Tilapia with Honey & Ginger Dressing

Adapted from: Cooking Light.

It's been awhile. We know. Lauren and I successfully made it through our first round of midterms for the semester. Unfortunately, that meant our heads were really in the books and we had to sacrifice recipe-searching, planning new meals, and blogging for a couple of weeks. We did make time to cook some past meals, but there were certainly a few dinners that had to wait until 9pm or consisted of boxed pasta, frozen veggie burgers, blueberry pancakes, and even (cringe) bowls of cereal. Now we're on the up side of things, with an exciting week of meals planned before we head out for spring break this weekend!

Our first meal back was wonderful. Oriental-inspired tilapia over a bed of spinach and romaine lettuce with shredded carrots. The sauce was full of flavor and easy to make. We're already brainstorming things to add for the next time we cook this, like mandarin oranges and crispy noodles.

Ingredients:

For the Dressing:

• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 tbsp chopped green onions
• 1/2 tbsp honey
• 1/2 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger
• 1/8 tsp dark sesame oil

For the Fish:

• 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 (6-ounce) tilapia fillets
• Salt, to taste
• Ground black pepper, to taste
• 2 cups salad greens

Directions:

For the dressing, simply combine the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and stir well.

For the fish, heat e.v.o.o. in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Season fish with salt and pepper and add to skillet; cook 3 minutes on each side or until tilapia begins to flake. Place greens onto plates and top each serving with 1 fillet; pour dressing evenly over each salad.

Yield: 2 servings

Chicken Panzanella

Adapted from The Skinny Taste.

An Italian Tuscan salad, panzanella is probably enjoyed best in the summer but we think it's great year-round! We added parsley-seasoned chicken to make it more substantial as a main course, and we'll consider putting mozzarella in the mix next time, too.

Ingredients:

• 2 chicken breasts
• 4 tomatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 cucumber, diced
• 1/4 red onion, chopped
• 8-10 fresh basil leaves, chopped
• ½ tsp dried parsley
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• Cooking spray
• 6 oz several days-old French or Italian bread, sliced
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

Combine tomatoes, cucumber, onion, basil, and olive oil in a large bowl. Generously season mixture with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to broil. Spray bread with cooking spray and sprinkle with salt. Place bread slices on a cooking sheet and put in the oven, toasting each side for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Watch bread closely, as it doesn't take long to brown. Cut bread into 1-inch cubes, which will be added in the final step.

Cut chicken breast into 1-inch cubes. Season with salt, pepper, and parsley. Lightly spray a medium skillet. Cook chicken on medium heat. Once cooked through, remove from heat and set aside.

After the flavors of the vegetables and olive oil have blended for about 30 minutes, combine with the bread and chicken cubes. Mix well and serve in separate bowls.

Yield: 4 servings