Description

There are four basic steps to this complete Simple Start meal. We’ve listed each preparation step below – and then while the quinoa and tilapia both finish cooking – we’ve listed final steps to complete the meal so that it is ready to be served all together. (Alternately you can cook the vegetable topping and green beans ahead of time and then reheat in the microwave before serving.) Please also note – we’ve written this recipe to serve a family of 4. You should adjust the recipe based on the number of portions you are looking to serve.

Ingredients

For the Tilapia

1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons minced shallots
1 teaspoon fresh thyme or ½ teaspoon dry
Zest from one lemon
½ teaspoon salt
Few grinds black pepper
4 tilapia filets (about one pound)
Juice from ½ fresh lemon

For the Vegetable topping (optional)

Pan spray
4 ounces total of any combination of sliced red onion, red bell pepper, orange bell pepper and yellow bell pepper
Pinch of salt
Few grinds black pepper

For the Green beans

1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh minced garlic
½ teaspoon dry marjoram
12 ounces fresh green beans, cleaned
¼ teaspoon salt
Few grinds black pepper
¼ cup white wine
1 tablespoon lemon juice

For the Quinoa

2 cups vegetable stock (or 2 cups water)
1 cup quinoa
2 sprigs fresh thyme or ½ teaspoon dry
Few grinds black pepper

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

To Prepare the Tilapia

In a small sauté pan, over medium heat sauté shallots in olive oil until just starting to get soft (about 2 to 3 minutes). Add thyme, lemon zest, salt and pepper, stir and cook for one minute. Lay tilapia flat in a small baking pan and brush with lemon juice. Then spread shallot mixture over each filet. Set aside.

To Prepare the Vegetable Topping

In the small sauté pan, add all ingredients for vegetable topping but do not cook yet.

To Prepare Green beans

In a medium sauté pan, over medium heat, place olive oil and garlic and cook for two minutes. Remove from heat and add marjoram, green beans, salt and pepper and set aside. (Hold off on finishing cooking the beans – but have the wine and lemon juice ready for the final steps in this recipe.)

To Prepare the Quinoa

In a small sauce pan, place stock, quinoa, thyme sprigs and pepper. Cover and bring to a boil. Lower heat to a low simmer and cook 12 minutes. Remove from heat but leave covered and let sit for 15 minutes untouched.

To Complete the Meal

At the same time you start the quinoa, place tilapia in the oven, uncovered. The tilapia should take between 15 and 25 minutes to cook depending how thick the filets are.
When there is ten minutes left for the quinoa, heat the two pans (vegetable topping and green beans) over medium heat. Cook both just until tender but still crisp. Remove topping from heat and set aside. Add wine to beans, raise heat and cook for a few minutes more. Remove from heat and squeeze the tablespoon of lemon juice over the green beans.
Before serving, remove and discard thyme sprig from quinoa. To serve, place a tilapia portion, ¼ of the quinoa, ¼ of the beans and ¼ of the sauté vegetables onto a dinner plate for each guest.

Notes

When cooking with quinoa, it’s important to rinse it before cooking to remove a naturally-occurring, slightly bitter taste. Or some brands, like Bob’s Red Mill organic whole grain Quinoa, which we used here, have been pre-rinsed and dried before packaging which removes that bitter taste.