We always have plenty of fresh veggies thanks to our (Panamanian) veggie venders who come by our house every week. We also discovered tilapia fillets at Pricesmart that are ready to eat, very easy. One of my favorite lunches is veggies and fish.
Today was cauliflower and celery sliced/cut up, and I love the 21 Seasoning Salute I brought back from Trader Joe’s. Of course you could use any seasoning you like.
Put some water in the pan. Barely enough to cover the veggies seems to work well. Add your seasonings, and put the frozen fish on top. As the veggies cook the fish will thaw and then break apart. When the veggies are done to your liking it’s time to eat.
The other day I tried a variation that was also good. Someone gave me a bag of chayotes so I have had a lot of them on hand. A chayote is kind of like a squash, mild flavor, goes with anything, usually eaten cooked but I like it raw too, usually grated for salad. You see them in the US supermarkets but they are small and expensive. Here they are common, large, and maybe $.25-35 each depending on season and availability. Every part of the plant is edible but I can’t grow them here because the iguanas love them and don’t leave enough leaves for the plant to survive.
Back to lunch… I had some ground turkey, so I sliced up celery and the chayote (you can eat the tender ones without peeling if you wish), a bit of onion, tossed in seasoning and the turkey, and by the time I had some chores done lunch was ready.
We live very well here in Panama, and we eat very well too. Since we are both good cooks and have the time for it, and we enjoy trying new and unfamiliar fruits and veggies, we have not only old favorites but new variations and new dishes as well.
