Fish Tacos with Cabbage Slaw and Chili-Cilantro Aioli

I would eat fish tacos year round, no doubt. But summertime seems like an extra appropriate time of year. Break open the barbie, enjoy a margarita or beer and invite some friends over for a perfect warm summer's evening.

We had such a good time with our friends at this dinner, I hope we can do it again soon. I love being back in Seattle and getting reacquainted with my girlfriends, their husbands AND the kids (oh my gosh... turn your back for a couple of years and everyone's babies are 'big kids', starting kindergarten and what not - crazy!). And all of my friends have such beautiful families. I probably don't say this enough (I'm not very gushy or sentimental normally), but I feel very lucky to have wonderful people in my life.


I used corn tortillas, delicious. I forgot to put out the cilantro and avocado, didn't matter. And I made a yummy aioli sauce, don't skip the aioli! The tacos were a hit.

I served the fish tacos with sweet potato fries.

Thanks for coming over, friends. It's good to be home.

Fish Tacos with Cabbage Slaw and Chili-Cilantro Aioli
adapted from Cooking Light

4 cups very thinly pre-sliced green cabbage
1 cup chopped plum tomatoes
1 serrano or jalapeno chile, seeded and minced (leave seeds in for more fire!)
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1-4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided (depends on which cooking method used, see below)
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1 pound tilapia fillets (we used the frozen mahi-mahi fillets from Costco- 1 fillet per person)
1 teaspoon chili powder
8 (6-inch) corn tortillas
1 15 ounce can black beans
1 ripe avocado, sliced
Salsa (optional)

Aioli:
2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
3 tablespoons fat-free mayonnaise
1 serrano chile, seeded and minced (jalapeno OK)
1 garlic clove, minced

Combine first 4 ingredients in a large bowl. Add juice, 1 tablespoon oil, and 1/4 teaspoon salt; toss well to combine. Set aside.

To make the aioli: Combine all ingredients and mix well. Can be made up to 1 hour before, keep in refrigerator.

Heat beans on the stove or in the microwave, and put in a serving bowl. Peel and slice avocado, place on a serving plate.

Heat remaining 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle fish evenly with chili powder and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Add fish to pan; cook 3 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork or until desired degree of doneness. Remove from heat, and place fish on a serving platter.
OR
Heat grill. Rub/Brush fish with enough oil to keep it from sticking to your grill pan. Sprinkle fish evenly with chili powder and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Grill fish direct or in a grill pan, according to thickness of the fish (ours took 4-5 minutes on each side), and your desired degree of doneness. Remove from heat, and place fish on a serving platter.

Warm tortillas according to package directions. Spoon about 1/4 cup cabbage mixture down the center of each tortilla. Divide fish evenly among tortillas; fold in half. Serve tacos with remaining cabbage mixture, extra jarred salsa (or my cousin Skye's homemade salsa), aioli, avocado and black beans.

More side dishes that go well with fish tacos:
- Lime Quinoa Salad with Fresh Mint, from Karina's Kitchen
- Summer Green Bean Salad, from 101 Cookbooks
- Grilled Potatoes with Garlic and Herbs, from Andrea Meyers

Guten appetit!

Moms 7 Layer Dip

When the sun is shining, parties are happening. And when it's August 11th, there's usually a birthday party for me happening! Ha. Yep, it's my birthday. Hooray! Party, party, party!

This is my favorite and staple party appetizer. Perfect pick for my birthday post, don't you think? I wont be making it today, but I will likely be making it soon. Or maybe my mom will be making it for me this weekend. She's awesome like that.

It makes a large amount (or you can easily scale it back), always pleases the natives, and it's a great take-along too. I'm guaranteed to make it, if my friend Kelsey is going to be at the party. She says it's her favorite (and, since it happens to be mine too - why not indulge us both?).

One warning: It's filling. People usually like it so much, that they eat most the dip and get full before dinner! My sister makes it a habit of eating appetizers for dinner (bah!).

I would make this for our housewarming party in September, but since we're pretty sure we're having a German theme, I don't think it will fit. Rest assured though, it will be made soon. Even if it's just for Tim and I to enjoy on a lovely sunny weekend.


Moms 7 Layer Dip

1 can vegetarian refried beans (I usually don't use the entire can)
1 large ripe avocado, mashed
1 cup sour cream
1 package dry taco seasonings
3 medium vine ripened tomatoes, cored and chopped
1 small or medium can sliced black olives
2 cups shredded mexican cheese blend (using all cheddar is also ok)
1 bag tortilla chips

* Measurements are approximate. Use more of what you like, and less of what you don't.

Mix the sour cream with 1.5 tablespoons taco seasoning mix. Stir until well combined, then refrigerate at least 10 minutes. This can also be done the day before to let the flavors blend. Keep in refrigerator until ready to use.

On a large serving platter, spread the beans in an even layer to approximately one inch from the edge of your platter. Dollop the mashed avocado on top and carefully spread evenly across all of the beans. Next, layer your sour cream (same way you did the avocado).

Now, sprinkle the black olives evenly on top of your sour cream layer. Next, the tomatoes. Again, sprinkling evenly across all your black olives. And lastly, the cheese. The cheese should almost completely cover your dip. Sometimes I like to let some tomato and olives peek out of the cheese, it looks nice. As with all ingredients, use as much or little cheese as you like.

Done! Serve with tortilla chips in a bowl next to the dip and let your friends and family feast.

If you want to make the dip ahead of time (although, it's super fast to whip up the day of), it will keep 1 day in the refrigerator: Follow the steps through the olives, then cover with saran wrap and refrigerate. When ready to serve, cut and add your tomatoes and the cheese on top. It also makes decent leftovers for lunch the next day. Mmmm.

Shhh, don't tell anyone. But my 7 layer dip is only 6 layers! I leave out the green onions, since I don't like them. But if you do, feel free to add the 7th layer. Our secret, ok?

More dip love:
- Spinach Artichoke Dip
- Baked Parmesan Dip
- Crab Dip, from Al Dente (Tom Douglas recipe! Yum)

Guten appetit!

Tofu Tamale Pie

Although this is a vegetarian blog, I don't feel like I post a lot of tofu recipes. It's certainly not because we don't eat it, or even because we don't eat it often, we do. Oddly enough, when it comes to tofu, I just have a habit of making the same dishes we already like.

This was a welcome new addition to my tofu repertoire though. It had a similar consistency to a hash, with a slightly crispy top. Tasted wonderful and was thrown together in 10 minutes, then left to bake. Love that.

It's not a traditional 'tamale pie', as most have a cornbread topping. But it wasn't missed and the simplicity of making this dish was a very likable quality.

We ate it plain, adding salsa at the table. Next time, I would consider using this as a taco stuffing - with warm corn tortillas, lettuce and salsa. Or serve along side mexican rice and refried beans.


Tofu Tamale Pie
from VegCooking

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 green pepper, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound firm tofu
1/2 cup water
1 (16-ounces) can tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup black olives, chopped
1 cup frozen corn
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon oregano
1 cup corn meal


Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Heat the oil and saute the onion, green pepper, and garlic until soft. Puree the tofu and water. Add the tofu puree and the remaining ingredients to the pan and simmer for 5 minutes.

Pour into a lightly oiled casserole dish or large iron skillet and bake for 25-30 minutes. Serve hot.

More tamale pies, yum!
- Meatless Tamale Pie, from What Did You Eat?
- Crockpot Tamale Pie, from A Year of CrockPotting
- Black Bean Tamale Pie, from Eggs on Sunday

Guten appetit!

Tangy Corn and Avocado Salsa

Oh, Mollie... thank you so much for this recipe. You have combined some of my favorite foods in this world: avocados, cilantro, cherry tomatoes and cumin.

To preface this, you should know that I will eat avocados plain, right out of the skin with a spoon. I LOVE THEM. There's really no need to 'dress up' guacamole or avocados for me. However, in the spirit of trying new things and cinco de mayo, I gave this dip a shot. Certainly sounded good.

Yowzers!! I could have eaten the whole bowl myself, and then licked it clean. Unfortunately (for me), I'm a nice person and shared some with Tim.

Easily a very, very impressive avocado dip. Make for friends, or simply indulge yourself one day. We taste tested the dip with chips, delicious. Then used it as an accompaniment to quesadillas, super delicious.

Go ahead, make this... soon. Treat yourself.

Note: Mollie also recommends this, but because you are adding fresh cut tomatoes which get mealy after sitting out for a while, I recommend eating this same day. Which, believe me, you wont have a problem doing.

Note #2: I personally prefer Haas avocados for guacamole and dip making.


Tangy Corn and Avocado Salsa
from Mollie Katzen

1 cup finely minced red onion
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice (and possibly more)
2 ripe-but-firm avocados
2 medium cloves garlic, finely minced
2 cups fresh corn (shaved from 2 ears of corn) - I used canned, was still great
1/2 cup finely minced red bell pepper
1 cup tiny cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
Crushed red pepper flakes to taste
3 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro


Put up about half a kettle of water to boil. Place the minced red onion in a colander over a sink, and when the water boils, pour it over the onion. Let the onion sit in the colander, draining, while you prepare the other ingredients.

Place the lime juice in a medium-sized bowl. Cut the avocados in half, pull out the seeds, and peel. Scoop out the flesh, cut it into small dice, and transfer to the lime juice. Stir gently until all the pieces of avocado are coated with lime juice.

Add all remaining ingredients except the cilantro (include the red onion from Step 1). Mix gently but thoroughly until everything is combined. Taste to adjust salt and lime juice, then cover and chill until serving time. Stir in the cilantro just before serving.

Lovely, lovely avocado. More recipes:
- Creamy Avocado Chipotle Dip, from Cafe Lynnylu
- Chunky White Bean Avocado Dip, from Food Network
- Three Bean, Corn and Avocado Salsa, from Archana's Kitchen
- Guacamole, from My Wooden Spoon

Guten appetit!

Easy Fresh Salsa, by Guest Chef Skye

Well after staying with Laura in Munich for a week, she asked me (Skye, Laura's cousin) to start contributing on her food blog. I'm more of a self taught food network addict. I'm not vegetarian but I will try to post some of my tasty vegetable recipes.

After having Laura's yummy mexican casserole, I thought I would make a simple fresh salsa.

Ingredients:

2 cloves garlic

1 medium red onion

1 large jalapeno seeded and de-veined

2 large tomatoes

1 lime juiced

1 handful of fresh cilantro

salt and pepper to taste

Note: I had small tomatoes and jalapenos so I used double

Roughly chop the garlic, onion, jalapeno, tomatoes and cilantro. Throw it into your food processor and add the lime juice. Pulse until desired consistency and your done.

If you like chunkier salsa, pulse the jalapeno, lime juice, garlic and cilantro. Add this to finely diced tomatoes and onion and mix.

After either method, add salt and pepper to taste. It can be eaten right away but I find it best to refrigerate for at least an hour to let the flavors blend.

Serve with your favorite mexican food.

Enjoy =)

Mexican Rice Casserole

I was in a quandry last week over what to cook for our house guests, and had a lot of leftover bits and pieces in the fridge from our last few nights of dinners... in particular, I had about 3 cups of wild rice, 10 button mushrooms and random salad fixings.

Allrecipes to the rescue! I had heard of rice casseroles, so I went searching.

You must know by now that I'm crazy about mexican food, so this mexican rice casserole called to me from the beginning. There were a few other cheese rice casseroles, or green chili casseroles, but when I read the reviews for this one, I was sold. 4.5 stars is a pretty darn good rating, and I'll be giving it 5 when I remember my login/password.

The winning qualities of this recipe:
1. Easy
2. Can use up leftover veggies in fridge
3. Uses up leftover rice
4. Delicious
5. Very forgiving recipe with substitutions
6. Easy
7. Easy
8. Easy

Along with the casserole, my cousin whipped up a salad with more leftovers and we had our complete meal. Thanks Skye!!

Mexican Rice Casserole
adapted from Allrecipes

2 cups cooked rice (I used wild rice, but the original recipe calls for brown - use whatever you like!)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/3 cup diced yellow onion
1 medium red pepper, diced
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
1/2 teaspoon cumin
salt to taste
ground cayenne pepper to taste (I used 1.5 teaspoons)
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained
1 (4 ounce) can diced green chile peppers, mostly drained
2 cups shredded cheese (I used a cheddar/emmentaler mix, but the original recipe calls for Swiss. Again, use what you have or like)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a large casserole dish.

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat, and cook the onion until tender. Mix in the bell pepper, and mushrooms. Season with cumin, salt, and ground cayenne pepper. Cook and stir approximately 3-5 minutes, until everything is well mixed and heated through.

In large bowl, mix the cooked rice, onion, bell pepper, mushrooms, beans, chiles, and 1/2 the cheese.

Transfer to the prepared casserole dish, and sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Cover casserole loosely with foil, and bake 30 minutes in the preheated oven. Uncover, and continue baking 10 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Want to see the original recipe? Click here.

* I apologize for the lack of photos, and will post some as soon as I remake this recipe and our mac computer is back from the shop. We had a hard-drive meltdown recently, and lost all pictures. A vegetarian hausfrau life tip: remember to back-up your hard-drives!

Guten appetit!

Leftover Tortillas

We exclusively eat soft, corn tortillas. Flour tortillas are available, I just love the corn. Makes me wonder if Tim would prefer flour - I've never asked! Hey, if I do the shopping, I should get to choose, right? Right.


We almost always have left over tortillas, since they are sold in a large pack. I either freeze them, or I make chips. It seems silly and too easy to post a 'how-to make your own chips', but hey, why not?

To make your own tortilla chips:

Preheat oven to 350. Cut round tortillas into wedges (slice in half, and repeat a couple more times). Place on an ungreased baking sheet (or pie plate- it's all I have), do not overlap the tortillas triangles. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the tortillas are firm and crispy. They will not be AS crispy as store-bought, but they will taste more delicious. Salt if necessary/desired (jamie).

Serve with chipotle salsa, or guacamole.

On a total side-note, rant:

I buy our delicious, homemade corn tortillas from the only Mexican store in Munich: Mercado de Mexico. When we moved to Germany, I knew the food would be different. But what a lot of people don't think about is the grocery food also being VERY different, or simply not available. Living in a foreign country always makes me appreciate the diversity and availability of food in the US. Mexican food in particular, hasn't made it much further than the Atlantic.

I remember students of mine in Japan, who when traveling to LA for business, would stay in a Japanese run hotel, and only go out to eat at Japanese restaurants. I wanted to yell, 'branch out!'. But diversity is the minority, not the majority in the world. People who grow up in a homogenous culture seem to be steadfast and loyal to what they know. As I said, I think we are very lucky in US.

3 Bean Tacos

I mentioned before that I crave protein on occasion. Eggs are a great source, but I believe beans are probably the more common staple for most vegetarians. They can be added to most dishes (salads, casseroles, etc), if not stand alone as a main dish...

On a side note, regarding vegetarian's protein intake related to beans:
Nutritionists used to believe you needed to eat beans + a combo item (rice, grains, pasta) at the same time to make a complete protein. However, they have found that throughout the day, even eating the foods separately, your body will break the necessary combos down for protein. So have your toast in the morning, or rice for lunch, and beans for dinner. You're good to go! If you'd like to find out more about which foods combine for a complete protein, click here. Given that you have a day to eat and combine your food, most vegetarians get plenty of both complete and incomplete proteins needed for a balanced diet.

Getting back on topic, we'd like to introduce you to one of our favorite recipes: 3 bean tacos.

I'm hungry just thinking about them again. But when do I read about or discuss a delicious recipe and not feel the urge to run to the kitchen?

As always, this recipe is easy. Other benefits include speed of prep, better-than-the-night-before lunch leftovers, and they're packed full of good stuff for a healthy weeknight meal. For sorority friends, if you will kindly recall taco nights, one of the best meals at the house. And for those of you with kiddos, taco night was one of my favorite dinners growing up- it was FUN! A child's ability to come to the table and assemble their taco by themselves helps make dinnertime an occasion.

Feel free to mix and match your beans, and the toppings. The greatness of this recipe is the ease, and forgiveness based on your own preferences.

We hope you enjoy these as much as we do!

3 bean tacos
from cookinglight.com

1 teaspoon olive oil
1 cup diced onion
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
1/2 cup diced green bell pepper (I just buy 1 large red pepper, and skip the green)
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 garlic clove, minced
1 cup canned chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained
1/2 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained (* see note below)
1/2 cup canned pinto beans, rinsed and drained (* I choose one of these beans, and use the full can)
1 (8-ounce) can no-salt-added tomato sauce (I use 1 - 14 oz. can diced tomatoes)
12 taco shells (we use fresh, soft, corn tortillas- yum!)
3/4 cup shredded iceberg lettuce
3/4 cup diced tomato (because I use a full can of diced tomato with the beans, I skip this)
1/2 cup (2 ounces) finely shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese


Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add onion and next 6 ingredients (onion through garlic), and sauté 2 minutes. Add chickpeas, beans, and tomato sauce. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes or until thick.

Warm your taco shells/tortillas (highly recommended if using tortillas). Spoon 1/4 cup bean mixture into each taco shell. Top with your choice of toppings, which may include: lettuce, avocado (my favorite!) chopped tomato, shredded cheese, and salsa.

Makes 12 servings (serving size: 1 taco)

Guten appetit!

Enchiladas

These are the most delicious enchiladas on the planet! Ok, ok - I haven't tasted all the enchiladas on the planet, so maybe that's a tiny exaggeration. But, they are definitely the most delicious hausfrau enchiladas ever made. I'm safe with that assessment. And no, this is not the only enchilada recipe I've made - so the rating is fair and well deserved.

And for both myself and my friend Lisa, the recipe is per my usual: easy. Easy, even with regard to making your own sauce. Yep, you heard right: make your own sauce, most delicious, easy enchiladas.

Before making this recipe, you may think the ingredients and spices seem bland. Trust me, everything compliments nicely and is packed full of flavor. If you prefer spicy though, I would add one of the following to your sauce: diced jalapeno, red pepper flakes, or ground cayenne. Or you can offer tobasco on the table so people may determine their own spiciness.

Black Bean, Corn & Zucchini Enchiladas (from cookinglight)

1 teaspoon canola oil
2 cups diced zucchini
1 (10-ounce) package frozen whole-kernel corn (I use a can of corn)
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
3 cups Enchilada Sauce (see below for recipe)
Cooking spray
8 (8-inch) whole wheat tortillas (I use corn tortillas)
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese, divided

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 cups zucchini and corn; sauté for 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Remove from heat, and stir in beans.
3. Spread 1 cup Enchilada Sauce in the bottom of a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.
4. Spoon about 1/2 cup zucchini mixture down center of 1 tortilla; sprinkle with 2 tablespoons cheese, and roll up. Place seam-side down in baking dish. Repeat procedure with remaining tortillas, zucchini mixture, and 14 tablespoons cheese.
5. Spread remaining 2 cups sauce evenly over enchiladas.
6. Cover with foil; bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Uncover; top with remaining 1 cup cheese. Bake, uncovered, for 10 minutes or until cheese melts.

For the batch I made last night, I also included 3/4 of a red bell pepper, tasted great.

Enchilada Sauce (can make up to 2 days ahead and refrigerate, but I do everything at the same time. Start the sauce first, and while simmering, make the veggie filling, get your pan ready, pre-heat the oven, etc.)

1 teaspoon canola oil
1/2 cup diced red onion
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 cup organic vegetable broth (such as Swanson Certified Organic)
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes, undrained

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.
2. Add onion and garlic; sauté 5 minutes or until onion is tender. Stir in broth and remaining ingredients.
3. Reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes.


You'll probably notice in the picture, but I used a white onion (not red) for the sauce last night. Both work.

The sauce yields 3 cups. I double and freeze half for my next enchilada batch.

Takes a total of 30 min to create this enchilada dream, then 40 min to cook. Dinner in 1 hour and 10 minutes, flat. Deee-licious leftovers.

Guten appetit!