Jana: Honey Lime Tilapia

Drop everything, and put this on your meal plan this week!!

We've been trying to add a couple of fish recipes into our regular dinner routine. However, I am not a huge fan of "fishy fish," so I've been on the lookout for recipes with lots of flavor. When I ran across this recipe for Honey Lime Tilapia, it seemed to fit the bill. Quick, just a few ingredients, and flavorful!

Honey Lime Tilapia (adapted from One Lovely Life)

For marinade:

• 2-4 defrosted tilapia filets
• 1 lime or 1/2 cup of lime juice
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 1 1/2 tablespoon of honey
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1/2 teaspoon of pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder

For dredging and cooking:

• 1/2 cup of flour
• 1/4 teaspoon of pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon of Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil

Combine lime juice, olive oil, honey, salt, pepper, and garlic powder in a Ziploc bag.
Add fish filets, and marinate for at least 1 hour.
Just before cooking, combine flour, pepper, and Tony's in a shallow bowl.
Lightly covered both side of the fish filets with the flour mixture.
Heat olive oil in a skillet. When shimmering, add fish filets. Cook each side for 4-5 minutes per side, until browned.

To complete our meal, I served the tilapia filets with white sweet potato fries, sauteed green beans, and fresh rolls. Everything was so yummy... it was difficult to decide which bite to take next. I will definitely be making this again!!

Jana: Cilantro Lime Rice

After years of instant rice, I think I've finally perfected the non-instant kind. And, I've figured out how to spice up my rice recipe to match the flavors of the rest of the meal!

One of my favorite versions pairs nicely with a Mexican meal. The original recipe called it a copycat recipe of Chipotle's Cilantro Lime Rice; however, my adapted version doesn't taste exactly like that. Dare I say... I actually think it's yummier.

Cilantro Lime Rice

• 1 tsp of olive oil
• 1 lime or 1/2 cup of lime juice
• 2 tbsp of fresh minced cilantro
• 1 cup of jasmine rice
• 1 1/2 cup of water
• 1/2 tsp of salt

Pour olive oil and lime juice in a sauce pan.
Mix rice with the oil and juice... I think that this step is the key! (Sometimes I let the rice "marinate" for over an hour, depending on how long it takes Rob to get home.)
Add water and salt, bring to a full rolling boil.
At boiling, lower temperature and simmer for 15 minutes.
Remove from heat, and stir in the minced cilantro. Let sit for at least five minutes.
Serve and enjoy!

This week we served the rice with chicken flautas and black beans. You really can't go wrong with such an easy and delicious weeknight meal!

Jana: Spicy Garlic Lime Chicken

Welcome back to Iron Chef Sisters! As I mentioned before, I've had a food crush on limes this summer. I bookmarked a recipe for Spicy Garlic Lime Chicken from AllRecipes.com a few weeks ago. (And, I'm embarrassed to say it even made it on the meal plan a couple of weeks in a row, but was repeatedly pushed aside for other things.)

However, Thursday night was the night! I made the spice mixture and rubbed it on the chicken tenders (shake-and-bake style!) right after work. Then, when Rob got home after his bike ride, basically all I had to do was throw it in the pan.

I paired the tenders with two of my favorites: mashed potatoes and sugar snap peas. The final product had a wonderful spicy, garlicky, tangy flavor and was especially juicy. My one complaint was that the layers of spices on the top was a little gritty. And, for someone like me who is easily offended by the textures of food, it distracted me from the flavor. Maybe it needed to cook a little longer to get a charred and blackened crust.

Spicy Garlic Lime Chicken (adapted from AllRecipes.com)

• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/8 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/8 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon dried parsley
• chicken tenderloins

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1/4 cup chicken broth
• 3 tablespoons lime juice

1. Mix together salt, black pepper, chili powder, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, thyme and parsley in a gallon-sized bag. Shake spice mixture generously on both sides of chicken tenders.
2. Heat butter and olive oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Saute chicken until golden brown, about 6 minutes on each side. Sprinkle with garlic powder, lime juice, and chicken broth. Cook 5 minutes, stirring frequently to coat evenly with sauce.

Final verdict: It was good. I'll probably attempt something similar again, but next time, I will experiment with the spice mixture, either tweaking the spices themselves or blackening the surface. Or perhaps I will even try to make a sauce to pour on top.

Month 8

I'm back! And, Iron Chef Sisters is back... at least for the month of September. Maybe beyond, but while I'm juggling a new job and several freelance gigs, I'm not making any promises. (Callie may join us, too. However, she's also learning to balance a new schedule these days.)

The Iron Chef Sisters challenge infuses creativity into my kitchen (and even my grocery trips), and I've missed that spark recently.

The ingredient of the month is limes. I've had a total love affair with limes the last couple of months, and even though it's already September, I thought I'd try to "squeeze" out a few more weeks of summer. I've got big plans... look for the first recipe toward the end of the week.

I hope that you'll join us!

Jana: Magic Mango Bread

With "Mango Month" winding down, I wanted to squeeze one more recipe in. Rob had requested our favorite chicken/apple/spinach salad after he and Thomas rode bikes yesterday, so I needed to find something other than a main dish.

After dinner Rob joked, "What's for dessert?" (We don't usually do dessert in this house!) I was quick to reply, "Would you like some Magic Mango Bread?" (How can you resist a recipe called "Magic Mango Bread?") I made it earlier in the afternoon, and it was a perfect after-dinner treat.

I decided to half the recipe, given the logistics of only having one loaf pan here at the apartment. The result was a little dry and crumbly--I'm guessing something got a little off in the conversion. But the boys devoured it, going back for seconds, and then having a slice this morning for breakfast.

DID YOU KNOW? My sifter is also stored in a cabinet back in Georgia, so I had to research another way to sift the flour. Turns out that you can also use a whisk to stir and aerate it.

Jana: Mango, Avocado and Tomato Salsa

I planned to make carne asada burritos last Thursday night--wanted to try the new Ol El Paso Tortilla Stuffers that you can microwave. [SIDENOTE: Turned out pretty decent for a cheap, quick meal! I'll probably buy it again. You might want to try it!]

I thought that a mango salsa would be the perfect complement. It was an easy recipe. Just chop, chop, chop, chop, mix, chill and serve.

And, it was yummy. I loved the avocados and cilantro best, but the mango did add a bit of pizzazz. Luckily, the recipe made enough to top our burritos and as a side dish for chips, plus some leftover.

Jana: Little Chica Mango Chicken

While looking for yummy-sounding mango recipes, I ran across the National Mango Board website. What a wonderful recipe resource! I bookmarked several pages, but decided to start the challenge with a main dish: Little Chica Mango Chicken.

It was a pretty easy recipe to follow and make. However, it did get a little crazy while trying to get this entree and my side dishes (roasted corn and rolls) all ready at the same time. I was running around my tiny kitchen like a crazy person.

Broiling was a new way for me to cook chicken though... and one that I will be doing again... maybe even tonight. It was easy and quick! Next time I'll save a little bit more marinade to keep the chicken juicy all the way until the end though.

It seemed to me that the mango and cilantro topping was a bit of an after-thought in this recipe... just chop, mix, and add on top. Although it was good, it didn't totally mesh with the other flavors of the chicken. I can't wait to try another recipe where the mangoes are more integrated with the meal.