tablespoons of rice vinegar with wasabi paste then add a bit of soy to it until you are satisfied with the flavor.

Serve fish along side cucumber salad with wasabi sauce....SOOOOO FRICKEN GOOD!
(and yes, if you are wondering...I was able to eat JUST my portion and felt satisfied!)

The result?  A beautifully cooked piece of fish that is sophisticated, yet easy enough for a weeknight!!  Pair it with Asian cucumber salad and wasabi dressing.  WOW...it's a party in your mouth and you will look like a ROCK STAR, I promise!

From my home to yours, ENJOY!!!