tilapia and quinoa with corn, peppers, and cilantro

After a long time away, I've finally found some time to blog again. To kick-off my return, I'm starting with the meal I made for my family the other night. My friend had given me some quinoa because I had read about it and wanted to try it out. The great thing about quinoa: it's very high in protein (and gluten-free too!). Thus began my desire to cook a healthy meal.

Since the recipe I had for the quinoa was more of a side dish, I had to choose my meat. My family does not eat fish very often, so I thought it would be nice to try something different. Tilapia was the perfect fit. I just had to season it, using Papa John's garlic sauce (actually tastes really good on fish or chicken) and a secret family seasoning, and bake in the oven for 25 min at 375. Simple enough.

On to the quinoa...this recipe was given to me by the same friend. It's super easy. Just bring a cup of water and 1/2 cup of quinoa to a boil, then reduce heat to low and cook for 15 min. When done, the grain should be translucent with the germ spiraled out. During this, dice 1 cup red bell pepper and 1/2 cup onion, and add to a bowl with 1 cup of cooked corn kernels and 1/2 cup cilantro. When the quinoa is done, add to the vegetables and chill. The sauce for this is just 1 tbs. extra-virgin olive oil, 1/4 tsp. ground cumin, and the juice/grated zest of 1 lime. Wisk together and pour over the chilled quinoa and such and there you go. A fresh healthy side with light and tasty fish...all in about a half hour.