Low Maintenance Fish Tacos

In the frozen black heart of this year's winter, the Dr. and I went to Sarasota, FL for a much-needed break.

While there, we were definitely in "vacation-mode" and felt the freedom to eat out. a lot. :)  One of our favorite places to eat was Clayton's Siesta Grille.  We LOVED their Trout Almondine and Mahi Mahi Fish Tacos!

April/May is traditionally my "clean out the freezer" time of year so I can have ample space for summer & fall harvests.  In my quest to use everything up, I found some great Mahi Mahi filets from Trader Joe's and had a craving for some amazing fish tacos (even though I knew I couldn't quite recreate the unbelievable ones at Clayton's!), so after reading many recipes, I created my own low-maintenance version.

Fire up your grill and go make these!  You'll love them! :)

Mahi Mahi Tacos with Citrusy Cabbage, Avocado, & Mango
(could serve 4 adults)

ingredients:
4 mahi mahi filets (fresh or frozen, thawed)
salt & pepper
extra-virgin olive oil
2 medium avocadoes, diced
1 small onion, diced (use half if a bigger onion)
1 good sized mango, diced
1 small cabbage, chopped into thin shreds
1 orange
2 limes
1 bunch cilantro, leaves plucked
sour cream
corn OR flour tortillas (I used corn)

optional ingredients that would be awesome but I didn't use:

• using finely chopped Chipotle peppers/dried powder to mix with the sour cream OR use a little Chipotle powder directly on the fish before grilling
• minced jalapenos
• diced tomatoes
• drained & rinsed black beans
• using purple onion OR scallions instead of yellow/white onion
• pureeing tomatillos and garlic to mix with the sour cream for a festive crema
• store-bought mango/pineapple/peach salsa (if you can't find a good mango OR just want a more low-maintenance option!)
• diced peppers of any kind (from sweet bell to any chile... depending on how spicy you wanna be!)
• using a store-bought coleslaw mix if you don't feel like chopping cabbage!
• Clayton's serves their mahi tacos with feta cheese

directions:
Shred cabbage and place in bowl. Squeeze the juice from the orange and one of the limes onto the cabbage.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Stir together and let marinade for a bit.

Heat grill to high.  Coat fish fillets in a little bit of olive oil, and season well with salt and pepper (and Chipotle powder if using). Grill fish on a piece of foil for about 10-15 minutes, until white and firm.

Finely chop mango, avocadoes, and onion.  Pluck leaves from cilantro. 
*At this point, I squirted a few drops of lime juice on the avocado to prevent browning!

When Mahi Mahi is grilled completely, remove from grill and set aside to cool for just a minute.  Get tortillas ready-- warm them if desired on the grill for just a little bit! :)

Shred Mahi Mahi into bite-sized pieces. 

Serve tacos with the fish, citrus-infused shredded cabbage, and all the diced veggies & mango.  A dollop of sour cream and a few cilantro leaves make for the perfect finish!

Buon Appetito! :)

Pasta with Greens, Prosciutto, Raisins, & Pine Nuts

I first learned about this recipe when I lived in Rome. My friend Kristen made it for a group of American college students who came to Rome on their spring break to join with us in ministry.  She braised some chicken in this gorgeous, stewy sauce of cannellini beans, sun-dried tomatoes, fresh rosemary, and other ingredients.  She served the chicken/beans with a lovely pasta of farfalle, sautéed spinach and garlic, pine nuts, raisins, prosciutto, a heavy drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil, and lots of grated Parm.

 

I totally forgot about this pasta dish--- and in our almost 3 years of marriage, I don't think I've ever made it for Dr. Bud!  How sad.  Granted, with ingredients like prosciutto, pine nuts, and real Parmigiano-Reggiano, it's kind of an expensive dish.

 

I don't know what made me remember this pasta tonight, but I'm so glad I did!  I texted my friend Chris for a refresher on the ingredients needed for it-- and got to work.

 

Pasta with Greens, Prosciutto, Raisins, & Pine Nuts

serves 2

 

First, I diced some red onion-- about 1/4 cup, but you could easily use shallots, OR leave this out altogether... and 1 clove of minced garlic. (or 2 if you're feeling frisky.) :)

 

Add this to your pan with a few swirls of olive oil.

 

Saute your onions/garlic with whatever greens you'd like.

Tonight, I used a mixture of baby spinach and baby kale. (probably 3ish cups raw)

Also, I did NOT have any Prosciutto sitting around in my fridge... but I did have some nitrate-free deli ham. LOL. I used about 5 slices, diced them up, and threw them in.  (If you do this as well, note that it's worth your time to separate the little slices to give the thinly-sliced-Prosciutto-effect). :)

 

 

Next, cook and drain 1/2 a box of pasta.  Add the pasta to the pan of greens/etc.

 

 

While your pasta water is hot, add in 1/4 to 1/3 cup (or so) of raisins. You can use any kind you want. I think it's a genius move to put your raisins directly in a spider strainer like this- so that after a couple minutes, you can lift them right out and add them to the pan!

NOTE: Even if you don't like raisins-- TRY THEM in this dish! :)

 

 

Next, add in a couple handfuls of pine nuts------- maybe 1/4 to 1/3 cup.

 

ohhhhh PARM <3

 

 

Okay- now grate yourself a mountain of Parm, cause it's delightful.

Stir to incorporate----- swirl extra olive oil if you feel it needs it.

Salt and pepper to taste. :) 

 

 

Now serve yourself a bowl or plate full... and go ahead and grate another Parm-mountain. You deserve it. :)

 

Buon appetito! :)

 

End note: upon eating this when he eventually got home at 10pm (oh vascular service...), he said, "Hey! This is just like the Italian version of 'Korma!"  Gosh. With the raisins and pine nuts-- and sweet/savory taste... He is SO. RIGHT. :)  My husband never ceases to amaze me!! <3

Spurious Samoa Squares

Here's a new word I learned today-- "spurious" is a synonym for "fake"! ;)

I wanted something with alliteration for my post title!

 

ANYWAY-

It's been a cold winter here in Ohio, and one of the great things about the cold is that it's a great excuse to turn on my oven!! ;)

 

Girl Scout cookies won't be delivered for several weeks, and today, I had a craving for some Samoas, (the coconuty/caramely/chocolatey cookies), so I made this QUICK and super-easy recipe that I heavily adapted from Martha Stewart.

 

Preheat oven to 375*F; line a 10x15" pan with parchment paper.

Crush graham crackers in your food processor, OR buy pre-made ones.

          The original recipe calls for:

           1/4 Cup sugar

           1 and 1/2 sticks butter (3/4 Cup total); melted

           3 Cups graham cracker crumbs

 

BUT today I took OUT the sugar (who needs the extra calories?!), and did something I think I will ALWAYS do for the rest of my baking life!

Wanna hear my healthy trick of the day?! :)

(I'm super pumped about it.) :)

 

Ground Flaxseed is literally THE SAME TEXTURE as Graham cracker crumbs.  Replacing some of the cookie crumbs with the ground flaxseed helps provide amazing nutrients for your body AND cut down on sugar!!  YAY!

 

Today I replaced 1/3(ish) cup of the Graham cracker crumbs with ground flaxseed-- but maybe in the future I will do more?! :)

 

Another great substitute I could have done, but didn't think of until afterward, was to substitute some/all of the butter for coconut oil. (Next time!)... :)

 

 

Anyway, after combining the ground flaxseed/Graham cracker crumbs and melted butter (and/or coconut oil), spread in your parchment-lined 10x15'' pan until it looks like this:

 

 

Then, bake at 375*F for 5 minutes, then rotate the pan, then 5 more minutes.

Take the crust out and let it cool a little.

 

 

Sprinkle 1 cup of pecan pieces AND 1 cup  (I probably did 1 and 1/3 cups... haha) ;) of chocolate chips.

 

 

Then you'll need a regular 14-ounce can of sweetened condensed milk. Have I ever mentioned that this can opener is one of my FAVORITE kitchen gadgets?! Completely life-changing. :)

 

 

Anyway, open that can of sweetened condensed milk and pour it over everything.

 

 

 

Sprinkle the "spurious Samoas" with 1 and a 1/2 cups of shredded coconut (I love to use unsweetened because with all of this... do we really need extra sugar?! I think not.)

Bake in your oven (which you left at 375*F) for 10 minutes-- until your coconut is gloriously toasted!

 

 

COOL-- and then cut into squares/bars/whatever --- and enjoy! :)