Italian Dressing Tilapia

Not the most innovative of recipe names, but the end result is good. Tilapia and Italian dressing may sound like a strange combination, but it makes for a quick and light meal that fills you up.

Prep time: 20-25mts, Serving: 1

Ingredients

1tbsp oil

1/2 small onion chopped

1 tilapia

1/2lb spaghetti

1 pat butter

2-3tbsp Italian dressing

Hot sauce to taste

Lemon juice to taste

Salt to taste

Black pepper

Cayenne pepper

Preparation

1. Boil spaghetti per instructions on the box.

2. Season the tilapia (whole) with salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper.

3. Heat the oil in a pan and saute the onions to a light brown. Push them to the side of the pan and add the tilapia to the pan. Add a pat of butter as the fish cooks.

4. Flip the tilapia and add the Italian dressing, hot sauce and lemon juice. Once the fish cooks through, add the spaghetti to coat it in the sauce and heat everything through.

The tanginess from the Italian dressing and lemon juice plays off well against the mild sweetness from the slightly caramelized onion.

You can avoid the butter, but it adds a hint of richness that this otherwise light meal appreciates.

PS - the attempt was to keep the tilapia whole, but, obviously, mine ended up in pieces. Oops! ;) And that's less than 1/2 lb spaghetti since I'm trying to cut back on the excess carbs (I say this after eating a slice of the lightest, fluffiest cake I've ever made).

Bootleg Chicken Parm

This is another quick meal - I'm talking the amount of time it takes for your pasta to boil!










Ingredients
4oz thin spaghetti (half a box)
6oz pasta sauce (any flavor you like)
3 (or more) chicken nuggets (freezer-food)
1/4 cup shredded mozzerella cheese (freezer-food)

Preparation
1. Pull out the cheese and chicken nuggets from the freezer to get them thawing.
2. Set a large, deep pot of water to boil. Once it starts bubbling, add the pasta. Season the pot with salt to get the water boiling faster and add a little flavor to the spaghetti.
3. Heat the pasta sauce in the micro for about 1.5 - 2 mts, to the point that the sauce starts bubbling a little.
4. Pop in a plate with the chicken nuggets for about 30 seconds. Flip and repeat to thaw out the nuggets and get the evenly warmed for dinner. Any longer than a minute and the nuggets will be rubber in your mouth.
5. Drain the cooked pasta and layer it onto a plate. Add the pasta sauce, then chicken nuggets.
6. Sprinkle on your 1/4 cup cheese and pop the plate into the micro for another 30 seconds or until the cheese melts.

Bon appetit!

This would be really good with cheesy garlic bread (recipe coming soon).

If you used a large can/bottle of pasta sauce and have leftovers, just put it in an airtight box or ziplock, date it and stick it in the freezer till the next time.