By Jodee Weiland

An old favorite here in our home is Shrimp Creole. Shrimp Creole is a dish that I first made long before I ever had children years ago. The rich flavors of Shrimp Creole have always made it a favorite of mine. Those flavors are a blend of flavors from several countries, who all found themselves in the port of New Orleans. Some of those countries were Italy, Spain, and Portugal. The savory flavors of these countries and others long ago created the delicious food selections found in New Orleans, as well as whole new languages they used to communicate among themselves, pidgins and creoles. It was when I was studying these languages in a linguistics class during a master’s program, that I fell in love with New Orleans from a distance, and later when I visited, I was in love forever. All of this gave new meaning to my Fabulous Shrimp Creole with Rice.

Fabulous Shrimp Creole with Rice is a wonderful dish, which starts out with what some call the trinity: onions, celery, and garlic. Sauteed in olive oil, these three ingredients are only the beginning of this delicious dish. Add in the tomatoes, various seasonings, shrimp, and green peppers, you will create a dish do full of rich flavor, it will soon become a family favorite. It is definitely a family favorite for us, and we enjoyed it every time we have it.

Fabulous Shrimp Creole with Rice

• 1 medium onion chopped
• 3/4 cup celery chopped
• 2 fresh garlic cloves minced
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 – 15 ounce can organic diced tomatoes
• 1 – 15 ounce can all natural crushed tomatoes or tomato puree
• 1/2 teaspoon or to taste sea salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon chili powder or more to taste
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 shakes bottled hot sauce or more to taste
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch plus one tablespoon water
• 1 pound large shrimp deveined with shell and tail removed
• 1 medium sweet pepper chopped
• cooked rice for each serving

Cook the onion, celery, and garlic in heated olive oil. Cook over a low to medium heat until tender. Do not brown. Add tomatoes, salt, sugar, chili powder, Worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce. Blend this mixture together and simmer uncovered on low heat for about 30 minutes.

Once done, add the cornstarch plus one tablespoon water to the mixture. Stir together and then add the shrimp and green peppers. Bring to a low boil, cover, and simmer for five to ten minutes longer until cooked. Serve with rice.

My Fabulous Shrimp Creole with Rice is so delicious and will soon become a family favorite in your home. Serve this dish with a red wine and a crusty bread. The flavor is so wonderfully rich and will leave you pleasantly satisfied. Eating this Fabulous Shrimp Creole with Rice for dinner is like bringing a little bet of New Orleans into your home. Take your time and savor the flavors, and enjoy!

By Jodee Weiland

When baking tilapia, your options for adding flavor are unlimited. One way to add flavor is to cook the tilapia with a sauce or seasonings. Another option is to add a sauce or salsa of some sort when serving the cooked tilapia by spooning it over the fish. Either way, changing the taste is limited only by your own imagination. With a garden of fresh tomatoes, green onions, peppers, and more, I decided to serve my baked Tilapia with Spicy Fresh Balsamic Tomato Salsa.

My fresh tomatoes consist of a variety of different types. For this dish, I chose Roma tomatoes and yellow cherry tomatoes. I decided to add some green onions for flavor along with a small Dragon Cayenne pepper to add a little more flavor and kick. Of course, if you don’t like spicy, then you can always make the recipe for the fresh balsamic tomato salsa without the pepper. Either way, it’s a delicious salsa full of flavor and will take your baked tilapia over the top in taste!

Tilapia with Spicy Fresh Balsamic Tomato Salsa 

3 to 4 tilapia fillets
5 to 6 Roma tomatoes diced
4 to 5 yellow cherry tomatoes halved
2 green onions sliced
1 small Dragon Cayenne pepper (optional)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (plus some to mist baking dish and fillets)
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Use olive oil spray on rectangular baking dish. Rinse fillets, but if they are frozen, it is not necessary to thaw them. Then arrange fillets in the baking dish. Spray a light mist of olive oil on top of each filet. Place baking dish in oven and cook for 15 to 17 minutes. While the fish is baking or before, prepare and mix together the tomatoes, green onions, pepper, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar. Season it with sea salt and black pepper to taste. When the fillets are done baking, put each fillet on a serving dish and then spoon the tomato salsa generously over the top.

My Tilapia with Spicy Fresh Balsamic Tomato Salsa is not only delicious, but healthy as well. Full of robust fresh flavors and a great taste, your family will love it. Serve it with a side vegetable and a light white wine to complement the meal. This is an easy and quick meal to prepare, but it will taste wonderful and will satisfy you without being a heavy meal. Give it a try, and enjoy!