Recipe Corner: AHA Roasted Beets and Seared Fish

In the interim, lest you think we all went off the wagon and started eating foods laden with bad fats and high in sodium, we enjoyed Bob's Red Mill 13 Bean Soup (not bad but it'd have been better with the ham hock), wheat pilaf (bulgar and mushrooms), halibut with roasted baby red potatoes and green beans, and the like. Today, I also tried my second hummus recipe. The first was Cook's Illustrated, which I thought was okay and Darr ate without complaint. The second is from Smitten Kitchen. And, yes, I did peel an entire 15.5 oz can of garbanzo beans. We'll see if that helps with the sort of grainy texture we got from the first batch*. 

For today's recipes, I didn't have shallots on hand and didn't really care to cut into a big onion so I let that ingredient become optional. Also, the seared fish recipe calls for a sauce/condiment and I don't really do those, particularly if mayonnaise is involved (bleh), so we are just enjoying the fish part of that one.

Roasted Beets

Ingredients

2 lbs fresh beets, ends trimmed, peeled, and cut into 1/2 cubes

2 medium shallots, coarsely chopped (optional)

1 tbls olive oil

1/2 dried thyme or Italian seasoning crumbled

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 400˚F.

Put the beets and shallots (if using) in a single layer on a large rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with oil and stir to coat.

Sprinkle with thyme, pepper, and salt.

Roast for 35 to 45 minutes, or until beets are tender and the edges just start to brown and carmelize, stirring once halfway through.

Seared Fish

Ingredients

4 mild fish, rinsed (I used tilapia)

1/2 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp pepper

1/8 tsp salt

Directions

Sprinkle both sides of fish with the paprika, pepper, and 1/8 tsp of salt. Using your fingertips, gently press the seasoning so it adheres to the fish.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the fish for 3 minutes on each side, or until it flakes easily when tested with a fork. 

*Methinks our friends at McMillerPDX made this at our first dinner at their house. If our memories are correct, do ye folks still have said recipe and may we have it, please?