Healthy Never Tasted So Good!

 Around here, we love good cookin! And as Summer rolls in, we do more and more of our cooking on the grill!

I've never been a big fan of fish but I've perfected a recipe for Applewood Smoked Tilapia that has warmed my heart to this great source of nutrition.  So what's on the menu?

Applewood Smoked Tilapia with Tropical Salsa, Grilled Garlic Asparagus & Garden Salad. Healthy never tasted so good!

To begin this simple, yet elegant, meal, we'll need to fire up the grill! I prefer charcoal but gas would do; either way, you'll need a moderately hot fire. Begin soaking the applewood chips, but they won't go in until it's time to put the food on.

As the grill is heating up, prepare the Tropical Salsa.

Ingredients:
6 ounces fresh pineapple
4 ounces fresh mango
1/2 navel orange
1/2 sweet onion
1/2 mild bell pepper
1 tablespoon Emerald Coast Espresso Balsamic Vinegar (or infused balsamic of choice)
Pinch of sea salt

Dice fruits and veggies into fine pieces, sprinkle with sea salt, toss with balsamic, cover and refrigerate.

For the entree I used tilapia filets, brushed lightly with extra virgin olive oil (evoo), and seasoned with sea salt and lemon pepper. I grilled it over direct heat until it was no longer translucent, about 5 minutes per side, and then moved it to indirect heat and closed the grill to allow the applwood smoke to fully flavor the fish.

The asparagus was trimmed and marinated for 15 minutes in evoo, sea salt and minced garlic. This was also grilled over direct heat until it was just-tender and slightly charred, 5-7 minutes.

Serve Tropical Salsa topped Tilapia topped with the asparagus and a garden salad for a delightful summertime dinner!

And there should be plenty of the salsa left for a great addition to your next chicken or pork dish!

Farm Style Chicken & Dumplins: RECIPE

Comfort food, Soul food, Southern food - those fragrant meals that remind you of Mama's kitchen! Such culinary delights that nourish body and soul are still popular in rural southern cooking. This family favorite, Farm Style Chicken & Dumplins, is pure comfort food - a warm, cozy hug of a meal!

'Chicken and Dumplings' could be a quick and easy dish to prepare using store bought broth, chicken and canned biscuits, but I believe that the heart and soul of true comfort food lies in the preparation. No stock off the shelf will fill your house with the tempting aromas wafting from a pot full of home brew.

Drag out the apron and rolling pin and dedicate an afternoon to Farm Style Chicken & Dumplins - your efforts will be rewarded with sighs of praise as the family enjoys the tender chicken and plump, delicate dumplins swimming in rich gravy - all made from scratch.

Farm Style Chicken & Dumplins
Chicken & Stock
1 large, whole chicken
1 large onion, peeled and quartered
3 carrots, cut into chunks
3 stalks of celery, cut into chunks
3 Chicken bouillon cubes
Salt & Pepper, to taste

Dumplins
3 cups cake flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
4 1/2 Tablespoons lard or shortening
1 cup whole milk

Clean the chicken (remove neck, gizzards and other accessories, rinse chicken under cool, running water). Place chicken, onion, carrots, celery, and bouillon in a large (6 qt) stock pot and cover with about 1 gallon of water; season to taste with salt & pepper. Bring to a rolling boil, then reduce heat to Medium and simmer, uncovered, for 1 hour or until cooked through (165°).

When chicken is done, remove from the stock and let it cool on a plate.

Remove vegetables from the stock (cool & feed to the goat). You should have about 8 cups of the stock remaining, which is perfect.

As the chicken cools, prepare the dumplins. (Note: I use cake flour for dumplins lighter than air, but all-purpose will work in a pinch.) Mix flour, baking soda, and salt together in bowl. Cut lard (or shortening) into flour mixture with your fingertips until it resembles coarse meal. Add milk, 1/4 cup at a time (you may not need the full cup), and mix with fingers until dough forms a ball. The key to perfect dumplins: do not over-work the dough. Roll out the dough about 1/4" thick on a well floured surface - all purpose flour is fine here. Cut into rectangles about 1" wide and a couple inches long. Lay them out on floured waxed paper, sprinkle with flour and allow to firm up for 30 minutes or so. It's good to be generous with the flour here, because that is what thickens your stock into a creamy gravy.

Now, bring the chicken stock back to a slow boil. While the stock comes up to temp, remove chicken from the bone and shred into bite-sized pieces and set aside; discard bones and skin.

Drop dumplins, one by one, into boiling stock. I like to let each one drop and pop back up before adding the next. When they're all in, use a wooden spoon to move them gently from side to side; stir with too much vigor and you'll break the dumplins into clumps of dough. Reduce heat to Low and simmer for about 10 minutes to plump up the dumplins and thicken the gravy. Add chicken; cover and simmer for additional 20-30 minutes.

Farm Style Chicken & Dumplins are a delicious side dish, served with turkey or fried chicken, or as a meal (like spaghetti, but with a southern accent).

TELL ME ABOUT IT! What's your favorite comfort food?