Friday, February 24, 2012

Seafood Tacos



So a friend of mine asked me for a good fish taco recipe.  Instead of just fish I decided to throw in some scallops as well.  Really you could add any seafood to this, shrimp, mussels, crab.  It would all be pretty tasty!  This is a super simple and quick recipe and I was able to finish it all up in about 15 minutes.
Don't forget to check the previous blog out to see the lime dressing I use to marinate the beans, corn, onion and cilantro in! http://rollingaroundthekitchen.blogspot.com/2012/02/chickpea-salad.html

Utensils:


Bowl
Spoon
Saute pan
Spatula


Ingredients:

1/4lb Scallops
1-2 White Fish fillets ( I used tilapia, but cod or haddock would 
work too.)
1/2T butter
6-8 small flour or corn tortilla wraps
1/2 can red bean, drained
1 cup corn(fresh is always good, but I used frozen and it's just as good)
red onion(which I forgot to add in...I was in a rush to get dinner on the table, oops)
1/2c cilantro, rough chopped
lime
salt and pepper
sour cream

Combine the beans, corn, red onion and cilantro with the lime dressing that was made from the chickpea salad.  Let sit while cooking the seafood.  Season the fish and scallops with salt and pepper and saute with 1/2T butter until lightly golden brown and cooked through.  Set aside and brown up the tortilla wraps.  Drain the bean mixture and place some on the browned tortillas.  Flake the fish and place on top of beans and add the scallops as well.  You may want to cut the scallops in half to make them fit better.  Top with sour cream if you wish and ENJOY! So simple right? So healthy, fresh and easy.



Fish is Good...


Friday, February 17, 2012

Chickpea Salad


Thanks to friends' birthdays and getting to go to dinner at a yummy restaurant.  From the moment I had this salad I knew I had to figure out how to make it!  And guess what, it's sooooo easy!  I think I got it pretty close to what we had a the restaurant and if not, I don't care because this one is still really good, and my new doggy likes it too.  I just got a new great dane puppy.  His name is Caspian and he is 13 months old! He is so so sweet and follows me around the kitchen when I am in there cooking, waiting for me to drop things.  And since these chickpeas are a little slippery they tend to drop on the floor.  He liked the carrots too and don't forget the cilantro.  Who ever heard of a dog liking cilantro?? Mine does!

So on to the recipe for this chickpea salad.  It's packed with nutrients and gives you a fresh burst with the lime and cilantro. Check out the nutrition websites at the bottom too!

Utensils:

Spatula
Whisk
Bowls
Chef knife
Peeler

Ingredients:

1 can chickpeas, drained(save 2T 'juice')
1 carrot, peeled, chopped
1/4 red onion, chopped
1/4c cilantro, rough chopped
1/4c lime juice
1/4c oil
1 1/2T salt
2tsp pepper

Drain the chickpeas, saving 2T of the 'juice' for the dressing.  Chop the carrot about the same size as the chickpeas and the onion a little bit smaller. Rough chop the cilantro and combine all of the chopped ingredients to the chickpeas. Whisk together the 'juice', lime juice, oil, salt and pepper. Pour over the chickpea salad and cover. Let marinate in the fridge for 10-15 minutes. Drain most of the dressing off the salad and it's ready to eat. (I usually save the dressing and you will see why with the next post of fish and scallop tacos!)


Hope you guys like this salad as much as I do.

Here's Caspian waiting....



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Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Tasty Sangrias

Pin It Cheers!!! You might be thinking sangria is only for the summer, but guess what, and I hate to say this, but you are wrong!  Especially since red wine is 'healthy' for you.  I mean don't go out and booze it up every night with 5 bottles of red wine.  Moderation is key people!  So with that being said, this tasty treat can be enjoyed any time of year.  I am now craving some sangria thanks to a friend of mine for asking me for a recipe.  I am putting up two different red wine sangrias, sorry, no white wine sangrias, it's just not as healthy! My wine choice is made by my in depth palate and sense of...how fun the name and label was!! 


This would be a perfectly romantic drink, so make it for your special someone or just yourself! Spread some love today!


Don't forget to check out the sites at the bottom to see some of the health benefits of red wine.

Orange Sangria
1 bottle red wine
1/4c grandmarnier
1QT orange juice
3/4c  sugar

sliced oranges
sliced peaches(or frozen)
strawberries(fresh or frozen 

I like to use the frozen stuff in the summer as it will make the sangria a little more refreshing.  In the fall and winter you can use fresh.



Cranberry Sangria
1 bottle red wine
1c brandy
1QT cranberry juice
1c honey

dried cranberries
grapes
starfruit


Health Benefits of Red Wine
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/red-wine/HB00089
http://www.healthdiaries.com/eatthis/10-health-benefits-of-red-wine.html
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090611174052.htm

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Monday, February 13, 2012

Jerky or Biltong

Phew what a week last week!  I had to renew my drivers license...and little did I know I would have to retake the two written tests AND the road test! Aaaaahhhhh.  I felt like I was in high school getting my learners all over again!  Now I have to put in a new fuel tank and of course they found something wrong with my fuel pump as well.  Hmmmmm...go figure!  Oh and then I had to go back a few days later to get a new battery.  All the while these things are happening I decided that jerky was the way to cure my headaches.  Of course cooking or really food in general will always be my cure-all, but this week it was jerky!


This is one food that brings back so many memories of my childhood.  Being born in South Africa, I feel like jerky was almost a staple, except it wasn't called jerky.  It was called biltong, which to me is such a nicer, more appetizing name than 'jerky'.  Also Zach, who is a more than a picky eater, loves jerky.  He requested a while ago for me to make him some jerky.  So this long overdue time has come.  Except I am going to call it Nik's Biltong! I am going to make one for Zach that is not spicy and doesn't have a huge flavor profile, I will remind you again that he is soooo hard to cook for.  It will actually have more of a teriyaki flavor than anything else.

Here goes...




Utensitls:


Chef knife
Bowl
Wire rack
Aluminum foil
Sheet pan




Ingredients:


Beef, sliced thin
1 cup soy sauce
1 cup water
1/4 cup worchestershire sauce

1/4 cup molasses
2T of fresh garlic, chopped
1-2T black pepper
1T salt





I used a top round steak. You really want the leanest meat possible as the fat will make the meat go rancid.  Slice it thin, about a 1/4' thick and go across the grain. Combine all the ingredients and let the sliced meat marinate covered, in the fridge for at least 10 hours.  Pull out and rinse off with cold water.  Place on a rack and preferably put that on a foil lined sheet pan.  Put the sheet pan in the oven at 170F and crack the door open.  Let dry in the oven for 1hr, turn the oven off, shut the door and continue to dry for about another hour.  




Voila, you have jerky...biltong!  
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Saturday, February 4, 2012

Chocolate, pistachio bars

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A sweet treat to kickoff the Superbowl XLVI!! As I cleaned Zach's room this afternoon I found massive amounts of candy wrappers!  I was actually quite shocked, because I didn't think he really ate a lot of candy! HA...talk about being a naive mom!  Well at least I am learning early with the candy before he is doing this with other things.  And no, I don't want to think about what those 'other things' might be Thank You.  So then, I am putting some marshmallows away that he had taken out last night.  After he grabs a few, I again, have to explain about all the candy and how his teeth are going to rot out of his head because he doesn't brush well.  As I put them away, thinking how the heck am I going to control this candy eating, non brushing monster of a son, I start reading the recipes on the back and one catches my eye.  It's not your regular 'puffed rice' treat(love how they have to use that when doing the competitions on t.v.), but had things like pretzels, nuts, chocolate and raisins.  Now I am not one for raisins and I didn't have any pretzels.  I did however have pistachios, nutella and cinnamon.  Pretty much the same ingredients right? Right, that's what I thought too.  Here is my version of this sweet nutty goodness.


(Obviously I had to make these, because I had just got onto Zach about eating candy and stuff.  So the natural thing to do is make more candy! Duh!) 


Oh and check out below to see the fabulous reasons to add pistachios and cinnamon!


Utensils:

Rubber spatula
Saucepan
Baking dish
Chef Knife

Ingredients:


3/4 stick of butter
1/4c Nutella
15 large marshmallows
2c 'puffed rice' cereal
2T pistachios, chopped
1t cinnamon


Melt butter. Add in marshmallow and melt.  Add in Nutella and melt.  Add 'puffed rice' cereal, cinnamon and pistachios and combine completely.  This gets stiff pretty quick so work quickly and use a rubber spatula.  Make balls, put onto a sprayed sheet pan or in a sprayed brownie pan, whichever suits your style.  Let cool and cut however you want...make footballs if you'd like! Now keep in mind these are not your normal treats, they are a little more stiff, but very good.  You can always mess with the recipe a little too and add more marshmallows or butter to your liking.  I know my bro and sis-in law always say you can never have enough marshmallows! 





PISTACHIOS:
http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/pistachio.html
http://www.healthdiaries.com/eatthis/7-health-benefits-of-pistachios.html

CINNAMON:
http://www.care2.com/greenliving/10-surprising-health-benefits-of-cinnamon.html
http://www.organicauthority.com/health/11-health-benefits-of-cinnamon.html
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Friday, February 3, 2012

Bacon, Leek and Potato Soup

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Beware of this soup, it will make your house smell like a leek, but it's so worth it!  I love a really nicely made bowl of soup and I think I can say that potatoes are one of my absolute favorite foods.  I am for sure a true steak and potatoes girl, don't get me wrong I like all the other fancy pants meals and tres chique dishes, but give me a nice juicy (medium rare) steak and a loaded baked potato...Heaven!  Anyway since I love potatoes I thought I'd do this soup.  (We can pretend like the bacon is the steak.)  


Check out the very end for some site links of the health benefits of leeks!  They are pretty similar to onions and garlic with a lot milder flavor.




Utensils:


Sheet pan
Saucepan
Rubber spatula
Chef knife
Measuring spoons
Measuring cups


Ingredients:

8 strips bacon, cooked and chopped(save the grease for sauteeing)
1T olive oil
2T Butter
1/2 onion, small diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 leeks, diced
1t dried sage
2T flour
1c milk(any kind) or heavy cream, heated
1pt chicken stock or water
1 large potato, small diced and par-boiled
salt and pepper


Cook the bacon off on a sheet pan in the oven at 350F until crispy.  Reserve the grease and put in a large saucepan.  Heat the bacon grease, olive oil and 1T of the butter.  Add the diced onions and sautee until translucent.  Add the minced garlic and sautee lightly.  Add in the leeks and season with salt and pepper.  Sautee until tender.  Add in the sage.  Melt in the other Tablespoon of butter.  Sprinkle the flour over the mixture and stir to incorporate evenly.  Continue stirring for about a minute.  Pour in the milk a little at a time and stir after each addition.  Next, pour in the stock, par-cooked potatoes, and bacon.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.
*You may also at this point puree this soup if you want a smooth, creamy finish.  I kept mine rustic and chunky because I like seeing what I am eating!  Either way it's great and hope you enjoy this hearty meal.

Loooooove me some bacon!
Make sure you was thoroughly.

This was my sage before I dried it.




I found the mini loaf, at Target actually, to put my soup in! I love bread bowls and if I would of had the time I would have made my own...next time!

Oh and just a little precautionary advice, when you put a hot pan on granite and then lift it up, the granite is "WHOA, HOT!!" I mean not that I would know from experience or anything.




Leeks
http://www.indepthinfo.com/leeks/health-benefits.htm
http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/leeks.html
http://www.gayot.com/lifestyle/health/features/leeks-health-benefits.html
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