My new blog! And Grilled Tilapia with Fiesta Quinoa

Hi Everyone! Thanks for stopping by my brand spanking new foodie blog! Those of you who know me well know that over the last few years, I've gotten really into cooking. I'm constantly trying out new recipes and sharing pictures with my friends via text, instagram, pinterest, etc. So I figured I might as well take the plunge and just start a food blog of my own! 

I plan on using this blog to share the results of my cooking adventures -- both based on others' recipes and ones I make up. I'll also occasionally have guest posts (I have a lot of friends who like cooking too!) and posts about restaurants and food products I try out. I have a fun new recipe to share with you all today, but first just a few things you should know about me and my cooking: 

1) Since I'm "single in the city," a lot of my recipes will just portioned be for one (which is not an easy task sometimes!). But you can always double or even quadruple to fit your needs!

2) I like things flavorful and often times, that means spicy! But I'll always try to note when I think something is too spicy for most palates and would need some adjusting. 

3) Just like I'm not a professional cook, I'm not a professional photographer either, but I'm decent at both and will do my best to document the process. That being said, I'll be the first to admit, my plating would not cut it on "Chopped." 

4) I'm really excited about sharing my efforts with all of you. Please feel free to comment if you have questions, comments, suggestions or if you try out the recipes! 

Ok so on to the recipe! Tonight I made grilled tilapia over what I'm calling  "fiesta quinoa" and a side of grilled veggies.  Although this is a light, almost summery dish that might be considered inappropriate for the month of January, I got an indoor grill for Christmas and have been so excited to try it out. Plus, I had all the ingredients already on hand -- love when that happens!

I definitely think this recipe was a success; the only trouble was timing everything to be done at the same time, but isn't that always the problem... I started out by cooking some quinoa on the stove and grilling some veggies (onions, red pepper, zucchini) to have as a side. If you don't have an indoor grill, I'm sure a foreman or even a saute pan would work just as well. 

 

Then I made the mango salsa to mix in with the quinoa. I intended for there to be some leftover salsa for another time but ended up eating it all -- it was good :) 

Lastly, I grilled a tilapia filet for putting on top of the "fiesta quinoa." I simply put just a bit of salt and pepper on the tilapia and brushed both sides with a coconut mango grilling sauce I had on hand. Unfortunately I don't have the recipe for that but I'm sure you can find something similar, especially at a specialty store. Here's what I used: 

And here was the final result:

I hope you enjoy!  

Grilled Tilapia with Fiesta Quinoa 

1 tilapia filet (approximately 4 oz)

1 tsp of mango coconut (or other similar) grilling sauce

1/4 c quinoa

1/2 c tomato, chopped

1/4 c mango, chopped

2 tbsp onion, chopped

1.5 tbsp cilantro, finely chopped

1 tsp of lime juice

1 tsp of jalapeno, finely chopped (seeds and membranes removed if you don't have high spicy tolerance like me)

Splash of hot sauce (optional)

Salt and pepper to taste

Assorted cut veggies 

  

Cook quinoa according the directions on the package.  

Combine tomato, mango, onion, cilantro, lime juice, jalapeno, and hot sauce, salt and pepper to taste. Set aside. 

Season the cut veggies with salt and pepper and grill for approximately 8-10 minutes (or until cooked to your preference).

Sprinkle tilapia with salt and pepper if desired. Brush with grilling sauce. Grill on each side for approximately 3 minutes each. 

Combine quinoa and desired amount of the mango salsa (all of it if you please!) and top with the grilled tilapia. Serve with the side of grilled veggies.