Tilapia with Lemon Pesto…So Easy and Delicious!

By Jodee Weiland

Tilapia is so easy to bake for dinner, and what’s even better is how easily you can change the taste by what you add to it.  You can just add a seasoning, butter, and lemon juice, or you can add a sauce.

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I decided to try it with one of my all-time favorites, Italian Basil Pesto sauce.  I use homemade Italian Pesto because it is fresh, and I know what’s in it, but you can buy it in jars at most stores.  Just try to make sure they are using good oils and the ingredients you prefer.

I am always looking for recipes that are fast and easy, and this recipe, with my other tilapia recipes, are my go to recipes for fast, easy, and healthy.  Since I freeze some of my homemade Italian Pesto sauce, I just thaw it earlier in the day and have it ready when it’s time to cook dinner.  I also like to keep fresh lemons on hand, since I use them often in my cooking, but you can use bottled lemon juice as well.  No matter what, this recipe is great!  Why?  Because this recipe is easy, delicious, and healthy!

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Tilapia with Lemon Pesto…So easy and delicious!

3 to 4 frozen tilapia fillets (approximately 4 ounces each)
6 to 8 tablespoons homemade Italian Basil Pesto
(see my recipe or buy prepared pesto sauce)
Lemon juice freshly squeezed from to taste
Olive oil spray to prepare baking dish

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Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Use olive oil spray on rectangular baking dish. Rinse frozen fillets, but it is not necessary to thaw them. Then arrange fillets in baking dish. Put about 2 tablespoons of homemade Italian Pesto, more or less, on top of each filet. Place baking dish in oven and cook for 15 to 17 minutes. Halfway through cooking, about 8 to 9 minutes, spread pesto evenly across the top of each filet with a cooking brush and drizzle with lemon juice. Continue to bake for the remaining 9 to 10 minutes.

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When finished cooking, serve fillets with a vegetable of your choice. I use steamed green beans or broccoli because they blend well with the pesto and lemon flavors of the tilapia. This dish is excellent served with a nice Riesling wine. We love this dish because it is easy to prepare and cook, allowing you to serve dinner in less than a half hour.  It really is one of my go to dinners when I have a hectic crazy day.  I’m sure you know what I mean.  We all have days like this, but what’s important is that we go for something healthy to eat, not just something easy and fast, like fast foods.  You and I deserve better than that, so try this recipe and enjoy!

Red Potato Salad with Vinegar and Olive Oil…Plus a Little Something Extra!

By Jodee Weiland

We were about to have a barbecue with family, and I had everything picked out for the menu.  Actually, I had everything picked out to make except one thing, and that was what type of potato dish.  I didn’t want to make baked potatoes again, but a potato salad like the one mom used to make didn’t seem a very healthy alternative.

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Don’t get me wrong it was delicious with eggs, mayo, mustard, onions and celery, but not good for a heart healthy diet, and that is what we try to follow in our house these days.  With that in mind, I came up with an alternative.

I decided to use red potatoes, olive oil, Dijon mustard, fat free Miracle Whip, green onions, and celery.  I wasn’t sure how this would turn out, but I played it by ear, and by the time I finished making this new potato salad, I had to stop my husband from eating too much.  After all, I wanted enough left for the guests who were coming the next day.  So here it is, and this is what I did to make our healthier version of potato salad.

Red Potato Salad with Vinegar and Olive Oil…Plus a Little Something  Extra!

4 pounds red potatoes cooked and cubed with skins
3/4 cup of celery chopped
1/3 cup green onions chopped
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup fat free Miracle Whip
1/8 cup Grey Poupon Dijon mustard
1 chopped green onion to sprinkle over top of finished recipe

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Wash and boil the red potatoes in lightly salted water for about 20 to 25 minutes in a covered pot.  When done, drain the potatoes and run cool water over them.  Once cool, cube the red potatoes with skins.

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Chop the green onions and celery while the potatoes are cooking.  When the potatoes are cooked and cubed with skins, put them in a large bowl.  Pour olive oil and vinegar over the potatoes and stir.  Add the chopped celery and green onions to this.  Then add in the black pepper, fat free Miracle Whip, and Grey Poupon Dijon mustard.  Blend all of this together stirring gently.  Once blended together, put your red potato salad in a serving bowl.  Sprinkle lightly with a little black pepper and one chopped green onion.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.

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This recipe for potato salad is not only tasty, but a lot healthier than the mayonnaise based potato salad I grew up eating.  It is also healthier than store bought potato salad.  I know both of these may be a favorite of yours, but I truly believe if you give this alternative a try, you will find it to be very tasty and definitely healthier.  If you do decide to give it a try, I hope you like it as much as we do and enjoy!

4th of July Red, White, and Blue Jell-O Mold…Easy and Tasty!

By Jodee Weiland

This is the easiest Jell-O mold to make when having a 4th of July celebration!

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When I was little, my mom made this Jell-O mold in red, white, and green, but back then there was no blue Jell-O available.  She also used lemon, since pineapple flavor was not an option.  Of course, her color choice could have had more to do with the fact that we were Italian, but I think if she could have done red, white, and blue for the 4th of July, she would have.  Today your choices are unlimited compared to what she had back then.

Unlike many of the recipes today for the white band, she never added cool whip or yogurt.  She simply added cream cheese, which gave her middle band a nice creamy flavor and was always my favorite.  I remember eating the red and white, but I always left the green behind.  Admittedly, green would be the choice color for the Christmas season, but I prefer the blue over green.

Making this recipe is easy and fast.  Here’s what you need to do when making your red, white, and blue 4th of July Jell-O mold.  If you have a regular size Jell-O mold like I do, you will use three 3 ounce packages of Jell-O like I did, but if you have a larger Jell-O mold like my mom had, you will use three 6 ounce packages and double the cream cheese.  I have the Tupperware mold that makes it easy to plate your Jell-O mold.  Either way, it’s easy!

4th of July Red, White, and Blue Jell-O Mold…Easy and Tasty!

1 three ounce package of raspberry Jell-O  (any red gelatin)
1 three ounce package of pineapple Jell-O  (any yellow gelatin)
1 three ounce package of blueberry Jell-O  (any blue gelatin)
1 eight ounce package cream cheese
Water as directed on Jell-O box

Optional:  You can add fruit to the layers if you would like, but then add less liquid to each layer.

https://learnfromyesterday.comDissolve the three ounces of raspberry gelatin in one cup of boiling water.  Once dissolved, then add one cup of cold water.  Pour into the mold and allow one to two hours to set or more in the refrigerator.

For the second layer, the process for the pineapple gelatin is the same as it was for the raspberry with one additional step before pouring it into the mold.  Once the pineapple is done, blend into it one eight ounce package of cream cheese with a hand mixer.  When thoroughly blended pour in your second (now white) layer of the mold.  You may have some left because you added  cream cheese.  I always put the extra in a small bowl and let it set as well. You need to leave about an inch for the blueberry gelatin.  Be sure the first layer is set prior to pouring in the second.  Allow one to two hours to set or more in the refrigerator.

For the final layer, do the same process with the blueberry gelatin as you did for the raspberry and when ready, pour the last layer into the mold.  Once again, be sure the second  layer is set prior to pouring in the second.  Small specks of white rising to the top of the blue should not show once the mold is flipped later.  Allow one to two hours to set or more in the refrigerator.

When ready to serve, put the mold in warm water in your sink for just about a minute, and then with a plate over the top of the mold, carefully flip your mold over on to your plate.  This process may vary slightly depending on your mold.

https://learnfromyesterday.comAll you have to do now is serve and enjoy your red, white, and blue Jell-O mold!  It will make an attractive dish for your 4th of July table and will taste great.  It is decorative and tasty, but best of all it is easy to make.  The kids especially enjoy this dish, but the grown-ups will enjoy it as well!  Have a safe and happy 4th of July and enjoy!