As a follow-up to our Tuesday post, A Visual Guide to Peppers, we figured it made sense to offer up a few Primal recipes that can help you put your new pepper knowledge to good use.
Codfish, Peppers and Mushrooms
Looking for a simple dinner that you can rustle up in mere minutes? This might be just the ticket.
Ingredients:
2 lbs codfish, cut into 4 “steaks”
4 medium green bell peppers, cut into bite-sized chunks
½ lb mushrooms, cleaned and chopped
4 tbsp butter
Salt and pepper to taste
Method:
In a large skillet, melt butter until frothy. Add all other ingredients and cook on medium for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add salt and pepper to taste. Dish up. Serves 4.
Nutrition Information:
Once again, we turn to our friends at FitDay.com for the nutritional analysis
Calories: 360 per serving
Fat: 16.5 grams (40% calories from fat)
Carbohydrate: 9.6 grams (9% calories from carbs)
Protein: 43.5 grams (50% calories from protein)
Tilapia Fillets in a Spicy Poblano Sauce
While this recipe does include a little dairy – which Grok would typically forgo – it really helps take this dish to the next level (and is a reprieve from the cheese-centric dishes common in Mexican cuisine).
Ingredients:
4 fillets of tilapia
2 tbsp olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, minced
Salt and pepper to taste
For sauce:
2 tbsp butter
1 medium onion
2 cloves of garlic, minced
8 poblano chiles, roasted, peeled, seeded, and coarsely chopped
3 sprigs of fresh cilantro
1 cup chicken broth
½ cup heavy cream
Salt and pepper to taste
Method:
To make the sauce, warm the butter in a large skillet until hot. Add onion and garlic and cook until softened. Reduce the heat to medium and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until onion browns. Add the poblano peppers, and cilantro and cook for five minutes, stirring occasionally. Next, empty the ingredients into a food processor. Add chicken stock and process until smooth. A few minutes before serving, return mixture to saucepan and bring to a simmer. Add the cream and salt and pepper to taste. Allow to simmer for three minutes, remove from heat and serve.
To prepare the tilapia, warm half of the oil in a large skillet over high heat and add half of the garlic. Saute 1-2 minutes. Add two pieces of the tilapia, cook for two minutes on each side and remove from pan. Repeat with remaining tilapia. Arrange on plate, layer on poblano sauce and serve immediately. Serves 4.
Nutrition Information:
Calories: 461 per serving
Fat: 24.4 grams (47% calories from fat)
Carbohydrate: 16.3 grams (12% calories from carbs)
Protein: 46.9 grams (41% calories from protein)
Thai Lemongrass and Chile Soup
While this one might require a trip to your local ethnic food store, the soup is a refreshing – and incredibly healthy – option for spicing up your next meal.
Ingredients:
4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
2 medium lemon grass stalks
1 tsp olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp peeled ginger root, minced
2 tsp roasted chile paste
1 1/2 cups mushrooms, chopped
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 cup tomatoes, finely chopped
1 tbsp fresh cilantro, finely chopped
3 small thai chiles, seeded and chopped
Method:
In a medium saucepan, place broth and lemon grass stalks and simmer for five minutes. Remove stalks, return broth to stovetop, add chile paste and bring to a boil. In a small skillet, heat oil and sauté garlic and ginger about 30 seconds. Next, add mushrooms and sauté until mushrooms become wilted (again, about 30 seconds). Add mixture to saucepan and stir. Add lime juice and fish sauce. Simmer another 5 minutes, remove from heat and ladle into bowls. Before serving, top each bowl with tomatoes, cilantro and the hot chiles. Serves 4.
Nutrition Analysis:
Calories: 77 per serving
Fat: 3.2 grams (36% calories from fat)
Carbohydrate: 11.2 grams (53% calories from carbs)
Protein: 3.0 grams (11% calories from protein)