Samantha Levine is a New York-based educator who designs student-specific lesson plans to help students improve their writing and reading skills. When she isn't working, Samantha Levine enjoys cooking healthy meals and counts lemons as a favorite ingredient.
A versatile fruit, lemon can be used to enhance the flavor of fish, add zest to chicken dishes, or cap off a meal as a tart dessert, such as lemon bars. Here are three dishes that make great use of lemons.
1. Lemon garlic tilapia - This simple baked fish recipe involves pouring lemon juice and melted butter over the tilapia fillets, and then sprinkling them with garlic, parsley, and pepper. Bake for 30 minutes at 375 degrees F, or until fish flakes easily with a fork.
2. Grilled lemon herb pork chops - Marinate pork chops for at least two hours in a mixture of lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper. Remove the chops and boil the remaining marinade; remove from heat and reserve. On an outdoor grill, oil grate and cook chops 5-7 minutes on each side, basting often with marinade.
3. Lemon chicken stir fry - Begin by grating 1 teaspoon of lemon zest and squeezing 3 tablespoons of lemon juice. Whisk the juice with 1/2 cup of chicken broth, 3 tablespoons of soy sauce, and 2 teaspoons of cornstarch in a small bowl. Cook sliced chicken for about 4-5 minutes in a large skillet and transfer to a plate. Add mushrooms, carrots, snow peas, garlic, and lemon zest to the skillet, and cook until fragrant and tender. Finally, add sauce and stir until it thickens.
