Easy Baked Tilapia Dinner

Since Dan and I are trying to eat healthier, I've been cooking more during the week. The below tilapia dish was made last week for dinner and took merely a half hour to prepare and 15 minutes to cook. You can't go wrong with that, especially on a weeknight when you're trying to be quick and efficient.

Here's the recipe that I improvised. All ingredients are fresh, which is the key to any good meal.

Crispy Baked Tilapia (Serves 2)

Ingredients:

2-3 medium sized Tilapia fillets

Olive oil

Fresh parsley, chopped

2 small cloves of garlic, minced

1 1/2 handfuls of Italian breadcrumbs

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees. Prepare a medium sized cookie sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil.

Lightly oil the tilapia fillets and then sprinkle with salt and freshly ground pepper on both sides. Mix the breadcrumbs with a generous glug of olive oil, chopped parsley and the minced garlic. Incorporate until the mixture sticks together when pinched between your fingers.

Place seasoned fillets on the prepared cookie sheet and top with breadcrumb mixture. Bake for about 15 - 20 minutes or until the fish is flaky and the crust is slightly brown.

Garlic and Herbed Mashed Potatoes (Serves 2)

This is a great side to pair with the tilapia. To keep it light, I didn't add any cream or full fat butter. Instead, I used low-fat milk and yogurt butter, which is much better for you. Luckily you couldn't taste the low fattiness--the dish tasted rich and delicious.

Ingredients:

2 - 3 medium Idaho potatoes, peeled and quartered

Fresh parsley, chopped

2 small cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 tbs of yogurt butter

1 glug of low-fat milk

Salt and pepper to taste

A spoonful of the breadcrumb mixture (from above). Use this if you have leftovers from the tilapia. If you don't, you can do without it.

Directions:

Set the potatoes to boil in a medium pot. Boil for 10 minutes or until tender (prick the potatoes with a fork to test them out). Drain and add the rest of the ingredients and mash together until only slightly chunky. If you like your mashed potatoes to be smooth, you can mash them until your heart's content.

Dan and I paired this dish with a lemon slice. It added freshness and a little zing. Enjoy!