Roasted Veggies and Paprika Tilapia

Time: 1 hour for the veggies, 7 minutes for the fish

Serves: at least two

Roasted Veggies

10-12 small red potatoes (the smaller the better)

2 large carrots sliced lengthwise thinly

1 whole clove fresh garlic, peeled and separated into pieces.

10-12 brussel sprouts

3 tablespoons fresh rosemary chopped

3 tablespoons fresh parsley

2 teaspoons fresh paprika (mostly for the color)

1 teaspoon fresh (or dried) thyme

a fair bit of olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Wash and dry the potatoes thouroughly. Cut the small ones in half, cut the bigger ones into quarters. Mix the potatoes, garlic and carrots together. Add all of the spices and plenty of olive oil (so that the potatoes get nice and crispy). Place in a baking dish and bake at 375.

The brussel sprouts will go into this mixture, but, because the potatoes and carrots take so long to cook and get crispy, it is best to wait until the veggies are about 10 minutes away from being finished before adding them. Overcooking the sprouts is a remarkably easy way to ruin the entire dish.

Start by washing the sprouts. Peel off the outer leaves (especially if they are discolored, damaged or dirty) and cut sprouts in half.

When the potatoes have softened but haven’t become crispy, add the sprouts. Cook until the sprouts are cooked through and the potatoes are crispy.

Paprika Tilapia

2 Tilapia fillets

juice from one lemon

plenty of paprika

salt, pepper and olive oil to taste

Marinade the fish in the lemon juice, paprika, salt and pepper for no more than 10 minutes. The fish only takes 2 minutes a side, so plan accordingly. Get a skillet nice and hot and lightly coat it with olive oil.

Toss the fish and all of the accompanying juices into the skillet. Carefully flip after two minutes, cook the second side for two more minutes and serve immediately.

The soft and light texture of the fish interplays perfectly with the crispiness of the roasted veggies. This is a perfect, easy and light dish for the winter. Enjoy.

Spiced Black Beans

Spiced Beans

Time: 30 minutes (but it really doesn't take too much effort)

Serves 4-6

Black beans have a reputation for being mealy health-food dreck. This recipe serves to contradict that stereotype. After eating these, I promise you'll find yourself craving them all the time.

2 cans black beans (do not leave out the watery bean juice in the cans)

1/2 cup diced onion

2 garlic cloves peeled

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

2 jalapeno pepper

2 oz. dark bittersweet chocolate

pinch ground cloves and all spice

enough olive oil to coat the pan

salt and pepper to taste

Coat a heated sauce pan with oil and saute the onions, garlic cloves, and jalapeno peppers whole over high heat. Once the onions are transparent, add the rest of the ingredients. Simmer the beans, mixing occasionally, over low heat until most of the liquid has burnt off. Serve with tortillas or rice-or anything else you can think of.

As with most recipes I write, there are a ton of variations that you can do to this dish. If you want a heartier dish, add some kidney and white beans in with the mixture--and if you want to kick the heartiness into high gear, serve some nice rear (Note: food borne illnesses are a serious matter--so cook your food accordingly...me, I'll take some salmonella for a nice bloody piece of meat) steak atop the beans. Please, let me know how your cooking adventures go. More recipes to come, I promise.