Lemon Parmesan Crusted Tilapia with Broccoli Orzo

Summer is here and that means rafting, camping, and the highlight of this summer, my first cruise to the Bahamas in July!

I’m so excited, but I’m trying shed a few pounds before the trip. I’ve been putting a lot of effort into exercising and trying to learn to eat healthy. I even found a great website to help me with my weight loss called SparkPeople. Best yet, it’s completely free!

Keeping with the whole healthy eating, I have a recipe here for a delicious dinner of Lemon Parmesan Crusted Tilapia with Broccoli Orzo. Well for starters, it’s got broccoli, my way of infusing more vegetables in my diet. Tilapia fillets are low in fat, low calorie, low carbohydrate and are high in protein. Plus it’s pretty cheap. Two pieces of tilapia were less than $4. The orzo probably $2. So in it’s entirety the meal at the most cost $9 for TWO people. And this doesn’t look, taste, or seem like a cheap meal.

The fish tasted great. I mixed panko in the parmesan to give it some nice yummy crunch. And orzo is so fun, it’s like a rice and pasta hybrid.

This is a great dinner to impress someone because it’s healthy, cheap, and easy to make. I didn’t even mess with eggs to crust the fish. Just mix together the crust, cover the fish, bake in the oven, boil water then the pasta, steam broccoli, mix and viola! Dinner!

Lemon-Parmesan Crusted Tilapia
Recipe adapted from Healthy and Gourmet
Makes 2 servings

2 tilapia fillets
1/4 cup grated parmesan
2 tbsp panko breadcrumbs
zest of one lemon
2 tbsp chopped cilantro
salt & pepper
juice of half a lemon

1. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Set oven to 425 degrees F.

2. Using paper towels, pat the fillets dry. Set aside.

3. Combine the cheese, bread crumbs, lemon zest, cilantro, salt and pepper. Coat each fillet with the mixture, gently pressing the mixture unto each side of the fish so that it creates a thick coating.

4. Space fillets evenly on baking sheet and bake at 425 degrees F for 10 to 15 minutes until the entire fillet is opaque throughout. Squeeze fresh lemon juice over the top before serving.

Broccoli Orzo
Serves 2

3/4 cup orzo
1 head of broccoli
1/4 cup parmesan
seasonings: salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika

1. Bring water to a boil in a saucepan and salt the water. Add pasta after water has come to a boil and boil for about 8-9 minutes.

2. While the pasta is boiling, steam the broccoli.

3. Once the pasta is done, drain and add parmesan cheese and seasonings. Then stir in the broccoli gently to avoid breaking up the broccoli too much.