Diet

Tilapia with Cous Cous or Red Beans & Rice

Salmon isn't the only fish I love, for Tilapia has been a staple in my household for quite some time now. I buy the fillets from Trader Joe's and get bummed out whenever they're not in stock. Like most fish, Tilapia is a lean source of protein, but what makes it so great is that it has low levels of mercury, making it a great, healthy dish. It is super easy to make and can be prepared in a number of ways, but today I'm going to show you one of the simplest methods, so here goes:

You'll need:

• Tilapia Fillets
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  
• Sea salt
• Cracked black pepper
• Garlic Salt

**Note: I didn't provide any measurements because I just season to taste.

Directions:

1. Spray a baking pan with butter flavored cook spray before placing the fillets inside. Start by rubbing a tad bit of EVOO to both sides of the fillets.
2. Next, season the fish with the sea salt, garlic salt, and cracked black pepper:
3. Cover the dish with tin foil and bake for approx. 20 minutes on 350* (Be sure to flip the fish over halfway through the process to ensure it cooks thoroughly:
4. While that's cooking, you can prepare your sides. One grain that I've been digging for a while, especially since I've been on a weight loss journey, is cous cous. I would describe cous cous as a cross between grits and rice, but it's high in fiber, especially if you get the whole wheat kind. I purchase the Trader Joe's brand:
5. To prepare the cous cous, all you have to do is boil one part water to one part cous cous (so if you're only making 1 cup of cous cous, then boil 1 cup of water--1 cup is enough for about 4 servings). Once the water reaches its boiling point, remove the pot from the stove and add in one part cous cous:
6. Allow it to sit for a while, then fluff with a fork. You can also add a dash of salt and butter to flavor, but I like to eat mine with a little bit of soy sauce.
7. You can add steamed or boiled broccoli (I prepare mine with a little butter and salt) to the mix for a light, healthy meal, as pictured above. That's how I ate it the first night I prepared it, and then on the second night, I had leftover Tilapia with red beans and rice and stir fried veggies:

I just love the red beans and rice by Zatarain's:

The only thing you have to watch out for with boxed items such as this is the sodium content. There is actually a low sodium version of this, but I didn't purchase it this time around. If I had, I probably would have just dumped a bunch of salt in it anyway, LOL!

Well ladies and gents, that's it for this installment of Healthy Recipes. Look out for more tasty, nutritious dishes to come!