Chinese Fire Pot

1 lb Boneless beef sirloin
1 lb Boned chicken breasts
1 lb Fish fillets
1 lb Medium shrimp
1 lb Chinese cabbage
1/2 lb Fresh forest mushrooms
Lemon juice
2 pk Enoki mushrooms
-(3 1/2-oz packages)
3/4 lb Chinese pea pods
2 bn Green onions
2 bn Spinach
8 oz Canned water chestnuts
- drained and sliced
8 oz Canned bamboo shoots
- drained and sliced
4 cn Chicken broth
-(13 3/4-oz cans)
Sweet-and-sour sauce
Soy sauce
Prepared hot Chinese mustard
1/4 lb Fine egg noodles; cooked
Cilantro or chives; chopped
- (optional)

It is not necessary to use all ingredients listed here as long as you offer an interesting blend of meats, fish and vegetables. Other meats and vegetables can be substituted, if desired.

Place beef, chicken and fish in freezer and chill until firm to touch but not frozen. Slice beef and chicken in strips 1/4-inch thick and about 2 inches long. Cut fish into 3/4-inch cubes. Shell and devein
shrimp. Chop cabbage into bite-size chunks. Clean mushrooms. If using forest mushrooms, remove and discard stems. Slice mushrooms and sprinkle with lemon juice. Cut off and discard root portion of enoki mushrooms and separate clusters as much as possible. Wash, trim ends and string pea pods. Clean green
onions and cut in halves lengthwise, including green portion. Cut into 2-inch lengths. Clean spinach and discard thick stems. To serve, arrange beef, chicken, fish, shrimp, cabbage, forest mushrooms, enoki mushrooms, snow peas, green onions, spinach leaves, water chestnuts and bamboo shoots in individual rows on large platters or serving plates. Bring broth to boil. Place heating unit under Chinese hot pot and pour boiling broth into hot-pot bowl. Using Chinese wire ladle and chopsticks or fondue forks, each person places whatever ingredients are desired into hot broth
to poach. When cooked (this will take only a few moments), ingredients are then dipped into sweet-and-sour sauce, soy sauce or hot mustard as desired, and eaten with noodles, adding cilantro, if desired.

Costa Rican Tilapia

3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
4 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro or parsley, divided
4 teaspoons minced garlic, divided
1-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon sugar
6 tilapia fillets, about 5 ounces each
3/4 cup long-grain rice
1 cup chopped onions
2 oranges, peeled, seeded, coarsely chopped
1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (15 ounces) black or pinto beans, drained, rinsed
1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

For the tilapia marinade, combine lime juice, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 2 tablespoons cilantro, 1 teaspoon garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and sugar in a shallow dish. Add tilapia and marinate 15 minutes, turning once.

To prepare the bean and rice mixture, cook the rice according to package directions and keep warm while the tilapia is marinating. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large, high-sided skillet or saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil on medium heat. Add remaining garlic and onions; sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes, stirring. Add 2 tablespoons cilantro, oranges, tomatoes, beans, oregano, 1 teaspoon salt, pepper, and cayenne. Cook, uncovered, until hot, 7 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Transfer hot rice to a 9 by 13 inch or 2-1/2 to 3 quart baking dish. Spoon the bean mixture on top of rice and gently blend. Slightly overlap tilapia fillets on top and scrape marinade over fillets. Bake until the flesh of the tilapia just begins to flake at the nudge of a fork, 16 to 20 minutes.