Ingredients:
1 lb of fresh tilapia fillets
2 medium green bell peppers, cut into cubes
2 medium red bell peppers, cut into cubes
2 medium yellow bell peppers, cut into cubes
2 medium orange bell peppers, cut into cubes
2 medium red onions, cubed or diced
3 -4 cloves of chopped garlic
1 head red leaf lettuce
sliced baby carrots
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning ( approximately)
1/2 teaspoon italian seasoning
1 tablespoon sesame oil ( approximately)
2 tablespoons olive oil ( approximately)
1/3 cup lemon juice
3 tablespoons virgin olive oil
1 -2 clove of finely chopped garlic ( or 1 teaspoon)
1 cup small fresh basil leaves or 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
hot sauce
black pepper or lemon pepper
Directions:
To make the Lemon-Basil Marinade, place ingredients into a blender and puree.
In a large skillet, brown half of chopped garlic in approximately 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
“Paint” one side of the tilapia with lemon-basil marinade using a pastry brush.
Then, sprinkle with lemon pepper or pepper.
Place the painted side of the tilapia into the skillet and paint the other side, add lemon pepper or pepper.
Cook on a low-medium flame until fish becomes browned.
Cook other side.
Cooking time is approximately 10 to 12 minutes.
If you cover the pan, your fish will have more of a moist consistency.
If you leave the pan uncovered, your fish will be flakier.
This is strictly a matter of preference.
Both ways are delicious.
Prepare your salad in a large bowl while fish cooks.
Mix in Italian Seasoning and drizzle with sesame oil.
In the same pan you cooked the fish, brown the rest of your chopped garlic with onion in 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
Add bell peppers and stir in poultry seasoning.
Cook on a medium flame until peppers are slightly browned at edges and have a glazed look to them.
Be careful not to over cook your peppers.
You want a firm to medium-firm texture for maximum nutritional value and flavor.
You can cover your pan to speed cooking time without damaging the quality of the peppers.
When peppers are done, put them in a bowl, cover with a paper towel and place them in the freezer for approximately 10 minutes.
This will rapidly cool the cooking process so the heat will not wilt your greens when you add the peppers to the salad mixture.
Using a fork, flake the tilapia and mix with the peppers into your salad.
Serve immediately.
For best results, your fish and peppers should be a warm to room temperature served over lightly chilled greens.
Notes: 1 medium lemon yields 2-3 tablespoons of juice 5-6 lemons will yield 1 cup of juice.
You can cube or dice the bell peppers and onions.
It is a matter of preference and the recipe is still delicious.
You can substitute the red onions with scallions or onions of your choice.
When in a hurry, I sometimes use 1/2 to 3/4 cups of dehydrated onions from an organic, dried onion soup mix.
Separate the powder from the dehydrated onions and brown the onions with garlic, then add bell peppers.
When purchasing poultry seasoning (and onion soup mix) it is always healthier to choose no-salt or low-salt products.
I like Bell’s Poultry Seasoning, but there are many other brands that do not add salt or chemical additives.
You can use any type of lettuce you like.
I often use mesclun greens, baby spinach, and/or a mixture of red leaf, green leaf and romaine.
Be creative!
I make large amounts of lemon-basil marinade and refrigerate for future use.
Batches usually last in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 weeks.
Instead of using sesame oil, you can use a salad dressing with ingredients that compliment the meal’s flavor scheme.
For those of you following BodyKnowledge-tm Intelligent Eating Plans, the carrots are mild-starch vegetables and can be omitted.
Bon appetit!
Servings: 4
Time preparation: 5 min.
Time total: 25 min.