Baked Southwestern Tilapia

I for one am very glad that Lent starts today. We have been stuffing rich heavy food in our bodies since Thanksgiving. It's time to start lightening up a little. Time to focus on improving our mind, body and soul. Getting ready for Easter and what that means to us. Fish and seafood are a great way to get started, as well as meatless legumes dishes. This one is always a favorite on my back porch.

Tilapia is a very misunderstood fish, I think. It is very mild in flavor and lends its self to almost any recipe calling for a firm, mild fish. Very inexpensive compared to other fish, and available in almost all areas of the country.

Turn on the oven, whisk together a few spices and dinner is ready before you know it. Feel free to adjust the heat level of the seasonings to your liking. Try this with cod, halibut or trout. Serve with a simple salad and rice pilaf. The fish only has 230 calories per serving.

Baked Southwestern Tilapia
4 servings - 230 calories per serving

1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 (6-ounce) tilapia fillets
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 lime, cut into wedges

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. In a small bowl, mix garlic powder, chili powder, salt, black pepper and cayenne. Sprinkle over both sides of tilapia.

Coat a baking sheet with 1 tablespoon of the oil. Arrange the tilapia in a single layer on the baking sheet. Drizzle tilapia with the remaining tablespoon of oil and bake until golden brown and the flesh begins to flake, 7 to 9 minutes, don't overcook. Serve with lime wedges.