Fish Tacos

I made these for dinner yesterday and had a semi-unexpected fish-phobic guest join us. Since the fish was already cooked, he tried some skeptically and really liked it. Today this friend heralded me, saying, "You're the best cook in the world! You made fish taste good!" We are definite seafood fans around here, and these tacos didn't disappoint.

Fish Tacos:

Coleslaw--
1/2 small head green cabbage
1/2 head *radicchio
2 carrots
1/2 red pepper
2 green onions

Slice all vegetables very thin, grate carrots, and toss together. Dress with 3 tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp pepper, and 1 tsp salt. Mix well.

Spiced Mayonnaise--
1 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp garlic
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp smoked paprika

Mix together, set aside.

Battered Cod--
1 lb fresh cod filets, sliced into 1" wide strips
1 cup biscuit mix
2 eggs
water (enough to thin it out appropriately)
1/2 tsp garlic
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
salt, pepper, garlic, paprika, and flour... a few teaspoons of each.

Heat 2 quarts oil in a heavy bottomed pan or deep fryer until about 375 degrees. Also prepare a pan or plate with paper towels to drain your fish when done.

Mix together biscuit mix, eggs, garlic, and paprika and enough water to make a liquid batter. Set aside. Lay cod strips on a large platter or cutting board. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, more garlic, and paprika, and a generous dusting of flour. Shake off any excess flour, so that it is evenly dusted. Dip seasoned cod in the batter and deep fry in hot oil until golden brown and delicious. Remove from oil and get ready to eat!

If desired, brush your tortillas with butter and toast in a pan briefly before service. Or serve with regular tortillas. Put some of the spiced mayonnaise, coleslaw, and a piece of fried fish in each taco. Squirt with fresh lemon juice. Enjoy!

*Ingredient of the day: Radicchio. It looks a lot like red cabbage, but is smaller. It is actually a red lettuce, and is just a little spicy. Kind of a fun thing to try!

Homemade Barbecue Sauce

If you've ever looked at the ingredients list on your favorite bottle of BBQ sauce, you might have noticed in the first three ingredients is always at least one (usually two) types of sugar, including High Fructose Corn Syrup. Does it bother any one else that I'm paying four dollars for a sixteen ounce bottle of artificially flavored corn syrup? So after dabbling around a bit, I came up with a highly customizable recipe for Barbecue Sauce, and have vowed off store bought barbecue sauce forever.

Homemade Barbecue Sauce

1 onion
4 slices bacon
1 (big) can chopped or crushed tomatoes
2 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
2 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar (or Red Wine Vinegar)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp garlic
1/2 tsp oregano
1 tsp liquid smoke
1/2 cup brown sugar or molasses
~ other optional ingredients: 1/2 tsp red pepper flake, 2 tsp hot sauce, 1 red pepper or jalapeno pepper, 1 tsp cumin, 2 tsp smoked paprika, on and on and on...

1) Chop the bacon into small pieces. Also chop the onion and any other vegetables (grated carrot, red pepper, etc).
2) Cook the bacon in a large skillet until the fat renders out and bacon starts to crisp up. The bacon can stay in the sauce, or be removed for other yummy purposes.
3) Cook the onion/other veggies in the bacon fat for 3 to minutes until it starts to soften.
4) add the canned tomatoes and all other seasoning ingredients. Bring to a boil.
5) taste for seasoning. Add more sugar for sweeter, more vinegar for more tart, hot sauce for heat, liquid smoke for smokiness, until the sauce is the way you like it.
6) simmer until thick; probably about 10 to 20 minutes.

This sauce can be blended up at the end if you want it less chunky. Can be used as a meat marinade, as a topping on burgers or grilled meats. Try pouring 2 cups of BBQ sauce on a pork roast and cooking in the crock pot all day. Then shred the pork and put on hot biscuits for pork sandwiches! The possibilities are endless! See the next recipe on this blog for BBQ grilled pizza.

Ingredient clarification: Liquid Smoke is a product of the smoking process--they actually distill the vapor from hickory smoke and bottle it. It can be purchased in the BBQ sauce/Condiments aisle of your grocery store. A small bottle is all you need, and isn't too expensive. It's really tasty in all kinds of sauces and marinades. However, if you simply don't want to pay three bucks for liquid smoke, you can use smoked paprika (something I would HIGHLY recommend having in your house), or just leave it out. Be sure, though, that you get the real concentrate and not artificial. At my store they were the same price. I checked the ingredients, and one had carmel coloring and artificial flavors, one had hickory smoke concentrate. I'll bet you can guess which one I bought!

Crispy Asian Chicken Fingers; Quick stir-fry veggies

This meal is another one-sauce meal. Make one big batch of the sticky honey-soy sauce, then use it to marinade the meat, flavor the vegetables, and as a dip. This meal is quick to prepare and very kid-friendly. We loved every bite! Oh yes, and I aologize for the picture. But I figure it's better to have a bad picture than none at all.

Honey-Soy Sauce

1 cup honey
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 tsp garlic
1 tsp black pepper
2 tsp ginger (fresh grated, or ground)
1/4 cup ketchup
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp Thai Fish sauce (optional)

Mix together all ingredients. Makes about 2 cups.

Crispy Asian Chicken Fingers
1 lb chicken tenders, (OR boneless-skinless-chicken breasts, sliced into 1" slices)
1/2 cup Honey-Soy sauce
2 eggs
1 cup breadcrumbs

1) place the chicken tenders or chicken strips in a flat, shallow pan or a zip-lock bag. Pour on 1/2 cup honey-soy sauce. Please pour, and don't let the rest of your sauce touch the raw chicken. Store the chicken in the fridge for 1/2 hour, up to 3 hours.
2) Take out 2 loaf pans, or other long and shallow containers. In one, crack the 2 eggs and beat. In the other spread the breadcrumbs. Preheat oven to 375. Take out a baking sheet and line with foil, then spray with cooking spray.
3) Dip marinated chicken fingers first in beaten egg, then in breadcrumbs. Lay on baking sheet; don't let touch.
4) Bake at 375 for 25 minutes. Serves 4. (You can very easily make more chicken, though, so serves as many as you like.) Serve with extra honey-soy sauce to dip in.
*Variation: cut your chicken into 1" cubes. Marinate, dredge the same way, but bake for 15-20 minutes. Serve with toothpicks, or pretzel sticks instead of toothpicks. Makes a great little appetizer.

Quick Stir-Fry Veggies
1 red bell pepper
1 head of broccoli
1 can water chestnuts
2 tbsp oil
3 tbsp honey-soy sauce

1) Wash and slice vegetables into bite-size strips, however you like them. (Please note that you can use a variety of vegetables, not just the ones listed above. I also like onions, fresh mushrooms, sugar snap peas, cauliflower, carrots, etc)
2) In a large frying pan, heat the oil for 2 minutes or until it begins to smoke slightly. Add the pepper and broccoli. Let cook, tossing often, for 5 minutes, or until it begins to soften. Add the drained water chestnuts and the honey-soy sauce.
3) Cover vegetables, turn heat to low, and let simmer for about 5 more minutes or until desired done-ness. Serve over cooked white rice, if desired.

and in case you need it...
Plain Good Ol' Cooked Rice

2 cups water
1 cup rice
1/2 tsp salt
(increase as needed with the same ratio)

Mix together water, rice, and salt in a pan with at least 2 inches head room. Bring to a boil. Turn OFF heat and LEAVE ON THE LID. Do not touch the lid. I repeat, do not touch that lid! Let sit, right on the burner, for 30 minutes. If you leave the lid on the whole time, it should be perfect. If you picked up the lid, you're done for. :)

Pesto Pasta Salad with Chicken

The church potluck coincided with needing to harvest my basil. This recipe can be served hot, warm, room temperature, or even cold, so it makes a great picnic dish. All the fresh basil is also really refreshing on a warm summer day.

Pesto Pasta Salad

Basil Pesto:
3 cups fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1/2 cup walnuts
2 tsp fresh garlic
zest and juice of 2 limes
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Blend all ingredients in a blender or food processor until like a thick paste. Drizzle in the oil as you blend to ensure the right texture--if it's a really humid day, for example, you might need less oil.

Pesto Pasta Salad:
1 lb rotini (or elbow macaroni)
3 cups cooked chicken (see note below)
1 pint cherry tomatoes
1 lb mozzarella cheese
1 batch of the basil pesto listed above

Cook the pasta in 1 gallon of salted boiling water until al dente. Cube the chicken, halve the tomatoes, and cube the mozzarella cheese so that everything is about 1 inch cubes. Mix everything together in a big bowl. Warm up if you like, or chill and serve cold. This makes a big batch of chicken salad.

*Note on the chicken: The more flavorful the chicken you start with, the better the salad will be. I made grilled chicken yesterday, and the leftovers are going in my dish. I marinaded them with lime juice and spices. Also, rotisserie chicken from the grocery store is a good choice. For very easy roasted chicken, buy bone-in, skin-on chicken breast, season with salt, pepper, and olive oil, and bake in the oven at 350 for 1 hour. This tastes amazing, and is so much better than boiling or microwaving the chicken.

*Note on Basil Pesto: My recipe listed above contains just a few unusual ingredients--Walnuts and lime juice. I use walnuts because traditional pine nuts can be expensive. I put in lime juice because I love the citrus buzz, and it keeps the basil greener longer. Pesto is absolutely delicious, so watch out--you might get addicted! Try putting it on grilled meat, or just plain pasta for a very quick side dish. It can also be spread on your sandwiches like any other condiment, and leftovers freeze really nicely. It doesn't store very well in the fridge, so use it or freeze it.

*One more quick note: This recipe contains nuts that I blend in the blender. Please make sure your guests know there are nuts in there. Allergies are nothing to sneeze at!

Herb Oil meal

One quick sauce, made from just a few stellar ingredients, can really turn around a boring dinner. Pork chops and baked potatoes are taken to new heights with this easy herb oil. Make a Saturday-style dinner on Monday night. Your family will love you for it.

Oregano oil
1 cup of fresh oregano leaves
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp paprika (smoked is especially nice)
1/2 tsp garlic

Pour all ingredients into a blender and blend for 1 minute, or until everything is totally pulverized.

Make it a meal...

-Boil 4 potatoes for 10 minutes--they will still be firm, but starting to get tender. This is called par-boiling or par-cooking.
-Run the hot potatoes under cold water until you can handle them. Cut into fourths or large wedges.
-Brush the herb oil on the potatoes, thick-cut pork chops or chicken breasts, and thickly sliced onions.
-Grill on medium-high until everything is done. The potatoes will take about 10 minutes, the pork chops need to be 160 degrees, and depending on the thickness, that could be anywhere from 3 to 10 minutes per side. Temperature is best. The onions will be fastest, at about 5 minutes on the grill. Turn once or twice to ensure lovely grill marks all over the food.
-Serve everything along side a simple green salad or just sliced veggies. If you want, serve the potatoes with a little sour cream or mayonnaise, though they're delicious just as is. If you time everything right and are quick with the knife, you can make this meal in 30 minutes or less.

Note: when you're putting anything on meat, make sure that nothing comes in contact with the raw meat. Brush your veggies first, or pour the herb oil over the meat and rub it in with your fingers so that no oil, tools, or surfaces are contaminated. The last thing anyone wants is food-born illness.

This oil would be great on lots and lots of things, and will store in the fridge just fine for a few days. Make extra and try brushing it on other vegetables, meats, or even pouring a little on your breakfast eggs. It'd even make a fine salad dressing.

Meat Marinades 101

Time for Lisa's Soap Box again. Today's subject: marinading meat.

A marinade is a flavorful liquid that you soak meat in. It tenderizes the meat, adds juice, and really affects the flavor. Wonderfully, marinades can be incredibly tasty while being incredibly healthy as well. Plus, they are relatively simple to create, and make you look like a rock-star on the grill.

Marinades have 3 basic parts: an acid, an oil, and seasonings. Unlike salad dressings, the ratio doesn't have to be very precise. I'd do about a 2-1 acid to oil ratio, though. Add as much or as little seasoning as you like.

Acids: Help to break down connective tissue and tenderize the meat, as well as driving other flavors into the meat deeply and quickly.
-Vinegar (red wine, rice wine, apple cider, balsamic--anything except distilled)
-Juice (lemon, lime, orange, apple, etc)

Oils: Lubricates the meat and prevents sticking or burning. Also adds to a juicy mouth feel.
-Vegetable oil
-Extra-Virgin Olive oil (my favorite)

Seasonings: Time to get super creative!
-Salt and Pepper are a must.
-Garlic or garlic juice
-pull out your spice cabinet! ginger, cardamom, cumin, chili flake, or paprika are all classic
-Worcestershire sauce
-soy sauce (careful, this is salty)
-honey or molasses
-hot sauce
-herbs like thyme, rosemary, oregano, sage, or basil

Try to pick things for your seasonings that compliment each other and compliment your acid. Last night we did an asian-inspired marinade: orange juice, olive oil, soy sauce, fresh oregano, and ginger. It was fantastic.

Assemble your marinade and pour into a ziploc bag. Add the meat. Any kind of meat--chicken breasts, pork chops, steaks--can benefit from a good marinade. Depending on how much acid you use depends on how long it will need to sit. I'd shoot for no less than 30 minutes, though up to 4 hours is fantastic. Then grill up the meat on a grill or under a broiler. DISCARD ANY REMAINING MARINADE. Leftover marinade is not for basting, and is most definitely not a sauce. It has done its job, and you will not be sorry for using it, I promise.

Meat temperatures are this, and I would not recommend grilling without an insta-read thermometer. They are very cheap and can be purchased at most grocery stores. Ground beef, chicken, pork, fish: 160 degrees Farenheit. Beef Steak: 140. If you go over these temperatures by more than 10 degrees, you'll really start to notice a difference in juiciness. If you've always had overcooked meat, you're really missing out! Properly cooked meat should be quite juicy. And don't freak out if you've never eaten pink steak before. Brown steak is burnt. End of story.

Correctly used, marinades can really benefit your weekly cooking, and can change your eating and cooking habits. Plus, if you're just a beginner cook, or not very creative in the kitchen, marinades are a great place to start, because they're hard to mess up, and really taste great, and can turn a cheaper cut of meat into a really awesome dinner. Good luck, and be creative!

Black Bean Salsa; Cucumber and Melon Salad

This meal was fun to eat, delicious, refreshing, satisfying, and healthy. The Black Bean salsa is also great on scrambled eggs for breakfast, or on grilled meat for dinner.


Black Bean Salsa

1 cup cooked, drained, rinsed black beans
1/2 cup frozen corn
3 roma tomatoes, diced (leave juice in)
1/2 red pepper, seeded and diced
zest and juice of 2 lemons
2 large avocados, diced
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp (or more) hot sauce
1/3 cup olive oil

Mix everything together and serve with tortilla chips.

Cucumber and Melon Salad
1 cucumber, sliced
1/2 honeydew melon, cubed into about 1" cubes
1 cup vanilla yogurt
2 tbsp fresh oregano leaves, chopped

Mix together and serve cold.

Mango-Avocado Salsa

Here's healthy recipe #2 in a row. This delicious salsa is the perfect condiment for grilled steak or a grilled chicken breast.

Mango-Avocado Salsa

1 ripe mango

1 bell pepper

2 roma tomatoes

2 large Avocados

1 small red onion

2 limes

1/2 tsp garlic

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1 tsp hot sauce (about 5 or 6 dashes)

1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp freshly chopped cilantro (optional)

Peel the mango and red onion. Chop the mango, pepper, tomatoes, and onion until very fine. This can also be done with a food chopper or a food processor. Mix together in a medium sized bowl. Add the zest and the juice from the limes, the garlic, the seasonings, and the olive oil. At this point, you should have everything except the avocados in the bowl. Mix well, then refrigerate for at least 1/2 hour to meld flavors. Just before service, add the chopped avocado.

A note on bell peppers: Green bell peppers tend to be cheaper. Red, orange, or yellow are slightly sweeter than green peppers, and are often larger in size. You choose what you want.

Try this salsa on a simply grilled chicken breast or steak, with this marinade:

Lime Marinade for any kind of meat, about 4 servings worth:

Zest and juice of 1 lime

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp chili powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

Mix together, pour over meat in a ziploc bag. Put in the fridge and let sit for 3-5 hours. Then grill and serve.

This marinade on the meat plus the salsa go very well together, because they have the lime in common. Also, a note here: measuring is overrated. Pour in what looks about right, and call it a day.

More ideas for this salsa include: ~Serve with leftover cooked chicken in a tortilla, or on lettuce, for a simple, delicious lunch. ~Serve with tortilla chips in front of your favorite sports team.

Chimichangas

My terrific brother and amazing sister-in-law gave me a deep fryer for Christmas. It took its test run tonight making these tasty bean chimichangas, and it worked fantastically!

Chimichangas (also known as "Homemade Taco Time")

1 large can refried beans
1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
1 tsp chili powder
8 taco-sized flour tortillas

Mix together the beans, cheese and chili powder. Evenly distribute between the tortillas, and roll them closed. Deep fry in 350 degree oil for 3-5 minutes, or until the tortilla starts to turn golden brown.

Fantastic creamy avocado dip

1 large Hass Avocado
Juice from 1 lime
1 cup sour cream

Mash the Avocado with the lime juice, mix in the sour cream. Serve with any taco, burrito, or with Chimichangas.

Note: if you don't have a deep fryer, don't want to dirty the house with hot oil, or you don't want all the fat, you can pan fry the Chimi's in a skillet with a couple tablespoons of vegetable oil, or even bake in the oven at 350 for about 10 minutes. They won't be as tasty, of course, but such is the life of low-fat.