Tasty Tacos

Here we are a Sunday again, where does the weekend go???  Well here is a quick and easy weekday recipe, fish tacos.  They really are delicious, I will go out on a limb and say they are taco wagon worthy...you have to try these.  The red cabbage slaw really makes the whole thing.  If you like it extra spicy add more jalapeño, but as is they are about a medium in the heat factor department.  OH and like I said these are so quick, I will go on record and say that they are even faster than a regular taco, because the fish takes less time to cook than the beef.  Really if you like fish tacos this is a fantastic recipe to try out.  This is the second time I've made this recipe and it wont be the last, this will definitely be a go to recipe in our house.

ENJOY!

Fish Tacos

1/4 cup reduced fat sour cream

2 T fresh lime juice 

S&P

1/4 small red cabbage, thinly shredded

4 scallions, thinly sliced (about 1/2 cup)

1 jalapeno, halved lengthwise, one half minced

2 T olive oil

1 lb tilapia fillets (or other firm white fish)

8 flour tortillas (6in)

1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves

In a bowl combine sour cream and lime juice; season with S&P.  Transfer half the mixture to another container; set aside for serving.  Toss cabbage, scallions, and minced jalapeno with remaining sour cream mixture.  Season again with S&P.

Heat oil and remaining jalapeno half in skillet; swirl to coat bottom of pan.  Season fish with S&P; cook until golden brown on all sides (5-6 min).  Discard jalapeno.

Meanwhile, warm tortillas either in oven or over gas burners.

To make tacos, fill tortillas with slaw, fish, and fresh cilantro.  Drizzle with reserved sour cream mixture.  

Serves 4.  

Logan Rating: ****

Comfort food

To me, this is total comfort food.  Tender chicken in a great sauce with some classically good potatoes.  And boy did I need it last night!  Psych clinicals are nuts (no pun intended) and its about all I can do to get through the day.  So while I wish I wouldn't have had to make this myself, after I did, it was just what I needed.  I guess part of it could have been that it called for white wine, and I think by now you all know that the wine I cook with is the wine I drink...thank God for that wine! :)  So the chicken was really delicious, the flavor of the sauce was fantastic and the skin (whoooops I know it was supposed to be skinless) was absolutely awesome.  I also love shallots and when they are roasted like this they are so sweet and delicious.  PLUS the potatoes are so simple, which sometimes are the best recipes.  I cut down on the butter A LOT, we only used about 2 T, you definitely do not need 6, but do whatever your little heart desires.  Now this meal definitely needs time, this will take you about 1 hour and 15 min, so ideally I would not have made it on a night that I was so exhausted, but hey, sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do.   So...

ENJOY!

Braised Chicken with Shallots

1/4 cup all purpose flour

8 bone in, skinless chicken thighs

S&P

2 T olive oil

1 lb small shallots, peeled and halved

5 garlic cloves, halved lengthwise

1/2 cup dry white wine

3 T dijon mustard

1 1/2 cups water

1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved

fresh tarragon leaves for garnish

Place flour in a bowl, pat chicken dry, season with S&P and dredge in the flour.  In a dutch oven or heavy 5 qt pot heat oil over med-high, cook chicken until browned 3-4 min per side.  Transfer to a plate.

Add shallots and garlic; cook until slightly softened and golden brown, about 5 min.  Add wine; cook until evaporated; 3-5 min.  Stir in mustard and water; bring to a boil.

Return chicken to the pot, reduce heat and simmer covered for about 30-35 min, until chicken is cooked through.  Transfer chicken to a plate; cover loosely with foil to keep warm.

Add tomatoes, season with S&P.  Cook over high heat until tomatoes soften and sauce thickens, 6-8 min.  Reduce heat to med-low and return chicken to pot; cook until heated through. 

Serves 4

Potatoes Anna

6 russet potatoes, peeled

6 T unsalted butter, melted

S&P

Preheat oven to 450.  Using mandolin or knife slice potatoes as thinly as possible.

Brush 10 in cast iron skillet with 1-2 T butter.  Starting in center of pan, arrange potato slices overlapping slightly in a circular patter.  Brush potatoes with one third of butter season with S&P.  Repeat making two more layers, season each layer. (Put in baking dish if no cast iron skillet).

(If you don't have a cast iron skillet skip this next step)

Place over high heat until butter in pan sizzles (2-4 min)  Transfer to oven; bake about 1 hour. 

Serves 8. 

My round baking dish was shattered by my dog who decided she needed to lick it clean off the counter...SO this isn't as pretty as it should be, sorry!  ALSO I obviously don't have a cast iron skillet and these still turned out great!

Logan Rating: ***

Spicy goodness

So I was just sitting here thinking about how I should do some studying and I realized that blogging would be a great distraction.  So here I go...there's always time for homework later right? ;)  Anyway this is a quick version of a traditional Mexican soup and it was awesome.  It had such a great smoky spice from the chipotles and it would be a perfect soup for when you are sick, definitely help to clear out your sinuses.  But you don't have to be sick to eat this, you should definitely try it, because I'm telling you this is SO GOOD!  I've never used hominy before, but was really pleased with the texture it added to the soup.  I also added some frozen corn, just because I love corn and I had some...it was good.  But hey, don't take my word for it...TRY IT!

ENJOY!

Chipotle Pork Posole

1 T olive oil

1 pork tenderloin, halved crosswise

S&P

1 onion, coarsely chopped

 2 garlic cloves, minced

1 T minced canned chipotles in adobo

2 cans (14.5oz each) chicken broth

2 cans (15.5 oz) hominy, drained and rinsed

1 can (14.5oz) diced tomatoes in juice

2 cups water

1/2 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves, for garnish

lime wedges, for serving (optional)

In a large pot, heat oil over med.  Season pork all over with S&P.  Cook until browned on all sides, 6-7 min. Transfer pork to a plate.

Add onion and garlic to pot; season with S&P.  Cook over med stirring occasionally until onion begins to soften, 4-5 min.

Add chipotle chiles; cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 min.  Add chicken broth, hominy, tomatoes with their juice, pork, and the water.  Bring to a boil; reduce heat to a simmer.  Cook until thermometer reads 145, about 5 min.  

Remove pork and shred with two forks; return to pan, and stir to combine.  To serve, ladle soup into bowls, and garnish with cilantro.  Serve with lime wedges if desired.  

Logan Rating: *****

Ooops missed entry...

Sorry all, this was something we made last week, but apparently I overlooked when catching up on my blogging.  This was a classic fall meal and I personally liked it a lot, because there were SO many veggies.  Logan was actually a fan of the squash but not so sure about the other veggies, surprise surprise. ;)  This could be really good without the chicken too maybe with some polenta or potatoes of some sort.  You could also really use any vegetables you have lying around that are good for roasting.  Very simple but does take a while to cook, about 1 hour...most of which is spent in the oven.  

ENJOY!

Roasted Chicken and Vegetables

1 acorn squash halved seeded and sliced

1 lb cremini mushrooms, halved

1 large red onion cut into 1/2 in wedges

8 garlic cloves, crushed

1 T olive oil

S&P

4 bone in chicken breasts

1 T dried rosemary

Preheat oven to 375.  Combine veggies and oil in roasting pan season with S&P.  Roast until squash is beginning to soften, about 15 min.

Meanwhile, lift up skin from chicken breasts; rub flesh with rosemary and some salt and pepper.  Replace skin; season with salt.

Remove roasting pan and place chicken, skin sides up, on top of the veggies.  Return to the oven; continue roasting until the chicken is cooked through, about 35 min.

Logan Rating: ***

Not Logan's Favorite...

When I started this blog I thought there would be a lot of things that Mr. Logan wouldn't like, but so far there really haven't been that many.  This was definitely one of them.  And since I'm so used to making awesome food for him, I was kind of disappointed when he said he didn't like it.  Made me feel a little like a failure...until I realized that I thought it was pretty good and that the majority of the meal was cooked veggies...which he's not a huge fan of.  So while I was initially feeling like a failure, I'm now realizing that you just can't please everyone with every meal, which is also why I think its fun when you guys make these and give me feedback.  It's interesting to see what different people think about the meals.  SO please make this one and let me know.  I personally was a huge fan of the cauliflower, for me it was like a good substitute for mashed potatoes.  The chicken was okay, I thought it tasted really good just nothing super special...except for the fresh tomatoes from the garden which were so sweet and delicious.  Have fun cooking!

ENJOY!

Chicken with Tomatoes, Olives and Cilantro

1 T olive oil

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

S&P

1 onion, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced

1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved

1/3 cup pitted green olives, halved

1 T fresh lime juice

1/4 cup fresh cilantro

Heat oil over med heat.  Season chicken with S&P and cook until browned and just cooked through, 10-15 min.  Transfer to a plate, cover loosely with aluminum foil.

Cook onion until softened 5-7 min.  Add tomatoes and olives; cook until tomatoes soften and release their juice, 1-2 min.  Remove from heat and stir in lime juice and cilantro.  Season with S&P.

Serves 4.

Cauliflower Gratin

3 slices white sandwich bread, torn into large pieces

2 T coarsely grated parmesan cheese

3 T unsalted butter

1/3 cup all purpose flour

2 cups milk

1 head cauliflower, cut into small florets

S&P

1 cup coarsely grated gruyere cheese (4oz)

Preheat oven to 350.  In a food processor pulse bread and parm until coarse crumbs form.

In a large saucepan, melt butter over med heat.  Add flour; cook whisking constantly, 1 min.  Gradually whisk in milk.  Add cauliflower and season with S&P.  Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer.  Cover and cook until cauliflower is starting to soften, about 5 min.  Remove from heat; gradually stir in gruyere. 

Transfer cauliflower mixture to a 2 qt baking dish, sprinkle evenly with bread crumbs.  Cover with foil; bake until cauliflower is tender, about 20min.  Remove foil and continue baking until bread crumbs are golden brown, about 20 min more.  

Serves 4.

Logan Rating: * (Chicken) **(Gratin)

Kinda like Alfredo...but BETTER

Ok, so its only my opinion, but I really think this pasta is just as good if not BETTER than Alfredo pasta.  Not only do I think it tastes better but its also better for you!  I'm sure you all know that Alfredo sauce is not exactly good for you...but how many of you LOVE it?  Me too, I mean how could you not?  Well this is just as good, you have to try it.  Its a goat cheese based sauce and its light and super delicious and SO FAST!  This recipe takes just about as long as it takes you to boil your noodles, how awesome is that???  And yes, you could leave out the asparagus or you could replace it with another veggie if you are a asparagus hater like Logan.  Just so everyone knows if it were me rating this one, it'd be a slam dunk 5 stars all the way! Seriously if you're looking for a quick, simple and super delicious pasta this is for you!

ENJOY!

Pasta with Goat Cheese and Asparagus

2 bunches asparagus (I used one and it was plenty)

5 T unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

(I used brummel & brown butter spread)

12 oz cavatappi or other short pasta

5 oz fresh goat cheese

2-3 T snipped fresh chives for garnish

Preheat oven to 450.  Place asparagus on a baking sheet; dot with 2 T butter (I used olive oil) and season with S&P.  Roast until tender, 10-15 min. Remove from oven and cut into 2 in pieces.

Meanwhile, bring large pot of water to boil; cook pasta until al dente.  Reserve 1 1/2 cups pasta water; drain pasta and return to pot. 

In a bowl, combine goat cheese, remaining 3 T butter , and 1/2 cup reserved pasta water.  Season with S&P and whisk until smooth.

Add goat cheese mixture and asparagus to pot; toss with pasta to combine, adding enough additional pasta water to create a thin sauce.  Garnish with chives.

Serves 4.

Logan Rating: *** 

Hodgepodge of recipes=so good

Here's some meat n potatoes + a veggie for ya.  Of course you could be like Logan and just skip the veggie, I think I probably should have threatened to take away his dessert...he's as bad as a kid sometimes.  Oh well I thought the broccolini was awesome and I bet you will too!  Really though, I am telling you this was a great meal.  These were all separate recipes in the book and I put them together and TAD AH amazing dinner, easy as that.  The pork chop was so good, it had a very different taste with the diced up lemon peel put it was a really good different.  And let me tell you, you can NEVER go wrong with a roasted potato.  This recipe in particular was amazing...I could have eaten just the potatoes for dinner and been very satisfied!  You have to try this one, veggie or no veggie...I won't judge, just do it!

ENJOY!

Lemon-Parsley Pork Chops

1 lemon, zest removed and minced

2 T chopped fresh parsley

1 garlic clove, minced

S&P

2 T olive oil

4 bone in pork chops (I used boneless...whatever works)

Combine lemon zest with parsley, garlic and salt and pepper into a bowl, set aside. 

Heat olive oil in skillet over high heat.  Season pork with S&P, cook until browned, 2-3 min per side.

Add 1/2 cup water to skillet; bring to boil.  Reduce heat to med-low, cover and simmer until pork is cooked through, about 8-10min.  Transfer pork chops to plate, drizzle with pan juices and sprinkle with lemon parsley mixture.

Serves 4.

Baby Broccoli with Orange sauce

2 bunches baby broccoli (about 1 lb) untrimmed

1/4 cup fresh OJ

2 shallots, peeled, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced

1 tsp balsamic vinegar

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

Cook broccoli until tender in pot of boiling water, about 12-15 min.   Drain.

Meanwhile, combine OJ, shallots, vinegar, and pepper flakes in a skillet, simmer over med heat until reduced to 1/4 cup, 3-4 min.  Spoon sauce over broccoli, toss gently.

Roasted Herbed Potatoes

1 1/2 lbs new potatoes, scrubbed

1 T olive oil

1/2 tsp mixed dried herbs such as thyme, rosemary and oregano

S&P

Preheat oven to 450.  Toss potatoes with oil and herbs in a roasting pan.  Season with S&P and spread in single layer.  Roast, turning occasionally, until potatoes are golden and tender when pierced 30-40 min.

Serves 4.

Logan Rating: ****(pork and potatoes)

broccoli gets a **** from Paige.

Fall Soup

Well now that the leaves are falling and there is a chill in the air it just feels right to make a big pot of soup.  Especially a soup with some fall ingredients, like this butternut squash soup.  I served it with an endive salad and it was such a great combo.  The soup was so creamy and delicious and the endives had such a great crunch.  This meal I actually made for lunch on a day that I didn't have class, but I also think it would be filling enough for a dinner as well.  The OJ sounds like a bizarre ingredient, but trust me it is such a great addition to this soup.  I tried it before I added the OJ and it was really not very good, kind of bland and "squashy"...I enjoy making up words. :)  Once I added the OJ it really brightened up the flavor and made a huge difference, so please don't skip the OJ...it tastes good and its good for you.  Also, I added some aged white cheddar cheese that we had leftover to the salad and I thought it was a great addition, but it would have been good with out it also.  I really liked this buttermilk dressing, highly recommend.

ENJOY!

Pureed Butternut Squash Soup

2 T butter

1 small onion, chopped

1 piece peeled fresh ginger (2 in), chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

2 3/4 lbs small butternut squash, peeled, seeds removed and cut into cubes

1/4 cup fresh orange juice

S&P

sour cream (optional)

spicy pumpkin seeds (recipe below)

 Melt butter in a saucepan.  Cook onion for about 2 min.  Add ginger, garlic and squash; cook stirring occasionally until fragrant, 6-8 min.  Stir in 4 cups water.  Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until squash is tender, about 20 min.

Puree soup in two batches.  Stir in OJ and 1 1/2 tsp salt.  

Serves 4.

Spicy Pumpkin Seeds

1 cup raw green pumpkin seeds

1 tsp chili powder

1/8 to 1/4 tsp cayenne

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp fresh lime juice

Preheat oven to 350.  Combine all ingredients in a bowl and toss to coat.  Spread on a baking sheet; bake until puffed and browned, about 10 min.

Apple Endive and Grape Salad

1/4 cup reduced fat sour cream

1/4 cup low fat buttermilk

2 T cider vinegar

S&P

2 fuji apples, cored and thinly sliced

1 1/2 lbs Belgian endives, halved lengthwise, trimmed and cut crosswise into 1 in pieces

2 cups seedless green grapes, halved 

1/2 cup toasted pecans

Whisk together sour cream, buttermilk, and vinegar; season with S&P.

Cut apple slices in half; add to bowl along with endives, grapes and pecans.  Toss to combine.

Serves 6

Logan Rating: **** (soup) *** (salad)