Creole Catfish Fillets

These grilled catfish fillets came out really good. I recently purchased a grill basket and got to use it for the first time on this recipe. The dipping sauce was delicious with a nice tangy taste. I used five catfish fillets with the recipe, rather than four and regular mayonnaise.

Prep: 15 minutes

Cook: 15 minutes

Yield: 4 servings

• 3 tablespoons reduced-fat plain yogurt
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
• 1 tablespoon fat-free mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon ketchup
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon grated lemon peel
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 4 catfish fillets (4 ounces each)
• 4 lemon wedges

1. In a small bowl, combine the yogurt, onion, mayonnaise, mustard, ketchup, thyme and lemon peel. Cover and refrigerate until serving.
2. In another bowl, combine the paprika, onion powder, salt and cayenne; rub over both sides of fillets.
3. Grill, covered, in a grill basket coated with cooking spray over medium-hot heat for 5-6 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily with a fork. Serve with lemon wedges and yogurt sauce.

When cooking catfish fillets, check for doneness by inserting a fork at an angle into the thickest portion of the fish and gently parting the meat. When it flakes into sections, it’s cooked completely.

Nutrition: (1 fillet with about 1 tablespoon sauce) 182 calories, 9 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 54 mg cholesterol, 382 mg sodium, 5 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 19 g protein.

Catfish Jambalaya

I am pretty much the only one in the family that likes fish and seafood, so naturally I was the only one who enjoyed this meal. I really liked the combination of the vegetables with the cubed catfish and tomatoes. It had just enough of a bite from the cayenne pepper to spice it up a little bit. This meal is also great because it's very low in calories and sodium. It's fairly inexpensive to makes, especially considering I bought a two-pound bag of catfish fillets and only used half of it for this recipe.

Cost: About $17.50 ($2.20 per serving) - Celery ($1.49), Green Pepper ($0.89), Kroger diced tomatoes and green chilies 10 oz ($0.79), 8 oz fresh whole mushrooms ($1.96), frozen catfish fillets 2 lb bag ($11.99), green onions ($0.50).

Prep: 10 minutes

Cook: 20 minutes

Yield: 8 servings

• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 celery stalks, chopped
• one half green pepper, chopped
• 2 garlic gloves, minced
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 can (10 oz) diced tomatoes and green chilies, undrained
• 8 oz fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 pound catfish fillets, cubed (about 4 fillets)
• 2 cups cooked rice
• 2 green onions, sliced

1. In a saucepan coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat, saute onion, celery, green pepper and garlic in butter until tender, about 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, cook rice according to package directions.
3. Add the tomatoes, mushrooms, cayenne and salt to the vegetable mixture and bring to a boil. Add catfish.
4. Reduce heat; cover and simmer until fish flakes easily with a fork, about 10 minutes.
5. Add cooked rice and green onions to the mixture.

Nutrition: (1 serving) 178 calories, 8.2 g fat, 4.3 g saturated fat, 37.5 mg cholesterol, 194.5 mg sodium, 15.9 g carbohydrate, 1.7 g fiber, 2.1 g sugars, 9.7 g protein.

Tuna Noodle Casserole

Took a chance and tried making this tuna noodle casserole for dinner on Thursday. I never have really cared much for tuna casserole. This recipe was alright. If your diet allows, salt and pepper along with possibly some shredded cheese would add a little more flavor to it. Without, it was a little bit bland. However, it was inexpensive to make and the serving size is a lot.

Cost: About $10. - Cream of Celery Soup ($1.49x2), tuna fish (1.39x2) ,yolk-free wide noodles ($1.99), peas ($1.25), pimientos ($0.89).

Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 30 minutes
Yield: 8 servings

• 2 cans (10 3/4 ounces) reduced-fat reduced-sodium condensed cream of celery soup, undiluted
• 1 cup fat-free milk
• 4 cups cooked yolk-free wide noodles (12 oz bag)
• 2 cups frozen peas, thawed
• 2 cans (6 ounces) light water-packed tuna, drained and flaked
• 1 jar (2 ounces) diced pimientos, drained
• 4 tablespoons dry bread crumbs
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted

1. In a large bowl, combine soup and milk until smooth. Add the noodles, peas, tuna and pimientos; mix well.
2. Pour into a 10 in. baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake, uncovered, at 400 for 25 minutes . Toss crumbs and butter; sprinkle over the top. Bake 5 minutes longer or until golden brown.

Nutrition: (1 cup) 209 calories, 5.3 g fat, 2.5 g saturated fat, 33.4 mg cholesterol, 803.4 sodium, 23.5 g carbohydrate, 2.6 g fiber, 4.3 g sugars, 15.0 g protein.

Broiled Tilapia Parmesan

Prep/Cook Time: 5 minutes prep, 10 minutes cook

Yield: 8 servings

• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/8 teaspoon celery salt
• 2 pounds tilapia fillets

1. Preheat your oven’s broiler. Grease a broiling pan or line pan with aluminum foil.
2. In a small bowl, mix together the Parmesan cheese, butter, mayonnaise and lemon juice. Season with dried basil, pepper, onion powder and celery salt. Mix well and set aside.
3. Arrange fillets in a single layer on the prepared pan. Broil a few inches from the heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Flip the fillets over and broil for a couple more minutes. Remove the fillets from the oven and cover them with the Parmesan cheese mixture on the top side. Broil for 2 more minutes or until the topping is browned and fish flakes easily with a fork. Be careful not to over cook the fish.

Nutrition: 203 calories, 11.4 g total fat, 59 mg cholesterol, 144 mg sodium, 0.6 g total carbs, 0.1 g dietary fiber, 23.5 g protein.

Comments: It’s not an easy thing to get the family to eat fish, but this recipe changed that. The fish was very flavorful. The cook time was really fast as well.