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! :)

sparkling strawberry limeade

just couldn't help but continue my obsession with strawberries and all things spring... I decided to make this "mocktail" for us last night just to have something fun on a random Wednesday evening. :)

This sparkling limeade is perfect to serve to kiddos, at baby showers, to bring on picnics, etc. :) 

sparkling strawberry limeade

serves 2-4, depending on glass size/how much you're willing to share ;)

Juice two large limes. (If your limes look super-small, you might want to do 3). :)

Add the juice from the limes to your mixing pitcher/cocktail shaker/etc.

To the lime juice, add 2 to 4 sliced strawberries (depending on the size of your berry and how much berryness you want) :)

Depending on how sweet you like your drinks, add granulated white sugar to the juice following this chart:

like it sour = add 1/4 cup

like it sweet/sour = add 1/3 cup

like it sweet = add 1/2 cup

Obviously you can do more/less to taste. :)

Mix/muddle/shake the lime solution very well at this point--- because you won't want to mix it harshly after adding the sparkling water and ruin all those magical bubbles! ;)

Once you feel the sugar is dissolved, add one, 1-Liter bottle of San Pellegrino Sparkling Water to the lime juice mixture.

Carefully pour into glasses and enjoy. (*note: If you want to garnish with sliced limes, you'll need to buy one extra at the store.)

<3

Mixed Greens Salad with Strawberry-Balsamic Dressing

How pumped am I when it's that wonderful time of year when the Organic Strawberries are cheaper than they've been all winter!?!....... :)  YES.  Spring is here, at last! :)

 

 

Tonight I made this super-simple, super-delicious salad in all of 5 minutes.

 

Mixed Greens Salad with Strawberry-Balsamic Dressing

 Makes enough salad for 2-3 people for dinner-sized portions; obviously you can stretch it to more people if you make the portions smaller.

 

For the salad, layer:

Mixed greens and/or Baby Spinach (I used a whole 5 oz. carton of organic greens from Kroger) :)

Chicken, made the day before, from this recipe

Fat-free Feta (I bought the smallest container of crumbled feta available; we used probably half-ish to 2/3rds of it)

Sliced Strawberries (between the dressing and the salads you could go through a quart if you like it extra-berryish) :)

Pecans, candied or regular-- whatever blows wind into your sails :) (I used just a few store-bought candied ones, but you can learn to make your own sugared pecans here if you're feelin frisky) :)

 

For the dressing, combine (I did mine in my food processor):

5-6 strawberries, cut up a little before adding to the FP bowl

probably 2 Tbsp. sugar

3-4 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar, or to taste

A few leaves of fresh, flat-leaf parsley

Salt & pepper

*2-3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

 

*Process dressing ingredients until all are emulsified; remember to add oil last.

 

enjoy <3 :)

 



Caprese Pasta

Spring is FINALLY here! YAY!!!!!  To celebrate, I'm making Caprese Pasta! :)

Many of y'all out there have had a Caprese (cuh-pray-say) Salad before (you know, the fresh tomato with the fresh mozzarella and basil leaves--- sprinkled with salt and olive oil and maybe even a teensy bit of Balsamic?)

Well-- when you have a beautiful bounty of tomatoes and basil, you should definitely grab a ball of fresh mozzarella and either (1) eat that amazing salad OR (2) throw the ingredients together to make a really delicious pasta dish. :)

Caprese Pasta
--serves as many as you want; I usually proportion 1 pint tomatoes per 2 people and 8 oz. mozzarella can go for 3-4 people; one, 1-lb. box of pasta is good for 4 people.

STEP 1: Gather Ingredients.

• In *my* very tiny opinion, you need 1 Pint of tomatoes PER 2 people. Cause they're full of lycopene and Vitamins A, C, and E --AND other good-for-you-stuff.  :)  My preference for this dish are *cherry* tomatoes but by all means you can use grape-sized-- OR frankly, whatever size you want.  I think the larger tomatoes really change the dynamic of this dish so I never use them.  But, as the Italians would say= fai come ti pare. ("Do what you want"). :)
• If I'm feeling piggish, I can split one 8-ounce ball of Mozzarella per 2 people, but sometimes I feel like it's a little much.  One, 8-oz. ball of mozzarella can easily stretch for 3-4 people.  If you wanna spend a little extra cash, purchase the Ciliegine-sized mozzarella balls (Ciliegine = relates to the Italian word for "cherry"); their small size cuts out a step of chopping up your mozzarella ball.
• You need olive oil, a few cloves of garlic, salt, and pepper.
• Choose your favorite 1 lb. box of pasta. (Shown in the pictures was penne rigate).
• You will also need a small stem of fresh basil leaves.

STEP 2: Cook!

Gosh, this dish is SO EASY and SUPER-FAST to make.

1) Get a pot of water to a rolling boil; salt it till it tastes like the ocean, :), and put in your pasta.  Be sure to take out your pasta when it still has a bite/is chewy and perfectly done (aka "al dente"/to the tooth). :)

2) While your pasta is cooking--- chop all your cherry tomatoes in half.  If you have a large ball of mozzarella, you will also cut that up.

3) Still while your pasta is cooking, get a skillet; add olive oil and tomatoes.  Then add garlic, salt, and pepper.  (not too much salt though, because your pasta should be deliciously salty.) :)

*When your pasta is almost done, chop your basil with a very sharp knife.  I usually do mine in a chiffonade--- aka take your leaves; make a stack; roll them like a cigar-shape; then chop the little basil roll into little ribbons. :)

4)  Drain your pasta; add to the tomato/oil mixture.

5)  Add the mozzarella and basil and SERVE IMMEDIATELY! :)

buon appetito! :)