Monday night. You know how it is, it’s the night after the first day back to work and one day closer to Friday. Admit it, you were thinking that too.

Since I’m trying cut back on red meat, I’ve been looking for recipes that involve more chicken and fish. I just bought a bag of frozen tilapia filets which means fish is on the menu this week. Instead of making boring old baked fish, I decided to spice it up a bit.

I found this easy Walnut-Crusted Tilapia recipe on Parents Magazine online. I was then faced with another predicament, what exactly was I supposed to make with this faux exotic fish dish? That’s when I came across another easy recipe for Creamy Mushroom Orzo. A quick mental check for the ingredients at home, check and check. I’ll admit, I was a little worried about the outcome. The tilapia, however, was indeed easy and amazing. The orzo was just right.

 

Walnut-Crusted Tilapia

Ingredients

1/4 cup Walnuts, chopped
1 tablespoon Light Mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Dijon Mustard
4 Tilapia Filets (about 6 ounces each)
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper
 

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F, Coat a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.
In a small skillet over medium-high heat, toast 1/4 cup walnuts for 5 minutes.
 In a separate bowl, stir together mayonnaise and 1 tablespoon of the mustard.
Finely chop remaining 1/2 cup walnuts.
Brush tilapia with mustard mixture, then sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon basil and 1/8 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Press 2 tablespoons chopped walnuts onto one side of each fillet.
Place tilapia, walnut-side up, on baking sheet; bake at 425 degrees F for 15 minutes or until fish flakes easily.
 

Creamy Mushroom Orzo

Ingredients

1 cup Orzo
2 cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth
8 ounce package of Sliced Button Mushrooms
3 ounce  Cream Cheese
1 tablespoon Butter
1/2 clove Garlic
 Fresh Thyme Sprigs (I used dried Thyme)
 

Directions

Melt butter in pan on med-high heat
Crush & mince garlic.  Toss garlic and thyme sprigs in pan to sauté. Stir for about 60 seconds to open up the flavors
Add mushrooms, and lightly sauté
Add chicken broth and orzo. Simmer until al dente
Fold in the cream cheese, until it is melted into the orzo