Costa Rican Tilapia with Rice and Black beans

I love culture. From different states in the U.S. to different continents around the globe. I've always loved finding the beauty in the customs, traditions, dance, art and clothing. What truly captivates me though, is the food. I think it's safe to say that everywhere in this beautiful world we all share is the way we all use food to express love, affection, sympathy, hospitality, even eroticism! Think about it for a second and truly ask yourself, have you ever felt negatively about someone because they have hurt you so much that you know the very thing to do to get them back is to bake them a perfect apple pie or casserole! I'm talking about one you would give to a loved one, not a Minnie Jackson "Special Chocolate Pie"! No.

 

This recipe is my take on a classic Costa Rican dish made up of citrus pineapple marinated tilapia with sides of pineapple salsa, rice and black beans. I, being a cut corners kind of girl in the kitchen decided to make a... wait for it... CASSEROLE! My fiancé, Shiloh crinkled up his nose at it while I was throwing together fish, fruit, rice and beans, but let me tell you, he had never tasted anything like this before and would have never even thought to mix the stuff together. He loved it, which I knew he would because previous people I've made it for did too. Hang on a sec' while I toot my own horn..."Toot toot!"

 





Here's what you need:

 

*2 tilapia fillets

*2 limes

*I pouch of boil in a bag white rice

*fresh or canned pineapple and the juice

*mild-hot salsa

*a can of black beans

 

 

 

First, marinate your tilapia. juice one lime and add a cup of pineapple juice and let the fish sit in it for at least an hour in the fridge, but over night is the best.

 

 

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees...

 

 

Cook your rice...

 

 

Add a cup of chopped pineapple to your rice...

 

 

Shake some garlic salt and minced onion for flavor...

 

 

Mix in half a cup of salsa and stir everything in...

 

 

Then add in your beans...

 

 

Mix it all together so its all combined and put it all into a casserole dish (since I only made this for two, I just used a loaf dish)...

 

 

place your fish on top an lay some slices of lime on top of the fish...

 

 

stick it in the oven and forget about it for half an hour (just enough time to clean up the kitchen and set the table.)...

 

 

Tada!!! Isn't it luscious!!! You are going to love it! Try it out!

 

Xoxo, Nay

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Heeeeere's Your Sign...

Last night at around 9pm, I couldn't sleep as usual. And my Shiloh of course off in warm milk and honey dreamy land, as soon as his head hits the pillow he is easily able to fall into a snoring, drooling slumber. I so envy his ability! I was tossing and turning with a nagging feeling that I couldn't shake...

(In my mind) :

"Coffee ready for the morning, check."

"Dishes done, check."

"Shiloh's clothes laid out for work, check."

"Fresh towel for his morning shower, check."

"Dinner planned out with prep work done ahead...ch...oh no..."

I jumped out of bed and raced to the freezer where I found the boneless beef short ribs sitting there starring back at me like, "Uh, hello lady..."

I tore open the cellophane and flung the ribs into my Crock Pot. I roughly chopped up an onion and a few garlic cloves and added a few dashes of pretty much every spice on the stove, dumped in some olive oil (why not?) and covered it with water and stuck the lid on. I wiped off the counters and went back to bed...

So, I guess the Crock Pot heat was still set when I put it away last time I used it, but when we woke up this morning the house smelled soooo amazingly yummy! The ribs were fall apart perfect and all I have to do tonight for dinner is sauté up some sliced mushrooms, make a pan gravy and boil up some egg noodles and it's dinner!

Dinner cooked itself and I got everything I needed to do today plus more, with time to just hang out (or write this mind blowing blog post, rather). I burned my tongue on hot coffee this morning which would have normally ruined my day, but on a day when your dinner is already good to go, who can complain??? So tonight Shi and I are going to watch Ever After and eat a rustic renaissance-y dinner. Yay!

These are the things I get excited about now that I'm 27... heeeeeeere's your sign.

Lemon Pepper Shrimp over Angel Hair Pasta

I could easily call this Shrimp Scampi over Angel Hair made with fresh lemon, BUT, I'm cheap ;) so I used lemon pepper. You won't know the diff and everyone loves it so...

You need:

*a 12oz. bag of medium cooked, frozen shrimp (thaw it out)
*half a box of angel hair pasta
*2 tablespoons of flour (or cornstarch to thicken)
*1/2 stick of butter
*1/4 cup of olive oil
*a big garlic clove
*lemon pepper
*parsley
*garlic salt

                             Get a big pot of water and add some salt and oil and get it boiling...

 

Get your shrimp and pinch off their tails...

 

 

Add the shrimp juice from the bag into the boiling water for extra flavor...

 

 

Add the shrimp to the boiling water and let them swim for about a minute. I just do cuz I feel like it adds more flavor to the pasta water, but you don't have to...

 

 

Take them out after a minute and set them to the side or they will get rubbery...

 

 

Cook your pasta...

 

 

Grab a pan and melt down the butter, add the oil, and the minced garlic clove and cook it on med-low heat so you don't burn the garlic...

 

 

then add in your shrimp, lemon pepper, parsley and let it simmer for like 3 minutes...

 

 

Mix together 2 tablespoons of flour and 2 tablespoons of hot water until it's smooth...

 

 

Add it to the saucy shrimp and stir it up fast or it won't get creamy, it will get chunky...

 

 

plate up some pasta and add the shrimp on top with the sauce and OMG! SO good!

 

Xoxo, Nay

 

*Photo Credits: Shiloh Oden*

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ham Beans

Yesterday was a drizzly overcast day with bouts of thunder. Perfect comfort food weather, right? This meal couldn't be easier with only 5 ingredients. BUT, if you're looking to eat something right away, you better order a pizza because this dish is a labor of love. total cooking time was about 3 hours but SO worth it!

What you'll need:

*a bag of mixed soup beans
*a yellow onion, minced
*3 cloves of garlic, minced
*3 smoked ham hocks
*water

Put it all in a big pot with enough water to cover it. Bring it up to a boil and then lower it down to a low simmer and put a lid on the pot. Once it starts to thicken, you'll want to stir it every so often to make sure nothing is sticking to the bottom (I've ruined a few batches of beans from not doing this). I don't add any salt while cooking because the hocks have a lot of sodium in them so I add it to my own bowl if needed afterward.
3 hours later serve it up with some garlic bread or just plain bread and butter. AMAZING!

 

After 3 hours of cooking...YUM!

 

Xoxo, Nay

Ital Soup

First recipe!

Ital is Vital. No salt, no meat. Just pure vitamins and nutrients your body needs. I made this soup the other day because I had not been feeling well. This soup is what I like to call Jamaican penicillin because it has just about everything you need in one pot to feed your body. Just add freshly juiced fruit and you have a complete meal!

Here is my version...

Chop up some kale and stick it in a big pot. Then cut a peeled butternut squash into medium size chunks and throw that in to.

 

Then cut up a peeled sweet potato in the same size chunks as the squash so everything will cook evenly.

 

Then add some sliced carrots.

 

Add a peeled and chopped white potato.

 

Add some garlic cloves and a chopped up yellow onion.

 

 

Cut up a plantain into 4 pieces and add it in.

 

Add in enough water to cover all the veggies.

 

Cover it and simmer it on medium heat for about an hour or until all the veggies are soft but not mushy. Don't cook it to death ;)

 

Half way through, cut a small piece of fresh ginger root and put it in, as well as some oregano and thyme. Cover it back up and keep simmering.

 

15 minutes after that I add a can of coconut milk and simmer it for another 15.

 

 

Eat it! Nom nom nom...

 

 

Let me know what you think!

 

Xoxo, Nay

This should be fun...

The original idea to start a blog came to me when I was making soup... I'm the kind of person who finds beauty in food, fresh produce and such. I always take pictures of each step so I can look back to see how I did it last time. Now my laptop is being super slow. I'm going to start I guess making a recipe collection and share them. In addition to that, Shi and I also love finding new places to eat and we'll tell you what's good and what's not. As I post on here, you're going to be like, "Damn this chick takes pictures of everything!" It's what I do! :) Enjoy!

Xoxo,

Renee