Happy Labor Day :: Spicy Fish Tacos w/Homemade Tortillas

The long weekend has come and gone...

We hosted three dinner parties this weekend - Friday, Saturday, & a lunch on Monday. Yes, 3! Can you believe it? Lots of cooking, but I can't imagine anything better to do on a weekend than hang out with A. e, and have dinner with our friends. :-) We also had a delicious lunch at Spice Market on Sunday and I found my new obsession: Vietnamese coffee! ...I guess condensed milk makes anything better.

After waking up at noon (yay for days off!) on Friday, I spent the afternoon wandering around Whole Foods in Tribeca thinking of menus for the weekend. I picked up lots of great ingredients: gruyere for croque monsiuers, oxtails for a beef stew, a Caribbean coconut sorbet for dessert, freshly ground honey roasted peanut butter (my favorite stand at whole foods), fresh tilapia, even short ribs. My favorite find? A giant orange bag of Mexican corn flour. Not sure what I would use it for, but I picked it up anyway.

Then I thought: homemade tortillas!

I love labor intensive foods, there's something so romantic and satisfying about a cooking process that have been around for so many generations... A. thought I was crazy to be spending an hour kneading dough, flattening it with a cast iron skillet (I need a tortilla press asap!), then a rolling pin, and patiently sitting by the stove on a hot day as each tortilla bubbled up and browned, when Whole Foods sells perfectly good tortillas ... but when he came home and saw the warm stack of fresh corn tortillas he said 'absolutely amazing!'. Told you so! :-)

So, that was the menu on Friday: Spicy Tilapia fish tacos with homemade tortillas!

 

TORTILLAS
2 cups corn masa
1 1/2 cups warm water with a dash of salt

Mix the corn masa with the salted water. Knead the dough until thoroughly mixed together to make a large ball.

Then make small golf ball sized rounds. As you are working through the dough, keep it covered with a damp towel to prevent drying. Flatten each small ball very thin either with a tortilla press or with a rolling pin and then cut into round shapes (click here for a step by step).

Heat an ungreased non-stick skillet on high. When the skillet in very hot add a tortilla, one at a time and cook for 30 seconds on each side. If the tortilla sticks, the skillet is not hot enough.

Serve the tortillas right away or keep covered for a couple of hours.

Now to the tacos...

TILAPIA TACOS w/ADOBE CHILE SAUCE
4 tilapia filets
juice of half a lime
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp fresh cilantro chopped, + additional leaves for garnish
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup sour cream
2 chipotle chiles in adobe sauce, canned (seeded)
1 ripe avocado, sliced
salt & pepper

Season tilapia fillets with lime, cilantro, olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper. Marinate in the fridge for 30 minutes.

In the meanwhile, make the spicy chipotle sauce. Combine the chiles and sour cream with a dash of salt in the food processor. Set aside.
In a nonstick skillet over medium high heat with a bit of olive oil, add the tilapia. When cooked, flip over until golden. Remove from heat.

To assemble the tacos: add a smear of the chipotle sauce to the fresh tortillas, plenty of tilapia, a couple of slices of avocado, and fresh cilantro. You can top each taco with a fresh salsa (recipe below) or serve on the side.

Enjoy!
SIMPLE PICADILLO SALSA
1 large tomato
1/2 white onion
1 tbsp chopped cilantro
2 tbsp white vinegar
juice of 1/2 a lime
1/2 of olive oil
Tabasco and salt (to taste)

Combine all ingredients and chill. Keeps in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.

From the Oven :: Homemade Cranberry Granola

I love yogurt and granola! It's such a perfect anytime snack... especially with fresh fruits on top.  Yum!  ...But packaged granola often has alot of processed sugars and fats.  Sugar, corn syrup, and fructose are usually the main ingredients in the store bought mixes, or in 'healthy' granola bars.  Humm, not exactly the healthy snack I'm envisioning.  

So I decided to bake my own granola!  ...It's not as convenient as grabbing a box off the supermarket shelf, but it doesn't require more than 5 minutes of prep work and it will keep in the fridge for months.  Well worth the effort just to know what you're eating.  And the taste will be delicious.  You can make any flavor combination you can imagine, and your apartment will smell like sweet, cinnamon-y goodness all day! :-)

I couldn't wait to have it for breakfast.  So the next morning, I surprised A. by making us 'to-go' breakfast yogurt parfaits.  

In glass mason jars, I layered Fage greek yogurt (0% fat), my freshly baked granola, and diced melons ... delicious!!  So easy and healthy... not to mention how cute the jars look. 

You can even make the parfaits the night before, leave in the fridge, and grab as you're rushing out in the morning.  I love these glass jars because you don't have to worry about leaking.  If you are worried about the granola getting soggy overnight, cut out rounds of parchment/wax paper the diameter of your container.  Place the round of paper between the yogurt and the granola.  Problem solved! 

CRANBERRY GRANOLA

6 cups old fashioned oats (not quick cook)

1/2 cup honey

2 tbsp butter

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla extract

dash of salt

1 cup dried cranberries (you can replace with raisins)

optional: 1 cup nuts, seeds, coconut flakes, even chocolate chips!

Preheat oven at 350F.  In a large bowl with the oats with the honey, room temperature butter, cinnamon, vanilla, salt, and nuts if you are adding them.  Spread oats on a baking pan and bake for 40 minutes, until golden brown.  Remove from the oven and add dried fruits or chips.  Allow the granola to cool to room temperature and store in a sealed jar in the fridge.

Enjoy!

PS: I added a feature at the end of each post (a little envelope icon) that you can use to forward a post to a friend! Just click on the envelope and send away.

Happy Weekend :: Roasted Heirloom Tomato Pasta

Have you ever started making a dish just to end up making something totally different?  Well, it happened to me yesterday.  It's starting to get a little chillier here in NYC (well, and by chilly I mean it's 75F instead of the recent 95F and humid) so I was excited to make a roasted tomato soup with these beautiful heirloom cherry tomatoes.   I love seasoning and roasting vegetables before making a soup, it makes them nuttier and sweeter.  And tomato soup is one of my favorite fall dishes.

Well , when the tomatoes came out of the oven, they looked so juicy and delicious, and the whole kitchen was filled with the smell of basil and oregano, that we couldn't help it and poured them over fettuccine instead.  So roasted tomato soup became a roasted heirloom tomato pasta sauce. ... And by far the easiest, no mess, pasta sauce I've ever made!  The tomatoes have so much juice and flavor, there's no need to add anything else to them once they come out of the oven.  Just pour them over pasta and enjoy!

ROASTED HEIRLOOM TOMATO PASTA

2 cups heirloom tomatoes, 

1 clove of garlic, chopped,

1/2 a white onion, slice

Kosher Salt

Pepper

Olive oil

Springs of basil and oregano

Pasta, I used fettuccine

Preheat oven to 350F. 

In an oven safe pan, spread the tomatoes (cut the small tomatoes in half) and onions.  Pour a bit of olive oil on top of the tomatoes, and mix so the oil coats all the pieces.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and a add your herbs and garlic.  

Place in the oven and cook until the tomatoes are soft and browning.  About 20 minutes.  In the meanwhile cook the pasta and drain.  Pour the tomatoes over the cooked pasta.

Summer Salad :: Vietnamese Chicken & Cabbage Salad

Cabbage has been in our CSA a few times this summer, but I have a sad confession to make... I have yet to use it.  I've actually let it go bad twice already. :-(  I try to use up all of our CSA goodies, coming up with new recipes, scouring blogs and cookbooks for new ideas, even freezing or preserving fruits when we've had more cakes and tarts than any diet can allow.  But somehow the cabbage has slipped through the cracks.  Probably because I kept thinking of coleslaw which is not very exciting, and A. hates mayo!  

Well, that won't happen again, I found this yummy recipe for a Vietnamese chicken and cabbage salad.  So, last night I stopped by the store, bought a bottle of fish sauce, made a couple of changes (like using cilantro instead of mint), and decided to give it a try.  Glad I did... it was delicious!  The cabbage is perfectly crispy, and the freshness is a great balance with the spicy (yes, a little spicy!) chile dressing.  

VIETNAMESE CHICKEN & CABBAGE SALAD (adapted from Nigella Lawson)

1 Thai Chile (or 1/3 habanero chile)

1 garlic clove

1 tbsp sugar

1 1/2 tsp vinegar

1 1/2 tbsp lime juice

1 1/2 tbsp thai fish sauce (nuoc nam)

1 1/2 tbsp olive oil

1/2 medium white onion, grated

Salt to taste

1 1/2 cups chopped cabbage

1 large carrot, chopped

2 large chicken breast (marinated with the juice of 1/2 a lime, 2 tbsp of soy sauce, 1 tsp of honey, and pepper)

a bunch of cilantro, roughly chopped

In a small bowl, combine the chiles, sugar, garlic, vinegar, lime juice, fish sauce, olive oil, and onions.  Add a dash of salt.  Whisk until mixed, and place in the fridge.  

Grill or sautee the chicken breast. Remove from pan and allow to cool then slice.

Combine the cabbage , carrots and chicken in a large bowl.  Toss with the dressing, and sprinkle the cilantro on top.

Enjoy!

PS: Be careful when chopping the chilles!  The spice will stay on your fingers, so stay clear of your eyes (which I didn't do ...ouch! double ouch!), and wash your hands. :-)

Oh...and for dessert? Slices of a mini carrot cake from Citarella! Yum...

Lunchbox :: Heirloom Tomato & Yellow Zucchini Flatbread

We got beautiful heirloom tomatoes as part of the CSA this week, along with pretty little round yellow zucchinis. I am always amazed at how different heirloom vegetables look from what you are used to. The colors of the tomatoes are almost tie-dyed! :-)

I was also looking forward to using the fresh herbs from my windowsill garden so I came up with this seasonal flatbread recipe. The fresh herbs add the finishing touch! It makes the perfect quick meal, or even as an appetizer when entertaining friends. I made it last night after we had dinner, yes, after dinner! But I sliced it in half and packed it up in two 'to go' containers for a next day take-to-work lunchbox. A. was very excited! ...and I suspect ate part of his before lunch. :-)

You can substitute the vegetables or even the cheese for what you have in season. I'm already thinking of a fig and mascarpone version for Fall... yum!

HEIRLOOM TOMATO & YELLOW ZUCHINI FLATBREAD
1 round frozen pizza dough (defrosted)
1 giant heirloom tomato (I think our variety is called Brandywine)
1 round yellow zucchini
Olive Oil
1 1/2 cups mozzarella
Salt & pepper to taste
Sprinkle of Parmesan
2 tbsp fresh herbs (I used a combination of basil, oregano, and chives)


Preheat oven to 425F.


Spread defrosted pizza dough on greased cookie pan in a rectangular shape. Don't worry, it doesn't need to be exact, just stretch the dough as much as you can without breaking it. Salt the dough lightly with salt.


Cook the dough in the oven for 8-10 minutes, or until you start getting a crust. Cool for 15 minutes.

When cool, drizzle a bit of olive oil on the dough. Then spread the cheese evenly on top. Arrange the slices of tomatoes and zucchini on top of the cheese. Dust lightly with Parmesan cheese. Add a bit of pepper, and sprinkle the cut herbs.


Cook for another 5-8 minutes until the cheese is melted. Place the oven on broil for a couple of minutes. Remove, and cool for 5 minutes.


Enjoy! ... or in this case: reheat an enjoy!

NYC Herb Garden :: Basil, Oregano, and Chives

I was VERY excited when A. got me a small herb garden back in June!  I'd been talking about getting indoor herbs for months.  I buy herbs every week and have a hard time using them all before they spoil.  So I wanted a little garden that I could reach over to and cut a few leaves of basil when I needed them.   Something that would grow in our city apartment.

Then, one day, there it was... my little plot of land! All in a box: 3 ceramic pots, a big bag of dirt, and 3 seed packets.

I'll be honest though, I love flowers, but I've never had a plant.  Could I really take care of this little garden... actually... would I even get it to grow? ...Well, it did! I planted the seeds, added water, and covered each pot in plastic wrap for a week (imagine mini greenhouses).  Then it started to sprout! I have since watered it every day and even rotate the jars every few days (I realized the basil was growing much faster and shadowing the oregano).

Today was my first harvest: Fresh basil, oregano, and chives!  I can hardly believe it - here are a few pics of the two month process: from little sprouts to cut herbs.  Lots of recipes to follow. :-)

PS: I'm hoping to see the Edible Garden exhibit at the Botanical Gardens this weekend!

Just Dessert :: Apple & Apricot Coffee Cake

While A. was busy prepping for his paella on Saturday, I was in charge of dessert.  :-)

I found this delicious recipe for a dense/crispy cake topped with apricots on Chocolate & Zucchini (one of my favorite blogs!).  I also had some crisp apples from our CSA share, so I combined thinly sliced apples with the apricots.

Delicious! ...Plus the recipe is in grams so it gave me a chance to use my Escali light blue kitchen scale, which reminds me of a Vespa!

APPLE & APRICOT COFFEE CAKE (adapted from Chocolate & Zucchini)

300 grams red apples (thinly sliced)

200 grams ripe apricots

225 grams all purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

dash of salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 tbsp milk

1/2 tsp baking soda

150 grams of butter

100 grams of sugar

1 egg lightly beaten

Topping:

1 tbsp plain yogurt

1 tbsp sugar

1 egg

Preheat the oven to 350 F.  Butter and lightly flour a 9" cake pan (I used a non-stick skillet).

Mix the flour, baking powder, salt, baking powder, and room temperature butter.  Add in the sugar, and mix.  Add the egg, vanilla, and milk.  Mix until fully combined.  Pour the batter into the pan.  It will be very think, almost like a bread dough, so spread it with a spatula or your hands if needed.  Place the apples in a circular pattern over the top of the mix with the apricots in the center.

In a bowl, combine the yogurt, sugar, and egg and beat with a fork. Pour the mixture over the top of the cake.  Put in the oven and bake for 40 minutes, or until golden.  Leave it in the turned off oven for another 15 minutes.

Serve with vanilla ice cream (I used Haagen Dazs Five Vanilla Bean).

Enjoy!