quick fish tacos

some nights the last thing i want to do is come home and cook. it doesn't happen often, but when it does it hits me like a ton of bricks. however, with this recipe on hand i'm never stuck with nothing to eat. the ingredients are readily available, inexpensive, and the preparation could not be faster.

enjoy these fresh healthy tacos when you are running short on time but want something long on flavor.

ingredients:
4 fresh tilapia filets
8 crunchy corn taco shells*
1/2 a head of napa cabbage, shredded
queso fresco or cheddar cheese (optional)
1/2 cup low fat sour cream
1 chipotle chile in adobo, minced fine
goya adobo seasoning
olive oil

directions:
heat olive oil (about 1 to 2 tablespoons) in a large pan over medium high heat. cut fish into chunks about 1 inch in size. add them to the pan and sprinkle with the adobo seasoning mix (use this to taste, it's not spicy hot, just spicy flavorful). saute until cooked through, about 3 to 4 minutes, and then remove.

shred the cabbage and set aside. in a small bowl mix the minced chipotle chile and the sour cream to make a spicy sour cream.

spread the sour cream on the inside of the taco shells, and then add fish to the bottom, then napa cabbage, and sprinkle cheese (if using) on top. serve warm with a slice of lime (to sqeeze on at the last second) and enjoy!

notes:
* we used the Safeway brand taco shells which were labeled as gluten free. please be sure to check the ingredients on your favorite brand to make sure they are safe if you are preparing this gluten-free.

tip of the day

as you all know, i love cooking. what you may not know is that i also love wine. however, one hard thing for me is pairing the meals i make with wines i'd like to try.

the impromptu gourmet is offering a free 24 page wine pairing and entertainment guide when you sign up for emails from their website. the guide is awesome, and so is the site. for those of us who love food, and sometimes don't have time to prepare it ourselves, it offers excellent choices. the meals there also makes a great gifts.

just a little tip from me to you. :)

salsa for galen

"who is galen?" you may ask. and the short answer is a guy i work with. a slightly longer version is that he's a husband, father, photographer, and kick-butt gardener, who even composts himself so that everything that comes out of his garden is completely natural. you can follow his exploits here, though they are mostly over for the year be sure to check back next spring to follow his plantings and adventures in the garden.

anyway, one day i came into the office to this:


he'd brought in several of his beautiful cherry tomatoes for me. they were the most perfect shade of red, and were sweet and juicy. seriously, i don't even eat raw tomatoes and i savored one of these. i knew that i had to write a recipe for them, but i wanted to make sure that it did them justice. i think this does...

ingredients:
a handful of amazing cherry tomatoes from a friends garden or a large package of cherry tomatoes
2 large shallots, thinly sliced
7 cloves of garlic confit, method to make this can be found here
heaping tablespoon of pickled jalapenos, finely minced
1/2 a teaspoon of sugar
splash of balsamic vinegar
splash of olive oil (feel free to use the garlic infused oil from the garlic confit)
sal gris
handful of cilantro leaves, chopped
juice of 1/2 a lemon

directions:
preheat the oven to 400.

quarter the cherry tomatoes and then mix them, the shallots, the garlic confit, the jalapenos, the sugar, the vinegar, the salt, and the oil together and place into a small casserole and pop into the oven. let this roast for about 15 minutes to let the flavors combine. remove from the oven and squeeze in the lemon juice and stir in the cilantro. add more salt to taste. serve warm.

notes:
this is great warm or cold. the heat here allows all of the flavors to mesh together, and the balsamic adds an unexpected sweetness to play against the spiciness of the jalapenos. this is now a hit around our house, whenever it comes time to make a snack the first thing the husband says is "how about that salsa?"

the mobbies!

the practical gourmet was nominated for a mobbie, which is run by the baltimore sun and is an award for maryland's outstanding blogs.

i'm humbled and honored by the response, and that i'm currently #12 in the rankings...but i'd love to be a little higher...



so vote early and often for the practical gourmet to win a mobbie in the foodie category. voting closes october 9th, and this link will be in the sidebar until then.

thanks!

sausage, broccoli rabe, and fontina frittata

this dish is so quintessentially Italian, and it is an excellent source of protein and it is gluten-free (unless you add something wheaty to it). these flavors just “go” together, and when i saw broccoli rabe in the store i knew i would be adding it to something for dinner this week.

ingredients:
1 bunch broccoli rabe, cleaned and ends trimmed, then chopped
3 links or one “roll” pork sausage (i used smithfield mild pork sausage roll as it is gluten-free)
1 block (about ½ a pound) of fontina cheese, cubed
8 eggs
salt and pepper
olive oil

directions:
heat olive oil in a large non stick pan over high heat. add the sausage, breaking it up with the back of your spoon so that it browns evenly. once it is fully browned, add the chopped broccoli rabe and let that wilt down until it’s a dark green and is soft.

preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

mix the eggs, salt and pepper (to taste), and the cubed fontina in a small bowl. pour this over the sausage and broccoli rabe mixture and make sure to evenly distribute the eggs. let this set on the bottom (run a rubber spatula under this to make sure you will easily be able to cut and remove slices of the finished frittata) and then pop it into the oven for about 8 to 10 minutes, or until the top of the frittata is set. let cool for about 4 to 5 minutes and then turn out and slice into wedges to serve.

notes:
this could be a great meal for breakfast or dinner. if you are serving for breakfast a nice side of fresh berries would be a good compliment. for dinner a green salad would be delicious.

sesame seared ahi tuna

tuna is my favorite fish. i love it when it’s seared like this…warm and crusted on the outside and pink and cool in the center. i also love it in tuna sandwiches, and tuna poached in white wine with anise and tarragon. really tuna is a versatile fish, and this dish shows just how simple it is to prepare.

ingredients:
2 ahi tuna steaks
good sea salt
3 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
olive oil

directions:
heat olive oil over very high heat in a non stick pan. salt both sides of the tuna. on a small plate lay out the sesame seeds and press one side of the tuna into them to form a crust. use your fingers to make sure they are adhered to the tuna. repeat with the other tuna steak.

once the pan is very hot, lay the tuna in sesame seed side down, and sear for one minute. flip and sear the second side for 30 seconds. remove from heat immediately and set onto a cool plate.

notes:
make a dipping sauce by mixing 3 tablespoons of wheat-free soy sauce, 3 tablespoons of water, and 2 tablespoons of honey in a small bowl. serve with the ginger scented rice and quick picked veggies.

ginger scented rice

there is something comforting to me about sticky short grained rice. i rinse my rice thoroughly and then let it soak for about an hour. this allows the rice to puff slightly and makes it even stickier when cooked. this is the perfect compliment to the quick pickled veggies and the sesame seared ahi tuna.

ingredients:
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger (you can use a microplane or a japanese ginger grater)
1.5 cups short-grained white rice
1.5 cups water
toasted sesame seeds

special equipment:
rice cooker

directions:
mix the ginger and water together and then add in the rice. set the rice cooker and let it do its thing. once the rice is cooked, top it with some toasted sesame seeds.