A few nights ago, John and I went to my good friend Laura’s house to cook dinner. I put myself in charge of protein and veggies, mostly because I wanted to eat something healthy and simple and involving something green. After nearly two months of traveling through the South, my body was screaming “NO MORE BARBECUE OR FRIED CHICKEN! I NEED VEGGIES!”. I’d been ignoring that voice for about a month; how can you pass up delicious fried shrimp po boys in New Orleans or smoky brisket and peach cobbler in the Texas Hill Country? You can’t. 

So after some (a lot) of online recipe research, I settled on Citrus Tilapia en Papillote and Kale Caesar Salad.

The prep for the tilapia is literally slicing up some tomatoes and citrus fruit and throwing them in a parchment bag (or making a little packet with parchment paper with the fish and sticking it in the oven for twenty minutes. Super easy. And it cooks the fish PERFECTLY. It comes out super moist and flavorful. It’s really hard to mess up. It’s impressive and fancy-looking too. When you rip open the bag, out comes a steamy mushroom cloud of fragrant aroma. And then you get to eat fish out of a bag. Yay!

The kale salad turned out to be easy and delicious too. And it has kale in it! So it’s really really good for you! Nevermind the mayonnaise-y Caesar dressing……which I could eat by the spoonful, it’s so tasty. There was a bunch of salad leftover (You want leftover salad, trust me. It get’s better with age.) so I had some for lunch the next day topped with avocado and a poached egg (see photo). The leftover possibilities are endless. And scrumptious. 

CITRUS TILAPIA EN PAPILLOTE

1 pound of tilapia filets (about three)

1 blood orange (or any other citrus you’d like), sliced

1 lemon, sliced

½ carton of grape tomatoes, halved

a handful of parsley or basil or cilantro

olive oil

butter

salt and pepper

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Season each tilapia filet with salt and pepper on both sides. Place each one in a parchment paper bag or tear off a sheet of parchment paper and place each filet just left of center. Drizzle with olive oil and top with a pat of butter. Scatter tomato halves on top of fish. Place a few slices of lemon and blood orange on top of each fish and top with herbs. With bag, fold end a few times and crimp end to create a loose seal. With sheet, fold in half and line up edges, fold and roll edges in towards fish to create a little packet. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. When finished, put whole packet on each plate, rip open and dig in!

KALE CAESAR SALAD

1 bunch of kale, thick stems removed and thinly sliced

½ carton of grape tomatoes, halved

3 slices of bread (whole wheat or sourdough are best)

olive oil and salt

Put kale in a large bowl and drizzle with a bit of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt. Massage kale for 3-5 minutes until it starts to break down a bit and turns darker and feels silkier and smoother. Taste as you go; when it’s ready, it shouldn’t be too bitter or tough. Add halved tomatoes. Cut bread slices into cubes, heat some olive oil in a skillet, add bread cubes, season with salt and toast until golden brown. Add croutons to bowl. Drizzle with dressing (see recipe below) and toss. 

CAESAR DRESSING

½ cup mayonnaise

¼ cup grated parmesean 

¼ cup fresh squeezed lemon juice

¼ cup olive oil

2 tsp dijon mustard

2 tsp worcestershire 

1 garlic clove, crushed or finely minced

salt and pepper

Put all ingredients in a mason jar, screw the lid on and shake vigorously. Season with salt and pepper to taste.