Chile Lime Tilapia with Summer Zucchini

Sometimes living by myself can get sad. Not often, since its lovely to be able to eat what I want, when I want it (tomato salad 3 days in a row? Yes please!), watch all the crappy TV I want (I'm looking at you Real Housewives) and not feel bad if I have a fat day and go through 10 outfits before I leave for the office...and walk out without picking up the 9 outfits I decided not to wear.

But sometimes, cooking for yourself can be...hard. Not only that you're by yourself, but that you're cooking for one person! I think that's why so many single people order takeout or get frozen meals--it's a lot easier to do that for one person than to cook. And many times when you cook, you'll end up throwing stuff out because recipes are rarely for one. 

This is also why this blog is so important to me--I spent a long time getting used to cooking for an individual without wasting food and money. Hopefully I'm providing all you singles out there (and you families!) with recipes that are easy to make for one person without breaking the bank. That's also why I eat so much seafood...it's a lot easier to ask the guy behind the seafood counter to cut 6 oz. off that massive fillet of salmon than it is to ask a butcher to trim down that steak! 

The other good news about cooking for myself is that cooking for one has caused me to focus on yummy recipes that take a minimum of time to cook...mainly because if I look at a recipe and it looks too time intensive...I get a knock on my door and my delivery man is on the other side. This recipe took me, from start to finish...15 minutes. I kid you not.

Any recipes you're interested in? Shoot me an email at seasaltnpepa@gmail.com. I love to hear from you!

Chile Lime Tilapia with Summer Zucchini

Ingredients:

6 oz tilapia for each person
Cayenne chile powder
1 lime
1 zucchini
1 summer squash
Olive oil

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 400F. Line a large baking dish with tin foil.

2. Cut your zucchini and summer squash into small chunks--I cut crosswise down the entire zucchini and then cut those circles into four pieces. Toss with olive oil and put pieces in one layer on the baking dish. Place in oven.

3. Rinse and dry your tilapia. Brush the fish with olive oil and sprinkle cayenne powder over the fish, to your taste (I happen to love me some cayenne). Zest the lime over the fish; cut the lime in half and squeeze juice onto the fish.

4. After 12 minutes of the zucchini cooking, remove from oven. Place the fish in the center of the dish and return to the oven. Cook until tilapia is cooked through and flakes easily with a fork. Then enjoy!