Monday, July 27, 2009

Fish Tacos with Lime-Cilantro Crema

This recipe is so good and the seasoning can be used for regular tacos as well. In a pinch, you can rub the fish with packaged taco seasoning. This is one of Marc's favorite recipes and he always squirts lots of extra lime on his. The recipe calls for red snapper, but we use the tilapia filets you can get at Costco. I also use plain yogurt in place of both mayo and sour cream.

Ingredients

  • CREMA:
  • 1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • 3 tablespoons fat-free mayonnaise
  • 3 tablespoons reduced-fat sour cream
  • 1 teaspoon grated lime rind
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 garlic clove, minced

  • TACOS:
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 1/2 pounds red snapper fillets
  • Cooking spray
  • 8 (6-inch) corn tortillas
  • 2 cups shredded cabbage

Preparation

Preheat oven to 425°.

To prepare crema, combine the first 8 ingredients in a small bowl; set aside.

To prepare tacos, combine cumin and next 5 ingredients (through garlic powder) in a small bowl; sprinkle spice mixture evenly over both sides of fish. Place fish on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake on a broiling pan at 425° for 15 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork or until desired degree of doneness. Place fish in a bowl; break into pieces with a fork. Heat tortillas according to package directions. Divide fish evenly among tortillas; top each with 1/4 cup cabbage and 1 tablespoon crema.

Sunday, July 26, 2009

Quick Buttermilk Bread


This was so fast and easy. The bread was moist and almost cake-like in texture. This will definitely become a staple in our house. Before baking, it is a batter, not dough, so don't be confused. If you don't have buttermilk on hand, for every cup of milk, replace 1 tbsp of milk with vinegar or lemon juice. That is a good tip for anytime you need buttermilk.

Ingredients

2 cups flour
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups low-fat buttermilk
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 large egg whites, or 1 large egg

Directions

Preheat oven to 350. Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl; make a well in the center of mixture. Combine wet ingredients, stirring with a whisk. Add wet ingredients to dry mixture stirring just until moist. Spread batter into a 8 x 4-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pan or a wire rack; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack.

Saturday, July 11, 2009

Quick BBQ Chicken


Rub chicken breasts under the skin with the spice paste, and grill for a simple, delicious late-summer dinner. Leave the skin on the chicken as it cooks so the breasts will remain juicy, and discard skin just before serving. I doubled the spice paste and grilled a whole cut-up chicken. Marc put BBQ sauce on and thought that was really good. Serve with corn on the cob and coleslaw. Total time: 45 minutes.

Yield

2 servings (serving size: 1 chicken breast half)

Ingredients

  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 (8-ounce) bone-in chicken breast halves
  • Cooking spray

Preparation

1. Prepare grill.

2. Combine first 9 ingredients in a bowl, stirring well. Loosen skin from chicken by inserting fingers, gently pushing between skin and meat; rub spice mixture evenly under skin over meat. Lightly coat skin with cooking spray. Place chicken, breast-side down, on a grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 30 minutes or until a thermometer inserted in the thickest part registers 165°, turning twice. Let chicken stand 10 minutes. Remove skin; discard.