Fish Tacos

Ingredients

• 4 Tortillas (I prefer 8 grain tortillas, but use whatever you want)
  
• 1 Avocado, sliced to add optionally to tacos
  

Mexican Creama Component

• 1/2 cup light sour cream
  
• 2 Tbsp buttermilk
  
• 2 tsp lime juice
• 1/2 tsp grated lime zest
  

Slaw Component

• 2 cups shredded cabbage (any type will do)
• 2 tsp lime juice
• 2 tsp honey
• 2 Tbsp red onion, minced
• 2 tsp minced jalapenos
• 2 tsp chopped fresh cilantro
• Salt to taste
  

Fish Component

• 1 lb of white fish (mahi-mahi, tilapia, cod... whatever's on sale)
  
• 1/4 c. Olive Oil
• 2 Tbsp lime juice
• 3 tsp chili powder
• 3/4 tsp ground cumin
• 3/4 tsp ground coriander
• 3/4 tsp minced garlic
• Salt to taste

Salsa Component

• 1 large tomato, diced
  
• 4 tsp red onion, minced
  
• 1/2 tsp red wind vinegar
• 1/2 canned chipotle pepper, minced
• Salt to taste
• 1 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

Instruction

Mexican Creama Component
Mix all ingredients for Mexican Creama in a small bowl, and store in refrigerator until ready to serve.

Slaw Component
Combine all ingredients for Slaw in medium bowl, and store in refrigerator at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to blend.

Fish Component
Preheat grill (or broiler) to medium high. In a large ziplog bag, mix the oil, lime, chili powder, cumin, coriander, garlic and salt. Add the fish to the marinade and store in refrigerator until the grill has heated and you're ready to cook.

Salsa Component
In a small bowl, mix all salsa ingredients. Store in refrigerator until ready to serve.

Pull it all together
Grill the fish depending on the thickness of the fillet. For an inch or less thick fish, grill the fish on one side until firm, about 2 minutes. Turn fish over until cooked through, about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes more. Remove from grill, cut into portions approximately 1/4 lb each, and cover with tin foil. Grill tortillas until heated through, turning once, about 30 seconds total.

Put all out buffet style, including the optional avocado. Make tacos as you like 'em and eat. (They're especially yummy served with grilled corn on the cob.)

4 servings
Calories: 300
Fat: 10 g
Fiber: 1.7 g
Protein: 30 g

Collard Greens Mineira

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lb collard greens, cleaned with stems removed
• 3 slices bacon, finely chopped

Instruction

Stack collard-leaf halves and roll crosswise into a cigar shape. Cut crosswise into very thin slices (no thicker than 3/4 inch) with a sharp knife.

Cook bacon in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over moderate heat, stirring, until crisp.

Add collards, tossing to coat, and cook until just bright green, about 1 minute.

Season with salt and serve immediately.

4 servings
Calories: 49
Fat: 2.6 g
Fiber: 2.6 g
Protein: 3.2 g

Lemon Sesame Glazed Kale

Kale. Who would have thought I'd be cooking kale?

Ingredients:

• 1 to 1 1/2 pounds kale
  
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
  
• 2 cloves minced garlic
  
• 2 tsp lemon juice
  
• 1 Tbsp honey
• 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 Tbsp sesame seeds
  

Instructions:
Remove any large stems from the kale and wash them thoroughly. Roughly chop.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the olive oil.

Add garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, honey, salt and pepper. Stir to combine.

Add the kale and saute for 4-5 minutes, tossing continually.

Add the red pepper flakes and sesame seeds. Toss to combine.

Adjust seasoning if needed. Serve immediately.

4 servings
Calories: 113
Fat: 3.3 g
Fiber: 5.5 g
Fiber: 5.5 g

Radish - Greens Soup

While searching for any and all recipes Radish, I stumbled on this one. It definitely tastes better than it ever deserves to... and seriously, while it's in the pot cooking it looks, well, not like good eats. But, with some patience and trust (or mostly curiosity to be honest) it turned into a pretty darned good soup.

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 large onion, diced
• 2 medium potatoes, sliced
• 4 cups raw radish greens
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• nutmeg
  

Instructions:

• Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion, and saute until tender. Mix in the potatoes and radish greens, coating them with the butter. Pour in chicken broth. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes.
• Allow the soup mixture to cool slightly, and transfer to a blender. Blend until smooth.
• Return the mixture to the saucepan. Mix in the heavy cream. Add salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste. Cook and stir until well blended. Serve with a good crusty bread.

6 servings
Calories: 177
Fat: 10 g
Fiber: 3.3 g
Protein: 4.4

Radish - Citrus Salad

Yikes! From the CSA, week 1 gave us two bunches of radishes. I was out of town, and they didn't get used. Week 2 gave us yet another bunch of radishes. What to do, what to do? I went in search of recipes using a LOT of radish. This salad is crisp, light, and delish. (I tripled the recipe, and we have a bowl of goodness in the fridge.)

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch radishes, tops removed, thinly sliced
• 1 orange, zested and peeled
• 1 lemon, zested and juiced
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 cup carrot, shredded (optional)
  

Instructions:

• In a small bowl, combine the orange zest, lemon zest, lemon juice and olive oil.
  
• Place the radish slices in a medium bowl, and add the zest and juice. Stir to mix and allow to marinate for a minimum of 15 minutes.
  
• Cut the orange into small pieces, and add both the orange and carrot.
• Mix and serve.
  

6 servings
Calories: 34
Fat: 0.9 g
Fiber: 1.6 g

Asian Spinach and Mushroom

Again, the CSA has inspired more creative cooking. This recipe uses a whole bag of fresh spinach and some left-over fennel. It was delicious paired Asian Baked Tilapia.

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 Tbsp olive oil teaspoons oriental sesame oil
• 1 Fennel bulb, cut into strips
  (originally this was red pepper, but we don't touch sweet peppers)
  
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
• 1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 8 ounces sliced mushrooms (a mix would be delicious)
  
• 1 large bag spinach, stems trimmed (about 10 oz)
  
• 6 green onions, cut into thin strips
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 2 tsp dark sesame oil
  

Instructions:

• Heat olive oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add fennel, ginger and garlic and sauté 1 minute.
  
• Add all mushrooms and sauté until brown and tender, adding 2 to 3 tablespoons water if mixture is dry, about 10 minutes.
  
• Add spinach and green onions and stir until spinach wilts, about 2 minutes. Stir in soy sauce and sesame oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
  

4 servings
Calories: 108
Fat: 6.1 g
Fiber: 4.5 g

Rhubarb Sorbet

Now that we've joined a CSA, and are getting a weekly supply of fresh fruit and veggies, I'm going to start getting more creative with our generous supplies. This week we received a HUGE amount of Rhubarb. We have some delicious Strawberry Rhubarb deserts already down, but this week I tried a new one. Who would have thought we'd be eating veggie sorbet?

Ingredients:

• 5 Cups sliced rhubarb
• 1 Quart water
• 1/2 c. sugar
• 1/2 c. brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

Instructions:

• In large heavy pot, combine water and rhubarb. Boil for 10 minutes.
• Remove from heat, and strain mixture in a sieve into a bowl, pressing rhubarb to remove all liquid. Discard rhubarb.
• Add sugars and lemon juice to rhubarb liquid and mix until sugars dissolve.
  
• Chill mix in refrigerator until cool.
• Pour cooled mixture into an ice cream freezer, and prepare according to manufacturer's instruction.
  
• Spoon sorbet into a freezer safe container for storage.
  

8 servings (1/2 c. each)
Calories: 107
Fat: 0.1 g
Fiber: 0.1 g

Asian Baked Tilapia

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp fresh gingerroot, finely chopped or grated
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped or grated
• 2 green onions, finely chopped
• Sriracha chile sauce to taste
• 1 Tbsp finely chopped cilantro
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• Dash of toasted sesame oil
• Dash of soy sauce
• Dash of fish sauce
• 4 tsp dark maple syrup
• 4 fillets (4 oz each) fresh tilapia (or other firm-fleshed whitefish)

Instruction

Preheat oven to 400°F. Combine all topping ingredients in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Place a fillet on parchment paper and divide topping evenly among them, spreading it over the top. Fold each parchment over to form a packet around each fillet and seal, crimping it tightly. Place on a baking sheet and bake 15 minutes.

4 servings
Calories: 235
Fat: 10.2 g
Fiber: 1.4 g

Garbanzos con Espinacas

OK, so this recipe I heard on NPR the other day driving home. Chef Jose Andres was challenged to design a dinner for 4 costing less than $10. His recipe of Moorish-Style Chickpea And Spinach Stew sounded delicious even over the radio-waves. Having the ingredients on-hand, I made it immediately. I didn't cook the garbanzos nearly enough, so I'll have to try again next week.

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

• 9 ounces dried garbanzos (chickpeas)
• Pinch bicarbonate of soda
• 6 garlic cloves, peeled and whole
• 1/4 cup Spanish extra-virgin olive oil (I used less)
• 2 ounces white sliced bread, with the crusts removed
• 2 tablespoons sweet paprika
• 1 pinch Spanish saffron
• 2 tablespoons Spanish sherry vinegar
• 1/2 pound spinach, washed and cleaned
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• Salt and white pepper to taste

Instructions:

• The day before you cook, soak the chickpeas in cold water with a pinch of bicarbonate of soda. The next day, drain and rinse the chickpeas. (Alternatively, use a can of chickpeas... I got a bunch at Harris Teeter for $0.67 each last week. If you use the canned chickpeas, there is no need to cook for hours... just cook until mushy.)
• In a big saucepan, combine the chickpeas with 2 1/2 quarts of water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer for two hours, until the chickpeas are tender. Every 10 minutes or so, add 1/2 cup of cold water to slow down the simmering. By the end, the water should have reduced so it is barely covering the chickpeas. Turn off the heat and let sit.
• In a small saute pan over medium to low heat, brown the garlic in 1/4 cup of the olive oil. When the garlic is browned, after about 3 minutes, remove from the pan and set aside.
• Add the bread and brown on both sides, about one minute each side. Remove the bread and set aside.
• Remove the pan from the heat and allow to cool for a few minutes.
• Add the paprika and saffron to the saute pan, and the sherry vinegar immediately afterward to prevent the paprika from burning.
• Smash the reserved garlic and the browned bread to make a very thick paste.
• Bring the chickpeas back to a low boil and add the spinach. Simmer for 5 minutes.
• Add the paprika mixture along with the garlic and bread paste, to create a thick, stewy sauce.
• Simmer for another 5 minutes.
• Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve immediately.

This is excellent served with an egg on top, cooked over-easy so the yolk mixes into the garbanzos!

4 servings
Calories: 414
Fat: 22.6 g
Fiber: 13 g

Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler

Yum! Fresh Springtime ingredients just beg for any excuse to be put onto the dinner table. This is an absolutely delicious and easy way to use that delicious Rhubarb. I would have made some today and put a picture up, but they only had one stick of Rhubarb at the store (egads!) and I wanted to post this for Mom ASAP. I'll try to add a picture soon.

Serves 8. Use a 9" pie plate or an 8"x8" square baking dish. It's delicious with frozen vanilla yogurt.

Ingredients:

Filling

• 1 quart strawberries, hulled
  
• 10 oz. rhubarb, 1/2" chunks
• 1/3 c. sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 Tbsp cornstarch

Topping

• 1 c. AP flour
• 3 Tbsp yellow cornmeal
• 1/4 c. + 2 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/3 tsp salt
• 1/3 c. buttermilk
• 3 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1/8 tsp cinnamon
  

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 400.
• Directly in the baking dish, toss together all the ingredients for the filling.
• Put the baking dish onto a cookie sheet (in case it bubbles over) and bake around 20-3o minutes, until it's hot and bubbly around the edges.
• Meanwhile, in a large bowl, mix the flour, cornmeal, 1/4 c. of the sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
• In a separate bowl, mix the buttermilk, melted butter and vanilla. This will be chunky with the melted butter clumping up. That's OK.
• In a third small bowl, mix the remaining 2 tsp sugar with the cinnamon. Set aside.
• When the filling is ready but still in the oven, stir the buttermilk mix into the flour mix until just combined (don't over mix, but try to get rid of any big pockets of flour.)
• Remove the baking dish from the oven carefully, and stir the filling.
• Dollop the topping onto the strawberry/rhubarb mixture (if you put eight dollops on top like biscuits, it makes it easier to serve evenly.)
• Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture on top of the biscuits.
• Put the cobbler back in the oven, and cook until the topping is golden brown on top and the filling is hot and bubbly again (15-20 min)
• Remove from oven and cool about 15 minutes before serving.

8 servings
Calories: 210
Fat: 4.5 g
Fiber: 3 g

Everyday Mac & Cheese

Ingredients:

• Salt
• 1/2 lb Macaroni
• 12 oz Evaporated low fat milk
• 3/4 c. 2% milk
• 1/4 tsp dry mustard
• 1/8 tsp garlic powder
• Pinch cayenne
  
• 2 tsp cornstarch
• 8 oz Cheddar cheese 50% fat (shredded)

Instructions:

• Boil water and salt. Cook Macaroni according to package & drain.
• In empty pot, add evaporated milk, 1/2 c. of 2% milk, mustard, garlic and cayenne. Heat to boil, then turn down to a simmer.
• Mix the cornstarch into remaining 1/4 c. milk, and add to simmering sauce to thicken, whisking constantly.
• Remove from heat, add cheese and stir in cheddar cheese.
• Gently stir in macaroni until fully mixed, and let rest 5 minutes before eating.

5 servings
Calories: 419
Fat: 21 g
Fiber: 1.1 g