Tilapia with Black Bean Salsa

This is a quick and easy dinner to make. I love cooking tilapia! We eat it for dinner a lot so I always have a bag of fillets from Costco in the freezer. The fillets thaw really fast, so it can make a great last minute dinner. I got this recipe from my mom, she is always thinking up great recipes!

Ingredients:

• 2 to 4 tilapia fillets
• 1 can black beans, drained
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 2 cloves of garlic, diced
• 1 red or orange bell pepper, diced
• 1 jalapeno diced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
• seasoning for tilapia

Saute the garlic, bell pepper, and jalapeno in the olive oil until tender. Add the can of tomatoes and the can of black beans. Season the tilapia fillets with either salt and pepper, or I sometimes use the recipe below. Place the fillets in the pan and let it cook in the simmering juices for about 8 to 10 minutes flipping the fillets halfway through. Once the fish is cooked through remove from the heat and add the cilantro.

Emeril's ESSENCE Creole Seasoning (also referred to as Bayou Blast):

• 2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 2 tablespoons garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme
• Combine all ingredients thoroughly.
• Yield: 2/3 cup

Sauteed Spinach and Tilapia with Chive Oil

We eat this dinner a lot, at least once a week. I love it because it is easy, healthy, and most important... it tastes really good! I buy tilapia fillets, baby spinach, and avocado at Costco; so we always seem to have all the ingredients on hand and it also saves money to buy them in bulk.You can put this dinner together in 20 minutes, or maybe less if you don't have 2 kiddos distracting you. ;) Super easy and super good!

Ingredients:

• 2 tilapia fillets
• 4 to 5 cups of raw baby spinach
• 1 avocado, sliced
• 1/4 cup olive oil, plus 2 tablespoons for sauteing
• 3 tablespoons fresh chives, chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped
• Salt and pepper

Season tilapia fillets with salt and pepper. Now in a small bowl stir together 1/4 cup of olive oil, chives, rosemary, and salt and pepper. Set aside. Heat a large saute pan to medium to medium-high heat and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Once the oil is hot add the tilapia fillets. Cook about 3 minutes then flip the tilapia to the other side. After about 1 minute add the raw spinach to the pan and toss until it becomes wilted, about 1 to 2 minutes. Serve the tilapia on top of the cooked spinach. Add the sliced avocado on top of the fish, and drizzle with the chive oil.