Dinner Last Night

So, I decided I wanted to have a little of a lot last night because two recipes sounds really good and I was in the mood for both Tofu and Fish. On my way home I stopped by Whole Foods to pick up some Grouper, however it was really expensive, so instead I got Tilapia and while I was there I remembered I needed some salad so I got some of that too.

When I got home I got started by making a basic polenta recipe that I found on the Food Network website, but changed it by removing butter. Here is what I did:


6 cups water
2 teaspoons salt
1 3/4 cups yellow cornmeal
3 tablespoons unsalted butter

Bring 6 cups of water to a boil in a heavy large saucepan. Add 2 teaspoons of salt. Gradually whisk in the cornmeal. Reduce the heat to low and cook until the mixture thickens and the cornmeal is tender, stirring often, about 15 minutes. Turn off the heat. Add the butter, and stir until melted.

After making the polenta, I knew it needed to harden so I changed and went to the gym. I spent some time on the elliptical trainer before doing my weight lifting (training) and then headed back to my apartment.

Once back, I put dinner together.

Recipe #1: Citrus Baked Tilapia and Thyme

2 fillets of Tilapia
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
Zest and juice of 1 orange
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, as needed
1 teaspoon EVOO

Pre-heat oven to 300 degrees F. Season the Tilapia on both sides with salt, pepper, thyme, and zest. In a baking dish add the Tilapia, EVOO, and juice. Bake in the oven until the Tilapia turns opaque and begins to flake, approximately 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and tent in foil to keep warm, or serve immediately.

Recipe #2: Polenta and Tofu Skillet

5 sun-dried tomatoes (not packed in oil)
14 ounces extra firm or firm tofu
2 tablespoons soy sauce, low sodium
1 tablespoon water
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1/2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
couple handfuls of spinach
18-ounce prepared polenta
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon basil
1/4 cup vegetable broth
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Put the sundried tomatoes in a bowl and pour boiling water over them to cover. Set aside until soft. When they're soft, drain the water and cut each tomato into 1/4-inch slices.

Mix the soy sauce, water, garlic, and balsamic vinegar together. Cut the tofu in half lengthwise, and slice each half into 1/2-inch rectangles. Put the tofu into a ziplock bag, pour the marinade over it, and turn gently to coat. Let it marinate while you prepare the bok choy and polenta.

Cut the polenta into 1/2-inch slices and cut each slice into 4 wedges. Heat a non-stick skillet (lightly sprayed with olive oil, if you're worried about sticking); once it is hot, add the polenta in a single layer. Cook until lightly browned on one side, and then turn over and brown the other side. Remove from the pan and set aside. Keep the skillet hot.

Lift the tofu out of the marinade and place it in the hot skillet. Cook until just beginning to brown and then turn it over. Put the spinach on top of the tofu and pour the vegetable broth, oregano, basil, and reserved marinade over the greens. Steam until the greens begin to wilt. Stir in the sundried tomatoes and polenta and cook, covered, just long enough for the stalks to get tender-crisp, about 1-2 minutes. Add freshly ground black pepper to taste.


I also made a salad on the side. It was a lot of food but it was a lot of really good post working out food!! And, it made enough for a few left over meals!! Can't complain about that!!